Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"He said he's Lin Ze's husband?" Hua Yu asked Lin Zhuo incredulously, "Lin Ze married him?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the door opened again. The tall, forbidding man emerged, carrying Lin Ze, who was bundled tightly in an overcoat. He gave some instructions to his subordinates and then left without sparing them a single glance.

Fu Zhi opened the door to a new room. "General, I've interrogated the owner of this place. It seems safe enough. But why not take Colonel Lin back directly?"

Li Xiujin placed him on the bed and simply said, "Close the door and leave."

Fu Zhi realized he had spoken out of turn and hurriedly left.

In just the time it took to roll up his sleeves, the overcoat covering Lin Ze was pushed aside. Lin Ze curled up, his hand clumsily reaching between his legs...

Li Xiujin's gaze darkened. He knelt one knee on the bed, grabbed Lin Ze's wandering hand, pulled him forcefully into his embrace, and gripped his chin.

His snow-white cheeks were flushed with two patches of red.

Lin Ze hadn't completely lost his senses. Being stared at like this made him feel awkward, ashamed, and he tried to use his arm to cover his face.

Li Xiujin didn't give him that chance. Gripping his chin, he said, his voice icy:

"What's my name?"

"...Li Xiujin."

"Who am I to you?"

"..." Lin Ze tried to hide.

"Answer."

"...Hus... husband."

Only then did Li Xiujin's anger subside slightly.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze was tormented, his legs pressed together, rubbing together lightly, with faintly visible damp traces.

Li Xiujin's Adam's apple bobbed heavily. He pried open Lin Ze's lips and slid his finger inside.

Inside was hotter and tighter than usual, wet with fluid that moistened his finger.

He withdrew his wet finger, pulled Lin Ze's legs apart, draped them over his shoulders, and buried his head between them...

His nose brushed against the fabric, sniffing almost obsessively the usually sweet, now musky scent of arousal emanating from that intimate place.

Li Xiujin cupped and kneaded him with his palm, then probed inside with the finger, wet from Lin Ze's mouth...

When a cool sensation touched his lower body, Lin Ze shuddered, his mind clearing a little. He realized his legs were spread wide open, and he could vaguely see a head...

And that shameful place was being wantonly kneaded by rough fingertips...

Lin Ze covered his flushed face. "Don't..."

Even as he said 'don't,' he greedily sucked on the finger, desperately drawing it in deeper...

Such an indecent sight...

Then the entire mound was taken into the mouth, sucked and lapped at fiercely. A tingling numbness swept through his entire body. Lin Ze threw his head back, his eyes rolling back, trembling uncontrollably as something spurted out...

Li Xiujin emerged like a dark mountain rising from the water's surface. He knelt between Lin Ze's legs, his forbidding face dripping wet as he looked down at him, then undid himself, letting it spring out fiercely.

Lin Ze took one glance and trembled, his hair standing on end. "Xiu Jin..."

Ignoring his pleas, Li Xiujin grabbed him and pulled him harshly closer, pressing against him, rubbing, smacking against him...

Terrifying. Lin Ze's scalp went numb. He pleaded in a trembling voice, "Don't... not there..."

But Li Xiujin only thrust his hips fiercely...

*

"General, as you instructed, Su Jingyuan has been summoned."

Thinking it might be another several days and nights like last time, the door unexpectedly opened after just one night. Li Xiujin, wearing only a shirt, his expression slightly darkened, followed him to the reception room in the mountain villa.

In the reception room were Su Jingyuan, Hua Yu, and Lin Zhuo.

After sitting down, Li Xiujin swept a cold gaze around the room, finally settling on Su Jingyuan.

Informed early in the morning by his secretary that Li Xiujin wanted to see him, Su Jingyuan had rushed over without even eating breakfast. Seeing Lin Zhuo there too, he realized what he might be facing. Cold sweat now trickled down his face.

"General Li, you could have just had Fu Zhi notify me if there was something. A busy man like you, why bother seeing me in person?" Su Jingyuan said with an ingratiating smile.

Li Xiujin lit a cigarette, his smile not reaching his eyes. "You managed to get my wife and my wife's brother running errands for your affairs. Someone as capable as you, Manager Su, how could I not see you in person?"

"How would I dare? I told Lin Zhuo this matter didn't concern him... right, Lin Zhuo?" Su Jingyuan looked at Lin Zhuo.

Lin Zhuo steeled himself. "General Li, Manager Su..."

Li Xiujin coldly rebuked, "Shut up."

Lin Zhuo fell silent.

Li Xiujin stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. "Manager Su, out of respect for your father, I showed some leniency. It seems now you have more tricks up your sleeve than I imagined."

"Fu Zhi."

Fu Zhi, waiting nearby, produced a document. "The General originally only required you to repay the principal. Now, Manager Su is requested to repay both principal and interest within one month. If you cannot, General Li will take 50% of your equity in the Su Corporation as compensation."

Su Jingyuan's legs went weak. He couldn't even produce the principal, let alone the interest. Li Xiujin wanted to completely ruin his family. Filled with both fear and anger, Su Jingyuan said, "Li Xiujin, don't go too far..."

Li Xiujin gave a cold laugh. "You call this going too far?"

