[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati":3,"chapter-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-862":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1411248,1864,"Chapter 862: Not Like a Contract Stamped on Flesh","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-862",862,"\u003Cp>Chapter 862 – Not Like a Contract Stamped on Flesh\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue’s fingers curled slightly under the blanket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she knew what that feeling was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One question, Lux.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice wasn’t loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t need to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard her immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\" he replied, tone casual, like he had expected this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned her head slightly, eyes landing on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still naked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still completely unbothered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you help me this far?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No decoration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you do this?\" she continued, gaze sharpening just slightly. \"You said you hate Kaelmor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But hating him doesn’t mean you should move like this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should stay low.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re still not as strong as him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux scratched the back of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbothered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like she had just asked him why he chose tea over coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I could ask you the same thing,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue blinked once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not expecting that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned slightly toward her, resting his forearm on his knee, gaze steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why did you agree to do it with me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her expression didn’t change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t soften.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But inside?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked away for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You looked like someone who could be trusted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer came out clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux snorted lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned back again, stretching slightly, completely relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then same answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not an answer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Like I said, I need your cooperation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone shifted slightly, not joking, not teasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need allies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes sharpened again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That part?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That she understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m Greed,\" he continued, tapping his chest lightly, \"and I handle most of the economic structure...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know it’s always better to have allies than enemies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Processing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just like that?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too convenient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t answer immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That caught her attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he always had an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Always something ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Not really.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her brows drew together slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something under the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux rubbed the back of his neck again, gaze drifting slightly, not avoiding her, just... thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I prefer this kind of intimacy not just something transactional,\" Lux added, his voice quieter now. \"Not like a contract stamped on flesh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Met hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know what I mean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the worst part?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood exactly what he meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she had lived with contracts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Power bindings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ownership disguised as protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything demanded something in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she didn’t know what to do with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re strange,\" she said quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smirked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I get that a lot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She studied him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Really studied him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way he sat there, completely exposed, completely relaxed, like nothing about last night had shifted him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she could feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that unsettled her more than anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re taking a risk,\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shoulders lifted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kaelmor will come. He will kill you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That doesn’t concern you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It does.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just don’t stop because of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re really insane,\" she muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux chuckled softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Efficient,\" he corrected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She almost rolled her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze drifted slightly, then back to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what if I become your enemy?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Testing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t hesitate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You can’t...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The answer came out too easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You assume too much,\" she said, tone sharpening just a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t argue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That same infuriating, calm, knowing smile that made it feel like he had already calculated every outcome and chosen the one he liked best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re mine,\" he added lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue’s breath paused for a fraction of a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers tightened against the blanket unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse me?\" she said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux leaned closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not aggressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not dominating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just... close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You literally bear my sigil,\" he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze dropped briefly, just enough to remind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chest tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not from fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From something far more annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something she didn’t want to name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could respond, he kissed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not claiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interrupting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cutting her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t talk like that,\" he said softly when he pulled back. \"I don’t like it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her thoughts, usually sharp, immediate, precise, stumbled for just a second trying to catch up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was unfair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t supposed to move like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not in the middle of a serious conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not when she was testing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not when she was supposed to be the one controlling the pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now,\" Lux cut in smoothly, already pulling back, already shifting the moment like nothing had happened, \"take a shower.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured vaguely toward the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And eat something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before we go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or?\" she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His smirk returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or I help you take a bath.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face heated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rare, unmistakable flush spreading across her cheeks before she could suppress it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Infuriating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" she said quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will take a bath myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux’s grin widened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which made it worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yue pushed the blanket aside and stood up in one smooth motion, far more composed than she felt, and immediately regretted nothing about the fact that she wasn’t covering herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wasn’t embarrassed...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should she be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her pace was faster than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Controlled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and walked straight toward the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not rushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just... decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the door closed behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned against it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ridiculous,\" she muttered under her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hand rose unconsciously to her collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To that mark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still... responding.\u003C\u002Fp>",1038,"2026-06-05T23:57:29.709Z",1,"novelbin.me","8c1da00b84c00cb037c1eb5b22977140078ad501c2ce81d8a4c04ddf034a6678","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-576","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-861",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]