Chapter 2984: Taming the Stubborn 01

Writing City.

The newly opened Misty Isle Club is situated on the mountainside on the west side of the harbor, overlooking the entire dark-colored sea surface; at night, the sea has only scattered lights from distant cargo ships.

At ten o'clock in the evening, the door of the innermost private room on the third floor opened.

The corridor lights were dim, the wall lamps' halos gathered on both sides, and a group walked out from the innermost private room.

The leading man was tall and slender, wearing a black shirt under a coat of the same color; his overly striking features looked somewhat unapproachable in the light, his high, sharp brow bones pressed low, revealing an innate aloofness and lack of desire.

The bosses beside the man were all entrepreneurs of some renown in Writing City, usually speaking with absolute authority in their own territories, but now they could only quietly accompany him.

Who made this man Jin Chen?

Just that name alone is enough to make half of Writing City reverent and the other half fearful.

Eleven years ago he suddenly appeared in this seaside city, starting from scratch, his methods ruthless, he wrested control of over half of the harbor and foreign trade from the old aristocratic families.

On the surface he is a promising young entrepreneur, but secretly…… Anyone who has spent some years in Writing City knows that those gray-market businesses also mostly cannot avoid his name.

The group had just passed the middle of the corridor when the door of a side private room was slammed open from inside with a bang.

Immediately, a wine bottle flew out, shattering glass scattering everywhere; Chen Gai, walking ahead, reacted instantly, stepping sideways to block in front of Jin Chen, his gaze sharp as he swept toward the interior.

Inside the private room, someone overturned the turntable on the wine table; bottles and cups crashed to the floor with a clatter, shards flying everywhere, a good-for-nothing-looking youth was flung to the ground, his back hitting the floor and immediately staining with blood.

Jin Chen's steps stopped; he lifted his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the chaos inside the private room.

A certain boss behind him, originally still a bit drunk and squinting at the fun, sobered up halfway as soon as he saw who the blood‑streaked, pain‑filled good‑for‑nothing on the floor was, the color draining completely from his face.

That good‑for‑nothing bore the surname Qian, his name Qian Hao, and he was his son.

Boss Qian's legs went weak, half from heartache over his son's injury, half from fear that this scene would displease Jin Chen.

Causing such a ruckus in front of this elder, if he takes it as an omen, the business that wasn't settled tonight might well fall through completely.

"What's going on!" Boss Qian shouted into the private room.

Qian Hao saw that the person coming was his own father; his confidence returned instantly, he propped himself up on his arms and crawled out of the broken glass, not minding that his back was still bleeding, "Dad! This kid's gone crazy! Quick, have someone throw him out to feed the dogs!"

Everyone followed the direction of his finger and looked.

The lights in the private room were turned low; only the silhouette of a person sitting on the Sofa could be made out. He was slim, one arm casually draped over the Sofa's armrest, the hand hanging at his side still gripping a broken half of a wine bottle, the jagged edge catching a cold glint in the dim light.

He shifted slightly, leaning forward from the shadow, and the light finally fell on his face.

About twenty years old, handsome to the point of being ostentatious, his skin pale enough to dazzle in the darkness, especially his strikingly eyes and hair color—a neat shoulder‑length wolf‑tail dyed gray‑white, giving him a cool, rebellious air; he lazily gazed at the group at the door, showing no panic at having caused trouble.

The youth stood up, narrowed his eyes in a smile that held a hint of nonchalant laziness amidst its clarity, "Let me feed the dogs?"

"You think you've got a backer?"

Qian Hao's face flushed red with anger, and with his father present his boldness swelled; he clutched his wounded back and shouted, "What are you even?! You dare hurt me?! No one can save you today!"

The youth stepped around the glass shards, hands behind his back, fingers loosely clasped, lightly swaying to stand before Jin Chen, he lifted his face, his beautiful eyes reflecting Jin Chen's expressionless, cold face.

Chen Gai instinctively took a half‑step forward and reached out to stop him, "You…"

"Tsk." The youth frowned slightly, his misty brows knitting as if he truly felt wronged, "Why are you blocking me too."

Speaking, he nimbly ducked under Chen Gai's arm, wrapped both arms around Jin Chen's arm, leaning his whole weight onto it, and complained, "Husband, he's bullying me."

All the bosses present: "???"

The bosses' faces showed a range of expressions; Chen Gai was also greatly startled, his hand still frozen in a blocking pose mid‑air, his mind racing, until he finally recalled the youth who had appeared three months earlier and matched him to the name in his memory.

Chenshu.

Well, this is the boss's flash‑marriage partner, Chenshu.

