I agreed to be a kept man, but I'm still being punished by the system.

Because at that moment, Lin Yang was indeed driven by primal urges; it was his first time.

Su Man didn't speak, but just looked at his lowered head and his taut jawline.

The air thickened because of this confession.

The enchanting atmosphere of dinner and the pleasant buzz from the alcohol seemed to have been completely disrupted by this sudden confrontation.

Lin Yang felt a sense of oppression.

He saw Su Man subconsciously rubbing her temples, her brows furrowed with deep weariness.

A thought flashed through his mind.

"President Su."

He spoke, breaking the silence.

You look very tired.

He stood up, walked behind her, and his gaze fell on her delicate shoulders, which were slightly stiff from exhaustion.

"How about I give you a massage?"

Su Man's body tensed instantly.

She instinctively wanted to refuse.

She was wearing a silk nightgown, and beneath the smooth fabric was nothing at all.

She knew very well what it meant when a man's hand landed on her shoulder.

but……

As if possessed, the words of refusal reached my lips, but I just couldn't bring myself to say them.

Perhaps it was the red wine tonight, or the dinner that soothed her body and soul, or perhaps it was the mix of naivety and domineering aura emanating from this young man.

She didn't know what was going on with her, and just acquiesced without really understanding what was happening.

She didn't answer, but she didn't flinch either.

Lin Yang took this as tacit approval.

"Go sit on the sofa, it's more comfortable there."

His voice was soft, yet carried a powerful guiding force.

Su Man stood up as if possessed, barefoot, and walked to the huge Italian leather sofa in the living room, where she sat down.

The sofa was soft, enveloping her completely.

Lin Yang did not sit down, but knelt on one knee on the carpet behind the sofa, a posture that allowed him to look directly at her back.

His hand, slightly warm, gently landed on her shoulder.

Even through a thin layer of silk, the amazing elasticity and delicate touch still made Lin Yang's heart beat a little faster.

Su Man's body stiffened for a moment.

His hands didn't move randomly; instead, he used a professional and steady force to accurately locate the stiffest muscle group in her shoulders and neck, and slowly began to knead it.

His finger technique is very unique.

Not too light, not too heavy.

Every inch of force was precisely applied to those sore and swollen points.

A strange tingling and numb sensation, accompanied by a warm current, quickly spread from my shoulders and neck.

Su Man's tense body gradually relaxed.

She couldn't help but let out a very soft, almost inaudible sigh.

"You seem to... always manage to surprise me."

Her voice had a languid nasal tone, and her head drooped limply.

"You're under too much pressure, Mr. Su."

Lin Yang pressed down on the object while speaking in a steady tone.

"The muscles in these areas are almost as hard as rocks."

"Is there no one who can help you share the burden?"

His question, like a feather, gently scratched at the softest part of her heart.

Share?

This word was too much of a luxury for her.

"Having reached this position, who else can I rely on besides myself?"

Her words revealed a profound loneliness.

"Of course, it's your partner!" Lin Yang said calmly.

He already knew the answer through the system panel, but he needed her to say it to him in person.

Su Man's body stiffened again.

She didn't turn around, so Lin Yang couldn't see her expression, but he could feel the atmosphere around her instantly turn cold.

"I don't have a partner; I'm divorced."

"I'm sorry, I was too talkative." Lin Yang's hands didn't stop, but his tone became a little flustered.

"Um."

She uttered a single syllable through her nose, which was her way of acknowledging it.

Lin Yang seized the opportunity and pressed on with further questions.

"Mr. Su, why...did you get a divorce?"

This question has crossed a line.

But thanks to the alcohol and the ambiguous yet relaxed atmosphere, it didn't seem so abrupt.

Su Man remained silent for a long time.

Lin Yang waited so long that he thought she wouldn't answer.

"He's a man with a very strong sense of pride."

Her voice drifted over, carrying a hint of wistful reminiscence.

"We were classmates in college, got married right after graduation, and started a business together."

Her thoughts seemed to drift back to many years ago.

"Everything was great at the beginning. Although the company was small, we were filled with hope every day."

"Later, due to a policy shift, all his efforts vanished overnight. The company went bankrupt, and he was left with a mountain of debt he couldn't pay off."

Lin Yang's hand unconsciously stopped, and he listened quietly.

He said he couldn't be a burden to me. So, we divorced.

"He left me the only small house under his name that wasn't mortgaged. It's not far from my current company, and then he disappeared."

"I had no choice but to go out and work for others, starting from the bottom as a salesperson. I drank and entertained clients day and night before climbing to my current position as a director."

"Later... I went to see him."

Su Man's voice trembled slightly.

"I want to help him pay off his debts, I want him to come back."

"But he refused."

She paused, then spoke, word by word, the words that changed the course of her life.

He said he didn't want to live off a woman.

He said he wanted to get back on his feet.

"boom!"

That last sentence was like a bolt from the blue, exploding in Lin Yang's mind!

He doesn't want to live off a woman!

These words struck him like an invisible, powerful punch to the heart.

Isn't that talking about him?

The man's so-called backbone and dignity were now mercilessly lashing out at the path he had chosen.

His face turned pale instantly.

Su Man seemed to sense something was amiss behind her. She slowly turned around, her shimmering eyes looking directly at him.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Yang forced himself to calm down, his brain racing.

He cannot back down.

If he shows even the slightest wavering or shame here, then all his previous efforts will have been in vain.

He met Su Man's gaze, a complex smile playing on his lips—a smile that contained sympathy, incomprehension, and a hint of... disdain.

"It's nothing."

He shook his head, his voice regaining its composure.

"I just think...your ex-husband is a bit ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Su Man frowned.

"For that pitiful, so-called male pride, he gave up a woman who was willing to share his joys and sorrows."

Lin Yang looked at her, his eyes revealing an unprecedented maturity and certainty.

"That's not backbone, that's stupidity."

"He only considered his own feelings, leaving you alone in the abyss."

"A truly strong man is not one who never bows his head, but one who knows when to bow his head, and who knows how to make use of all the resources around him, and then, together with his woman, to stand at a higher level."

His words were like a key, instantly unlocking Su Man's long-sealed heart.

Over the years, she had heard countless words of comfort, but no one had ever been as insightful as Lin Yang in analyzing the essence of that relationship from her perspective.

She always thought it was because she wasn't good enough that the man chose to run away.

It turns out... his "strength" was too fragile.

The young man in front of her was completely different from all the men she had ever met.

He was frank, he was direct, and he seemed to care nothing for worldly prejudices, yet he had his own set of logic for doing things.

Despite his young age, he is mature, composed, and possesses an irresistible aggression.

Fueled by the alcohol and by this unprecedented understanding and comfort, Su Man felt her eyes well up with tears.

She stared at Lin Yang's delicate features and the profound depth in his eyes that seemed beyond his years, completely mesmerized.

Lin Yang did not speak again.

He simply reached out and gently wiped away the tear that had slipped down the corner of her eye with his fingertips.

Then, he bent down.

Their breaths mingled together.

Su Man did not dodge.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back slightly.

Warm lips pressed down on mine.