Chapter 4: Let Her Off for Now

'When Qin Lie returned to Jiangcheng, a mountain of work was already piled up. He was so busy he barely had time to see the sky, let alone eat a proper meal. He was reading proposals, sitting through meetings, and dealing with social obligations.'

'Especially the underworld crews. Several groups had been hit by some unknown force and lost men one after another. It was obvious retaliation.'

'Young Master Qin, the land we bought in Yunshan was ready to break ground on a high-end resort. But the orphanage that had agreed to move out suddenly backed out. The director is leading a group of children in protests every day. The media and the public are paying close attention.'

'The project, which had already taken a huge investment, was delayed by a whole month. Qin Lie's brow was locked tight.'

'According to the original schedule, if everything moved fast, they could have opened for business this summer. Now it was badly stalled, and they were probably going to have to wait until next year.'

'Didn't we already agree to build them a new orphanage? So who stirred things up in the middle? Go find out. Don't come back until you do!'

'Qin Lie exploded in rage, his voice icy enough to cut through bone.'

'The assistant fled in a hurry. Qin Lie collapsed into his chair and rubbed his temples.'

'His head hurt. Hurt terribly. Clearly all these meetings and decisions would have been handled by Xue alone. With her no longer at his side, doing everything with such care, he really was a little unaccustomed to it.'

'The New Year holiday had already passed. When Qin Lie got home, the place was cold and empty. Only the treatment room on the second floor still had a light on, obviously because Chu Ran was keeping watch at the bedside.'

'How is she?'

'He split the late-night snack he'd bought in half for Chu Ran. Qin Lie looked grim. Still no sign of waking up?'

'The person on the bed looked haggard, twitching now and then, impossible to wake no matter how she was called. Her left hand was hooked to a nutrient drip, her gaunt body almost unsettling to look at.'

'The bandage wrapped around the injury on her forehead was healing very slowly.'

'Do you know what it feels like to give someone hope, only to make them utterly despair at the very last second? Chu Ran smiled with savage delight, pushing up his glasses. The ketchup in his hand dripped like blood. You even shattered the bottom line she had been clinging to. At this point, she might rather die than wake up again.'

'She has to wake up. If she keeps playing dead, I'll kill her mother.'

'It was the most useful threat of all, and it had never failed him. But no matter how loudly Qin Lie said it, Su Xue still did not react.'

'Give it up. Even if she hears you now, she won't wake up. This is what emotional collapse looks like: the fever won't break, and the wounds won't heal. This time you really did go too far. Chu Ran smeared the ketchup onto Su Xue's lips, the bright red smear nauseating.'

'Don't think I don't know you let her go on purpose, Qin Lie said sourly.'

'You liked watching her struggle in vain too, so if we're talking about going too far, we're accomplices. Chu Ran wiped his lips with a tissue. His alluring phoenix eyes looked at Qin Lie as he pulled him closer to the bedside.'

'If nothing goes wrong, she'll have a fever for another two days and then wake up. Her body is already at its limit; if she still doesn't get up, not even nutrient shots will save her. So you just keep watch here. I'm going back to the lab.'

'No. She has to wake up tomorrow morning! There are several jobs that only she can handle, and I'm about to go crazy from being this busy!'

'Qin Lie pointed at the black night outside, his face full of exhaustion and anger. His fingers pinched hard at Su Xue's cheek. If you keep pretending to sleep, I...'

'Shh. Don't threaten her. You should wake her gently, like a prince waking a sleeping princess.'

'What international joke are you making?'

'Qin Lie lowered his head and said nothing, sullen and silent.'

'Chu Ran patted his shoulder and said earnestly, Qin Lie, you can hate her if you want, but once you really play her to death, you'll still regret it, won't you?'

'Put away that twisted hobby of yours. If you want to see me make a fool of myself, you can dream. Qin Lie slapped his hand away hard and threw Chu Ran out in disgust.'

'Regret? Qin Lie sneered. He would regret? Dream on.'

'When Su Xue woke up, Qin Lie happened to be sitting by her bed.'

'She was starving, and it felt like a huge void in her stomach was twisting with pain. Beneath her, two stick-like ointments were giving off a cool sensation, which eased the pain a lot.'

'Hiss... She moved her hand and immediately hurt. The gunshot wound on her right arm was in terrible shape; even after so long, it still hadn't scabbed over and healed.'

'Xue, you're awake?'

'Qin Lie looked downright scruffy now. His black eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, his hair a mess, and he clearly hadn't slept enough.'

'Good morning, Young Master. Biting her lip nervously, Su Xue tried to get out of bed. Wasn't she supposed to be thrown into a cage? Why was she in a bed instead, and why hadn't Qin Lie brought up her escape?'

