Chapter Forty-Three: Every Scheme Used Against Her

“Tch!” Mai Xijun finally laughed in exasperation, but Shen Yanlie stepped forward, unhurried, and walked toward her. Almost as soon as he sat down, he lifted her chin and sealed her lips with a kiss.

The familiar taste, the familiar sensation, the familiar breath—he couldn’t fathom how lucky he was. Twice, he had escaped death, both times with her help. Perhaps she was the thread of fate that bound him, even after decades, still able to stir every nerve in his body.

Yet he never expected that this flourishing spring of peach blossoms would become his tribulation. After surviving the ordeal, he ultimately surrendered his world for her.

The next morning, when Mai Xijun awoke, she rolled over. After some time, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze hollow as it landed in a corner of the room.

So be it. Was she still expecting something? Was she still hoping he would give her anything?

The sheets were soaked, not yet dry. Wrapping herself in them, she got out of bed, her body slick with sweat and other fluids, uncomfortable.

She hurried into the bathroom, tied her hair into a ponytail, and turned on the shower.

Only when she was brushing her teeth did Mai Xijun notice, to her astonishment, that her whole body was no longer as it once was. She doubted her own eyes—her skin was marked with bruises and purplish spots, some deep, some shallow, traces everywhere.

When she inadvertently turned slightly, she discovered it wasn’t just her front… On her small backside, two red handprints. Oh God! That damned man! She would never let him off!

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Shen Yanlie carried the fresh purchases from the nearby shopping center—food, drinks, daily necessities. Striding briskly, he appeared in high spirits as he climbed the stairs.

He fumbled in his pocket for the keys. That girl was probably still asleep, he thought. The warmth in his heart surprised him—he hadn’t felt this in ages, and was moved by himself… Truly unexpected!

As the door handle twisted, Mai Xijun had just finished her shower and stood at the bathroom door, momentarily stunned.

With a warm smile at her lips, she was just closing the door when Shen Yanlie’s gaze was met with…

Shen Yanlie’s mouth formed an ‘O’, and with a ‘pia’, the bag in his hand dropped to the floor.

“Ah~~~” With a shriek, Mai Xijun fled in panic. She slammed the door shut and locked it tightly.

Shen Yanlie raised his palms and shook them, staring blankly for a long while, then looked toward the spot where she disappeared. Damn! What did he see? Those handprints on her backside—weren’t those his…

Heavens! She thought he’d already left, so why had he returned? She’d just stepped out, freshly showered, completely unclothed…

Knock knock!

Two knocks sounded at Mai Xijun’s door. She, like a wronged child, finished dressing, curled up, and pondered, unable to decide what to do.

This man was trouble—she would surely be ruined in his hands one day!

“Hurry up and come out for breakfast!” Shen Yanlie spoke through the door, then turned to heat a cup of milk and sorted the groceries into the fridge.

Mai Xijun took a deep breath, opened the door, and sat on the sofa.

“Well, we…” Let’s end it here.

“What?” Shen Yanlie retrieved the heated sandwich from the microwave.

“Hehe, nothing.” The words reached her lips, but not a single one came out.

“Eat quickly. I have something to do later and will be out for a while. Spend your day as you wish!”

His words were like those of someone comforting a lonely, empty lover. Mai Xijun nodded silently, but why should she listen to him? This world was going mad…

Shen Yanlie ate a little, greeted her, and left. Mai Xijun curled up on the sofa and turned on the TV, but nothing held her attention. She picked up a book by Annie Baby from the desk and began reading.

She yawned and stretched, and before she knew it, the entire morning had passed at home.

She turned on the TV again—news reports or idol dramas would do, cooked some dumplings, and soon the afternoon would pass as well.

She lit the stove and dropped dumplings into the pot, but when she sat back down on the sofa, she stared blankly at the TV screen, her mood inexplicable.

“Lu Corporation today declared bankruptcy and will be acquired by Eurasia Trading. Here is the detailed report.” With the host’s announcement, the scenes that followed—the images, that man—wasn’t he the one who played cards with Shen Yanlie at the Imperial that night?

Lu Chengfeng? Damn! He was Lu Chengfeng? The man who kissed her at the banquet that night?

She remembered that night, she hadn’t had time to look at him closely, but the man who sat opposite her all night at the club was him? She never would have guessed…

But today, the Lu Corporation had actually gone bankrupt? And it was acquired by Eurasia? Shen Yanlie?

On screen, a swarm of reporters, flashing cameras, chaotic questions, and several bodyguards surrounding the man.

“Mr. Lu, is Eurasia’s acquisition of Lu Corporation purely a business move?”

“Rumor has it you and Mr. Shen were interested in the same woman. Is this true?”

“May I ask, did Mr. Shen target Lu Corporation because of that woman?”

Suddenly recalling what Shen Yanlie had said at the banquet, Mai Xijun stiffened, picked up her phone, but realized she didn’t have his contact information.

All the rumors painted him as a cold, ruthless man—striking mercilessly, his extraordinary looks matched only by his audacious methods, always getting what he wanted!

Mai Xijun wondered, if he was truly as the rumors claimed, as the tabloids reported…

At that moment, what flashed through her mind was He Jingjing’s words—he was using her, under the guise of loving her, to swallow up the Lu Corporation?

But if that wasn’t the case, then why? Was it really just because Lu Chengfeng had, intentionally or not, kissed her at the banquet, and this outcome was Shen Yanlie’s punishment for Lu Chengfeng? But how long had she even known him?

After the banquet, all of LOV gossiped about her supposed entanglement with three men.

LOV’s executive president Luo Youcong, Lu Corporation’s general manager Lu Chengfeng, Eurasia Trading’s chief Shen Yanlie—three men with vastly different personalities, and this four-sided romance was magnified by everyone, none letting go of the chance to gossip.

It became the topic of conversation in LOV, but now Mai Xijun wished she didn’t care, yet the man she shared a bed with had schemed so thoroughly against her!

She’d been foolish once again, as before, tasting the bitterness, sweetness, and sourness only to realize it was all self-inflicted! He was indeed such a ruthless man, outwardly indifferent, inwardly tangled with desire!

Mai Xijun rushed to the bedroom, hurriedly pulled on some clothes, unable to wait any longer. Too many questions demanded answers—she had to find him and ask!