Li Xiang had been hiding in Macau for a month, running from place to place.
Every day, he haunted the underground casinos, obsessed with making a comeback, but he gambled away the last tens of thousands he had, and ended up owing the casino over a hundred thousand more.
When Zhuang Qiting’s men found him, he was being beaten half to death by the casino’s thugs.
Li Yaru dreamed of dragging Li Xiang out herself.
Every time she thought about her father still lying in the Hospital ward under observation, waiting for Heart Bypass Surgery, she wished she could chop that deadbeat to pieces.
But with Zhuang Qiting still by her side, she had to maintain her gentle-lady image.
Li Yaru kept telling herself not to lose her temper, to be a little gentler, more refined, and—most of all—not to curse.
But in reality, she had overestimated her own patience.
The moment she caught sight of Li Xiang’s detestable, pig-faced mug from afar, her anger exploded and her blood pressure soared.
Li Xiang had just been beaten up, when a group of men in black threw a burlap sack over his head and dragged him here.
He’d been scared witless the whole way, terrified he’d lose an arm or a leg.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see Li Yaru here.
Overcome with emotion, he burst into tears and shouted, “Yaru! Yaru, little sister! I’m here! Save your brother! They’re going to kill me!”
That bastard still dared to call her his little sister!
Li Yaru pulled her hand out from Zhuang Qiting’s arm, and in her high heels, rushed over and swung her bag straight at Li Xiang’s head. “Who’s your little sister! You useless bastard, eat shit!”
Li Xiang shrank into the corner, clutching his head, wailing that he was wrong.
“My daddy was so angry at you he had a heart attack, you should just die, just die and save us all the trouble! Don’t come ruining our lives anymore!” Li Yaru’s cheeks flushed with fury, and she swung her little leather bag without mercy, again and again, the sound like pounding a Hawaiian drum— bang bang bang.
The noise made Zhuang Qiting’s temples throb, his face growing darker by the second.
This little thing’s temper was way too explosive— and so crude.
There wasn’t a trace of gentleness or refinement in her, completely at odds with her beautiful, alluring face.
Looks like he’d have to put in a lot more effort to discipline her.
He would never allow his woman to suddenly throw him a curse word, let alone hit him on the head.
Zhuang Qiting stepped forward and grabbed Li Yaru’s wrist, pulling her back.
Li Yaru had been enjoying her beating, and when she was suddenly stopped, she turned around in annoyance— only to see the man’s iron-dark expression.
“Mr. Zhuang…” Li Yaru’s heart pounded, her enchanting eyes cautious, long lashes trembling.
Zhuang Qiting had to admit, even her crudeness was rather cute— but that was no excuse for him to tolerate it.
He pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and wiped the sweat from her forehead, his deep, cool voice rumbling, “From now on, you’re not allowed to just pick up things and hit people. Where did you get so many bad habits? Get rid of them.”
Li Yaru dared not protest, but her anger still simmered. She’d barely managed to hit Li Xiang a few times! There was no way she’d let him off so easily!
Suddenly, she threw her arms around Zhuang Qiting, pressing herself close, her chin resting on his chest as she wheedled, “You don’t believe me, but I’m usually very ladylike. It’s just, this guy made my dad so mad he had a heart attack! If I don’t hit him, I’d be a coward! You don’t want your girlfriend to suffer such a huge grievance, right?”
In other words, she still wanted to hit him.
Zhuang Qiting pressed his lips into a line, inhaling her strong, intoxicating fragrance as she clung to him.
It was a feeling he’d never had before— strangely comfortable.
No woman had ever dared to hold him so shamelessly, especially in front of everyone, without his permission.
All the Bodyguards lowered their heads.
After a moment’s silence, he said coolly, “Not again next time.”
“Of course, of course!” Li Yaru laughed seductively, imitating those flirtatious women, throwing him a coquettish glance, then quickly let go and spun around to grab her little bag, giving Li Xiang another round of beating.
Zhuang Qiting’s heart gave a little jolt at her awkward attempt at flirting.
He kept his word and didn’t interfere, only using his gaze to signal the Bodyguards to stay alert, then sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and watched his delicate-looking girlfriend beat a grown man until he was howling and bawling.
She was ruthless—her cousin’s head was split open, blood streaming down.
The cigarette burned slowly. Zhuang Qiting didn’t even know what he was doing— he felt it was a bit absurd. Half-squinting, he noticed sweat beading on Li Yaru’s nose.
“Yaru, little sister, I was wrong, please… stop hitting me…” Li Xiang’s nose and tears ran down his battered, bruised face.
He’d been beaten so many times lately, there wasn’t a single good spot left on his body.
Li Yaru leaned on her waist, panting, “Shut up, you bastard. The moment you stole the Restaurant’s Land Deed and went to borrow money from those people, our blood ties were cut! How dare you borrow three million? Did you think I wouldn’t catch you if you ran? You nearly got our whole family killed!”