'Better to be careful about everything.'

'Don't move. There's still a little nutrient drip left. Wait until it's done before you get up. He pressed her back down, then went downstairs and brought up a bowl of white congee. It was warm, and Su Xue's nose stung.'

'It smelled wonderful. It smelled especially wonderful.'

'The scene in front of her had been common more than ten years ago: Qin Lie caring for her in every detail. Every mouthful of food, every drop of water, had been fed to her by his own hand. He never wanted her to exert even a little strength.'

'Su Xue had once thought he was the person who loved her most, that it didn't matter she had no parents at her side, or that her mother had always been lying in a hospital bed. Having Qin Lie was enough. Nothing else mattered.'

'Until that day, Qin Lie had been her whole world.'

'After that day, she learned it had only been his scheme to take revenge on her.'

'Be good. Open your mouth.'

'The spoon reached her lips, only to be blocked by her teeth. Qin Lie coaxed patiently, What's wrong? Didn't like it because I put in too little sugar?'

'Su Xue was dazed. Could she be dead now, in heaven? Otherwise, why would Qin Lie be so caring toward her?'

'She opened her mouth. The temperature was very real, soft, glutinous, sweet.'

'Young Master, I...'

'Shh, don't talk. You're running a fever. We'll talk after you get better, all right?'

'He rested his forehead against hers, and a faint curve touched Qin Lie's lips. Don't move. I'll change your medicine.'

'I can do it myself, mm~'

'Qin Lie reached his right hand under the blanket. Two fingers slowly slipped into her pussy as he drew the ointment stick out little by little. It's healing very slowly. Does it hurt like this?'

'It's fine. Su Xue narrowed her eyes and let out a low, strained moan. As the ointment stick slid out of her pussy, Qin Lie kept brushing against the sensitive spots, whether on purpose or because he was nervous.'

'Hurts? I'll rub it. Not hurt, not hurt. After he pulled it out, Qin Lie used the slickness of her wetness to slowly massage the swollen lips of her pussy.'

'He didn't spare the little bud at the top either. He rubbed it with great care.'

'Mm... don't... it's itchy.'

'Be good. You like it too, don't you?'

'Qin Lie's voice had gone husky. He lowered his head and lightly bit her earlobe, his right thumb rubbing her clit in light, shallow circles over her pussy lips. One finger slowly sank inside, gentle as could be.'

'Mm... ah...'

'Her lower body was dripping wet. Su Xue reached out and grabbed Qin Lie's sleeve, her face twisted with unbearable need. You don't have to... you don't have to be this gentle...'

'There was no need to give her such a tender foreplay. If he wanted to fuck her, he could just get on with it.'

'Don't move. You're still hurt. His left hand covered her breast, the roughness of his palm brushing her pale flesh. A faint red mark bloomed. Qin Lie opened his mouth and took her stiff nipple fully between his lips.'

'Ah! At that moment, all three fingers went inside.'

'The rough stretching she had expected never came. Instead, he opened and closed her slowly.'

'His fingers ground against layer after layer of flesh inside her, and the wet sounds went pop, pop, pop.'

'Young Master~ mm~ As he brushed that one little spot, Qin Lie bit hard into her nipple. Su Xue shuddered, and more and more slick ran out of her pink pussy.'

'Qin Lie withdrew his hand and fed it to her mouth, teasing, Want to come?'

'Her little tongue licked at his fingers. They tasted a little fishy, mixed with the cool bitterness of the ointment.'

'I want to. Blushing bright red, Su Xue spoke softly. Down below felt too empty, unlike her back passage, which still had a stick of ointment inside.'

'Her wet pussy only wanted to be filled tight with something. Being emptied all at once felt so unfamiliar.'

'Her cheeks flushed an alluring pink, her eyes like a puppy begging for scraps. Qin Lie rubbed against her lips in satisfaction, then pulled his fingers out of her mouth.'

'Xue.'

'Suddenly Qin Lie reached out and turned off the lamp by the bed. The room fell into darkness at once. When the warm body slipped under the blanket, Su Xue trembled in fear.'

'Young Master?'

'Unexpectedly, he didn't come under her at all, but lay down directly at her side.'

'His solid chest buried her whole head against it. His right hand supported the back of her head, and his voice was especially gentle. Be good. Rest well.'

'What on earth was going on? Su Xue's heart was pounding so hard it hurt. What new trick was Qin Lie trying tonight? She couldn't figure it out, and couldn't guess.'

'Her head was so tense it felt like it might snap. There was no way she could sleep.'

'Why aren't you sleeping? About ten minutes later, Qin Lie gave a cold laugh. Xue, does being treated too well make you uncomfortable? Wasn't I good to you before?'