Su Jingyuan's face began to pale.

Fu Zhi began to usher him out. "Manager Su, our General has other matters to attend to. Allow me to see you out."

"No need."

"Then take care."

The door opened and closed.

Li Xiujin walked to the window and stared at Hua Yu.

Hua Yu might not have known about Lin Ze's recent situation these past few years, but he certainly knew about Li Xiujin. Even though this guy was younger than both him and Lin Zhuo, for some reason, his aura was overwhelmingly oppressive. He now understood why people called him a tyrant.

Hua Yu forced a laugh. "This matter is actually a misunderstanding. My assistant did something stupid... Rest assured, I've already punished him severely."

Li Xiujin didn't look at him again. Before leaving the reception room, he said coldly, "Come with me."

Lin Zhuo, who had remained silent, stood up and followed Li Xiujin out into the hallway.

Li Xiujin rolled up his sleeves, took off his watch, and slapped him.

Stunned, Lin Zhuo covered his face. His father had never hit him, and later, when Lin Ze took him in, Lin Ze had indulged him even more. Lin Zhuo was both angry and afraid, glaring at Li Xiujin.

But he found Li Xiujin gazing down at him with contempt, his expression terrifying.

"A traitor who bites the hand that feeds him."

"Fu Zhi, process his resignation and bring him to my office in two days."

"Yes, General."

*

Lin Ze's eyes fluttered open, pain washing over him as he saw an unfamiliar ceiling, memories flooding back like a tide.

He had been drugged, and was discovered by Li Xiujin, and then...

Lin Ze looked around, shame washing over him, but he was alone in the room. He pushed back the covers to get up, only to find his legs covered in red marks. When he got out of bed, his legs shook, refusing to close properly.

He quickly found his shirt and pants, but they were hopelessly wrinkled after putting them on. Seeing Li Xiujin's overcoat on the bed, Lin Ze thought for a moment and draped it over himself.

He went to the room he shared with Lin Zhuo but found no one there. Just as he was about to head back, he ran into Hua Yu, who was preparing to leave.

"Are you leaving? What's your decision on the investment?" As he spoke, Lin Ze's legs felt weak, and his breath was a little uneven.

"Didn't Li Xiujin tell you?" Hua Yu said.

"What?"

"That debt has been transferred to me by Li Xiujin. Now, Li Xiujin and Su Jingyuan are no longer connected. I’ve become Su Jingyuan’s new creditor."

"As for your brother, he should be resigning very soon..."

Lin Ze felt deeply ashamed. He had intended to handle things himself, but in the end, it seemed he'd only made things worse.

After speaking with him, Hua Yu prepared to leave.

But Lin Ze asked again, "Why did you suddenly stop talking to me back then?"

"Do you even care whether I talked to you or not? You had so many good friends around you at that time." Hua Yu let out a derisive snort.

"Of course I care."

Hua Yu paused, caught off guard, then said awkwardly, "It's because you gave away the gift I gave you to someone else."

Lin Ze widened his eyes slightly. "I didn’t do that."

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Lin Ze thought for a moment. "I brought it home and then it went missing. I don’t know how it ended up in his hands, but I would never casually give away a gift you gave me."

"Oh." Even as an adult, hearing that the gift he had given as a child had meant something to him, a part of Hua Yu’s heart softened.

"Why didn’t you invite me to your wedding?"

Lin Ze became embarrassed. "We didn’t have a wedding."

Come to think of it, that made sense. If someone like Li Xiujin had held a wedding, it would surely have been the talk of the town.

"I remember your fiancée was Qi Qian. How did you end up marrying Li Xiujin?" Hua Yu asked.

"Qi Qian and I called off our engagement a long time ago," Lin Ze replied, unsure how to answer the rest of the question.

Even though Lin Ze didn’t say it, Hua Yu could vaguely guess. Someone like Li Xiujin—authoritarian, domineering, terrifying—would be unbearable for any normal person. And Lin Ze... he had never met anyone as gentle and tolerant as Lin Ze. He still remembered one time when they went out to play. Because of his prank, Lin Ze hit his head and bled, but Lin Ze didn’t blame him at all. When his parents tried to hit him, Lin Ze would even stop them.

In a way, the two of them were quite a match.

There was so much he wanted to say, but for a moment, he didn’t know where to start.

"Let’s catch up another time," Hua Yu said. "I should go."

"Okay."

Lin Ze watched him get into the elevator, then leaned against the hallway window to watch him get into his car before turning around. To his surprise, Li Xiujin was standing right behind him, and he had no idea how long he had been there.

Seeing him, Lin Ze’s cheeks flushed red, and a dull ache throbbed between his legs.

"Xiu Jin..."

"Are you sober now?" Li Xiujin asked coldly.

Lin Ze nodded.

"Then it’s time to settle accounts with you."

His body was suddenly lifted into the air as Lin Ze was carried back to the room, cradled by his hips...

In the dimly lit room, Lin Ze’s face was flushed, biting the back of his hand as he leaned against the wall, trembling uncontrollably.

Li Xiujin was nowhere to be seen, but the hem of the overcoat bulged with the outline of a head, and from beneath it came the sticky, wet sounds of licking and sucking...