a smile that was more formulaic than genuine appeared on her unremarkable face as she addressed the middle-aged man on the sofa:"Sir, I don't drink, I don't sell myself, but everything else is fine."...The hot water from the shower, pouring down from my head, close your eyes, letting your thoughts fly freely... I don't know, how should I go about this future path

If she gave up, it would be easy. As a useless person like her, unloved by her parents, ending it all wouldn't be out of the question... But, she couldn't bear it!

When A-lu's debts were unpaid, there was no reason for her to give up.

As for that man… Jian Tong was getting a bit annoyed. How much longer would she have to be so roundabout with him

No, she couldn't just sit idly by and wait. She had originally hoped he would tire himself out soon so she could leave without any trouble, and she wouldn't have to risk offending him. As for the money... in any case, she needed to find a way to get out of his sight first.

Facing the mirror, Jian Tong looked over and over again. After washing up, she put on her clothes that she had taken off before. She lingered in the washroom for a while longer.

I don't know how long it had been, but I guessed it was probably thirty or forty minutes. Thinking about it, if the person hadn't left, after spending so long in the restroom, they should have been impatient and urging me from outside by now.

By this time, there was not a sound to be heard from outside.

With a sense of peace in her heart, she pushed open the door and casually glanced up. She was immediately stunned... How could this be

By the bay window, under a standing lamp, the person hadn't left yet.

Sitting on the single-person leather sofa, he exuded an air of modesty and elegance. Jian Tong stood at the bathroom door, unable to move… because she didn't want to get too close to him. If possible, what she wanted most at this moment was a "whoosh" sound, to shut the bathroom door along with her, preferably isolating herself from him for a whole day and night.

But the reality is, circumstances are beyond our control.

Upon hearing the noise, he lifted his head from the book in his hand and glanced over at her. His hawk-like eyes were deep and piercing, with an air of aggression.

But it stayed on her only for less than two seconds before flitting away.

Jian Tong secretly let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly!

With a soft, "crack" sound, the man stood up from the sofa with his lanky frame. He took measured steps towards me, moving with an air of calm and composure.

Jiantong couldn't see the expression on her own face, but the man saw it clearly.

The wariness in her eyes, if measured on an earthquake scale, would definitely be a magnitude seven or eight… A thread of pain snaked through his heart, but he deliberately ignored it, swept it aside clean, and strode straight toward her.

He walked towards her, and she couldn't resist stepping back half a step, staring fixedly at the person in front of her, regarding him as if he were the Japanese soldier who had entered the village years ago. That look... made him very uncomfortable.

He took another step towards her. The woman finally couldn't hide the unspeakable fear deep in her heart any longer, her expression becoming tense and flustered: "You..."

"Are you done washing" a low voice sounded, just in time.

Jian Tong still kept a wary eye on the person opposite her, her whole focus on him: "Mmm... Mmm."

"You're done washing, I haven't washed yet."

" "..." A low voice, a faint tone, Jian Tong didn't understand the meaning of the words for a while. After a while, he exclaimed in surprise: "Ah ..." Suddenly realized, almost subconsciously asked: "Does President Shen want to wash here"

Her brow furrowed……What trick was he playing again.

"In my own place, I wash where I please" The man went around Jian Tong, picked up a clean bathrobe from the shelf beside him, and turned back to look at the figure blocking the bathroom door. He glanced at the woman who was deliberately peeking at the door with a nonchalant expression: "Stop staring, the elevator just locked, you can't go down. Now you, be good and go to bed and wait for me."

A wave of color drained from her face. She turned, eyes wide with disbelief, staring at the man who was undoing his shirt. Her hand trembled by her side, clenching and unclenching into a fist as a storm of emotions raged inside her... What did he mean

He buried his head, but his mind raced and churned... If he asked for help... No, it wasn't time to ask for help yet...

"What are you still doing here Get on the bed and wait for me... Um, don't sleep." The man's voice was light and airy, not exactly harsh, but there was an undeniable command in his tone that made people instinctively obey. The emphasis on "don't sleep" at the end sent a shiver of panic through Jian Tong's heart.

He hurriedly shut the bathroom door, and bending down, saw his bare feet. Only then did he remember that he had left his shoes in the bathroom when he showered.

She glanced back at the closed door of the washroom.

Regardless of whether or not she had shoes on, she ran barefoot out of the bedroom and straight to the elevator, frantically pressing the elevator buttons with her fingers. Sure enough, the elevator doors didn't budge.

Jian Tong's mind raced. He took a shower, giving himself some time to think. If this elevator was locked, he should have a remote or a magnetic card. He turned and searched the coffee table, the shoe cabinet, everywhere he usually kept his magnetic card or remote.

Needless to say, I came up empty-handed.

As soon as he turned his head, his gaze fell upon the bedroom where a faint yellow light streamed from the doorway. He hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and returning to that room.

The sound of the shower head still spraying in the bathroom, Jian Tong let out a slight sigh of relief. Immediately, she did what she needed to do first—find the remote or key card.

All or nothing, he immediately started rummaging through the bedside table. He dug frantically, but his ears were perked up, listening to the sound of water gushing from the shower in the bathroom.

She didn't see, the bathroom door silently opened. A man stood calmly at the doorway, arms crossed, watching her every move.

Jane panicked… Where is he!

"Where... shouldn't be here." She had searched everywhere she could think of, how could it be missing

"What are you looking for" A voice, soft and gentle, came from behind. Jian Tong's whole body seemed to be struck by a point, leaving her frozen in place.

The man watched her calmly, without urging her on. It wasn't until about a minute passed that the woman by the bed awkwardly and stiffly turned her head...and gasped! Her eyes flew wide open!

"You, water, you, water..." Her face was pale. She pointed at the man by the bathroom door and then at the showerhead still gushing water. The shower wasn't off, he should still be showering, how could he be standing calmly by the door... How long had he been watching her

Jian Tong couldn't imagine when the door had been opened, or when this person had stood behind her... Suddenly, she felt like a joke, everything under his control... It seemed to foreshadow that no matter what she did, she couldn't escape his grasp.

This feeling gave her a jolt, making her both nervous and agitated.

"Oh...you said the water wasn't on Didn't I tell you Didn't I tell you that there's a glass wall in the restroom, where you can see outside but they can't see inside"

"Then me..."

"How could you not have seen" he spoke for her, chuckling softly. "Perhaps it was because the curtains were drawn during the day. I just pulled them open a moment ago."

In the meantime, he had already turned back into the bathroom, shut off the showerhead, and returned once again, waving a magnetic card in his hand: “Are you looking for this”mile. "Kane, thank you.""Come, I'll take you to meet Maxwell."He pulled her through the crowd, and everyone made way for them as they passed."Hello, Duke Kain," they said as soon as they reached the s...