Before the lights were even turned on, Xu Shen was forcefully lifted up and pinned against the wall by Zhan Shili. His hot breath pressed close, and a kiss immediately followed.
Xu Shen cooperatively parted his lips. Zhan Shili bit down on them as though punishing him, then pushed his tongue inside and plundered through his mouth wildly. It was a rough and forceful kiss, as he relentlessly ravaged Xu Shen’s lips.
With his back against the wall, and feet forced off the ground, Xu Shen was completely trapped by Zhan Shili. He wrapped his arms around Zhan Shili’s neck, only barely able to support himself with the help of the other man’s strength.
When he could no longer breathe, Xu Shen’s palm slid down from the ends of Zhan Shili’s hair. He turned his head slightly to the side, panting as he said, “Let’s go inside, you’re not planning to do it here, are you?”
Zhan Shili’s bottomless gaze was dark as he stared into Xu Shen’s eyes, which were filled with amusement and desire. After a moment of silence, he carried him into the living room.
Thrown onto the sofa, Xu Shen laughed incessantly. Zhan Shili tore off his tie, bent down, and bound Xu Shen’s hands together tightly with the tie, forming a dead knot.
Xu Shen asked impatiently, “What’re you doing?”
“Shut up,” Zhan Shili reprimanded harshly, covering his lips with another kiss.
Xu Shen obediently submitted and let him do as he pleased.
Every sound that had escaped dispersed into the air, and his gasps trailed off with an upward cadence.
His body was stretched to its limit, the legs around Zhan Shili’s waist trembled slightly as he succumbed to the ferocious waves of pleasure over and over.
After they finished, Zhan Shili pulled up his pants, got up, and switched on the living room lights.
Xu Shen lay sprawled on the sofa, too weak to move, a thin blanket covering his waist. His exposed back was damp with sweat and littered in marks both light and heavy, all of them Zhan Shili’s handiwork from just now.
Zhan Shili returned to the sofa and sat down, untying the tie around Xu Shen’s wrists before pressing his fingers against his damp back. Xu Shen hissed softly, eyes closed, “It hurts. Why were you so rough? Are you still angry?”
The way a jackal tore into and devoured its prey was exactly how Zhan Shili had treated him just now.
Especially the second time, when Zhan Shili had taken him from behind and bitten the back of his neck, Xu Shen had the illusion that his life was in Zhan Shili’s mouth. It had been too stimulating and too intense; even now, his muscles were still shaking, and he couldn’t even lift his fingertips.
“Does it really hurt?” Zhan Shili asked softly.
Xu Shen replied somewhat irritably, “Why don’t you try it yourself and find out?”
Zhan Shili gently pressed along his spine all the way down the tailbone, listening to his uneven moans as he leisurely teased him, until a phone began to ring.
It was Zhan Shili’s phone; it had already rung several times earlier, but Zhan Shili had ignored it the entire time.
“Either answer it or turn it off. What’s the point of deliberately letting him keep calling you like this?”
As Xu Shen spoke, he opened his eyes and side-eyed Zhan Shili: “Or are you playing with him too?”
Zhan Shili casually glanced at Xu Zikang’s name on the caller ID and said, “If I don’t answer, he’ll definitely panic and keep calling. Don’t you like seeing him suffer?”
Xu Shen was slightly surprised: “Nic, are you really helping me mess with him?”
Zhan Shili brushed his fingers through Xu Shen’s slightly wet hair: “Satisfied?”
Xu Shen laughed: “Childish.”
When the call came in again, Zhan Shili finally answered. Xu Zikang anxiously asked why he hadn’t answered his phone and whether he had finished working overtime. Zhan Shili said without much sincerity, “I just got home. My phone was on silent earlier, so I didn’t hear it. Sorry.”
Xu Zikang let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this: “That’s good. You’ve worked hard, working this late.”
“It wasn’t too bad.” Zhan Shili caught Xu Shen’s restless foot as it scratched against him, squeezed his calf, then slid his hand downward and gripped his ankle. Xu Shen let out a muffled gasp.
