Lin Zhishui curled up on the black velvet king-sized bed in the master bedroom, her hair loose and flowing like silk across the nape of her neck and shoulders, knees drawn up slightly, eyes trembling shut—fatigued and seemingly lacking a sense of security.
As the desk lamp was clicked on, pale golden light spilled over her entire body.
Above her, Ning Shangyu looked down with a calm expression, holding a damp towel and wiping away the nearly dried traces of moisture on her skin.
As the soft touch slid over her, his rich scent of fir trees lingered faintly in the air.
That subtle fir fragrance seemed to have some special effect.
Lin Zhishui curled tighter, unable to stop tears from welling up as she opened her eyes.
Her voice was weak: “You didn’t even…”
She asked the question that had been circling in her heart for so long, as innocent as someone pure and naive.
In truth, she really was—after all, everything she knew about this subject came from Ning Shangyu…
That’s why Lin Zhishui could ask so frankly, her gaze unfocused as it slid over Ning Shangyu’s immaculately tailored suit pants.
The luxurious silk concealed his natural, powerful aura, leaving only the sharp and elegant outline.
She tried to preface, but her next words stuck on her lips—how long had she wanted to accuse him?
Suddenly, the heavy bedroom door was knocked twice.
It was Xi Yan, nervously coming to whisper a reminder: “Ning President, they’ve been waiting downstairs for over an hour.”
Tonight, Ning Shangyu was supposed to hold business talks at Taiping Peak.
If Lin Zhishui hadn’t shown up so suddenly, by now he’d be fully dressed and discussing matters with his core team in the reception lounge.
Downstairs, Xi Yan was furiously timing things with his pocket watch.
As one of the Secretary-Generals, it was naturally his duty to come and check if the evening’s schedule needed to be changed.
After knocking, he stood stiffly in the hallway, holding his breath.
After thirty seconds, the sound of clear footsteps approached from within the master bedroom.
He left.
There was the sound of the door opening and closing.
Ning Shangyu, unhurried, picked up the ruby-studded Lion Ring from the foot of the bed where she had bitten it, slipped it back onto his index finger, and left.
Lin Zhishui still didn’t move from her spot.
She was waiting for her exhausted body to recover some strength, her quiet eyes fixed on the wide floor-to-ceiling window that looked like a mirror.
Her mind was a bit muddled, and she didn’t deliberately recall what had just happened.
Yet Lin Zhishui still felt that intense dizziness from standing earlier, and remembered how Ning Shangyu had struck her, how in the darkness he had shown such powerful force…
Gradually, he had done it nearly a hundred times by the end.
Each time he slapped her palm.
The sound was incredibly loud.
None of the tutors who had come to teach her at the Lin Family had ever hit her like this—Ning Shangyu was just too wicked.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhishui’s dark pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively reached out to touch her hand.
It was clean, but for some reason, that faint pain seemed to resurface on her skin.
She couldn’t stay lying on the bed any longer.
She felt like she was going crazy.
Lin Zhishui got up and went to the bathroom.
In the real mirror there, her body was clearly reflected.
The towel had wiped her clean, but even without looking closely, she could see the red marks, as if the thin skin was about to break.
Who knew when those colors would fade?
But as she turned sideways, she was utterly shocked by what she saw—right below her pale waistline—
Ah!
How could this be?!
How could Ning Shangyu’s outline be so clearly imprinted there?!!
Lin Zhishui had always known her body was prone to marks—ever since she was little, even the slightest bump would leave mysterious bruises within half an hour, taking ages to fade.
So the maids who cared for her, like Aunt Yang, were always on edge, barely daring to grasp her with any force.
She could tolerate Ning Shangyu spanking her palms!
But now, he’d gone so far as to leave a unique mark here, in addition to the palm prints… an exclusive stamp???
Lin Zhishui nearly forgot to breathe.
After a while, she studied herself carefully. Under the warm yellow wall lamp, the marks on her poor, pale skin looked even more striking and decadent.
So obvious.
When Ning Shangyu used hot water to dampen the towel and wipe her, he must have seen it with those eyes.
And he still let her lie there and talk on the bed…
Too wicked!
***
Fifteen minutes later.
Lin Zhishui’s neck, hidden beneath her dark hair, was flushed pink.
She thought to herself that he deserved to be left unsatisfied and forced to hold it in, as she slipped into the spacious, tidy walk-in closet.
She’d been here once before, even slept in the master bedroom for a while, so the housekeeper had thoughtfully stocked these luxurious cabinets with plenty of her clothes.
Lin Zhishui casually grabbed a white camisole dress and put it on.
Then, after a moment’s thought, she took a man’s shirt from inside and wore it over the dress, covering herself up except for her dazzlingly white wrists.
Even though she’d delivered herself to his door and ended up “whipped” for no reason.
Lin Zhishui still had her wits about her.
