Click.
Zhou Suisui turned the doorknob and poked her head out.
The smile on her little face instantly froze when she came face-to-face with the man’s cold, stern features.
“Brother Yan, why are you still awake so late?”
The person standing outside her door was not her brother, as she had expected, but Jiang Zongyan.
The hallway’s motion-sensor light cast his long shadow behind him, shrouding his entire figure in alternating patches of light and darkness.
He stood by the door, his expression difficult to make out.
Those deep eyes, cold as a bottomless pool, stared heavily at her.
Dark currents churned in their depths. He resembled a calm sea before a storm—seemingly tranquil, yet concealing waves powerful enough to swallow her whole.
Perhaps it was because she had done something guilty that night.
Zhou Suisui’s breathing hitched. She instinctively moved to close the door.
“Brother Yan, it’s late. I’m going to bed. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow!”
Her hand had barely touched the door when a large, well-defined hand pressed against it first.
Jiang Zongyan exerted a little force, pushed open the half-closed door, and strode inside.
Bang!
The heavy solid-wood door slammed shut behind him.
Immediately afterward, the clear sound of the lock clicking into place rang out.
To Zhou Suisui, it sounded like a thunderclap, making her scalp go numb.
“B-Brother Yan… what are you doing? You scared Suisui!”
Terrified, Zhou Suisui swallowed and took a step back.
The man was dressed in a dark-colored bathrobe, its soft silk fabric hanging open at the chest and exposing a broad expanse of firm, honey-toned skin. The lines of his chest muscles were flawless.
Damn, he was showing off his perfect body in front of her again.
What on earth was he planning to do?
Zhou Suisui’s mind was a chaotic mess.
The first thought that came to her was—he couldn’t have come to settle accounts with her, could he?
Did he know that she had falsely claimed he was her “baby daddy”?
Suppressing her panic, Zhou Suisui gave him an ingratiating smile.
“Brother Yan, it’s the middle of the night. Can’t we talk about whatever it is tomorrow?”
Jiang Zongyan stood before her, his thin lips curling into a cold arc.
Would the little vixen be afraid?
Clearly not.
That pitiful, vulnerable expression of hers was nothing more than a disguise meant to make him soften toward her!
This time, he absolutely would not let himself go soft again.
“Zhou Suisui, I heard you’re carrying my child?”
Boom!
It was as if something exploded inside Zhou Suisui’s head.
Just as she thought!
He really had come to settle the score over this!
Zhou Suisui nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, intending to play dumb to the very end.
“Brother Yan, what are you talking about? Suisui’s not very bright. I don’t understand.”
“You’re not bright? I think you’re as sly as a little vixen.”
Jiang Zongyan was so angry that he laughed.
He suddenly stepped forward and planted both hands against the wall on either side of her, trapping her petite figure within his shadow.
Zhou Suisui held her breath, her back pressed tightly against the cold wall.
They were extremely close now.
Far beyond the normal distance between a man and a woman.
There was a massive difference in their builds and heights.
At 168 centimeters, Zhou Suisui was not short for a woman. But standing before him, the top of her head barely reached his chin.
He was a full head taller than her.
Their eyes met.
The crisp scent of cedar clinging to the man, mixed with the faint citrus fragrance of body wash, forcefully invaded Zhou Suisui’s senses.
Her face flushed, her heart pounded, and she was almost unable to breathe.
Jiang Zongyan’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s. Slowly, inch by inch, it swept over her panicked little face, as though he were surveying his own territory.
The girl’s skin was as fair as the finest white jade. Now, frightened, her cheeks were tinged with an unnatural flush.
Her long lashes fluttered like the wings of a startled butterfly. Her watery almond-shaped eyes were opened wide, filled with alarm and helplessness.
Her tender, moist lips had been bitten red by her own teeth. She looked both pitiful and alluring, stirring an urge in the man to ravage her.
Jiang Zongyan’s Adam’s apple rose and fell involuntarily, dark currents surging through his eyes.
“Speak. Isn’t that little mouth of yours usually very eloquent?”
He lifted her chin with one hand, his slightly callused fingertip brushing over her delicate lips.
Zhou Suisui was truly frightened now.
Her face went pale, and her lips trembled.
“Brother Yan, don’t be angry yet. Listen to my defense… No, listen to my explanation! I really didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Fine. I’ll give you a chance. Think carefully about how you plan to defend yourself.”
“This…”
Where was she supposed to begin?
Just as she was working out how to speak, Jiang Zongyan’s chilling tone carried an overwhelming sense of danger.
“The thing I hate most is being deceived. Anyone who dares to lie to me will pay the price.”
P-Pay the price?
Zhou Suisui was utterly dumbfounded.
She had long heard about Jiang Zongyan’s reputation.
He was the heir to the Jiang Group, ruthless in his methods and a man whose word was absolute.
Perhaps it was because he had indulged her too much lately that she had gradually lost her sense of boundaries.
He had never been some gentle boy-next-door.
He was a lone wolf lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on and kill its prey at any moment.
Fierce and domineering.
Zhou Suisui pouted aggrievedly and spoke with a sob in her voice. “It was my fault for damaging your reputation. How do you want to punish me?”
As she spoke, tears began to fall one after another.
Jiang Zongyan’s temple throbbed violently.
He had barely done anything to her, and she was already crying.
The worst part was that whenever she cried, he couldn’t help wanting to comfort her and wipe away her tears.
When he realized what he was thinking, he wanted to slap himself.
He didn’t know whether he was angry at himself for having no resolve or at Zhou Suisui for knowing exactly how to manipulate him.
He spoke harshly, “Don’t cry.”
“Hic…”
His shout startled Zhou Suisui into a sobbing hiccup, and she immediately clamped her mouth shut.
“…”
Jiang Zongyan was overwhelmed by her cuteness, left completely dazed.
How could she look so adorable even when she cried?
“Come on! Hit me however you want. As long as it makes you feel better!”
Whether she faced the blade by sticking out her neck or shrinking back, the result would be the same.
Zhou Suisui closed her eyes, looking as though she were bravely marching to her death.
At worst… at worst, he would bite her!
The look in Jiang Zongyan’s eyes made it seem as though he would devour her whole the very next second.
Seeing her look as though she were preparing to die with honor, Jiang Zongyan was actually driven to laughter by sheer exasperation.
He bent down and leaned toward her ear, his warm lips brushing lightly over the shell of her ear.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, he spoke with deliberate cruelty.
“Since you said the child is mine, then give me one.”
“!!!”
Zhou Suisui’s eyes flew open, her pupils trembling with shock.
G-Give him one?
Give him what?
Before she could react, her feet suddenly left the ground.
Jiang Zongyan swept her up into his arms.
“Jiang Zongyan, put me down!”
Zhou Suisui panicked and struggled with both her hands and feet in his arms.
His face as cold as frost, Jiang Zongyan held her firmly and carried her toward the bed.
Bonus chapter complete~~ Time to go cook~~ Good night, my princesses~~ You can go to sleep now. We’ll continue tomorrow!!
