The reception ended.
It was time for Qi Mu to go home.
But the moment he remembered that Jiang Shao was still waiting for him in the parking lot, his footsteps hesitated.
The contracts Jiang Shao had arranged for Lu Jin Wen to send his way were extremely valuable major orders. If Qi Mu had tried negotiating them himself, there was no guarantee he could have secured them at all. Even if he could, it would have required tremendous effort. Who knew how many closed doors he would have faced or how much alcohol he would have had to drink?
Yet now they had simply been placed in front of him.
Qi Mu could not feel happy about it.
At this rate, when would he ever finish paying off his debt?
Was he really supposed to keep paying for the rest of his life?
He did not want to become a member of Jiang Shao’s harem.
Nor had he ever believed this relationship could last.
The reason he had been willing to agree to this form of payment was that, for now, there was nobody else at Jiang Shao’s side. If Jiang Shao already had someone else, Qi Mu would never have agreed no matter what.
So if Jiang Shao had someone else in the future, Qi Mu would choose to end this relationship.
No matter what retaliation that might provoke.
He knew those things had only happened in a dream and had not occurred yet…
But whenever he thought about Jiang Shao treating him exactly the same way he treated the members of his harem…
Getting things that were extremely difficult to obtain so easily, without having to put in any effort…
A dull heaviness settled over Qi Mu’s heart.
He walked back toward the parking lot with heavy steps.
He stared fixedly at the black business vehicle ahead.
For a long time.
Qi Mu tugged faintly at the corner of his mouth.
Do I actually have another choice right now?
Going head-to-head with Jiang Shao at the moment would be no different from smashing an egg against a rock. There was no need.
He was a businessman.
What he was best at was weighing gains and losses.
There was nothing particularly bad about the current arrangement for him. Judging solely from what he had received, he was actually the one benefiting.
If that was the case, why torment himself? Why act like some coy little girl and fret over things that had not even happened?
As for the future…
He could deal with it when the day actually came.
By the time Jiang Shao truly acquired another harem member, he would probably already have lost interest in Qi Mu. Then Qi Mu could easily extricate himself.
That was the most advantageous choice available right now.
Qi Mu recovered his calm expression, walked over, opened the door, and got in.
The moment he closed the door…
A shadow descended over him.
A pair of large hands pressed Qi Mu into the seat, and familiar breath and kisses enveloped him.
He did not resist. Obediently, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
Jiang Shao had already grown impatient from waiting.
He had sat there for hours, full of anticipation as he waited for Qi Mu to return.
At last, the reception ended, and Jiang Shao watched the crowd stream into the parking lot.
One vehicle after another drove away.
Yet the parking lot steadily emptied and fewer pedestrians remained, while Qi Mu still had not appeared.
Jiang Shao’s mood inevitably grew irritable.
He didn’t run away, did he?
Jiang Shao could barely remain seated and had even been preparing to go look for him.
Right then…
Qi Mu finally arrived, late at last.
Seeing this person return to his side, seeing that he had not been abandoned…
Jiang Shao could not wait another second before kissing him, greedily taking in Qi Mu’s breath. Almost as punishment, he lightly bit Qi Mu’s tongue and lips, listening to the soft intake of breath that escaped him.
Why did you come back so late?
What were you doing?
Jiang Shao had a great many grievances, and he vented all of them through the kiss.
There was nothing else he needed to do tonight anyway, so he kissed Qi Mu with far less restraint than usual…
His tongue carefully traced Qi Mu’s teeth.
Then suddenly…
He tasted the faint sweetness of alcohol caught between them.
Jiang Shao’s expression immediately turned cold.
Not only had Qi Mu returned this late, he had also been drinking.
Jiang Shao raised his head. His pitch-black eyes looked even darker in the night, and when he stared at someone with the light behind him…
It instinctively sent a chill down the spine.
Qi Mu did not know why Jiang Shao had suddenly stopped.
Or why he was looking at him that way.
Just as unease began to rise…
Jiang Shao slowly said, “You drank.”
