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

The atmosphere inside the deep blue Cayenne was oppressive.

Zhou Heng leaned back in the passenger seat, staring blankly at the dazzling night view outside the window, feeling as if he had been completely drained.

"Ex-husband, where are you going? I'll take you there."

Lin Yang gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, his voice calm.

Zhou Heng's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and after several seconds, he uttered a dreamlike voice.

"Oh, where to?"

"Okay, I'll take you there," Lin Yang repeated.

Where to go?

Zhou Heng's mind went blank. After going bankrupt, he sold everything he could—the house, the car.

To avoid his debts, he even cut off contact with his parents.

During this period, I was either fighting for space with homeless people under bridges or spending a few days in the cheapest daily rental room after winning a little money at the casino.

Where else could he go?

Lin Yang glanced at him in the rearview mirror, and his dejected look of being at his wit's end was impossible to hide.

If this guy gets upset tonight, or if he gets pushed to the limit and harasses Su Man again, he'll be a real problem.

It would be better to keep him calm for now.

"How about this, let's find a hotel and I'll book a room for you."

Zhou Heng turned his head sharply, a flicker of disbelief flashing in his cloudy eyes, quickly replaced by a deep sense of shame. He opened his mouth, finally managing to squeeze out a few words.

"Then... thank you, Assistant Lin."

"It's alright, we're all brothers."

Lin Yang twitched the corner of his mouth and added in his mind: They're all brothers who've slept with the same woman.

He found a reasonably clean chain hotel in the city and registered at the front desk using his ID card.

"Sir, one double room, one night."

The receptionist handed me the room key.

Zhou Heng followed behind, watching Lin Yang pay the bill efficiently, and suddenly spoke up as if possessed.

"Could you...stay a few more nights?"

Lin Yang took the room key, turned to look at him, his eyes showing no emotion.

"Okay, I'll open it for you for three days."

He asked the front desk to renew his subscription.

Three days was enough for Suman to transfer the money to him, and also enough for this guy to take the money and get out of there.

Lin Yang drove his Cayenne away from the hotel again. He didn't return to Tianyue Huafu, but went straight to Tianheng Garden.

After parking the car in the underground garage, he took out his phone and sent a message to Chen Wanjun.

I have something to do tonight, so I won't be going home to sleep. You should get some rest.

Chen Wanjun replied almost instantly.

【Um. 】

Lin Yang put away his phone, took the elevator to the 12th floor of Building 11 with ease, and opened Su Man's door with his fingerprint.

He stomped his feet lightly, making almost no sound.

The living room was quiet, with only faint moonlight streaming in through the huge French windows.

The door to the master bedroom was not locked.

Lin Yang quietly turned the door lock, pushed the door open, took off his clothes, and crawled into the soft quilt.

In the darkness, the body beside me stirred.

"Kobayashi, is that you?"

Su Man's voice had a thick nasal tone, sounding as if she had just been crying.

"Um."

Lin Yang responded and reached out to pull her into his arms.

"Why are you back again?" Her voice was soft, with a hint of dependence.

"You look a bit tired, so I'll give you a massage."

Lin Yang placed his palm on her tense back, his warm palm revealing stiff muscles and suppressed trembling. He didn't speak, but simply used the massage skills granted by the system to knead her back gently.

At first, she was still restraining herself.

But as his fingertips gently caressed her, the icy coldness that had left her exhausted began to melt away, inch by inch.

In the darkness, the sobs that had been suppressed for so long finally broke out. From silent tears to finally burying her face in his arms like a child, she released all her grievances and exhaustion.

Lin Yang simply held her quietly, letting her tears soak his chest.

***

The next morning at seven o'clock, my phone alarm went off right on time.

Lin Yang opened his eyes; Su Man was still fast asleep in his arms.

At that moment, an ice-blue light screen popped up on his retina.

[Congratulations, host! Your obedience rate has increased to 90% for Su Man, the number one in the "Soft Rice Encyclopedia"!]

Her brows relaxed, and the fatigue and sorrow of yesterday were gone from her face. She slept soundly.

Last night, it was as if she wanted to release all the emotions that had been building up for days at once, and he was the perfect vessel to receive them, fully accommodating her release.

Lin Yang carefully pulled his arm out, picked up his vibrating phone from the bedside table, and turned off the alarm.

He walked into the bathroom, the warm water washing over his body and washing away the last trace of sleepiness.

A few minutes later, Lin Yang walked out of the bathroom, drying his hair. Su Man was already awake.

She propped her head up with one hand, lying on her side on the bed, the silk sheet slipping down to reveal her rounded shoulder.

Her gaze fell on Lin Yang's strong yet sculpted body, her eyes filled with a languid admiration.

"There are still a few suits in the closet, all ordered for you."

"It wasn't He Xiaoya who made the decision, was it?" Lin Yang joked. "Otherwise, she would have guessed it again."

"Of course not." Su Man's lips curved into a beautiful smile. "I had someone order it myself. Try it on and see if it fits."

Lin Yang opened the wardrobe door, and three brand-new haute couture suits were neatly hanging inside.

He casually picked up a dark gray suit, Italian-style tailored, the wool and silk blend fabric gleaming subtly in the morning light.

He changed into a crisp shirt and a suit that perfectly hugged his shoulders and waist, making his already outstanding figure appear even more upright.

"It fits perfectly."

He turned around and asked Su Man on the bed with a smile.

"Is he handsome?"

Su Man's eyes were full of smiles, and she nodded with satisfaction.

Lin Yang walked back to the bedside, suddenly leaned over, and pulled back the covers.

"what!"

Su Man cried out in surprise and instinctively tried to cover herself.

The next second, Lin Yang had already picked her up in his arms and strode towards the bathroom.

"Time to get up and go to work, Director Su."

When the two came out of the room, Aunt Chen had already prepared a sumptuous breakfast.

She saw the two looking refreshed and radiant, and her eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.

"Good morning, Miss, Kobayashi."

Good morning, Aunt Chen.

At the dining table, Lin Yang drank his milk and looked at Su Man, whose complexion had improved considerably. Taking advantage of her good mood, he asked her a question, seemingly casually.

"Are you really planning to transfer two million to Zhou Heng?"

Upon hearing the name "Zhou Heng," the relaxation that had just appeared on Su Man's face instantly vanished, and her eyes dimmed slightly.

"Um."

She responded softly.

"Hopefully, spending money can put an end to this. Actually... I checked his current situation before and found out that he's still doing nothing and is in debt everywhere."

Since she already knew what was going on, Lin Yang didn't say anything more.

"Um."

He nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

This is her past, and she needs to bury it herself.

After breakfast, Lin Yang drove Su Man to the company.

As soon as Lin Yang stepped into the director's assistant's office, secretary He Xiaoya, like a cat smelling fish, immediately peeked over.

"Hey, Lin Yang, you've finally changed into a suit!"

Her gaze swept over him, scrutinizing him.

"How is it? Not bad, right?" Lin Yang twirled around with a swagger.

"Hmm, not bad." He Xiaoya nodded, then changed the subject, "What a pity, such a fine sheep's clothing has been used on a dog."

"Sister Xiaoya, you're scolding me again!" Lin Yang said, looking aggrieved. "You think I'm either a pig or a dog? You have a big problem with me."

"Yeah, so what?" He Xiaoya crossed her arms, looking at his suit with disdain. "This suit must have cost you several months' salary, right? Can you even afford it?"

Lin Yang straightened his back, speaking with righteous indignation.

"So what? There are rich women willing to give it to me."

"snort!"

He Xiaoya made a face at him.

"Shameless gigolo."

Another workday began amidst their cheerful banter.