“These past two years, you’ve embezzled four hundred thousand from the public accounts— I’ve kept track of every cent, don’t think you can deny it. And the three million you owe, two million of it I begged and borrowed from everywhere. From now on, Wangzhen Restaurant belongs to my family, and you have nothing to do with it. If you dare step foot in the Restaurant again, I’ll cut off your legs.”
“So, the debt’s already paid off?”
Li—
“Yaru, Yaru, I still owe a bit, not much, really, just three hundred thousand, lend it to me, the Restaurant is all yours, all of it, I don’t— really, I don’t care about the rest—”
Li Yaru slapped him across the face. “Shut your damn mouth.”
Zhuang Qiting paused, frowning in displeasure, but didn’t move— he just flicked his cigarette ash.
Li Yaru never imagined Li Xiang had sunk this far, losing all sense of reason.
He didn’t even care about how his parents and younger brother would survive, what they’d eat or drink, all the family’s hard-earned work wasted by him.
How would they survive?
Her father was soft-hearted and kind, and her mother was easy to persuade.
Could they really just stand by and watch their uncle’s family starve? They’d surely have to help out with money in the future!
If Li Xiang never changed, wouldn’t her family have endless trouble? Even if the God of Wealth protected her, could it last a lifetime?
In despair, Li Yaru grabbed a handful of her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly spotted a delicate Silver Knife in the fruit basket on the coffee table.
Without thinking, she snatched it up and gripped the handle coldly. “Fine, fine… I’ll pay the three hundred thousand for you too. With the two million before, I only want one of your fingers in return.”
It was a small knife— at most, it could cut off one finger.
“Hold him down,” she ordered the Bodyguards.
Li Xiang froze, the cold gleam of the blade stabbing his eyes. He suddenly realized what was happening, but the Bodyguards had already pinned his hand down.
“I was wrong, I was wrong— Yaru— no need, no need—!”
“No matter how much you borrow in the future, I’ll pay it back for you. You don’t need to repay me. I just want your finger. Let’s see how many times your ten fingers can take it.”
Li Xiang never expected Li Yaru to be serious.
His pig-like screams echoed in the room as she gripped the cold knife, pointed at his fat, trembling middle finger, and, with her mind blank and running on pure anger, brought it down hard.
“Ahhhhhhhh—”
In a flash, Li Xiang’s face turned ghostly pale. He yanked his hand back with all his strength, and the blade sliced off half his fingernail and a chunk of flesh.
Zhuang Qiting watched the pool of blood without a change in expression, his eyes narrowing as he exhaled smoke. This little thing was truly fierce.
Li Xiang was drenched in cold sweat, his whole body limp, his crotch soaked.
He didn’t even feel the pain, just stared blankly at his not-quite-ruined finger, tears streaming down as he wailed.
Li Yaru was also sweating, her hand trembling as she held the bloodstained knife. Suddenly, her fingers gave out, and the blade fell toward her foot.
Zhuang Qiting kicked the knife away, quickly tossed his cigarette, grabbed Li Yaru’s wrist, and pulled her into his arms.
His cold, hard fingers clamped her chin, forcing her to look up at him with dazed, wet eyes— he didn’t know whether to scold or comfort her.
“Now you’re scared? Weren’t you bold enough when you grabbed the knife?”
Of course Li Yaru was scared. She was only nineteen. If not for protecting her family, why would she ever do something as terrifying as cutting off someone’s finger?
Her eyes reddened, nose wrinkling, lips pressed tight— she didn’t want to speak.
Zhuang Qiting was tall and strong, easily encircling her with his arms. His natural aura of authority pressed down on her little outburst, completely subduing her.
His voice was cool: “Still feeling wronged? If you are, cut off another one. I’ll get you a cleaver.”
Li Yaru shot him a resentful look, shook her head quickly, and finally gave in.
Zhuang Qiting took her hand and patiently wiped the blood from her skin with his handkerchief.
Only when it was spotless did he toss the handkerchief in the trash, saying firmly, “Let’s go home.”
Li Yaru quietly followed Zhuang Qiting back to his car. Without being told, she climbed onto his lap, looking every bit the obedient, docile girl.
A faint, mocking chuckle sounded above her head, the ridicule clear.
Li Yaru said nothing, enveloped in the man’s burning presence. Comfort and drowsiness seeped through her, blurring the violent, bloody memories.
She felt like she’d just performed a chaotic comedy— now that it was over, her anger was spent, and she was exhausted.
The car drove on for a while— she didn’t know where they were going. The shifting lights painted her face, nose, lips in tranquility.
“Mr. Zhuang, where are we going?”
“Only now you’re asking where we’re headed? Isn’t it a bit late?” Zhuang Qiting tightened his hold, locking her in his arms.
Li Yaru knew the man was upset. Of course he was.
He’d thought she was the perfect, beautiful, gentle girlfriend, and yet here she was, spending money, pulling strings, and in just a few days, her true colors had shown.
