When He Yuzhou said this, his tone was laced with curiosity and scrutiny, but above all… warning.
Cen Yingshuang’s heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment, her mind going completely blank.
A terrible sense of foreboding surged inside her.
“You……………”
The next second, he suddenly leaned in.
His presence crashed over her like a powerful tornado.
Her voice was swallowed, her breath stolen in an instant.
Cen Yingshuang’s body felt as if it had been filled with lead, unable to move a single inch. Her eyes stared wide at He Yuzhou, so close their faces almost touched.
There was no space between them.
Her waist pressed against the edge of the dining table, the fabric of her skirt bunching beneath her, the hem riding up to reveal her calves.
His trousers pressed against the exposed skin of her leg.
And, beyond that, their lips were tightly joined.
Firmly pressed together, their breaths mingled and tangled.
The temperature spiked.
After he kissed her, he only pressed close, making no further move.
But even this simple contact was enough to leave Cen Yingshuang’s soul shaken and terrified.
She had never imagined He Yuzhou would do such a thing to her. It shattered her understanding of reality.
She stood there in shock for nearly ten seconds before abruptly waking, her instinctive reaction to press both hands against his chest and push with all her strength.
Up.
To her surprise, He Yuzhou allowed himself to be pushed away so easily, but the distance between them didn’t change in the slightest.
Only their mingled breaths grew a little farther apart.
His tall figure leaned forward, maintaining eye contact with her. One hand gripped her wrist, the other braced on the table beside her.
The difference in their sizes was stark; he was tall and strong, she small and slender. He completely enveloped her.
For the first time, a ripple of emotion broke through the calm in He Yuzhou’s eyes, though he still tried to restrain it.
“How afraid are you?”
Anger.
When Cen Yingshuang heard his words, her scattered soul finally returned to her body.
How afraid are you?
She truly was afraid, but more than that, she felt shock, disbelief, and an overwhelming sense of grievance—so much anger it almost eclipsed her fear, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.
She raised her free hand and slapped him.
But the adrenaline was holding up a body already weak with fear, and even in her rage, her slap landed soft and powerless.
It carried no threat at all.
The room fell silent.
Her palm struck his cheek with a soft “pa.”
Even that insignificant sound snapped Cen Yingshuang back to her senses. She realized how bold—and utterly out of character—her action had been.
Honestly, her temperament wasn’t perfect, but she had always considered herself good-natured.
She had never fought with anyone, let alone raised a hand against them.
For her to lose control like this, the situation had clearly spun out of her grasp.
Her chest heaved, her wide eyes burned with anger.
But when she met his direct gaze.
She realized they were alone together in a room.
This situation was dangerous for her.
He Yuzhou, a man always in a position of power, who would dare defy him?
……Let me go.
Cen Yingshuang lowered her eyes timidly, her lashes trembling, and deliberately called out, “Don’t be like this… Yuzhou-ge….”
Still trying to remind him that, to her, he was only an older brother.
The eyes behind his glasses remained as calm and dark as ever, watching her in silence.
He stared for a few seconds, then gave a faint smile.
“Was the slap too light? Are you still not satisfied?”
Cen Yingshuang was stunned.
Before she could make sense of his words, he gave the answer himself, speaking with exaggerated generosity:
“Then I’ll give you another chance.”
Cen Yingshuang still didn’t understand, her lips parting as she prepared to ask.
But in the next instant, he took off his glasses and set them on the table.
Then his overwhelming presence closed in once more.
She was caught off guard—her lips claimed by his kiss before she could react.
This time, it wasn’t a simple press like before, but an unrestrained, fierce assault.
Like a venomous snake, its tongue flickering, launching a ruthless attack on the small prey within its territory.
He had no patience left, tearing off the façade of gentleness, shedding the mask of the friendly older brother.
He revealed his true nature, devouring her lips, slipping inside while she was still stunned.
His kiss was urgent, reckless, like a clumsy beginner—he even bit her tongue a few times by accident, making her gasp in pain.
