Chapter 41: The Limit of an Adult's Tug-of-War

"In that case, doesn't this just suit your intentions perfectly?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yeman smiled wickedly and leaned in a little closer.

Shen Huai lowered his eyes, glanced at those still-swollen, flushed mounds, and let out a meaningful "tsk": "Team Leader Lin, you should actually be grateful that I am a decent man."

"Why?"

"Otherwise, not only would you be unable to go to work tomorrow, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to get out of bed for the next few days."

Realizing what he meant, Lin Yeman immediately gave a coquettish huff and punched Shen Huai with a clenched fist.

"Buzz—buzz—buzz—"

Suddenly.

In the corner, a phone screen suddenly lit up.

It was Shen Huai's phone.

Before Shen Huai could get up to retrieve it, Lin Yeman's pair of jade legs had already hooked it over and brought it into her hands.

The moment she saw the caller ID.

The smile in Lin Yeman's eyes deepened: "Oh, an old flame?"

Shen Huai looked closely.

It was Li Xinran.

Why was she calling so late? Could there be another problem with public opinion? "Give it to me, quickly." Shen Huai frowned, making a move to take the phone.

Unexpectedly.

A flash of cunning crossed Lin Yeman's eyes; she dodged, tucking the phone between her breasts: "Let's chat like this."

Having said that, without waiting for Shen Huai to refuse, Lin Yeman pressed the answer button and turned on the speakerphone.

Instantly.

Li Xinran's voice, muffled between two tight, snow-white mounds, slowly drifted out.

"Hello, Shen Huai, are you asleep?"

Watching this scene, both fragrant and absurd, Shen Huai felt his reason split in two.

One half forced him to return to calmness so he could hear what Li Xinran wanted.

The other half had to struggle to suppress his evil, primal impulses to prevent the beast within from breaking free.

Lin Yeman was right; she really was a lunatic.

Only she would dare to pull such an outrageous stunt.

Shen Huai bit the bullet, forced his gaze away from the round whiteness, and said in a deep voice: "Speak your mind."

"It's nothing, I just kept thinking about it and felt I needed to thank you in person."

"Thank you for not exposing my lie at the company," Li Xinran said cautiously.

Just this?

Shen Huai felt that Li Xinran was also sick in the head.

Staying up in the middle of the night to pull this kind of stunt.

When they were in the office during the day, she was clearly threatening him, warning him not to speak the truth.

How did she change her face as soon as night fell?

Switching to the emotional card?

When she blocked his doorway last time, she had used this same aggrieved tone.

To be honest, any man with less willpower would probably have agreed.

But Shen Huai knew Li Xinran too well.

Whether it was an apology or gratitude.

It was all a result of weighing the pros and cons.

Slap you once and then offer a date—classic manipulation.

What, is she raising a monkey?

Shen Huai really had no patience left and said bluntly: "Li Xinran, calling me in the middle of the night when you should be sleeping, is this all you wanted to say?"

"Did I not make myself clear, or did you not understand thoroughly?"

"When you came to my door to apologize last time, I already said that we are even."

"You don't need to apologize to me, and you certainly don't need to thank me."

"The reason I didn't expose you is because controlling public opinion is part of my job; it has nothing to do with you, understand?"

Shen Huai's words were neither light nor heavy, logically clear, and completely devoid of emotion.

Even Lin Yeman couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, wearing an expression of someone watching a show.

"Is it really just that? Don't you feel even a tiny bit sad? I don't believe it."

Li Xinran said with certainty: "Today at the company, when you saw me nod and tacitly admit to my relationship with the Young Master Shen, your expression was clearly shocked; you can't lie to me."

Hearing this.

Shen Huai was even more speechless.

Of course he was shocked. After all, he really was the Young Master Shen!

Li Xinran thought she had just borrowed the name of the Young Master Shen to clear her own suspicions.

Little did she know she had inexplicably started a rumor with the real one.

The person involved had just watched a bunch of people standing there, thinking about how to spread rumors about him.

Who wouldn't be shocked, and who would be happy about that? But Shen Huai hadn't expected it.

That his expression at that moment would cause Li Xinran to toss and turn until now.

You really are extremely sensitive.

"Li Xinran, you are truly overthinking it; whether I am stunned or unhappy, it is absolutely not because of you."

"No matter what kind of relationship we once had, it will not affect my principles for doing things."

"I also won't act on impulse to make the kind of revelations you imagine; what benefit would that have for me?"

"Other than making myself a laughingstock and letting self-media earn a wave of traffic, I gain nothing."

"This kind of moronic move that hands others ammunition, even if you wanted me to do it, I wouldn't."

Receiving Shen Huai's categorical promise.

Li Xinran was silent on the other end for a moment.

Immediately after, her tone finally softened a little: "Is everything you said true?"

Shen Huai's gaze was fixed on those two mounds of snow-white: "Of course it's truly white... oh no, truly true."

Hearing this.

Lin Yeman could not help but chuckle aloud.

"... Where are you? Why did I seem to hear a woman laughing just now?"

"You heard wrong." Shen Huai did not blush or skip a beat.

"... Is that so? Fine, then..."

Li Xinran still wanted to say something, but Shen Huai snatched the words away: "Alright, enough with the 'this' and 'that'; don't call in the middle of the night to disturb people when there's nothing going on. I'm hanging up."

After Shen Huai finished speaking, he reached out to pull the phone from between the two mounds and pressed the end button.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you are so fierce to her."

Lin Yeman shook her head with a charming smile: "It sounds like Xinran really likes you."

"You know so much again."

Shen Huai snorted coldly, annoyed.

If she really liked him, she wouldn't put him last every time she made a choice.

She didn't even ask him once, not even giving him the power to choose.

"Her first option could never be me."

"All the actions she takes have the underlying interests carefully calculated, and I am destined to be the one sacrificed."

Shen Huai paused, a trace of coldness rising in his eyes.

"It was she who took the initiative to give me up, so naturally, I have nothing to be nostalgic about."

Upon hearing this.

Lin Yeman's smile faded slightly, and she sighed thoughtfully: "It's true, men are heartless."

"Then what about me? I didn't take the initiative to give you up, but didn't you leave me all the same?" Lin Yeman leaned in and said this jokingly.

Shen Huai looked calmly into Lin Yeman's eyes.

After a long silence, he finally spoke slowly: "That is because you never chose me from the very beginning, did you?"

Hearing this, Lin Yeman froze, her expression solidifying for an instant.

And then.

She chuckled and lowered her head again.

"Fine, let's not talk about these pointless things."

Lin Yeman stood up, bent over to pick up her clothes from the floor, and calmly put them on one by one.

"Leaving?" Shen Huai raised his eyebrows symbolically.

"Otherwise? Do you expect me to share a bed with you?"

Lin Yeman zipped up the last zipper, then ruffled Shen Huai's hair: "If that were the case, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to control myself... from wanting to make you all mine~"

Shen Huai did not speak.

The ultimate tug-of-war between adults is to stop at the right point.

"Bang—"

With the crisp sound of the door closing, the amorous scent in the room gradually faded along with the departure of its owner.

(End of this chapter)