She hadn’t forgotten that tonight she’d come under the pretense of business, to probe Ning Shangyu’s attitude toward the Qin Family and the Lin Family rivalry.
After making herself presentable, and with that special stamp still burning on her flushed backside, she went downstairs.
The brightly lit open reception lounge was still in the midst of an orderly meeting.
The coffee table was piled with documents, and the higher-ranking staff looked especially serious.
Occasionally, a secretary would pass by, carrying strong, invigorating coffee.
Emerging from the stairs, Lin Zhishui immediately spotted Ning Shangyu at the center of the unfamiliar faces.
Compared to the others, he seemed much more relaxed, idly turning the exquisitely carved lion’s head on his ring.
Across a distance of one, two… ten, fifteen steps.
Lin Zhishui quickly came up with a reasonable excuse to approach, heading toward the pantry and naturally taking over Xi Yan’s job for the evening.
“I’ll make the coffee.”
Xi Yan said respectfully, “Is Lin Miss wanting a cup? Or shall I do it for you?”
“I don’t want any, it’s for Ning Shangyu.”
The bright overhead lights lit up Lin Zhishui’s gently smiling lips as she added, “Does Secretary Xi want a cup too?”
She was very good at making coffee.
Perhaps because Lin Zhishui never put on airs, Xi Yan, though nervous, hesitated for a moment.
In truth, Lin Zhishui wasn’t just good at making coffee—she had many skills, including cake decorating.
Back when Ms. Sheng was still busy with work late at night, she would draw a sleepy little lamb in cream on her coffee as a reminder.
Now, Lin Zhishui decorated Xi Yan’s coffee with a cute cat face, adding milk and sugar.
As he stared in amazement, she calmly made a cup of pure black coffee for Ning Shangyu, topping it with a fierce lion motif.
The difference in treatment was obvious.
Compared to Ning Shangyu’s coffee with not a single grain of sugar, Xi Yan felt almost overwhelmed—his cup seemed loaded with a lethal dose in comparison.
Lin Zhishui smiled slightly: “Mm, he deserves a bit of bitterness.”
Xi Yan:
What an eye-opener!
It was his first time seeing someone try to make the dignified and noble Ning President “eat bitterness” in such a novel way.
But that wasn’t all. When Lin Zhishui carried the coffee over to Ning Shangyu, the tip of her shoe under her skirt “accidentally” and precisely kicked his pant leg. “Ning President, your coffee.”
As if she’d come just to dish out some domestic violence, not hiding her emotions at all.
But this force, against Ning Shangyu’s fine suit pants, was like a white fluffy ball rubbing up to him playfully.
He lifted his eyelids and looked at Lin Zhishui’s gentle face.
His calm gaze slid from her to the coffee cup.
Ning Shangyu actually smiled, meaningfully saying, “Lin Miss’s coffee is quite creative.”
Lin Zhishui held a grudge, so she didn’t say much more to him, just turned away with the wooden tray.
But every ten minutes, she thoughtfully brought Ning Shangyu another cup of coffee in front of everyone.
From lions to angry little lambs, and every time before leaving, she kicked him again.
All the elite professionals present were keen observers.
They’d long noticed that aside from wearing Ning Shangyu’s shirt, Lin Zhishui’s little gestures—kicking and almost saying something—stood out.
From the moment she dared kick his pant leg, people exchanged covert glances nearby.
As if in surprise.
This young Lin Miss, who was marrying into the Ning Family, was even more beautiful than the rumors, but her temper didn’t seem easy to deal with either.
She’d kept the profit-obsessed Ning Shangyu upstairs for over an hour, and now, during the meeting, he tolerated her repeated interruptions.
Before they could finish exchanging meaningful glances, the next second, Ning Shangyu said, with a very calm expression, “Dismissed.”
That “dismissed.”
Everyone understood that the unfinished meeting was postponed, and the rest of Ning Shangyu’s schedule for the night was entirely overtaken by Lin Zhishui’s presence.
Three minutes later.
Once the luxuriously spacious lounge was empty, with only Ning Shangyu left sitting alone on the sofa, Lin Zhishui didn’t go back to the pantry to make more coffee.
After all, she’d gone to great lengths to occupy his time…
Now, she stood there, lips pressed together, trying to appear a bit more commanding in front of him.
But Ning Shangyu’s aura was overwhelming.
Even his handsome features exuded the arrogance unique to the powerful, no matter how lazy his tone: “Lin Miss, you’re quite fierce tonight.”
She was fierce?!
Lin Zhishui’s clear eyes brimmed with accusation: “Are you any less fierce?”
Ning Shangyu went on, “How was I fierce to you?”
Lin Zhishui paused, and hearing him pretend nothing had happened, she grew anxious and leaned closer to the edge of the sofa.
The light cast her slender shadow on the wall, as if she was throwing herself into his arms.
Lin Zhishui didn’t care about the ambiguity, lifted her skirt: “Look at this.”
