Chapter 040: The Unfastened, Broken Belt

Zhou Jingyi: "..."

Very well.

Even in this state, she still hadn’t forgotten how to curse.

Wen Ni finally poked her head out from beneath the suit jacket, her cheeks flushed crimson from a brief lack of oxygen.

She lunged for the steering wheel. "You’re not allowed to drive…"

Zhou Jingyi held her down with one hand. "Wen Ni, behave yourself."

It soon became clear.

Trying to reason with someone under the effect of drugs was as pointless as playing music to a cow.

Wen Ni became even more restless.

Especially when her fingers brushed against Zhou Jingyi’s skin—Wen Ni refused to let go, clasping his hand and guiding it downward.

Zhou Jingyi’s voice was hoarse beyond description. "Wen Ni!"

Wen Ni whimpered, "Zhou Jingyi, give it to me, I want it."

A sharp tearing sound split the air.

The tires of the Cullinan screeched against the asphalt, shrill and jarring.

Bolder still, Wen Ni straddled Zhou Jingyi.

Rocking back and forth, she had long since lost all sense of reason, her body overwhelmed by the drug’s heat—her sole thoughts now were to cool down, to seek pleasure.

Zhou Jingyi swept Wen Ni’s hair aside, his hand cradling her delicate neck, fingers gliding up and down. "Wen Ni, look at me."

Wen Ni suddenly pressed her lips to his.

She was so daring.

Seated atop Zhou Jingyi, her small hands were already fumbling with his belt.

This road was deserted, scarcely a soul in sight.

Zhou Jingyi caressed Wen Ni’s slender swan neck, letting her struggle clumsily with his belt.

She couldn’t undo it.

Growing desperate, she was on the verge of tears. "Zhou Jingyi, I can’t open it."

Zhou Jingyi leaned back, his voice languid and husky, exuding an irresistible allure in the darkness. "If you can’t, then don’t."

At that, Wen Ni only tugged harder.

Still, she couldn’t.

She looked up at Zhou Jingyi with tearful eyes, her voice trembling. "I can’t open it, it won’t budge. You’re awful, you’re doing this on purpose."

"On purpose?"

"You’re bullying me on purpose."

"Who’s bullying you?"

"You, Zhou Jingyi."

"…"

Beyond the car window, the silent night was like a fog of confusion where reason was lost, and no one could see who they truly were.

Wen Ni, indignant, snapped, "Zhou Jingyi, you’re bullying me. I’ll go find Jiang Shaozhang…"

She never finished the sentence.

The seat was abruptly reclined flat.

Before Wen Ni could react, Zhou Jingyi pinned her beneath him.

Beneath his palm, the already scanty dress was shredded.

Zhou Jingyi’s fingers grazed Wen Ni’s skin.

Her skin was so delicate that even such a touch brought a faint sense of pain.

Wen Ni clung to Zhou Jingyi’s neck.

She abandoned all restraint.

...

After the clouds parted and the rain cleared, two hours had passed.

Wen Ni slept in the back seat, covered only by a small blanket.

Zhou Jingyi stood outside, smoking.

A glance back revealed Wen Ni’s sleeping face.

He had slept with Wen Ni again.

He shouldn’t have.

But he couldn’t control his desire.

That night when Wen Ni knelt in the ancestral hall, she’d "accidentally" sent him a photo of herself in a camisole, and with a coy explanation, said she couldn’t withdraw it after two minutes—told him to pretend he hadn’t seen it.

He’d only glanced at it once before deleting it.

Keeping such photos on his phone served no purpose.

It might even bring him trouble.

He saw no need for it.

Yet after falling asleep,

He had a dream.

For the first time in his life, a dream like this—Wen Ni beneath him in her camisole, and he took her with desperate hunger.

Even when Wen Ni cried, he hadn’t let up.

He realized—

He liked Wen Ni’s body.

Zhou Jingyi stubbed out his cigarette and tossed it into a roadside bin.

He got back into the car.

Sensing someone’s presence,

Wen Ni slowly opened her blurry, sleepy eyes. Upon seeing Zhou Jingyi, she immediately closed them and drifted off again.

She even shifted closer, nestling her head on Zhou Jingyi’s lap.

Her long, glossy black hair fanned out like silk across his legs.

Zhou Jingyi reached out, his palm stroking Wen Ni’s hair.

Sliding through his fingers,

Like water he could never hold.

Zhou Jingyi understood.

From the very beginning, Wen Ni had never stopped crossing lines.

But to allow someone who shouldn’t cross lines to do so—was that not also crossing a line?

Zhou Jingyi narrowed his eyes, the depths of his gaze sharp as a blade.

—

Morning.

Wen Ni came downstairs, yawning as she took a seat at the dining table.

Shen Xue’ning and Zhou Mingfan exchanged glances.

Zhou Mingfan quickly took the initiative and asked, "Wen Ni, where were you last night?"

Wen Ni shot him a glare. "I was tired, so I came home to sleep. What’s the matter?"

Zhou Mingfan frowned. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Wen Ni poked at her steamed bun with her chopsticks. "Why should I? Did you want me to ask you to come sleep with me?"

Zhou Mingfan’s face flushed. "Don’t you have any shame?"

Wen Ni retorted, "You’re the one asking me that?"

Zhou Mingfan started, "You…"

Shen Xue’ning grabbed Zhou Mingfan’s arm. "Wen Ni, we were just worried about you. Last night, the waiter said you went into Jiang Shaozhang’s room—it scared us half to death."

Wen Ni smiled faintly. "Did it scare you, or amuse you?"

Shen Xue’ning said, "Whatever you think, we were genuinely worried. At home, we may bicker, but outside, we’re family. We represent the face of the Zhou family."

Wen Ni looked at her in surprise. "You still have a face? I thought you’d lost all your dignity long ago."

Before her words faded, Zhou Jingyi walked in from outside, dressed in an iron-gray suit with a Patek Philippe on his wrist, unhurried and composed.

The morning light fell upon him from the side,

Effortlessly elegant.

Shen Xue’ning’s eyes narrowed as she proactively asked, "Uncle, why did you leave halfway last night?"

Zhou Jingyi strode in,

And quietly took a seat beside Wen Ni.

He looked up,

His gaze calm and steady on Shen Xue’ning.

His eyes were so beautiful they seemed almost unearthly.

Shen Xue’ning’s cheeks suddenly flushed.

Under the gaze of such a handsome man, exuding the aura of someone who always stood above others, any woman would blush.

Wen Ni coughed lightly.

Under the table, she gave the man a hard kick.

Zhou Jingyi glanced coolly at Wen Ni, then looked back at Shen Xue’ning, asking bluntly, "Why should I have stayed? To play along with your farce, to be your clown?"

The flush vanished from Shen Xue’ning’s face in an instant.

It was replaced with an awkward pallor.

She glanced instinctively at Zhou Mingfan.

He said, "Uncle, last night wasn’t as you think. It was about Wen Ni—someone said Wen Ni had gone into Jiang Shaozhang’s room. We were just afraid she’d embarrass our family."

Zhou Jingyi suddenly laughed.

His voice was deep, mellow, indescribably pleasant.

He retorted, "You were afraid Wen Ni would disgrace the Zhou family, so you dragged everyone there to catch her in the act? Were you not worried the family’s name would be disgraced across the city?"

Zhou Mingfan took responsibility. "Uncle, it was my fault. It had nothing to do with Xue’ning. I acted rashly and chose the wrong approach. If you must scold someone, scold me."

Zhou Jingyi looked at Zhou Mingfan with measured calm. "What grudges do you have with Wen Ni, always looking for trouble with her?"