Hearing the faint sounds over the phone, Xu Zikang asked, “Do you have a guest over?”
“No,” Zhan Shili said as though nothing had happened. “It’s that wildcat I’m raising. It just came over acting spoiled and scratched me with its claws.”
Xu Zikang laughed at that: “That kitten is pretty interesting.”
“Yeah,” Zhan Shili said. “It is interesting, but sometimes it can also be rather infuriating.”
After half-heartedly chatting with Xu Zikang for a bit more to dismiss him, Zhan Shili hung up and turned off his phone.
Xu Shen had already sat up and draped over Zhan Shili’s back, tilting his head to look at him up close.
Zhan Shili turned around: “What’re you looking at me for?”
“Looking at how you could be this bad,” Xu Shen whispered, “wasting someone else’s sincere feelings.”
Zhan Shili asked, “Otherwise? Don’t you like bad ones?”
Xu Shen chuckled: “Even more so the bad ones who help me mess with others; if his feelings are wasted, then they’re wasted, that sincerity isn’t his anyways.”
Zhan Shili scoffed, “And what about yourself? How much sincerity do you have?”
It was a question Xu Shen had asked Zhan Shili before. Now that it was being asked of him, he simply blinked and said, “I don’t want to say, try to feel it for yourself.”
Zhan Shili couldn’t be bothered to press him either and changed the subject: “Now that you’re the general manager of the Real Estate Development Department, once the proposal passes, you’ll be able to officially join the board. You and the Second Young Master are completely at odds now. Xu Zikang is still useful, I’m reminding you not to go too far for your own good. Once your second brother is dealt with, you can do whatever you want with Xu Zikang.”
“I think you’re the one playing with fire,” Xu Shen deliberately taunted him. “Aren’t you afraid of getting burned?”
Zhan Shili looked at him and said in a grim tone, “I’m more afraid of being utterly consumed by your fire, Young Master Shen.”
Xu Shen probably hadn’t expected him to say that. The light in his eyes gradually became more tangible, and he smiled as he tapped a finger against his own lips: “If a fire really starts, then I’ll just burn with you.”
“Mn,” Zhan Shili’s voice lowered as he turned his head and kissed him again.
⋆⋆⋆⋆
Trouble came knocking on Xu Shen’s very first day as general manager of the Real Estate Development Department.
Xu Ziren sent Director Huang, the man he had originally put forward to take over the position, to the department. Officially, he was there to assist with supervision, but in reality, he was there to cause trouble.
Xu Shen was now the department’s general manager as well as the person in charge of two major projects, so no one dared disrespect him, save Huang Dexing.
“If you submit an application directly to the Town Planning Board to change the land use like this, I can guarantee they’ll reject it.”
At the departmental meeting, Huang Dexing was the first to strike, ignoring Xu Shen, who was the boss here, and adopting a superior attitude: “All these materials you prepared are garbage. Where’s the environmental impact assessment report? Where did this one come from? Has it been filed? And these, these, what are they supposed to be? Flashy, exaggerated nonsense. If you submit this for approval, they won’t even bother giving it a second look.”
“How many years have you people been working in the Real Estate Development Department? How have you still not made the slightest bit of progress? All you know how to do is chase credit, rush ahead recklessly, and indulge in ridiculous fantasies?”
This Huang Dexing was a company director as well as a shareholder, and he was close to Xu Ziren. He relied on his seniority to throw his weight around, and no one dared to argue with him.
He had criticized the shipyard redevelopment proposal as completely worthless. Although his scolding was directed at everyone present, the person he was really targeting was Xu Shen.
Xu Shen flipped through the documents in his hands with an indifferent expression without making a comment.
Deputy Manager Fang Zhanhua glanced at Xu Shen before smiling placatingly and explaining to Huang Dexing, “The environmental impact assessment report was issued by a qualified major international institution, and the expert opinions are very detailed. It was already filed with the Environmental Protection Department beforehand. As for these other documents, they’re…”
His tone was ingratiating as he explained them one by one, but Huang Dexing was utterly dismissive and couldn’t even be bothered to listen, practically snorting out a contemptuous sneer through his nose.
