Chapter Nine

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Lin Wu wasn’t in the mood to go to the bar tonight, so Chen Zhuo took her straight to his apartment.

There was always some liquor stored in the apartment’s wine cabinet, but Lin Wu hadn’t paid much attention to it before.

Familiar with the place, she walked toward the wine cabinet as soon as she entered.

The cabinet was against the wall, holding over a dozen bottles of varying sizes, each from different origins and with distinct flavors. Lin Wu looked up to scan the top shelf, then glanced at Chen Zhuo, who was taking off his coat and hanging it up. “It’s too high; I can’t reach it.”

The vodka was placed on the highest shelf.

After hanging up his coat, Chen Zhuo casually walked over to her.

He took down the bottle and glanced at her with slightly lowered eyes, confirming, “You have work tomorrow; are you sure you want to drink such a strong liquor tonight?”

Lin Wu snatched the bottle from his hand without hesitation and headed to the kitchen to fetch glasses, leaving a curt remark behind: “Stop nagging.”

Chen Zhuo was momentarily speechless.

Lin Wu returned with two glasses, her elegant and serene face catching Chen Zhuo’s gaze for a moment before he softly said, “I’ll open it.”

She responded with a hum.

As the cap twisted off, Lin Wu caught the sharp scent of vodka’s potent alcohol.

She lifted the glass with less than a third filled, lowered her lashes, and took a sip. The vodka smelled strong but tasted mellow, pure, and refreshing.

After two sips, Lin Wu realized she’d chosen poorly.

The vodka was too strong, and the flavor was ordinary; she shouldn’t have picked this one.

Fortunately, she only took two sips before stopping, and Chen Zhuo said nothing.

Silence filled the apartment. Chen Zhuo finished his drink, pulled out the chair opposite Lin Wu, and sat down.

Looking up at her, his handsome expression carried a hint of hesitation, as if wanting to speak but holding back.

“You’d better not ask,” Lin Wu suddenly broke the quiet.

Hearing her words clearly, Chen Zhuo’s lips curled into a distinct smile, his brows lifting as he looked at her with deep, bright eyes and a playful drawl: “So domineering?”

Lin Wu gave a soft hum. “President Chen, don’t—”

She intended to say “don’t cross the line,” but thinking of their current situation, lines had already been crossed—by her initiative, no less.

Realizing this, Lin Wu paused briefly and looked at Chen Zhuo. “Don’t say anything to spoil the mood.”

At this, Chen Zhuo lifted his eyes, gazing at her with interest and calm intent. “Then, Lawyer Lin—”

He deliberately paused, his voice low as he asked, “What exactly is ‘not spoiling the mood’?”

Lin Wu met his fathomless, gleaming black eyes.

After a moment, she straddled Chen Zhuo, wrapping one arm around his neck, while her other hand gently traced his lips. She whispered, “This.”

Now, this was something that didn’t spoil the mood.

Chen Zhuo’s lips were beautifully shaped—slightly thin but not the super-thin kind Lin Wu disliked. His lip contours were exquisite, and up close, she could even see the tiny lip beads on his upper lip, sensuous and enticing.

Chen Zhuo lowered his eyes. As Lin Wu’s fingers brushed his lips, he parted his mouth slightly, extending his tongue to leave a multitude of wet, tender kisses on her fingers.

His kisses were so filled with passion that Lin Wu found herself almost overwhelmed. Feeling the soft, tingling sensation on her fingers, her breath faltered.

“You…” Lin Wu opened her mouth to say something, but Chen Zhuo suddenly bit down on her finger, leaving clear teeth marks.

Lin Wu winced in pain, staring at him in disbelief. “Chen…”

Before she could finish calling his name, Chen Zhuo’s kiss shifted from her finger to her lips.

He gave her no time to prepare, precisely parting her teeth and swallowing her words in a fiery, burning kiss.

...

Dizzy with desire, Lin Wu’s mind swirled, yet she still reminded him, “Take… a shower.”

Chen Zhuo’s voice was hoarse as he replied, lifting her in his arms in their current embrace and carrying her into the bathroom.

The sound of running water muffled their intimate noises.

Only occasionally did uncontrollable, trembling, urgent sounds escape.

They left the bathroom a mess—wet and chaotic.

But that wasn’t enough.

Exiting the bathroom, Chen Zhuo carried Lin Wu to the bedroom, back to the soft, sinking bed.

Under the dim, warm light, Lin Wu tilted her neck back slightly, her fair, slender arm draped over Chen Zhuo’s shoulder. As he pressed against her, she trembled, unconsciously leaving distinct fingernail marks on his back.

Lin Wu bore marks as well. They had agreed not to leave marks on visible areas like the collarbone. So Chen Zhuo usually left hickeys in places unseen by others—marks that lingered for days.