“You’re not happy,” Li Yaru said, curling her lips. She was straightforward by nature, not one to hide things.
Zhuang Qiting raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
“Because I’m not your type. I’m not ladylike, not gentle, and I like to curse. You think you chose the wrong person and wasted a lot of money.” Li Yaru tilted her face up at him, her features sharp and striking. “I can pay you back… half of it now. The rest, I’ll pay you slowly once the Restaurant turns a profit.”
It hurt her deeply. She hated to part with money once it was in her pocket.
Zhuang Qiting laughed indifferently, pinching the soft flesh at her waist. “If you don’t go home tonight, will your parents worry?”
Li Yaru was silent for a moment. “My mom is at the Hospital with my dad tonight, so it’s fine.”
He nodded, pressing her face back to his chest, saying nothing more, not even answering her silly question.
She’d made a mistake, even a huge one, but he’d just handle it for her and then teach her a lesson. He’d never let her go. She was dreaming if she thought otherwise.
As for not being his type— so what? He’d make her into what he wanted.
If he could handle those old foxes in the business world, could he not discipline a little thing like her?
She was rough and hot-tempered, but he liked her— he really did.
Li Yaru couldn’t figure out what Zhuang Qiting was thinking, and she was anxious about the unknown night ahead.
But honestly, she wasn’t stupid— she knew full well what was about to happen between two adults tonight.
He would definitely want to enjoy her before talking about ending anything. Otherwise, he’d lose out on both sides.
The car stopped in front of a villa surrounded by lush greenery. Two Maids in uniform waited at the door to greet them.
Li Yaru looked around. The elegant, beautiful garden was bigger than her entire apartment complex.
Two towering crape myrtle trees were covered in clusters of purple-red blossoms, glowing under the moonlight.
There was no time to take it all in— she hurried after Zhuang Qiting.
One Maid knelt to help her change into new slippers— lambskin soles, satin uppers, very soft.
Another Maid brought out freshly brewed black tea and pastries.
After preparing everything, they quietly withdrew, leaving the spacious South Seas Style Villa’s living room in a deep, unsettling silence.
Patterned tiles, shuttered windows, rattan sofas, banana leaves, blackwood furniture, a faint fragrance in the air— Li Yaru breathed slowly.
Zhuang Qiting took off his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of the sofa. After sitting, he started to remove his watch.
Seeing the girl still standing silently in the entryway, he beckoned her over.
Li Yaru walked over.
“Come here.” He set his watch on the coffee table and pointed at his lap.
Li Yaru made a sound of acknowledgment and was about to sit when he stopped her. “Lie down.”
“Huh?”
How was she supposed to lie down? Li Yaru didn’t understand, frozen in place.
Zhuang Qiting curled his lips, his eyes dark and dangerous, but his tone was gentle. “Over my lap, Yaru. Lie across my knees, stick your butt out.”
…Butt… stick it out?
Li Yaru mulled it over several times, then her eyes widened in disbelief. A look of shame and confusion crossed her face.
Clutching her skirt, she stammered, “How can you do this… I— I’m not a child!”
Zhuang Qiting’s long hands folded together, his face mild but with an unmistakable air of danger. “Baby, I need to give you a little punishment, so you’ll remember not to curse and hit people in the future.”
“If you want someone’s finger or their life, it’s not your job to do it yourself, understand? You don’t need to handle violence or danger.”
The future mistress of the Zhuang Family could control everything with grace and calm— no need to dirty her own hands or lose her temper.
At least, that’s how she should be in public. In private, he could allow her a little willful indulgence.
Li Yaru didn’t understand, didn’t understand, didn’t understand. Her mind was a mess—he was really going to spank her!
He wanted her to lie down— what else could it be but a spanking? She wasn’t stupid!
It wasn’t until her bottom felt the cool air that she realized she’d already been forced to lie across his knees, her body pressed against the crisp fabric of his suit pants.
His hot, hard fingers lifted the hem of her chiffon-trimmed skirt. Zhuang Qiting lowered his gaze, silently taking in the narrow, transparent lace that outlined her already fully developed curves.
Li Yaru loved to look good— even her underthings were the latest, most fashionable styles.
She wasn’t slender and frail, but full and voluptuous— nothing like the figure a young girl should have, more like an overripe peach.
Zhuang Qiting’s gaze sharpened, restraining the urge to bite down.
His breathing grew slow and tight, his palm settling over the lace, holding and covering her, not moving for now.
Only a steady stream of heat and tingling seemed to flow from his hand into her skin.
Li Yaru’s face flushed so red it looked like it would bleed. Her whole body went rigid, teeth clenched, eyes shimmering with tears.
Without warning, the slap landed. She shuddered all over. As the crisp sound rang out, tears of humiliation fell from her eyes.
Li Yaru, of all people, had actually been spanked by this perverted man.