Li Yaru enjoyed a comfortable hot bath, finished her skincare, and hummed softly while using a gua sha board, scraping down from her neck.
Her suite was large, connecting the bathroom and dressing room, and when she passed behind a folding screen, the buzzing mosquito sounds suddenly stopped.
“Zhuang Qiting, who allowed you to come in!” Li Yaru held the gua sha board, glaring angrily at the dog of a man occupying her bed.
Zhuang Qiting smiled and closed the book. “Baby, getting angry is bad for your skin.”
Li Yaru was furious thinking of how he suddenly appeared, arrogantly showing off his manly presence on her turf.
She took two quick steps forward, threw her slippers aside, jumped on the bed like a rabbit, climbed onto Zhuang Qiting, and grabbed his neck, shaking him violently. “Dog! Dog!”
Zhuang Qiting was dizzy from the shaking but tried to protect her from getting too excited and falling off the bed. “Slow down, don’t fall. Li Yaru! Can you be a bit ladylike?”
“You still dare say that! I knew you were recording the interview, and you deliberately came here. Persistent little thief.”
Li Yaru straddled Zhuang Qiting’s narrow waist, her post-bath body warm, soft, and fragrant.
Zhuang Qiting inhaled her intoxicating scent, his deep gaze stirring a hidden current.
Not wanting to show too much, he gently held her shoulders and looked at her. “Ah Rou, you have to care about me too. Now even your little butler dares to swagger before me—what do you want me to do?”
Li Yaru frowned and asked unhappily, “What did Ah Jie do to you this time?”
This man constantly badmouthed Liang Sijie in front of her—how many times in five years had he done that?
Zhuang Qiting said, “I’m saying I do nothing at the Li Residence. Ah Rou, I am your man, and I’m the only man here.”
Li Yaru was amused by his earnestness, hands scrambling into the slightly open collar of his robe, grabbing his firm chest muscles and playing.
Zhuang Qiting grunted softly.
She got carried away, rubbing her fingertips against a little spot, wondering how his physique had stayed so perfect all these years.
Her voice held a hint of grumble. “Who says you’re a man? You’re more like a male guest renting a room here. I don’t even charge you rent or food, and that’s already very generous.”
Zhuang Qiting’s temper flared; he wouldn’t let her brush it off.
He pulled her hand away from his chest, gripped her chin with his fingers, forcing her to meet his fierce gaze. “Li Yaru, five years. Today, you have to give me an answer.”
“What answer…” Li Yaru wanted to laugh.
“What exactly am I to you?” His voice was heavy, oppressive, and commanding.
But Li Yaru wasn’t buying it. She still smiled brightly. “Hmm? Aren’t I your bed partner? I haven’t neglected you these years. Everything you wear is bought by me, every month’s rent I pay, and I even let you live at the Li Residence rent-free.”
“Li Yaru.” He snarled through his teeth.
Li Yaru felt his tension, strength, and rising heat all quietly building, covering her soft skin draped only in light lace.
“Zhuang Qi—” Before she finished, he held her back tightly, pulled her close, and lowered his head to bite her neck.
He was truly angry. Without bothering to remove the lace hem of her nightgown, he pushed the small lace aside and directly pressed into her.
Li Yaru shivered violently, brow furrowed deeply, her delicate neck stretched into a straight line.
“Bastard…” She slurred, fingers scratching his arm.
Still straddling him, she felt like she was riding a wild horse unwilling to be tamed, bouncing and swaying, gripping the reins tightly to keep her balance.
Zhuang Qiting’s body soon slicked with sweat. Li Yaru’s fingers were sticky, coated with his hormone-filled sweat.
“…Don’t poke there…” Her toes curled, nearly giving out.
“Call me husband, and I’ll listen to you.”
“No…”
Zhuang Qiting sneered and continued to suck on her shoulder, maliciously tormenting that tiny spot.
Feeling the supple folds rapidly contract, he cursed her with mock affection.
Time passed, and the bath was wasted anyway. Li Yaru lay limp on the bed, arms weakly clutching the covers.
Zhuang Qiting kissed her sweaty temple. “Baby.”
“Get lost—” she murmured weakly.