...

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The next morning, Lin Wu was woken by the alarm clock.

She closed her eyes and reached out to turn it off, but what she first felt wasn’t her phone—it was a warm, firm arm.

Startled, Lin Wu opened her eyes and looked at the person who had already turned off the alarm.

For a moment, she didn’t quite register where she was.

“Lin Wu,” noticing her daze, Chen Zhuo gently tapped her forehead, his husky voice saying, “It’s time to get up for work.”

Lin Wu was stunned. She stared at Chen Zhuo for about three seconds before snapping back to reality, swiftly throwing off the covers and rushing into the bathroom.

Watching her rapid movements, Chen Zhuo suppressed a smile but couldn’t help chuckling softly.

The just-awakened Lawyer Lin was quite endearing.

Chen Zhuo got out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.

Seeing Chen Zhuo appear while brushing her teeth, Lin Wu paused, muffling her words, “What are you doing?”

Chen Zhuo looked up and, under her gaze, picked up another toothbrush from the sink and waved it at her clearly, “Brushing teeth.”

Lin Wu was speechless.

It was a strange scene.

At least, Lin Wu found it strange.

The bathroom was spacious, with a dry and wet separation shower area, a separate bathtub, a sink, and a toilet.

The sink was about two meters long, comfortably accommodating two people.

Yet the image of her brushing her teeth alongside Chen Zhuo felt odd.

Too tender.

So tender that Lin Wu felt a little uneasy. They weren’t lovers, much less a couple who would brush their teeth together, get ready, leave for work side by side, and maybe even kiss goodbye.

They were friends with benefits who didn’t discuss feelings.

Thinking this, Lin Wu glanced at Chen Zhuo’s reflection in the mirror. Just-awakened, he looked as handsome and refreshing as always, showing no trace of hangover or dishevelment.

Even though his hair was slightly tousled, it couldn’t conceal his bright and elegant aura.

Noticing Lin Wu’s gaze, Chen Zhuo glanced sideways, spat out his mouthwash, and quietly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Snapping back, Lin Wu blinked slowly. “...Nothing much.”

She hurriedly bent down to splash water on her face.

After washing, she stepped out and found a set of clothes left here before, changing quickly.

She didn’t have her makeup here and didn’t plan to put any on in front of Chen Zhuo.

Just as she finished changing, Chen Zhuo completed his grooming as well.

Lin Wu tidied up the mess from last night, then looked up at him. “President Chen, I’m leaving first.”

Chen Zhuo’s step faltered slightly, lifting his eyelids to look at her. “Wait three minutes; I’ll see you off.”

“No need,” Lin Wu, clear-headed and composed in daylight, looked at Chen Zhuo firmly. “I’ll take a taxi.”

Chen Zhuo lowered his eyes. “Are you sure?”

Lin Wu nodded calmly, meeting his gaze straightforwardly.

She truly didn’t need him to see her off.

Chen Zhuo fell silent for a few seconds, then smiled faintly. “Alright, Lawyer Lin, take care.”

Lin Wu responded and turned without hesitation.

The door opened and closed behind her.

Chen Zhuo stood there for a moment, pinching his brow, then let out a mocking smile.

He had anticipated Lin Wu’s refusal, but her resolute rejection still stirred an involuntary annoyance within him.

—

Leaving the apartment, Lin Wu didn’t rush to the law firm.

She took a taxi home first, changed clothes, washed and applied makeup, then arrived at the office just in time for work.

“Lawyer Lin,” as soon as she sat down, her assistant came in. “Coffee?”

Lin Wu looked up and smiled faintly. “A hot Americano.”

After a while, Zhao Yuxin brought the hot Americano to her desk.

“Thank you,” Lin Wu said, assigning a few tasks to her assistant before settling into work.

At eleven o’clock, her phone vibrated.

She picked it up and saw another friend request from Sun Nian’an. This time, the request included a verification message: “Sis, did you forget to accept me?”

Lin Wu paused, her finger hovering over the screen for over half a minute but still not pressing “accept.”

She decided to wait a little longer.

Just then, He Jiayun pushed open the door and saw Lin Wu pushing the phone aside.

Raising her brow with mild surprise, she asked, “What’s wrong? Did your phone offend you?”

Lin Wu looked up. “Why are you here?”

“Bored at home, came to bring you some love.” She waved a thermal lunch box in her hand.

Lin Wu stared for a moment, then laughed. “Perfect, that’s just what I crave.”

He Jiayun glanced at her, put down the lunch box, sat in the chair by her desk, and tapped her phone. “Don’t avoid my question.”

Lin Wu was speechless and met her gaze.

After a moment, she sighed helplessly. “The phone didn’t offend me. I just saw a message I didn’t want to see.”

