◎ Who is being rough with whom? ◎

“Lulu, what’s wrong with you? Why have you been distracted all day?”

Jiang Xiu had originally been displeased with her clumsiness, but when she turned her head and saw Ren Lu’s pained expression, she was instantly startled.

“Did you hurt yourself somewhere?”

Ren Lu covered her mouth. She was afraid she would vomit and still have to deal with Jiang Xiu.

“It’s nothing. I just feel a little unwell.”

“Aunt Liu, have the family doctor come take a look.” Jiang Xiu immediately instructed.

Ren Lu quickly stopped her. “Mom, no need. I just have a bit of a headache; maybe I caught a chill. I’ll be fine after some sleep.”

“Alright, then hurry upstairs and rest early.”

After finally dealing with Jiang Xiu, Ren Lu rushed out of the kitchen.

“Dad, I’ll go upstairs to rest first,” she said hastily and then darted off like a dog was chasing her.

That night, she washed up early and went to bed, but could not fall asleep.

Her mind kept flooding with all kinds of text, all business-war novel scenes with Lu Hui as the male lead.

This novel was also a stallion novel. Lu Hui was full of vigor; even at an age close to retirement, he was still strong and lustful, and the more tricks he played, the more excited he got.

He not only liked to steal women, but liked to do it at home, in front of the whole family, for the thrill.

Among the old residence’s hired staff—from chefs and gardeners to cleaners and laundry workers—he often planted his own people.

Later, he even gathered “Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum” among them, enjoying “flower appreciation” every night.

The book described in detail how Meihua changed, acting like a village girl in front of outsiders, but becoming a seductress in front of Lu Hui.

Even if Ren Lu wanted to escape, the words kept flooding out. Normally, she would be excited to gossip while watching drama, but tonight, all she felt was nausea.

“Damn it, I’ll castrate him sooner or later!” She got up in the middle of the night and fled the Lu family’s old residence.

This damp, shady place was unbearable even for a second longer. Otherwise, she feared she would go to the kitchen, grab a knife, and actually give the old pervert a physical castration.

***

Ren Lu remained listless for nearly a week and was plagued by frequent nightmares. Even constant shopping could not improve her mood, showing just how much damage those words had caused her.

It was too horrifying. She was not averse to intimacy, but as soon as she pictured the male lead as her father-in-law, she truly wanted to rush to a nunnery that very night, shave her head, and live without desire.

She had originally planned to hide longer, but the second live broadcast of the variety show was approaching. Even though her mental state was poor, she still had to show up.

Unfortunately, during her rest days, Lu Sinian had sought her out three times, all of which she dodged with excuses.

Ridiculous. What else could Lu Sinian want from her? At most, he just wanted to recharge—have a full inside-and-out physical “exchange.”

When it came to seeking physical exchange, he inherited Jiang Xiu’s fine tradition of being faithful to one person and having a sense of cleanliness.

However, in terms of desire, he also inherited Lu Hui’s genes—quite lustful.

What was more, he was young now, at the peak of his needs. Their married life in this respect was harmonious, enjoyable, and exciting, keeping a frequency of several times a week.

Now that he could not catch her, the messages he sent grew heavier in tone.

From first asking where she was, to later “I want to see you,” and just now, he directly sent a villa address—without a single word, yet clearly showing his refusal to take “no” for an answer.

“Madam, this is the gift you bought for President Lu. Goodbye.” Vicky opened the car door, placed the gift in her hand, and looked as though she intended to watch her go inside.

Holding the gift box, Ren Lu’s fingers could not help but pick at the bow’s ribbon. She stood there, not moving to leave.

“Vicky, come in with me, will you? What if President Lu has other instructions?” she asked, a little guiltily.

Standing at the villa door, she suddenly felt timid.

“This is your and President Lu’s love nest. President Lu doesn’t like other people going in to disturb you.” Vicky hesitated.

When working, Lu Sinian could not do without his secretary and assistant, often keeping them busy. But in his personal life, he disliked others intervening, only allowing Ren Lu to enter—obviously wanting time alone with her.

Ren Lu nudged her shoe tip, pulled the bow loose, then retied it—completely stalling for time.

“Dudu—” The WeChat notification sound went off.

She opened it, and sure enough, it was from Lu Sinian.

——Come in.

Just two short words, but they represented his control over her movements and his impatience, unwilling to give her even one more second to hesitate.

“Madam, you should go up. Don’t keep President Lu waiting. He may be cold toward others, but he’s always easy to please with you. He’s even willing to change his previous habits and principles for you.” Vicky, unable to bear her pitiful appearance, could not help but comfort her.

These words were actually a bit overstepping and not in line with the work rules from pre-job training. But at this moment, Ren Lu looked truly pitiful—like a fragile chick in need of comfort.

Ren Lu turned her head and gave her a bitter smile.

“That’s your illusion. But I accept your comfort. Your bonus this month will be doubled.”

