Chu Shangluo slept very restlessly. He felt like it was almost time to go to work and wanted to open his eyes, but his eyelids were so heavy that it was difficult to even open them slightly. He struggled repeatedly, and by the time he managed to open his eyes, it was already nine o’clock. “Damn… I still have to go to work…” President Chu finally got up. His whole body felt like one word: tired. So tired that his fingers could barely lift.

Chu Shangluo thought about the ridiculous things that happened last night, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Ren Jiaoming was completely unreasonable. The “happy” event he had been waiting for so long for not only wasn’t happy, but could practically be described as a car accident scene. He was fucked so good that he can barely lift a finger, everything about his body ached from the passion last night. The house was quiet. Chu Shangluo’s eyes were a little red, mainly because he wasn’t feeling well physically. Just as he was about to grab his phone to ask where Ren Jiaoming had gone, the bathroom door opened.

Ren Jiaoming had already changed into a clean suit. There was a faint pink bite mark on his pale face, adding an unusual charm to his otherwise cold features. This was from last night when things got a little rough, and Chu Shangluo had bitten him out of frustration. But it wasn’t just his face; there were several scattered bloodstained bite marks on Ren Jiaoming’s collarbone and chest. Chu Shangluo’s temper couldn’t stand pain, and he was easily angered, so even with Ren Jiaoming’s strength, he still had the chance to vent his frustration by biting him a few times.

Seeing the marks on Ren Jiaoming’s face, Chu Shangluo smirked and teased, “Secretary Ren, what happened to your face?” Ren Jiaoming ignored him, reaching out to pull the blanket off Chu Shangluo, revealing his body covered with traces of passion. Chu Shangluo tilted his head, looking at Ren Jiaoming, wondering if this secretary of his was a gentle lover. Ren Jiaoming didn’t disappoint him, lifting him horizontally and walking into the bathroom to place him in the bathtub.

“I’ve arranged for you to have a half-day off at the company,” Ren Jiaoming said. Chu Shangluo, waking up early, had only slept for two or three hours, and now, submerged in warm water, he felt a bit dazed again. His eyes were slightly red, his hair messy, his expression showing exhaustion from indulgence, yet there was an extra touch of charm, a seductive allure. Ren Jiaoming stared at him for a moment, then neatly rolled up his sleeves and gently began to wash his body. When Ren Jiaoming touched him, Chu Shangluo winced in pain and pushed Ren Jiaoming’s hand away. “Give me a cigarette. I know you don’t like it, but bear with it. I’m feeling worse than you right now.”

Chu Shangluo took the cigarette that Ren Jiaoming handed him and lit it. “Lighter,” he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, the cigarette was already lit. Chu Shangluo glanced at Ren Jiaoming, who was attending to him meticulously. He took a deep drag, slowly exhaling and squinting his eyes in pleasure.

“Continue,” he said. Ren Jiaoming remained silent, and no one knew what he was thinking. He was like a cold, emotionless machine, doing what a secretary should do after a one-night affair. Chu Shangluo watched him, wondering if the wild Ren Jiaoming from last night was really the same person in front of him.

Suddenly, Chu Shangluo winced in pain, and some ash fell into the water. Unable to hold back, he cursed, “Be gentler, am I injured or not?” Ren Jiaoming might not have expected such a direct question. He paused for a moment before replying, “No.”

“You’re actually quite gentle, huh? You’ve surprised me. But… hey, let me ask you something. Didn’t you say you had no desire for me? Then why were you so aggressive? Jiang Jia said you could calm down after taking off the gloves. Calm down my ass!” Chu Shangluo looked at Ren Jiaoming’s rare red-and-white face and took another drag of his cigarette, laughing, “Forget it, it’s already happened. You weren’t bad, and I’m actually glad. Hey, wasn’t it way better than fighting? Next time, be gentler.”

Having said all that, Chu Shangluo had given Ren Jiaoming the chance to save face. All Ren Jiaoming had to do was nod, and Chu Shangluo would give him the jade pendant. Whether as a secretary, lover, or partner, he was willing. Ren Jiaoming, however, was not oblivious to Chu Shangluo’s intent. He slowly spoke, “The deadline we agreed on is in a week. I’ll resign.”

The smile on Chu Shangluo’s face instantly froze. He casually grabbed a towel from the side and threw it at Ren Jiaoming. “You’re really ungrateful! What a waste of time!” Chu Shangluo angrily stared at Ren Jiaoming, who seemed impervious to everything. “How could you be like this? You’re so ungrateful. I was your antidote last night—weren’t you enjoying it? People can’t be like this, Ren Jiaoming.”

Ren Jiaoming adjusted Chu Shangluo’s body and continued, “What happened last night could have been handled at the hospital. You insisted on bringing me back here.”

Despite his few words, Ren Jiaoming was a master of subtle argument. His calm, neutral words were enough to make Chu Shangluo furious.

“Don’t say that. Can you have some dignity? Last night…” Chu Shangluo was interrupted as Ren Jiaoming took the cigarette from his mouth and covered it with his wet hand. Ren Jiaoming didn’t want to hear anything about last night. He didn’t want to think about it either.

Chu Shangluo removed Ren Jiaoming’s hand and looked at his face, still full of the stubbornness of a chaste man. He took a deep breath to ease the dull pain in his chest and sneered. “So you want to leave so quickly? Where are you going? Wen’s family? To find that Wen Yan? I’ll tell you, you’ve got no chance. No resignation, and no jade pendant! You…” He stretched out his hand, pointing at Ren Jiaoming’s shoulder, gritting his teeth. “You don’t want to be with me? Then I’ll make you. If you want the jade pendant, I want you to be a good secretary, a good lover, and take care of me, including warming my bed.”

Chu Shangluo had thought that his relationship with Ren Jiaoming would ease over time, especially after their physical union last night. But it seemed he was wrong. For someone like Ren Jiaoming, unless pushed, they would never improve.

Ren Jiaoming coldly stared at Chu Shangluo. Although last night had been devoid of tenderness, at least there had been some passion in it. But now, under Ren Jiaoming’s piercing gaze, even that passion was gone. Chu Shangluo, perhaps accustomed to heartbreak, felt indifferent to the current state of their relationship. After all, it couldn’t get worse, right? If he hadn’t slept through the night, Chu Shangluo might have let Ren Jiaoming leave, but now, with the situation like this and having been hurt for him, he couldn’t let it go.

He had invested too much but hadn’t gotten what he wanted, and ended up losing—this wasn’t the mark of a competent businessman.

So, even though it was despicable, he didn’t want to let Ren Jiaoming go. It was too hard to win someone’s heart, and having gained his was enough. Whether Ren Jiaoming hated him or disliked him, he was determined to get back everything, with interest.

Ren Jiaoming, his face as cold as ice, remained silent for a long time. Until the water in the bathtub cooled, he snapped out of his thoughts and lifted Chu Shangluo out. He gazed into Chu Shangluo’s desperate eyes and spoke softly, “Fine. Don’t regret it.”

Chu Shangluo kissed Ren Jiaoming’s pale lips, teasing, “I’m more curious about how you plan to make me regret it.”

Ren Jiaoming laid Chu Shangluo on the bed, gently drying his body with a towel, and respectfully said, “President Chu, starting today, I will be the way you want me to be.”