Xu Shen finally spoke, interrupting Fang Zhanhua and directly asking Huang Dexing, “Then what brilliant suggestions does Director Huang have?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Huang Dexing said sarcastically. “Young Master Shen is the person in charge of this project. How could I dare to recklessly point fingers and possibly ruin things?”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Xu Shen’s lips: “Then what was Director Huang doing just now? Performing opera?”
Someone attending the meeting couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing, only to immediately fall silent again. Huang Dexing’s expression changed: “What does Young Master Shen mean by that?”
“Nothing in particular,” Xu Shen said flatly. “Since Director Huang has no objections, let’s move on to the next item.”
Reading the situation perfectly, Fang Zhanhua tactfully picked up the documents and moved straight on to the next agenda item leaving Huang Dexing sidelined, with no one paying him any attention.
That evening at the Xu Family dinner table, Xu Shiji casually asked Xu Shen whether there was anything he was having trouble adjusting to now that he was the department’s general manager.
Xu Shen said calmly, “It’s fine. Fortunately, Second Brother asked Director Huang to come help me in the department. He has a lot of seniority in the company, so with him there to oversee things, there’s nothing I can’t adapt to.”
Xu Ziren explained to Xu Shiji, “I’m only doing it for the good of the company. Ah Shen hasn’t been with the company for very long, after all, and now that he’s taken on such an important position with a great deal of responsibility. Having another person help share the burden will also keep him from making mistakes when things get busy.”
Xu Shiji naturally understood that one of them was trying to plant his own man in the department while the other was trying to complain to him, but as always, he maintained his principle of being a bystander and smoothed things over as he reassured Xu Shen: “Old Huang is a veteran of the company, and he originally came from the Real Estate Development Department himself. He has plenty of experience and a wide network of connections, so there’s no harm in learning more from him. But you’re the general manager now, and you’re also the person in charge of both projects. If there really are any disagreements, the final decision is still yours to make, so just use your own judgment.
Ziren, you shouldn’t interfere too much in the affairs of the Real Estate Development Department either. Let go a little and give your fourth brother more opportunities to gain experience.”
Xu Shiji was always like this, believing he could control the entire situation. Nevertheless, this tactic was not without an expiry date.
Xu Ziren obediently agreed while Xu Shen, though disdainful in his heart, humbly accepted the advice.
After dinner, Xu Shen was taking a walk alone in the garden behind the villa when Zhan Shili called.
He put in his headphones and answered, “What is it?”
Zhan Shili asked, “Coming over tonight?”
“No,” Xu Shen said listlessly. “I think I’ll just go to bed early tonight. I’ve been a little tired these past couple of days.”
Hearing the lack of enthusiasm in his voice, Zhan Shili asked, “Who offended you this time? Unhappy?”
“You already know, so why ask?” Xu Shen said self-deprecatingly. “There are too many people who take a mile when you give them an inch. Everyone thinks I’m easy to bully. It’s annoying.”
Zhan Shili had indeed heard about what happened during their department meeting that day: “One Liao Zhihong leaves and another Huang Dexing shows up. It is pretty annoying.”
“Nic, are you taking pleasure in my misfortune?” Xu Shen asked, displeased. “What kind of tone is that?”
“I’m not,” Zhan Shili said. “Young Master Shen always has a plan. He can pay them back tenfold if he is bullied.”
“And how would you know that?”
“You said it yourself. You’re the kind of person who holds a grudge over even the slightest grievance,” Zhan Shili reminded him. “Forgot?”
Xu Shen scoffed softly: “That’s right, I do hold grudges. Nic, do you know what happened to the people who offended me in the past?”
Without waiting for Zhan Shili to answer, he continued on his own: “When I was little and still lived in a tenement building in Sham Shui Po, someone falsely accused me of stealing his things, so I pushed him into a water tank. If the adults hadn’t come quickly enough, he would’ve drowned. Later, after I went abroad, one of the people I worked under the table with tried to steal my money because he was a few years older than me. I set him up by reporting his illegal status, and immigration officers arrested him on the street and deported him. There were plenty more. Anyone who bullied me, I really did pay them back tenfold.”
