Not long after, the two of them returned to the top floor of the chamber of commerce.
Lin Yue narrowed his eyes, hands on his hips, letting the wind brush across his face.
Standing before him was Mapel—slightly excited, like a child who had done something wrong, yet wearing a mischievous smile.
Her expression carried both pride and unease, a perfect display of her playful cunning.
“I’m saying… you didn’t take a single word I said seriously, did you?”
“Didn’t I tell you I don’t like jumping off buildings? Why are you dragging me into it again?”
“Oops~ My bad, my bad~”
The fox-like woman swayed her head, her joy clearly outweighing everything else.
“…Sigh.”
This time, at least, she didn’t jump by herself.
From the very beginning, she had thrown herself into his arms, clinging tightly like an octopus, staying entirely within Lin Yue’s control.
That alone had calmed his temper quite a bit.
Forget it… so much had happened today.
He’d let her off this once.
Still, he needed to pour some cold water on her—otherwise she’d get carried away and forget her place.
“Don’t celebrate too early. My price might not be any lower than those big factions. You’d better be prepared to mortgage the entire chamber of commerce to me.”
Lin Yue stroked his chin, already planning where to start fixing this mess.
First… he should find a chance to return to the Hawk family and see if they were willing to step in.
“I know, I know~ I definitely won’t let you regret it~”
Mapel’s gloom vanished completely as she cleared her throat.
Then she noticed Lin Yue had suddenly gone silent.
A playful thought flashed through her mind.
“Hey… Chief Secretary, Head of the Family, Mr. Lin Yue?”
“Why did you stop scolding me~?”
She looked like she was actually enjoying being lectured, hands resting on her knees, head tilted in confusion.
“Do you… have some kind of masochistic tendency…?”
Lin Yue leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples.
He was starting to question whether his decision was really the right one…
Seeing him at a loss, Mapel smiled sweetly.
She suddenly leaned closer and tapped his nose.
“Not sure if I do—but you definitely do.”
“I already tried to persuade you nicely, but you insisted on being as stubborn as a bull. So now you’ll just have to endure my temper~”
She blinked, her eyes carrying a faint, barely noticeable hint of affection.
“This is a complete disaster—even top-tier factions would shake their heads at it. So how did you dare accept it just because of one meaningless promise from me? Ah~ you’ve fallen for me, haven’t you~?”
“That’s what you call ‘nice persuasion’? You were basically insulting me the whole time.”
“Hitting is affection, scolding is love… You can kiss me now, you know—consider it a reward for your determination?”
Seeing how bold she had become in her good mood, Lin Yue couldn’t help but think—she really needed to be punished a little, just to take her down a notch.
“Sure. Turn around.”
He stood up slowly, arms crossed, not believing she’d actually listen.
Mapel froze for a moment.
But instead of refusing, she seriously considered it.
After their earlier exchange, she had let go of her biggest mental burden and placed a great deal of trust in him.
And honestly… she was looking forward to this kind of teasing interaction.
“Fine then~ I’ll allow you to get your revenge~”
She closed her eyes and turned around, convinced he wouldn’t dare do anything.
Lin Yue blinked in surprise when she actually complied—she even stuck her hips out slightly.
Now the pressure was on him.
Was he really going to do it?
He hadn’t expected her to take it seriously.
Strange thoughts began to surface.
If he kept letting her have her way like this… forget cooperation—she might actually end up completely taking advantage of him.
No.
This couldn’t go on.
He’d been too lenient before, making her think he was easy to tease.
This was a rare opportunity.
She had always been leading him by the nose.
Now that she needed him, if he didn’t collect some “interest,” wouldn’t that make him the one at a loss?
Looking at the swaying figure before him, he found it hard to suppress the strange urge rising in his chest.
And then—
Smack!
“Ah! You—mmh~!”
The crisp sound echoed clearly across the empty rooftop.
Mapel’s face flushed instantly.
With a soft, incredulous cry, she lurched forward, bracing herself against the railing.
She slowly turned back around, cheeks burning red.
“You! You actually hit me?!”
Her voice was higher than usual—not purely angry, but tinged with something softer.
Lin Yue was also a bit stunned.
That instinctive slap had been harder than he intended.
And… the sensation—
unexpectedly soft and elastic.
It even made him want to do it again.
“You hitting me is one thing—but why my butt?!”
