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

Junfu Hotel, Executive Suite.

At seven o'clock in the morning, my phone alarm vibrated regularly, sounding particularly clear in the quiet room.

Lin Yang opened his eyes, feeling a tingling pressure on his arm. He turned his head and saw Su Man still resting her head on his arm, her sleeping face peaceful, her long eyelashes casting a light shadow under her eyelids, without her usual coldness.

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

[Congratulations, host! Your obedience rate has increased to 92% for Su Man, the number one in the "Soft Rice Encyclopedia"!]

Lin Yang ignored him.

But his movements startled her; Su Man's eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened them.

Eyes facing each other.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

She seemed to realize that she had been clinging to him like an octopus all night. A faint blush rose to her cheeks. She quickly released her arms, sat up, wrapped herself in the blanket, and looked out the window.

"Are you taking the day off today?" Lin Yang spoke first, breaking the subtle awkwardness.

With her back to him, Su Man's voice regained some of its usual calmness, though it was slightly hoarse.

"No."

"The inspection plan isn't finished yet; it needs to be submitted to the president's office the day after tomorrow."

"Then get up." Lin Yang also sat up, feeling a dull pain from the bruises on his chest and ribs, but his expression remained normal.

"Um."

Su Man responded, threw off the covers, and went into the bathroom without looking back.

Lin Yang stretched his body and ordered room service.

Before long, two exquisite breakfasts were delivered to the room.

During breakfast, Su Man returned to normal, talking to Lin Yang about work, as if their sleeping in each other's arms the night before was just an illusion.

After finishing their meal and changing their clothes, Lin Yang drove Su Man to the bank.

The bank had just opened at 8:30 a.m.

The lobby manager was already waiting at the door, with a warm smile on his face, and personally welcomed the two into the VIP room.

"Mr. Su, hello."

The bank manager was a slightly overweight middle-aged man who personally brewed tea and brought it over, speaking in a familiar yet respectful tone.

"I just picked it up yesterday afternoon, how come it's been returned today?"

Su Man took the teacup, her expression indifferent.

"I needed it urgently yesterday, but I didn't get to use it."

The bank manager was a smart man. Without asking any questions, he immediately and personally completed the formalities for Su Man.

The three million in cash has been transformed back into a string of numbers in a bank account.

Back in the office of the director of the hair care division of Enwei Group, Su Man immediately threw herself into her work, as if the terrifying scene from yesterday had never happened.

Lin Yang arrived at the assistant's office and greeted He Xiaoya and Li Tong, who were organizing documents.

"Good morning, Xiaolin!" He Xiaoya winked at him, full of energy.

Li Tong nodded steadily.

Lin Yang sat back down at his workstation and began working.

But his mind wasn't on that.

He turned on his computer, but instead of checking his emails, he typed four words into the search box: "Zhang's Group".

Press Enter.

Search results flooded in.

Lin Yang opened the official website of Zhang's Group, and a magnificent homepage came into view.

The group's business scope, development history, corporate culture... every aspect exudes the profound heritage of a long-established and prestigious family.

Do not check, I don’t know, I’m scared.

This Zhang Group is actually a shipping giant that ranks among the top in China.

Apart from those few state-owned enterprises with powerful backgrounds, it is the largest among private shipping companies, with annual revenue in the tens of billions.

Lin Yang clicked the mouse, his eyes rapidly scanning the screen, searching for any useful information.

His fingers suddenly stopped.

A news headline from an official website caught his eye.

Zhang's Group Signs Strategic Trade Agreement with Global Hongmen Chambers of Commerce

Agreement details: All goods purchased by the Hongmen Chamber of Commerce in China will be transported by the Zhang Group.

Lin Yang's pupils contracted slightly.

Holy crap.

This Zhang Group is also connected to the Hongmen!

A name flashed through his mind instantly: a woman wearing a high-slit cheongsam and bright red lips.

Liu Shanshan.

He took out his phone and found the dark-style qipao art photo profile picture in his WeChat list.

