Chapter 5: Humiliation Outside the Door

With her hands against Lin Chen’s chest, Liu Shuang froze for two seconds.

He didn’t move either.

Their breaths mingled. They were too close to avoid it.

He caught her faint perfume, and his arm tightened involuntarily around her waist.

“Lin Chen!”

She turned her face away and shoved hard against him.

He came to his senses and immediately let go.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Zhao. I was afraid you’d hurt yourself.”

“How long were you planning to hold on?”

She pushed herself into a sitting position and straightened her blouse.

Normally so brisk and composed, she now fastened the wrong buttons twice in succession.

Lin Chen scrambled up and retreated to the coffee table.

“What happened to you just now?”

“Anaemia. I’ve had it for years.”

She steadied herself on the sofa, sat down, and briefly closed her eyes.

“I didn’t eat this morning. Then I stood up too quickly.”

“Do you have any sugar? I’ll make you some sugar water.”

“No need.”

Her tone remained firm, but her voice was much weaker.

He ignored her and went into the kitchen.

There was honey on the counter. He mixed some into a glass of warm water and set it in front of her.

“Have a drink. If you’re still dizzy, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

She looked at him for several seconds before taking a sip.

“Forget what just happened.”

“Understood.”

“I don’t want to hear a word of it from anyone else.”

She put down the glass and fixed him with that oppressive stare again.

“Talk about it outside this house, and I’ll make sure you never find another job in Linjiang.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare.”

His answer came without hesitation.

If this got out, he would be the one to suffer.

If Zhao Qiang heard he’d touched Liu Shuang, he probably wouldn’t even let him explain.

She watched him. Only when he kept his head lowered did her anger subside.

“There’s a box under the coffee table. Get it.”

He opened a drawer and took out a black key box.

“The apartment in Yujing Court is near the office,” she said. “Good surroundings, tight security. You and Su Ya will live there.”

“It has all the furniture and appliances. Move in tonight.”

He opened the box. Inside were an access card and two keys.

“You really are making us live together?”

“What else did you think?”

She leaned against the sofa. Her face was still pale, but her eyes had regained their usual sharpness.

“You both insist you’re dating. What’s wrong with living together?”

“Unless your relationship can’t stand scrutiny?”

He closed the box.

“I’ll move in. I’ll move in.”

“That’s better.”

She picked up her phone and opened her WeChat QR code.

“Scan this.”

“You want me to add you on WeChat?”

“Why? Do I need Zhao Qiang’s permission to add you?”

He stopped asking questions and sent a friend request.

Once she had accepted it, she sent him an address.

“I’ve sent the apartment number. Buy whatever else you need.”

After a pause, she added, “The offer I mentioned in the car still stands.”

“Five million?”

“Yes.”

“If I bring you evidence of Mr. Zhao’s affairs, you’ll pay me?”

“If the evidence is useful, the money will be in your account that day.”

She looked at him. “Loyalty doesn’t fill your stomach or pay hospital bills, Lin Chen. You know perfectly well whether Zhao Qiang has ever treated you as one of his own.”

His grip tightened on the key box. “Give me three days.”

“All right.” She took another sip of honey water.

“Close the door on your way out. And take what happened today to your grave.”

Once outside, Lin Chen shut the villa door and let out a long breath.

Four luxury cars stood in the courtyard. Even the cheapest would cost him decades of work.

A servant was watering the neighbouring villa’s garden. A refrigerated delivery truck loaded with imported food stood at its gate.

His phone lit up.

Another hospital payment reminder.

He stared down at it for a long time, then turned off the screen.

He got into the car and inserted the key, but didn’t start the engine.

To Liu Shuang, five million yuan was a price she could name without thinking.

To him, it was his sister’s life. It was also a way out.

He gripped the steering wheel, the veins standing out along his arms.

“Rich people live in villas and drive luxury cars. They can throw millions at someone to get a job done.”

“I drive them around all day and watch their moods. By the end of the month, my pay won’t even cover the hospital bills.”

A sports car passed outside the window.

He ground his back teeth together.

Why should he always be beneath them?

One day, he would live somewhere like this too.

He would be richer than Zhao Qiang. Everyone who had trampled on him would end up at his feet.

His phone rang. Zhao Qiang.

He answered. “Mr. Zhao.”

“Where the hell are you?”

His boss’s shout burst from the earpiece. “Get back to the office. I need the car. You’ve got twenty minutes. One minute late, and you lose your entire bonus this month!”

“Mrs. Zhao asked me to bring her home for the keys.”

“I don’t care where you went,” Zhao Qiang snapped. “Get your ass back here. Don’t waste my time.”

He hung up.

Lin Chen stared at the dark screen, clenching his teeth until they ached.

He started the car and drove out of the villa development.

Back at the office, he hurried upstairs.

Zhao Qiang’s office door was ajar. A woman’s coaxing voice drifted out.

“A hotel in broad daylight? Aren’t you afraid someone will see us?”

Lin Chen stopped. Su Ya.

Through the gap, he saw Zhao Qiang in his executive chair, one arm around her waist.

She sat close beside him, still holding the newly signed contract.

He leaned close to her. “I’ve booked the room. Heated waterbed, a wall-sized projector. Close the door, and no one can find us.”

“Liu Shuang ruined last night. You’ll have to make it up to me today.”

Su Ya slapped away his wandering hand. “All you ever do is wear me out.”

“Stop pretending.” He caught her chin.

“When Lin Chen gets back, he can drive us there.”

At the mention of Lin Chen, his smile disappeared. “I couldn’t stop Liu Shuang putting you two together, but remember this.”

“Separate beds.”

“If I find out you’ve been fooling around behind my back, you’ll regret it.”

Su Ya gave a little snort. “What kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Lin Chen makes a few thousand a month. He doesn’t even own a place. I only played along last night to help you.”

She rose and smoothed her skirt. “Stop testing me with that poor driver. The very idea turns my stomach.”

Outside the door, Lin Chen’s hand stopped in midair.

Last night, he had fended off Liu Shuang to save her company. He had helped her sustain the lie at the risk of losing his job and offending Zhao Qiang.

And in the end, this was all she called him.

A poor driver.

His hand dropped. Anger pressed against his chest. “Just you wait, Su Ya.”

He stared at her through the gap.

“One day, I’ll make you take those words back yourself.”

He raised his hand and shoved the office door open.