Jin Chen lowered his head to glance at Chenshu, then slowly withdrew the arm that had been held, letting it rest lightly on his waist, embracing him loosely.

At that instant, Chenshu's back shivered, as if a top predator had bitten the nape of his neck from behind; he instinctively wanted to flee, but his body went rigid, unresponsive.

He kept the smile on his face, even tilted his head, giving Jin Chen a sly look, the corner of his eyes showing just the right amount of grievance, like a wildcat that had its neck pinched but was still pretending to be docile.

"You've been busy lately; I haven't seen you in ages. I heard you were here to talk business tonight, so I came on purpose to have a look…… and he grabbed me to drink with him."

Chenshu stared unblinking at Jin Chen, his pupils like amber soaked in water, clear and bright, making anyone who looked feel soft‑hearted.

If Jin Chen didn't know, this person has been homeless for half a month.

Jin Chen's light‑colored pupils passed over Chenshu's hair and landed on Boss Qian's face.

"The people at home are unruly; this drink, how should it be compensated?"

Boss Qian: "……"

In a daze, it seemed to him that what he heard wasn't how to pay for the drink, but how you should die.

Qian Hao's face had turned white as a sheet, the color drained from his lips, his whole body trembling like a sieve, he stared at his father, shuddering.

He was finished.

He was lecherous to the point of recklessness, actually daring to hook up with Mr. Jin's partner.

"Dad…… Dad, save me……" his voice thin and trembling, like a mouse with its tail stepped on, "Save…… ah!"

Boss Qian kicked his son in the knee; Qian Hao fell with a thud onto his knees, his kneecaps striking the shards of glass, pain flashing before his eyes, the wound on his back still bleeding was pulled wider by the motion, yet he dared not utter a sound.

He knelt before Jin Chen and Chenshu, the pain of his back wound and his knees combined could not match his inner fear; his voice trembling, he began to apologize: "Mr. Jin, sorry…… I didn't know……"

Qian Hao said a sentence, knocked his head once, and the blood on his back had already soaked through his shirt.

Chenshu just watched him kowtow, a smile still on his face, but the spot on his waist where he was held began to go numb; Jin Chen's fingers remained unmoving, merely resting lightly there, yet that very tentative touch was the most unbearable.

He could barely keep himself from breaking free.

"Enough."

Just as Qian Hao knocked his head for the seventh time, Jin Chen finally spoke, "Be careful next time."

The others exchanged glances, silently stepped back a few paces, and distanced themselves from Boss Qian. Originally tonight's gathering, Boss Qian was the most likely to reach a cooperation with Jin Chen; the building‑materials supply contract was a fat prize many eyed.

Now it looks like there's no chance at all.

That's how the market is—sentiment shifts fast; just moments ago he was a hot pick for a partner, now he's become a plague to be avoided at all costs.

No one dared to ask another word.

After all, in Writing City, the safest way to face Jin Chen is to not ask what shouldn't be asked and not think what shouldn't be thought.

Jin Chen wrapped his arms around Chenshu's waist, turned, and walked deeper into the hallway.

Chen Gai followed up, glanced at the people behind him, confirmed no one dared to follow, then quickly walked a few steps and pressed the elevator.

The elevator rose smoothly, Jin Chen stood in the middle, his left hand resting on Chenshu's waist, his expression giving away neither joy nor anger.

Chen Gai stood in the corner, trying hard to lower his presence.

Chenshu, however, was quite at ease; even with his waist held, he didn't struggle, and even let out a soft hum.

The elevator doors opened; Jin Chen had a suite reserved here long-term, convenient for him to rest directly after finishing business.

Chen Gai strode forward, swiped the card to open the door, then stepped aside, saying, "Jin Ge, I'll go handle things downstairs first."

Jin Chen made an affirmative sound, went in first, while Chenshu stood at the doorway without moving.

He stared at Jin Chen's retreating back as he entered the suite, his mind racing to calculate the chances of escaping this building unseen if he ran now, and he quietly took a few steps back.

"You can try." A low voice came from the room.

Chenshu: "……"

The handsome young man clicked his tongue in annoyance, then simply kicked off his boots and walked into the suite barefoot.

The room was spacious, the Living Room a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking most of Writing City's nightscape, with the distant harbor ablaze with lights.

Jin Chen sat on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest.

Chenshu felt a bit uneasy, but he refused to show weakness; instead he lifted his chin, crossed his arms, and tilted his head to look at him.

"What's up? Not letting me go in the middle of the night—you wouldn't be trying to make me fulfill my partner duties, would you?"

As he said that, his tone was frivolous, the end of his sentence rising, but the hand hidden behind him unconsciously clenched, a thin blade concealed at his fingertips— a probe, yet also hiding a sharp edge.