Qi Mu’s expression stiffened.
But he quickly denied it with composure. “I didn’t drink.”
In truth, he had merely taken a few small sips of champagne. It was a business reception, after all. He could hardly socialize while holding a glass of orange juice.
Qi Mu knew Jiang Shao disliked him drinking, so before coming out he had deliberately gone to the restroom and rinsed his mouth. He had thought there would be no smell left.
Jiang Shao understood the logic.
He did not want to interfere too much in Qi Mu’s life either.
But at that moment, anger nevertheless surged inside him.
Last time, Qi Mu had lied about not taking work home, and Jiang Shao had let it go. Today, he was lying again about not drinking. Not a single word out of his mouth was true.
Nothing but lies.
Not obedient at all.
Wouldn’t listen.
Jiang Shao stared at him with dark eyes and said each word slowly, his voice carrying a frightening chill. “You lied to me.”
The look in Jiang Shao’s eyes sent a cold sensation down Qi Mu’s back.
He had no idea how he had managed to provoke this menace again.
Why do you have to control so much?
First you care whether I eat, then whether I work overtime, then whether I drink…
What they had was only a temporary transaction. Qi Mu did not need Jiang Shao controlling so many aspects of his life, as though they had some deeply intimate relationship.
As though Jiang Shao cared about him that much…
But Jiang Shao was clearly a playboy Long Aotian. He not only had a harem of three thousand, but also a wealthy fiancée back in the capital who was his social equal, the supposed official main wife.
There was no reason for their relationship to become too deep.
And the compensation Qi Mu had agreed to pay did not include emotional involvement.
Qi Mu grew somewhat impatient and denied it coolly. “I didn’t.”
Jiang Shao lightly ground his teeth.
He raised a hand, caught Qi Mu by the chin, and forced him to look up. “You know you get punished for lying to me.”
Qi Mu turned his gaze away.
If I admit it now, wouldn’t that be admitting I lied to you?
He was not stupid.
As the saying went: Confess and get leniency, straight to life in prison. Resist and get punished, home in time for New Year.
Better to deny it to the bitter end. Perhaps he could muddle his way through.
Jiang Shao stared fixedly at Qi Mu for a moment.
Then he suddenly slid a hand between Qi Mu’s thighs. Turning his palm sideways, he forced Qi Mu’s legs apart.
Qi Mu had not expected Jiang Shao to do something like that.
Caught completely off guard…
He finally showed a trace of panic.
What exactly is this menace planning to do?!
Jiang Shao remained calm and composed. Looking down at Qi Mu from above in the darkness, he watched the fear and unease in his eyes.
Dark thoughts inside him rose uncontrollably, one after another…
Surfacing.
This man only looked obedient. In reality, not only did he refuse to listen and constantly make Jiang Shao angry, he liked pretending to comply while secretly doing the opposite, and he could even lie cunningly.
More than once, Jiang Shao had thought about it.
Thought about simply locking Qi Mu away. He could find a huge house with a beautiful garden, or simply buy an island, and keep this man somewhere only Jiang Shao could reach. Qi Mu would see nobody but him, spend day and night longing and waiting for him, obey his every word, and refuse him nothing.
Then Qi Mu could never make him angry again and could never torment him like this.
A person like Qi Mu…
Gentle, kind, softhearted, responsible. He had parents who loved him, close friends, a first-love white moonlight, and an enormous company to manage…
There were far too many things he cared about and treasured.
To someone like Jiang Shao, a person like Qi Mu was covered in weaknesses from head to toe, right down to the strands of his hair.
Jiang Shao had countless methods he could use to make Qi Mu obey.
He could slowly reshape Qi Mu into the person he wanted, control every thought and every emotion, make him submit utterly from body to soul and become an existence entirely under Jiang Shao’s control.
The mere thought of it was enough to fill Jiang Shao with excitement.
But…
It was only something he thought about.
Jiang Shao could not bear to truly treat Qi Mu that way.