It was her habit.

Whenever she received messages or things she didn’t want to face, she distanced herself—even blaming the phone.

He Jiayun didn’t respond.

After a few quiet seconds, she took out her own phone and asked, “I unlocked it for you, you know.”

They knew each other’s phone passwords.

Lin Wu watched silently, not stopping her.

He Jiayun glanced over the message list, finding nothing to upset Lin Wu, then opened her WeChat.

Seeing the new friend request, she suddenly looked up at Lin Wu. “Who is this? She calls you ‘sis’…”

He Jiayun frowned, eyes wide. “Is she your half-sister?”

Lin Wu hesitated but nodded.

“How does she have your WeChat?” He Jiayun asked.

Knowing she couldn’t hide it, Lin Wu calmly explained, “We ran into each other at a restaurant last night.”

“A restaurant?” He Jiayun was surprised. “She’s in Shen City too?”

Lin Wu nodded slightly.

“What’s she doing in Shen City? Did she come looking for you?” He Jiayun frowned deeper.

“No,” Lin Wu hurried to clarify as He Jiayun’s mood grew more intense. “She’s in university this year, studying here.”

He Jiayun was speechless.

She held back, but finally blurted, “What a crazy coincidence.”

Lin Wu remained silent.

After a beat, He Jiayun opened Lin Wu’s phone again. “I rejected her for you.”

Lin Wu’s eyes flickered as she reached out. “I’ll do it myself.”

He Jiayun raised her brow. “You really can refuse her?”

“Yes,” Lin Wu said softly, “Seeing her profile picture makes me uncomfortable.”

That was why she gave her WeChat ID at the restaurant—to avoid a scene there.

She had wanted to handle it coldly, knowing the request would expire in three days. As a college student, Sun Nian’an should understand her stance.

She didn’t expect the request to come again.

He Jiayun handed back the phone. Without hesitation, Lin Wu tapped “reject.”

Afterwards, she smiled faintly and exhaled.

He Jiayun rolled her eyes. “Did you have another sleepless night last night?”

“No.”

He Jiayun was surprised. “No?”

She studied Lin Wu closely—her complexion was indeed better today.

He Jiayun marveled, “You met Sun Nian’an and didn’t lose sleep? Does she have some magic power?”

Lin Wu was caught off guard by the comment and quietly replied, “Why don’t you ask who I had dinner with last night?”

He Jiayun blinked, playing along. “Who?”

“Chen Zhuo,” Lin Wu said without hiding.

He Jiayun burst out, “Damn.”

She swore again in surprise and asked eagerly, “Did you listen to what I said?”

Lin Wu was silent. “No.”

She pursed her lips, a bit awkwardly explaining, “He needed to ask me something work-related, so we arranged to have dinner and talk.”

He Jiayun nodded, half understanding, teasing, “And after chatting, you arranged to sleep together?”

Lin Wu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.

They exchanged glances for a moment before Lin Wu’s eyes darted away, admitting guiltily, “...Something like that.”

He Jiayun clicked her tongue.

Lin Wu chuckled. “What?”

“I really want to get to know Chen Zhuo,” He Jiayun said thoughtfully. She genuinely wanted to know what kind of magic this man held—enough to make Lin Wu sleep well and ease her emotions after meeting Sun Nian’an.

Lin Wu smiled wryly, about to say she could introduce them if there was a chance.

But then she realized there probably wouldn’t be one. Their relationship wouldn’t progress beyond friends with benefits, and with that, they had no reason to introduce each other’s friends.

Just as she pondered how to say this, a knock came at the door.

She looked up and called, “Come in.”

Li Xiang pushed the door open and, seeing the two in the office, unsurprisingly said, “Lin Wu, President Chen from Fengxing is here for a meeting.”

“President Chen?” Lin Wu hadn’t yet responded when He Jiayun’s eyes suddenly brightened, staring intently at Li Xiang. “Chen Zhuo?”

Li Xiang noticed her shining eyes and felt a bad premonition. “You know him?”

He Jiayun smiled slyly. “I’ll be meeting him soon.”

Li Xiang was speechless.

He gripped the door handle, his expression cold as he reminded her, “We’re about to start the meeting.”

“I’m a partner; I can join too.” He Jiayun shot him a sideways glance, her heiress arrogance in full force, snorting coldly. “What’s this? Have I been secretly kicked out by Partner Xiang?”

Li Xiang was at a loss for words, his face darkening.

Lin Wu listened to their bickering and interjected, “Let Jiayun go.”

Li Xiang turned his sharp gaze to her, the pressure of a superior unmistakable.

Lin Wu’s nerves tensed, her mind blank for a moment before she said, “Chen Zhuo isn’t her type.”