He edited a message.

Good morning, Shanshan.

The message was sent out, but it disappeared without a trace.

Just when he thought the other party wouldn't reply, his phone vibrated.

[Mr. Lin, are we that close? Why are you addressing me like that?]

The text was followed by a smiling emoji, yet it conveyed a sense of distance that kept people at arm's length.

A slight smile appeared on Lin Yang's lips.

"We're so close, I'm the one you're keeping."

He sent the message, which was meant to be sarcastic.

This time, the other party replied almost instantly.

[Get to the point.]

Lin Yang stopped joking and started tapping rapidly on the screen.

"Hey, I wanted to ask if the Zhang Group is a subsidiary of your Huahai Hongmen."

A moment later, news of Liu Shanshan arrived.

What's wrong, Mr. Lin? He's offended the Zhang Group again?

No, it's just that our company has some cooperation with them and we wanted to learn more. We saw an information on their company website saying that they cooperate with the Hongmen.

Lin Yang made up an excuse.

Oh, really?

Liu Shanshan's reply clearly indicated that she did not believe Lin Yang's statement.

However, Zhang Zhongyang, chairman of the Zhang Group, is indeed the head of the Huahai Hongmen.

Sure enough.

Upon seeing this message, Lin Yang's heart sank.

Behind the arrogant and domineering Zhang Long stands not only a business empire, but also a behemoth with influence over both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

[It really is related to the Hongmen.]

What, scared?

Liu Shanshan's writing carries a subtle hint of provocation.

Lin Yang smiled.

"How could I be afraid? With Shanshan protecting me, why would I be afraid?"

Mr. Lin, I am just a weak woman; I cannot protect you.

[Shanshan, you're so funny.]

After that, Lin Yang waited for a long time, but Liu Shanshan never replied again.

He put away his phone, his eyes becoming deep and thoughtful.

Things were more complicated than he had imagined; he needed to find a way to get rid of Zhang Long completely.

But now he couldn't think of any good solutions, so he stopped thinking about it and focused on his work at the company.

A busy day passes quickly, but it's always accompanied by overtime.

After get off work, Lin Yang drove his Cayenne and took Su Man back to the Junfu Hotel.

The car stopped in front of the hotel. Su Man unbuckled her seatbelt but did not get out of the car immediately.

She turned to look at Lin Yang, her gaze falling on the faint outline of bruises visible beneath his shirt.

"Go home and apply the medicine today. You don't need to stay here with me."

Her voice carried an undeniable command, but her eyes softened considerably.

"Remember to pick me up on time tomorrow."

"Um."

Lin Yang nodded.

After watching Su Man walk into the hotel lobby, Lin Yang turned the car around and drove towards Tianyue Huafu.

When he returned to apartment 2403 in building 32, he found the door ajar.

The study door was open, and Zhang Wei was sitting in front of the computer, typing away furiously.

"Brother Wei, you're so diligent."

Zhang Wei heard the sound and turned around to look at him.

"Oh, Kobayashi, you're back. Have you eaten?"

Lin Yang walked into the room and saw a new bed in the corner. He went over and sat down.

"Your new bed is quite soft."

"Yes, it just arrived yesterday," Zhang Wei replied.

"I haven't eaten yet, have you eaten?" Lin Yang asked.

"I've already eaten." Zhang Wei scratched his head, a hint of confusion on his face. "But speaking of which, your girlfriend Chen Wanjun, I've been living here for so long, and I've never seen her leave the house."

Lin Yang smiled.

"She usually only goes out at night, and now that her foot injury hasn't healed, she's even less likely to go out."

"Oh, I see." Zhang Wei suddenly realized, "This morning, a few men from across the hall came and knocked on the door, quite loudly, but they didn't open it. I thought Chen Wanjun wasn't home."

"Is that so?"

"Okay. Go check what's going on."

"Um."

Lin Yang responded, walked out of the room, and went to room 2404 across the hall.

He stood at the door and skillfully entered a string of numbers into the combination lock.