He could not bring himself to use any of those methods on him.
Because the Qi Mu he liked was precisely the person he was now: gentle and quiet, rational and composed, occasionally a little sly, yet somehow capable of making Jiang Shao love and hate him at the same time.
He liked Qi Mu’s serious concentration when he worked, and he liked the lost, tearful look in Qi Mu’s eyes when he was overcome by emotion.
Qi Mu should always remain this bright and dazzling, drawing someone like Jiang Shao toward him like a moth flying into flame.
Rather than having his limbs cut away and becoming a caged canary that belonged only to Jiang Shao.
Jiang Shao willingly handed over every last one of his own emotions…
For Qi Mu to control.
So…
He did not want to do that.
But Qi Mu had lied to him twice.
He still wanted to get something back for it.
He did not want to let Qi Mu off so easily.
After all, repaying even the smallest grievance was simply his nature.
And you brought this on yourself, didn’t you?
My anger, my longing, my desire… all of it exists because of you.
You have to take responsibility for me.
＊
Qi Mu finally panicked.
His most vulnerable place was under someone else’s control.
Like his very lifeline had fallen into another person’s hands.
And to make matters worse…
This is a parking lot!
Don’t mess around here!
The thin fabric of his suit trousers could not block the scorching heat of Jiang Shao’s palm.
Panic engulfed Qi Mu, but he had nowhere to retreat. At last he lost his nerve, all his previous composure disappearing as he whispered, “I-I had one sip…”
Jiang Shao did not look angry. He merely gave Qi Mu a knowing sideways glance. “So you admit you lied to me.”
Qi Mu: .
Jiang Shao’s voice remained calm, touched by a cold smile. “Really disobedient.”
Qi Mu was anxious and frightened.
I really only had one sip.
Qi Mu was drowning in regret.
If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve just admitted it earlier. Maybe nothing would’ve happened, and at least I wouldn’t have added lying to my list of offenses.
He wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but the instant he opened his mouth, a hurried sound escaped him. He immediately pressed his lips tightly together again.
Jiang Shao’s movements were slow.
Sometimes light, sometimes heavy.
Qi Mu clenched his teeth, his fingers gripping the car door.
But what frightened him even more was the sound of approaching footsteps. Every hair on his body stood on end. Qi Mu looked pleadingly at Jiang Shao and struggled to say, “C-can we… go somewhere else…?”
The sentence came out broken and fragmented.
Jiang Shao lowered his eyes teasingly. “You don’t like it here?”
Qi Mu shook his head desperately.
Tears were almost spilling from his eyes.
Looking at Qi Mu’s face, flushed scarlet with embarrassment, Jiang Shao’s lips curved. How is he still this thin-skinned? It’s such a small thing. Why is he this frightened?
He seriously hasn’t even done this himself before, has he?
Jiang Shao’s interest immediately rose.
Of course, he had no intention of actually letting anyone see anything.
Just before the footsteps drew close, he pressed a button on the center console, and the electric curtains over the windows slid shut.
He felt Qi Mu’s rigid body loosen slightly.
Jiang Shao’s lips curved, and he suddenly applied more force.
Qi Mu abruptly bent forward and went rigid, nearly letting out a low cry. Mist gathered in his eyes. His fingers clutched the car door so tightly that pale pressure marks appeared in the soft leather upholstery.
Jiang Shao gave a satisfied low laugh.
Then he eased the pressure again.
Slowly soothing him.
All the while, his eyes remained fixed on Qi Mu’s face.
His gaze fell on Qi Mu’s tightly bitten lips, and he ordered in a deep voice, “Open your mouth.”
He was worried Qi Mu would bite himself.
Qi Mu ignored him.
He did not dare open his mouth at all.
Jiang Shao sighed helplessly. He reached toward the side of the seat and lowered it flat, then caught Qi Mu by the cheeks with one hand and forced his mouth open.
At the same time, he bent down and kissed him.
Swallowing all of Qi Mu’s gasps and whimpers.