Can't afford to pay for the takeout? Stunning CEO: Then pay with your body!

He held the red rose in mid-air.

The petals were still damp with moisture, their red color almost blinding.

Separated by a sea of ​​flowers and air, dozens of meters away.

The boy stood in the sunlight, his smile too clean to be believable, yet it was like a precisely guided bullet that shattered the bulletproof glass on the third floor without any resistance.

Right in the bull's eye.

Nie Qingcheng subconsciously took a half step back.

My back pressed against the cold metal railing, the chill seeping into my skin through the silk robe, raising a layer of fine goosebumps.

Her fingers tightened suddenly around the railing, her knuckles turning white.

That little rascal.

He's not just planting flowers.

In those two hours, he forcibly imbued her lifeless Cloud Top Manor with his own colors.

Then, standing in the "empire" he had built with his own hands, he plucked the most vibrant flower and paid homage to the queen in the castle.

This is not flattery.

This is a declaration of war.

It's also flirting.

A gentle offense with a youthful aggressiveness.

Nie Qingcheng felt a fire burning at the base of her ears, which then spread down her neck.

She turned around somewhat awkwardly, not daring to look downstairs again.

"Click".

The terrace door was locked tightly.

She leaned against the door, her chest heaving violently, the thin silk fabric clinging to her skin with each breath.

Damn.

For twenty-four years, she has been ruthless and decisive in the business world. What kind of men hasn't she seen?

Today, I was actually forced to flee in panic by a little boy's flower.

Nie Qingcheng walked behind the huge desk and sat down, casually picking up a document.

I have to work.

Only those cold reports and complicated betting agreements could cool down her feverish mind.

……

however.

She held that urgent document about overseas mergers and acquisitions for three whole hours without even turning to the second page.

The figure wiping sweat from his brow amidst the flowers was like a branding iron, searing into her retina.

The sky was getting dark.

The once bright sunshine was swallowed up by thick, dark clouds.

The air pressure was so low it made my chest feel tight.

The wind outside the window grew violent, whipping up the newly planted flowers and grass in the garden and making a mournful howling sound.

Nie Qingcheng finally realized that something was wrong.

She looked up.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, dark clouds loomed over the city, as if it were about to collapse.

Her fingers, which were holding the pen, froze.

It is going to rain.

Moreover, it was a torrential downpour.

She hates rainy days.

More accurately, it was a rainy night filled with fear and thunder.

That would remind her of her childhood, locked in a dark attic, a little girl trembling in the thunder, with no one to answer her.

"boom--"

A muffled rumble of thunder rolled deep into the clouds, like the low growl of a giant beast.

The nib of Nie Qingcheng's pen scratched a crack on the paper.

She forced herself to lower her head, trying to find a sense of security in the dense text.

As long as you can't see, as long as you can't hear...

"Boom!!"

The sound exploded right above our heads.

The sound waves shook the glass windows.

The pen in Nie Qingcheng's hand fell to the table with a "thud".

Ink splattered, staining the priceless jade bracelet black.

Her face instantly drained of all color, turning deathly pale.

"Splash—"

The rain poured down, the raindrops pounding against the windows like pebbles, making a heart-stopping noise.

Lightning tore through the sky.

The light illuminated the dimly lit study in a stark white, making it seem like a ghostly realm.

"Crack—Boom!"

A thunderclap struck the ground.

Nie Qingcheng finally broke down.

She let out a short whimper, the kind of sound only someone whose neck is being choked can make.

She stumbled off the chair, wanting to escape, but didn't know where to run.

My legs went weak.

He slumped down on the cold floor.

She hugged her knees tightly, buried her head in her arms, and desperately covered her ears with her hands.

His body was shaking like a leaf.

The once powerful "Bamboo Leaf Green" brand, the arrogant queen, is now shattered into pieces.

Only one helpless child remained.

……

Outside.

Zhang Yan was holding a cup of warm milk when his hand touched the doorknob.

The suppressed whimper, like that of a dying animal, that came from inside the room made his heart clench.

Without any hesitation.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open to enter.

The study was dark and oppressive, with the lights off.

Using the continuous flashes of lightning outside the window, he spotted the figure in the corner at a glance.

So small.

So fragile.

It's completely impossible to reconcile this with the domineering woman who drives a Cullinan and boasts about wanting to keep him as her sugar daddy.

"Boom!"

Another thunderclap.

The woman on the ground convulsed violently, her fingernails digging deeply into her arm.

Zhang Yan strode over.

He didn't ask, "What's wrong with you?"

At times like this, any questioning is pointless.

He put down the milk and squatted down.

With a long reach, he scooped the trembling body up from the ground and pulled it tightly into his arms.

The person in his arms was like a frightened cat, instinctively trying to struggle and scratch.

"it's me."

Zhang Yan's voice wasn't loud, but it was deep and powerful, exuding an undeniable calmness.

He didn't let go; instead, he tightened his arms, pressing her firmly against his chest.

His large hand covered the back of her hand that was covering her ears, applying slight pressure to block out the violent noise from the outside world.

warmth.

thick.

There was also a faint smell, a mixture of earthy fragrance and cheap soapberry scent.

It's not expensive, but it's full of life.

Nie Qingcheng stopped struggling.

Her face was pressed against the rough T-shirt on his chest.

The thunder seemed to fade into the distance.

Instead, there were steady and powerful rhythms, one after another.

thump.

thump.

thump.

That was his heartbeat.

Each strike was like the strongest shield, blocking out the countless gods and Buddhas, and also blocking out the storms of the world.

The bone-chilling cold began to subside little by little.

Nie Qingcheng slowly loosened her clenched teeth.

Her hand slid off her ear and instead gripped Zhang Yan's clothes tightly at the waist.

I gripped it so tightly that my knuckles ached.

She buried her entire face in that chest, which wasn't very broad, but was as hard as stone.

For the past twenty-four years.

This is the first time.

Someone didn't let her be strong alone when the thunder roared.

Instead, they hid her away.