Xu Shen’s voice was completely even, as though he were merely recounting something ordinary that had happened to someone else.
The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before saying, “Then it seems you’ve actually restrained yourself a little now.”
Xu Shen chuckled: “You think so?”
“Mn,” Zhan Shili praised him. “you’ve become more patient now.”
Xu Shen said, “I learned it from you, since I’m actually very curious where the limit of your patience lies.”
Zhan Shili had no interest in talking about himself: “You’ll find out eventually.”
Xu Shen let out a “tch.” As his gaze wandered, he suddenly noticed two people across the swimming pool: it was his two sisters-in-laws, in the middle of an argument.
They were too far away for him to hear what they were saying. He only saw Lin Meina angrily slap Huang Minli across the face. When she tried to slap her a second time, Huang Minli raised a hand and tightly caught Lin Meina’s wrist before shoving her away.
Lin Meina cursed at her a few more times before storming off furiously.
Huang Minli turned her head and brushed her hair aside. Her eyes flickered briefly upon meeting Xu Shen’s unabashed, scrutinizing gaze before quickly regaining their composure. She looked away and turned to leave.
Xu Shen watched her disappear into the distance, touched his headphone, and said softly, “It seems like everyone in this family has secrets. How interesting.”
Zhan Shili asked, “What’s with the sudden exclamation?”
“I was just wondering,” Xu Shen began, “what is your secret, Nic?”
The voice over the phone remained as steady as ever: “You think I have a secret?”
Xu Shen said, “Whether you do or not, only you would know.”
Zhan Shili’s voice sounded slightly distorted through the phone: “And what if you found out? Are you worried I’ll bully you too?”
Xu Shen asked, “Would you?”
After a moment of silence, Zhan Shili continued, “Would you ever let yourself suffer a loss? Like you said that day, if I lied to you, you’d pay me back tenfold too, and even kill me?”
Xu Shen caught the implication behind his words: “So you really are lying to me? Something like that is enough to scare you?”
Zhan Shili instead asked, “Were you only trying to scare me?”
Xu Shen thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know. If you lied to me, I’d probably be quite angry, but I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to kill you.”
Zhan Shili laughed, a rarity for him; the sound came from deep within his chest, feeling almost pleased.
With the sound of his laughter filling his ears, Xu Shen slowly closed his eyes: “Nic, be a little nicer to me, okay?”
Such a soft-spoken plea was practically a killing move. Zhan Shili’s laughter stopped, and he asked seriously, “Seren, isn’t your birthday coming up soon? Do you want to celebrate it together? Should we go out to sea like last time?”
Xu Shen probably hadn’t expected him to suddenly bring that up, but he answered almost without hesitation: “I don’t really celebrate my birthday either, but forget it, I want to go on a date with you. Let’s go.”
“Mn,” Before hanging up, Zhan Shili said one last thing, “I can be a little nicer to you, I’m not lying.”
This seemingly flippant remark sunk quietly into the depths of Xu Shen’s heart, like a night breeze gliding by and tenderly stirring up delicate waves hidden deep within.
He smiled as well and finally said, “Okay. Goodnight, Nic.”
⋆⋆⋆⋆
t/n: Advance chapters up to ch 62 are up on kofi shop~ ^^ Also, Content warning next chapter has explicit scenes 0v0
⋆⋆⋆⋆
♡♡♡ if you like my translations, please consider buying me a kofi~! ♡♡♡
Continue Reading Ch. 37-62: click me <3
![Little Widow [Farming]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image-5.jpg?resize=85,105 "Little Widow [Farming]")
![The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]](https://i2.wp.com/knoxt.space/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/007S8ZIlly1ghl04hyuxyj30hs0owwgu.jpg?resize=85,105 "The Return of The Lord God[quick wear]")
xu xingchen loyalist On PID Chapter 48.2