She had thought he’d just lightly pat her back.
Who knew he’d actually dare—and hit that hard?
Lin Yue looked at his hand, then at her flushed face.
What started as a simple attempt to scare her now felt… oddly different.
“You… hm?”
Mapel thought he would stop.
Instead, his expression darkened as he suddenly grabbed both her wrists.
This wasn’t the gentle hold from before—it was forceful, oppressive, almost reckless, as if he didn’t care whether he hurt her.
Seeing her trapped, with nowhere to escape, Lin Yue finally found an outlet for the frustration that had been building up from her constant schemes.
“I told you not to try and blackmail me with that stunt…”
Smack!
The second strike landed firmly—heavier than the first.
“Mmnh!”
Mapel bit her lower lip.
The sharp sound echoed again, the stinging pain making her toes curl.
“Y-you’re still going?! Don’t—mmh!”
Smack!
“Spreading rumors about me, huh…?”
The third hit.
“Ah—mmh~!”
This time, she couldn’t hold it in.
A soft cry escaped her lips—mixed unmistakably with a hint of involuntary pleasure.
Not good…
Lin Yue hurriedly withdrew his hand, feeling the burning sensation in his palm.
He knew he had gone too far.
He only meant to scare her.
But her earlier “You actually hit me?” had somehow triggered something in him a desire to show her what real hitting meant.
Was it frustration from being led around by her?
A need for revenge against her constant composure?
Or… something deeper—wanting to see this cunning fox lose control?
“You… mmh… that’s too much…”
Her voice was embarrassed and annoyed, yet oddly soft.
Her eyes had already grown hazy.
A strange, unfamiliar mix of shame and stimulation made her heart race—and linger in her mind.
Lin Yue didn’t know what she was feeling.
He only knew one thing—
that long-held desire to get back at her had finally been fulfilled.
One word: Satisfying.
So satisfying it felt like even his constipation was cured…
Even better than getting healed by Lotherf.
Next would come her inevitable fury.
But right now, he held her weak point.
No matter how angry she got, it would be like a kitten scratching—completely harmless.
However… Maple’s reaction next left him confused.
She didn’t immediately get angry or fight back, but slowly lowered her head, still maintaining the posture of just having been punished.
The blush on her cheeks spread all the way to her neck.
Those usually cunning and lively fox-like eyes now darted away shyly, not daring to look at him at all.
Her mind only registered an unusually counterintuitive and empty thought: No… it’s not continuing?
Why am I so disappointed?
For so long, she had been the one controlling others, strategizing.
She had never had her bottom spanked by anyone before, and so roughly, so unreasonably…
But unexpectedly it was Lin Yue, the person she was willing to entrust everything to, who had broken through her defenses.
That single slap seemed to flick some mysterious switch inside Maple’s heart, awakening some long-suppressed longing within her.
Thinking back to earlier in her room, the tugging and biting with Lin Yue, and that moment he pinned her against the wall…
A strange thought of looking forward to being punished by him again suddenly welled up inside her.
She looked at Lin Yue’s palm resting on her chest to cool her down.
Wide, warm, the same hand that had tightly grasped hers when she was falling.
Yet just moments ago, it had been so aggressive, so domineering…
The stinging pain still lingered on her skin, but following it was an unprecedented sense of “release”—like being restrained for so long, finally having an outlet opened, only to be blocked again…
She suddenly wondered: What if… what if he were a little harder?
What if he could just… take control like this and punish me?
Like… a disobedient little dog, tied to his side and tormented for a lifetime?
The moment this thought surfaced, a never-before-experienced thrill surged from deep within her.
She was losing herself to this strange idea, her breathing unconsciously quickening.
Her delicate tongue tip unconsciously licked her slightly dry lips, and she even let out the same involuntary panting sound as a little dog…
Since he’d already spanked her bottom, why not… “You… why not try choking my…”
“Neck?”
Just as she was about to say it, she immediately slapped her hand over her mouth, stopping herself from blurting out this thoughtless idea.
What am I saying!
Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
Everything that had happened above, although somewhat beyond her imagination, had still been within her expectations—just some flirtatious roughhousing with Lin Yue.
But this idea that had just popped into her head… was definitely not normal.
“What?”
Lin Yue hadn’t heard clearly, only seeing Maple suddenly slap herself.