“Baby, from now on, I am your boyfriend, your only boyfriend. Got it, baby?” His fingertips tenderly brushed her cheek.
Time had been kind to her—at this age, she had only a few faint, barely noticeable lines.
Zhuang Qiting knew Li Yaru needed a long time to recover mentally after these moments, so he kissed her once, went to the balcony to light a cigarette, then came back to carry her off to shower again.
After showering, they lay for over fifteen minutes before Li Yaru finally snapped out of her daze. The clock on the wall had unwittingly ticked through two full rotations.
Once she regained strength, she was ready to torment Zhuang Qiting—pinching, biting, scratching, hitting, and cursing the old man.
But Zhuang Qiting was prepared, diverting the conflict with a single sentence. “Wait, baby, first I need to talk to you about something important.”
Li Yaru just barely bit him, teeth stopping on his shoulder, and retracted, “You never have anything important.”
Zhuang Qiting pulled her close. “It’s about A Zhou.”
“What about A Zhou?” Li Yaru frowned. “I work my ass off for Shenghui every day, and now you criticize me?”
Zhuang Qiting kissed her cheek. “Not at all. You’re doing well now, can handle things on your own. Though still not as good as I was, I’m satisfied.”
“I’m definitely better than you,” Li Yaru rolled her eyes. “At least I listen.”
Zhuang Qiting smiled, voice steady. “I hope A Zhou will listen too.”
“To what?”
“The Chen family wants to arrange a marriage alliance with us. I know you’ve considered many over the years, but that brat refused every time. We can’t delay any longer; if we wait, it’ll be too late. Since he won’t seriously date, then a marriage alliance it is. But everything depends on you—if you don’t like the Chen girl, we won’t consider it.”
This was big news. Li Yaru sat up abruptly, eyes blazing as she stared at Zhuang Qiting. “You mean A Zhou has to marry? The Chen family? Which Chen family?”
“As an heir, he must marry,” Zhuang Qiting said without hesitation on serious matters. “The Chen family of CDR Group.”
Li Yaru’s mind spun quickly, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Oh! The Chen Family Third Miss, Chen Weiqi?”
“I know her.” Her smile couldn’t be hidden; it was the same as when she saw her favorite jewelry. “But are you sure she’d look at our son?”
Zhuang Qiting disliked seeing her smile like that when facing living things and suppressed his displeasure, saying coldly, “Our son? She wouldn’t dare reject him. Is she some heavenly fairy?”
Li Yaru snapped, “You better watch your mouth before you get poisoned!” She pulled out her phone and searched social media for Chen Weiqi, soon pulling up countless news articles.
“Look, she has a boyfriend—a very handsome Best Actor boyfriend. So fair, so gentle, clearly a caring man. Our A Zhou can’t compare.”
“You don’t even know, the second son is just like you. Girls today are strong; they won’t fall for your tricks.”
Zhuang Qiting: “……………”
Though Li Yaru said that, her heart was already stirring. She saved many photos of Chen Weiqi. “Fine, I’ll give it a try. Let’s see if that brat can step up.”
Zhuang Qiting had a faint premonition that his wife would be busy for a long time to come.
“Ah Rou.”
Li Yaru ignored him, continuing to save pictures. This girl really was stunning—cold and elegant, clearly not easy to mess with. Maybe she could tame that brat Zhuang Shaozhou.
Li Yaru liked her more and more, accidentally saving dozens of photos.
“Ah Rou,” Zhuang Qiting’s voice deepened, clearly displeased that his wife’s attention had shifted to someone new.
“What are you doing?” Li Yaru glared at the annoying man, who stubbornly stayed on her turf. Now he’d even barged into her room to occupy her bed.
“You’ve eaten well, had your fun—you can go back to your spare bedroom now!”
Zhuang Qiting was silent for a moment, then turned over, pulling the covers over himself. “I’m going to sleep.”
Li Yaru kicked him twice, but he grabbed her ankle and rubbed roughly on her soft sole. She giggled, ticklish.
“I said, I’m your boyfriend, and the only man here. I’ll have Uncle Li move all the stuff from the Zhuang Residence over. From now on, I’ll live here.”
“………….”