After playing the generous patron, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

All the villa’s servants had been dismissed. Ren Lu walked up to the second-floor bedroom. The man had clearly just finished showering. He was wearing a bathrobe, the belt hanging loosely, revealing his toned body.

“You’re late,” he said indifferently.

It was unclear whether he was referring to her arriving for this meeting or to her avoiding him several times before.

“I went to buy you a gift. The latest brooch from Muve—simple in design yet luxurious, very suitable for you. Open it and have a look. I’ll go shower first.” She raised a smile, her voice unconsciously softening, and stuffed the gift box into his hand.

“Ten minutes.”

A man with unfulfilled desire always had little patience—he even started setting time limits for her shower.

Hearing this, Ren Lu’s scalp tingled, and her legs felt weak.

His voice might have sounded calm, but his attitude clearly showed he could not wait, meaning he was going to be rough next.

“Hahaha, I went out shopping today, so I sweated a lot. It’ll take me a while. Be patient!” She gave a few dry laughs and, not daring to undress outside, went straight into the bathroom.

She needed to stall for time, to prepare herself mentally, to throw out all those filthy thoughts about the old pervert from her mind.

But things did not go as she wished. Sometimes, the more one wanted to forget something, the more vividly it stayed in memory. Those words even seemed to have magic, gradually turning into images, making her feel even worse.

A hand pressed the shower switch, and the water above her head suddenly stopped. Her waist was encircled, and soon she was surrounded by a familiar scent.

Looking at the lean, strong arm before her eyes, she took a shallow breath and silently encouraged herself.

“How did you come in? I just finished washing my hair.”

“It’s time. It’s fine, you can wash again after we’re done.” The man made the final decision.

His lips fell on her neck, dense kisses like one imprint after another, lingering and entangled.

Ren Lu closed her eyes, carefully feeling this caress, wanting to immerse herself in it.

After all, the two of them were very familiar with each other’s bodies, and besides, Lu Sinian was an expert in this field. Being intimate with him was always extremely pleasurable. She gradually forgot those annoying matters and slowly opened herself up.

“You weren’t on time. Tonight, you have to be punished.” He bit her earlobe and whispered.

Clearly, the man’s voice was low and pleasant, even mixed with some huskiness, and the warm breath he exhaled was simply tingling and numbing.

If it were on a normal day, she would only become more aroused.

But unfortunately, three nights ago, she had just read a very similar line.

That was when Lu Hui and Meihua had a secret meeting in the study. At the time, the two were in the middle of passion when suddenly there came a knock on the door from outside—it was Jiang Xiu, wanting to deliver ginseng soup to him.

At that moment, Meihua instantly froze, completely out of the mood.

On the other hand, Lu Hui, who always pursued excitement, was completely steady. With just two sentences, he sent Jiang Xiu away.

And when the outside of the study returned to silence, Lu Hui said next to Meihua’s ear, “You’re not focused. Tonight you’ll be punished.”

Ren Lu was about to explode. What she had finally managed to forget came rushing back again. Those few nights of textual assault returned wave after wave in her mind.

“Blegh—” Ren Lu pushed him away in one motion and directly began to gag.

Lu Sinian first froze, then was shocked, and finally stood there with a cold face, watching her throw up.

“I’m sorry, blegh—” She wanted to apologize, but had only said three words before she was once again overtaken by physiological retching.

Truly, those filthy words had a sexual deterrent force to the maximum, enough to make her wilt right at the height of passion.

When she finally recovered, she tidied herself up again. Turning her head, she saw the man with his arms crossed, leaning against the glass door, his face like a coffin.

“Uh, there was a little accident just now. I might have eaten something wrong tonight.”

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Even at a time like this, he did not forget to show concern for her, sounding like a living bodhisattva.

But she knew, this man was only a living Yama King—he was probably already so angry that he was out of his mind.

“No need, I’m fine now.” She took a light breath and gave him a smile. “I’m ready now. Shall we continue?”

“I’m not interested in sexual violence.” He said coldly.

“How is this sexual violence? I’m willing.” She softened her voice.

“I’m not willing. It’s you who’s violating me.” The man pointed out the problem.

Ren Lu was speechless: “……”

The bathroom fell into a deathly silence. Just now the temperature had risen, hot enough to stage a restricted scene, but at this moment it had turned completely cold, as if they had entered the depths of winter.

She had gagged at him, and more than once. In a certain sense, it really could be considered that she was violating him.

“Wash up and come out. I’ll call a doctor.” Lu Sinian turned to leave.

“Really, no need, I’m fine, it’s the middle of the night—” She immediately tried to stop him.

But before she could finish, the man retorted, “I have something to do—I need to see a psychologist. I don’t know if I’ll be left with psychological trauma, or if I’ll still be able to have a sex life in the future.”

It was rare for him to speak such a long string of words in one go, and his tone was more rapid than usual. Every word was an accusation against her.

Ren Lu closed her mouth again. The door was shut. She turned on the shower and curled up entirely under the hot water.

Damn, it’s a kind of plant.