Wearing the oversized shirt, only Ning Shangyu could clearly see the evidence below her collarbone.
“Bruises, red marks… and your thing, I look like a color palette.”
Lin Zhishui pointed at several obvious spots, then at the most pitiful one—barely half a night had passed, and the red seemed even deeper.
She took a sharp breath and looked straight into Ning Shangyu’s eyes.
The real culprit, on the other hand, was calm and unapologetic as he said, “I thought you liked it. After all, after just a few spanks, Lin Miss experienced pleasure twice.”
Lin Zhishui was momentarily speechless, a bit dazed.
She didn’t even know why—just that after her coming-of-age, she seemed to have entered a phase where she was curious about everything, wanting to explore.
During the spanking, if she was honest, she didn’t really feel strong resistance—mostly, she was frightened by the unfamiliar emotions she couldn’t control.
Lin Zhishui was lost in thought for a moment, but quickly snapped out of it.
The glossy, soft skirt slipped from her fingers, falling onto his black suit pants. Lin Zhishui’s lashes trembled—she thought, Ning Shangyu really was a capitalist, almost tricking her with just a hint.
Lin Zhishui pursed her lips, too embarrassed to answer the question about getting wet twice, and cleverly shifted the topic back to him: “The only reason it happened twice was because you started spanking me first. Ning Shangyu, do you have a fetish for this?”
Counting the time at the winery when she was drunk, he’d spanked her twice.
Was he that addicted to playing teacher?
Her voice, softened and clear, posed the question.
Ning Shangyu leaned lazily against the chair, that arrogance returning to his features as he asked meaningfully, “What, are you willing to cooperate?”
Lin Zhishui’s heart skipped a beat—she’d actually guessed right! She pursed her rosy lips and declined, “I don’t have any special fetish like that.”
She insisted.
After all, one spanking meant days of redness, carrying his handprint or that special mark…
The vivid image was too much for her eyes and mind.
No matter how much Lin Zhishui liked to daydream, she couldn’t go there.
Ning Shangyu rubbed the ruby on the Lion Ring for a moment, then said, “Mm, neither do I.”
Lin Zhishui frowned slightly: “Then why did you spank my palm?”
Was he just bored?
Ning Shangyu chuckled, his clear amber eyes fixed on her puzzled expression, his tone light: “Because you were being naughty.”
Lin Zhishui’s heart raced. She suddenly understood what Ning Shangyu meant.
She couldn’t help but think back to their pre-marital “trial,” the only two times with a hint of punishment:
Other than when she was drunk, it was when she’d taken out the Furong Jade without permission.
Ning Shangyu added, “Lin Miss, I always reward and punish clearly.”
“Reward and punishment?”
When Lin Zhishui blinked, it was as if her eyes were filled with dazzling light.
Her mind turned quickly, thoughts sharp as crystal.
If Ning Shangyu’s “punishment” referred to tonight…
Then… what was the “reward”?
Within three seconds, Lin Zhishui chose to forgive Ning Shangyu, even straightening her back, which softened instantly.
Unlike the shadow on the wall, this time she truly threw herself into his arms, her lips almost brushing his jaw: “I made you ten cups of coffee tonight.”
Seeking credit.
Her bright eyes sparkled, waiting for him to reward her on the spot.
Beauty in his arms, Ning Shangyu’s breath remained steady: “Ten cups of coffee for all of tonight’s time—isn’t that enough?”
Lin Zhishui:
“Lin Miss, you’ve always had a big appetite for someone so small.”
The atmosphere was silent for a while.
Her fingers gripped Ning Shangyu’s collar, then let go, sliding lightly down the soft fabric.
Suddenly, she remembered something and reflexively looked up: “If you keep holding back like this, won’t it be bad for your health?”
Now it was Ning Shangyu’s turn:
On his wrist, loosely circling Lin Zhishui’s waist, there was a visible red dot from an injection, but he didn’t mention it, and his calm demeanor gave nothing away.
“Want me to help you?”
Lin Zhishui’s voice lingered, a hint of deliberate temptation on her tongue, as if she was about to get a fun, unique toy from him: “I don’t ask for much, just a word from you.”
“Just a word from me?”
Ning Shangyu’s expression turned dark, filled with silent danger.
His deep, unfathomable eyes locked on her, but the next second he let out a low laugh.
“Lin Miss, your mouth is getting sharper by the day. Make it clear—do you want me to accept your kindness, or are you fishing for something from me?”
He was impossible!
Lin Zhishui’s little schemes never worked on him…
She was indeed being ambiguous on purpose, hoping to get something out of him.
Her soft hair was deftly threaded through Ning Shangyu’s fingers, slowly brushed over her face and down to her lips.
Lin Zhishui’s lips turned redder and redder…
After a while, she suddenly sobered up, bit his tiger’s mouth with her sharp little teeth, and whispered, “My kindness is wasted on you, Ning Shangyu, you’re too wicked!”
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