'Su Xue nodded, then shook her head.'

'In the end, she simply relaxed her body. Young Master, do whatever you want. I won't resist.'

'He was suddenly treating her this well, obviously because he wanted to have even more fun with her, wasn't he?'

'You talk as if you're ready to die honorably, but even if you wanted to resist, you couldn't, could you?'

'He pinched her throat with ease. Qin Lie seemed to have lost his appetite for play, his severity full of savage coldness. Su Xue, where do you think you can run? You might as well behave and satisfy me a little more. We'll keep this incident in mind for now and see how you perform later.'

'Hearing that, Su Xue finally let out a long breath.'

'What she feared most was uncertainty. What she feared most was hesitation hanging in the air. Good. There was no possibility of going back now.'

'Once a person had a plan, everything would fall into perfect order.'

'After she swallowed a pile of fever medicine, Chu Ran made a special trip to see her before she got out of bed.'

'Baby, treating your body this badly won't do. Take a few more days off and rest. It's not like they're docking your pay; there's no need to work so hard for Qin Lie.'

'That was what he said, but the syringe he pushed into her arm was steady as a rock.'

'It's part of my job. If I sleep one more day, Young Master would be done for.'

'What a considerate baby~ Chu Ran lifted her face and tried to plant a kiss on it, only to be firmly pushed away by Su Xue. His face was full of a hurt expression. You're so sweet. Let me taste you.'

'Young Master. She pointed toward the door. Qin Lie was standing there with a black face, arms crossed.'

'All right, caught by the main man himself.'

'Chu Ran let go with a dry laugh and teased Qin Lie, Lie, you're so busy lately. Why not lend Xue to me for a few days? If you keep not using what's down there, it'll tighten up. It hurts when it gets stretched again.'

'I have a vibrator. I don't need you to do the job for me.'

'Huffing, Qin Lie scooped Su Xue up and started walking out. Then he suddenly turned and asked, You've been researching some kind of aphrodisiac lately?'

'That's right. It's almost ready. I'm just short a few suitable people to test it on, so how about lending Xue to me? Pushing up his plain lenses, Chu Ran licked his lower lip, his gaze burning hot. Just a little of it, and even someone frigid would be begging to fuck. But their head stays clear, unlike other aphrodisiacs that make you hallucinate.'

'That did sound very tempting.'

'Bring it up again after Xue has finished this stretch of work. Qin Lie felt a thread of anticipation rise in him.'

'Even if her title was that of a CEO's assistant, Su Xue's office was actually one floor below his, together with the entire secretarial department. The tiny desk was piled high with documents and reports.'

'The cactus beside her computer monitor had been flipped upside down, and the sticky note pasted to it was mangled beyond recognition.'

'Torn apart, ruined, scribbled over. It was vicious and deliberate.'

'Su Xue pressed her lips together, a chill flickering in the depths of her eyes.'

'It didn't matter if these work matters were ruined. She always finished everything ahead of time and kept all the important points in her head. It wouldn't affect her much.'

'What mattered was that cactus. Qin Lie had given it to her.'

'If he found out, he would probably be angry. No, he definitely would be angry.'

'Oh, look who's finally back, our Miss Su~'

'Fang Ming walked over and slammed a thick stack of tedious daily reports onto Su Xue's desk. The bang was ear-splitting.'

'Su Xue's face went a little pale, and she lowered her head without realizing it.'

'Oh, what's with that wronged look of yours? We didn't even get New Year's Day off. You, on the other hand, disappeared off who knows where to fool around, and didn't even bother filing a leave slip! Don't tell me you went out to steal another man? Su Xue, I'm not trying to lecture you, but you're only twenty-one. You shouldn't always be thinking about underhanded tricks.'

'Sister Fang, please give me Mr. Qin's schedule for these next few days. I'm very busy.'

'For the things that were out in the open, Su Xue still handled most of them. As for the dirty work in the shadows, Su Xue had no say in it. Whatever Qin Lie told her to do, she did.'

'You!' Fang Ming choked on her anger, but with so many secretaries around, Su Xue was the only assistant to the CEO.

'After hurling a few sarcastic insults, she threw the materials down and left.'

'Only then did Su Xue rub her head and sit down to start working.'

'Hey, my drawer? Her private drawer had actually been pried open! Inside were all kinds of perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, and little trinkets Qin Lie had casually thrown to her. Most of it was gone.'

'Su Xue looked up and saw the other coworkers gathered around Fang Ming, comforting her. At the same time, they were all pointing at Su Xue and whispering.'

'Her senses were sharper than other people's to begin with, so she could hear everything clearly.'

'Don't be upset, Sister Fang. That girl only got in through the back door. Didn't you see how the CEO doesn't even like her? He can scold her dozens of times a day!'