He bent lower, pressing her tighter against the table, her waist digging in painfully.
Cen Yingshuang whimpered as her waist throbbed with pain, but in the next second, his hand gripped her waist and lifted her, setting her on the dining table.
At last, the shock snapped her out of her daze, and she began to struggle fiercely.
“No…ngh…”
She could barely breathe, her throat choked with sobs.
Her hands pushed desperately at his chest.
But this time, no matter how much strength she used, she couldn’t move him at all.
His chest was as solid as iron, his muscles seeming to swell even more.
She turned her head left and right, panic-stricken.
“Yuzhou-ge…Y-…Yuzhou-ge… don’t…”
His burning palm gripped the back of her neck, leaving her nowhere to escape.
His other hand pinned her struggling hands behind her back.
“Don’t call me that.”
The feel of their lips and teeth together brought him back to the dream—kissing her in the sea.
This was the only moment that felt real.
Her scent was intoxicating, making his heart pound and nearly lose control.
He Yuzhou’s hot, heavy breath brushed her ear. His damp lips grazed her earlobe, then returned to her lips, a touch both reminder and warning.
“I told you long ago, don’t call me that.”
Each time he heard her call him Yuzhou-ge, he wanted to do this.
The last shred of reason kept him in check, made him only grip her neck instead of tearing off the dress she’d worn to meet the man she liked.
Now Cen Yingshuang finally realized how vast the difference in strength was between men and women.
She was as helpless as a fish on the chopping block, her hands pinned, her head forced up to endure his kiss. His tongue ravaged her mouth, her jaw nearly dislocating.
Her mind went dizzy, blood barely reaching her brain.
Just now, He Yuzhou had asked her how afraid she was.
Now she was truly, purely terrified.
So scared her whole body shook like a leaf, tears streaming down like broken pearls.
The salty taste mingled in their mouths.
Like a sudden rainstorm, finally quelling some of He Yuzhou’s frenzy.
He mercifully pulled back, his pupils contracting, emotions in turmoil.
When he put his glasses back on, everything seemed to return to the calm before dawn—only his ragged breathing betrayed the storm within.
Cen Yingshuang sobbed helplessly, her thin shoulders trembling like branches in the wind.
Her hair was a mess, her lipstick smeared across her lips and cheeks.
Her lips looked even redder now, slightly swollen.
Because he had bitten them.
One side of her off-shoulder dress had slipped, the edge of her skin-colored bra barely visible.
She trembled, her chest heaving, the fragile fabric unable to hide the curve of her body.
Every mark of vulnerability silently accused him of his cruelty.
He Yuzhou inhaled quietly, the color of his eyes darkening.
But after a glance, he shifted his gaze away.
His fingers pinched the edge of her dress.
Cen Yingshuang flinched like a startled bird.
He gripped her collar, and though she tried to shrink away, the dress kept her in place.
She quivered, terrified he might do something even worse.
But he only lifted her collar, covering her up again, then let go.
Yet his hand did not fall, instead rising to brush her face.
Cen Yingshuang’s heart pounded in alarm.
His fingers gently stroked her cheek, wiping away her tears.
His touch reignited her anger and humiliation.
She grabbed his hand and bit down.
His wrist was thick and hard—even with her mouth wide open, she could only bite one side, like gnawing on stone.
She bit so hard her temples ached, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth.
But He Yuzhou did not move, letting her bite him, not even flinching.
His tone was gentle as he spoke.
“Feel better now?”
He sounded as if he were comforting a child—as if he were the victim.
Feel better? How could she?
Cen Yingshuang was even angrier now.
And more afraid that he would use this as an excuse to take things further.
She dared not stay another second.
She wrenched her hand free, jumped down from the table, and stumbled toward the door.
When she pulled open the door to the dining room, her steps faltered.
Several burly, black-clad bodyguards stood outside, blocking her way like an impenetrable wall.