What’s going on… what is happening…
Maple covered her mouth, turned her head away, breathing rapidly…
She panted heavily, not daring to think further, because this thought had already become strange enough to shatter her sanity.
“Nothing… nothing, cough…”
She was so flustered she was almost babbling, the burning sensation on her bottom constantly stimulating her to think of inappropriate things.
She’d even forgotten to retaliate against Lin Yue.
“?”
Before he could ask, Maple used her knuckles to gently press against Lin Yue’s lips, her expression feigning displeasure.
“Don’t talk… mmm…”
Lin Yue watched her slap herself, yet seemingly enjoy being hit by him…
He really felt she was acting a bit strange.
Oh well, he’d been pretty strange just now too.
Since Maple wasn’t making a big deal of it, they could just pretend it never happened.
Maple’s cheeks felt hot.
Finally organizing her thoughts, she spoke:
“Anyway… you hit me, and I agreed to it. Let’s discuss how to save the chamber of commerce properly… let’s just call it even!”
After saying this, she breathed a sigh of relief, lightly patted her chest twice to calm herself, and finally managed to think clearly about subsequent measures.
After a brief discussion, the two roughly settled on a solution.
Maple would first put up a bluff, giving shareholders empty promises to create emotional leverage.
Lin Yue would follow up later, accompanying Maple to tackle difficult business deals and returning to the Hawke family to secure investment as soon as possible… though he still hadn’t figured out what attitude to take toward that family.
“The meeting… isn’t over yet. Come with me.”
She took Lin Yue’s hand—the same hand that had desperately held onto her in crisis, and the same one that had just made her face flush bright red…
She turned her face away, lowering her voice to speak quickly and clearly, the earlier shyness and confusion replaced by focused professionalism: “They’ll definitely attack the risks later, especially you and the Hawke family behind you.”
“What they lack most right now is that reckless, desperate gambler’s spirit. So you don’t need to say much—just demonstrate your determination, and the determination of the Hawke family that you represent.”
She stopped, turned to face Lin Yue directly, her eyes shining with the cunning characteristic of a “fox”:
“When they make an issue of you, don’t explain. Just say that the chamber of commerce and the Hawke family share the risks, and the consequences too.”
She blinked rapidly, a trace of the fox merchant’s instinctive calculation flashing through her eyes: “I’ll handle the rest of the negotiation. All you need to do is be that ballast stone—make them realize you’re here to offer another choice.”
Lin Yue immediately grasped her strategy.
He just needed to stand there, representing the Hawke family, displaying a calm confidence bordering on unfeeling, rooted in strength.
To put it simply, he just needed to look impressive—she would handle everything else.
The confidence and strength he’d shown when he acted earlier would be enough to make these shrewd businessmen think twice.
“Understood.”
A faint smile curved at the corner of Maple’s mouth—that unspoken understanding of their alliance.
“Handle the specifics yourself, and also…”
“Once we step through that door, we’re truly bound together for life or death. You can still run now.”
She spoke those last words very softly, yet they carried a heavy weight of trust.
He squeezed her slightly cool fingers in return—his wordless response.
“I see…”
Maple took a deep breath, the girlish affection reappearing on her face.
She looked toward the horizon, remembering her father’s advice…
Maybe, just maybe, miracles really did exist in this world?
The two walked toward the door…
Maple slowly turned back to look at that usually cold man, always lost in action and thought.
Besides that strange thought, a warmth flickered in her heart.
She felt an unprecedented sense of belonging, even stronger than the desire to save the chamber of commerce.
Being able to act so foolishly by his side was something truly worth celebrating.
She really loved this feeling.
Lin Yue…
I’m going to drag you down into the true abyss with me…
Being firmly chosen by someone is truly a delightful thing.
With this guy by her side, it seemed like even if the sky fell, it wouldn’t be such a big deal.
And this was Maple’s territory, her stage…
He just needed to follow her steps, move to her rhythm—then everything would surely be fine.
Maple looked back at that dark figure, remembering the very beginning, when he’d taken her advice and chosen to wear a wig to hide his identity as the “wicked young master.”
She smiled slightly, murmuring softly: “This time, you didn’t really listen to my advice at all… Maybe your world was too quiet, so I came to stir things up?”
Since you reached out your hand to me, then dance with me to your heart’s content… Lin Yue Hawke.
The one who will descend into the abyss with me…