'Who knows which old board member she slept with? Sister Fang, don't be mad. Maybe she'll be fired in a few days!'

'Exactly, all the materials are ruined now. How is she supposed to do any work? Unlike Sister Fang, who graduated from a top university and has such a great job. In every way, you're hundreds of times better than that little girl!'

'Just look at her dumb face. Even when her stuff gets taken, she doesn't dare make a sound, hahaha!'

'Su Xue frowned and bent her head to sort through the documents, but she could hear every word clearly.'

'At lunchtime, as expected, the department's catered meal was missing her portion again.'

'Su Xue, you know how the delivery guy always misses something. Why don't you go eat in the cafeteria by yourself today? Fang Ming said kindly. But you should come back early. The CEO is pushing hard for those documents!'

'It's fine. I'm not hungry.'

'Su Xue didn't even look up. She reached habitually into her cabinet for some biscuits. Fine, the biscuits were all gone too.'

'Oh dear, really isn't there any problem? Should I go buy you something? Fang Ming rushed over and accidentally tipped over the cactus pot on Su Xue's desk.'

'With a crash, it shattered all over the floor.'

'Su Xue narrowed her eyes and sighed. She bent down, cleaned it up, and went back to work, ignoring the apology.'

'What a piece of work! Sister Fang apologized to her and she still acts all high and mighty! Isn't she just some kept woman?'

'When it was almost time to get off work, Su Xue stayed in the restroom a little longer.'

'Her stomach was cramping. It felt awful. She vomited up some sour fluid. Who told her life was so good, looking that pretty and having men fall for her? Fang Ming's tone was thick with venom. All those things are international brands. Every single one costs months of our salaries.'

'Come to think of it, could she be our CEO's kept woman?'

'Nonsense. The CEO changes mistresses one after another. Which one isn't a rich socialite? At the very least, they're actresses. Why would he look at someone like her?'

'The group left while laughing and joking, and only Fang Ming stayed behind a little longer because she claimed she had run into a small emergency.'

'Su Xue had just finished vomiting and felt a little better when she stepped out to wash her hands.'

'Oh my, Miss Su, what are you doing here? Eavesdropping?'

'When she saw Su Xue, Fang Ming jumped, then immediately lifted her chin in a swaggering, domineering way. If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of the Qin Group. Do you really think you're that capable? The secretarial department doesn't welcome you!'

'Why should a young woman in her early twenties hold the title of CEO assistant and stand half a rank above people who had worked their asses off for years? No one could accept that.'

'I'm not going anywhere. Wiping the corner of her mouth, Su Xue suddenly smiled. The only person who can fire me is Mr. Qin. Take your demands to him.'

'You shameless thing! Fang Ming knew full well that no one dared make demands in front of Mr. Qin.'

'She was furious and raised her hand to slap Su Xue. Today I'm going to teach you what it means to know your place!'

'Smack. The crisp slap sound landed on Fang Ming's face instead.'

'You want to hit me? You're not good enough. Su Xue's expression turned icily flat.'

'Kill her, kill her, kill her. A voice in her head was screaming wildly.'

'Y-you... you actually dared hit me!'

'Fang Ming's makeup was smeared as she shouted and tried to strike again. Su Xue easily dodged, then drove her right knee straight into Fang Ming's lower abdomen.'

'She vomited all over the floor.'

'Don't touch my drawer. Disgustedly tossing her onto the ground, Su Xue estimated her own force. The uterus might be ruptured; at the very least, she'd be infertile.'

'Fang Ming was in so much pain she couldn't get out a single word. Like she'd seen a ghost, she fumbled for her phone, only to have Su Xue kick it flying.'

'Also, remember to order my lunch. If I don't eat, I'll feel sick. Were you the one who flipped my cactus over? She grabbed Fang Ming's hair and slammed her hard into the wall with a dull thud. Fang Ming shook her head in terror.'

'After mentioning a name Su Xue wasn't familiar with, Fang Ming was thrown to the floor.'

'She had never imagined that this weak, skinny little girl would be so ruthless when she struck. It was even more terrifying than the crime dramas she had watched.'

'After getting her answer, Su Xue stood up and went to wash her hands again. It was as if nothing had happened.'

'You, you dare do this to me? I'll call the police! You assaulted me on purpose, the Qin Group, Mr. Qin won't... Seeing that Su Xue had no intention of killing her, Fang Ming cursed.'

'Oh, go ahead and try. Squeezing the water from her hands, Su Xue tilted her head and looked at the sunset creeping toward evening.'

'She kicked the noisy woman unconscious, then headed back to her office.'

'Damn it, damn it. If she couldn't finish the task, Qin Lie was going to be angry.'