The loud bang frightened Li Zhen and caused her to jump back two steps.
"Such a big reaction?" Lu Yanming slowly squatted down to pick up the fragments, the shirt at his waist and abdomen stretched taut, the narrow lines radiating a sense of power as hard as iron.
"You think about things between men and women all day, don't indulge too much or it will be detrimental to your health."
"I'm twenty-six, and it was just last night, you call that indulgence?" Li Zhen retorted, her gaze falling on Lu Yanming's waist, a faint blush appearing on her face.
Lu Yanming stood up, having swept up the last bits of debris, "Yes, but you wanted it four times in one night."
"Last night...I couldn't control that..." Li Zhen's face grew even redder.
Her skin was so fair it glowed, any hint of red stood out vividly.
Lu Yanming's attention shifted to her earlobes, tinged red against the creamy white skin of her neck.
Although slim, her flesh was distributed in all the right places, with an apron tied in a slender strip around her waist, every curve of her figure clearly defined.
Protruding where it should protrude, and indented where it should be indented.
"I know," Lu Yanming's Adam's apple bobbed lightly, his voice growing hoarse, "So you should rest well tonight, you still have to work tomorrow."
Work?
With 1.2% of Liyi Group's shares, Li Zhen spent her days accompanying her grandfather and child sightseeing and frolicking. Skipping work was up to her, who cared about adding bricks and tiles to the luxury cars and mansions of capitalist bosses?
Her motto was to make merry while she could, it wasn't as if she was slaving away for a job she actually enjoyed.
Thinking of her grandfather and child, Li Zhen was suddenly emboldened. She walked up to Lu Yanming, grasped his hand and placed it on her chest, "President Lu, tonight is our wedding night, we must seize the moment."
The light color of Lu Yanming's eyes behind his glasses gradually darkened, his blood beginning to boil.
He looked down at Li Zhen.
She feigned nonchalance, when in fact her racing heart was betraying her nervousness and shyness under his broad palm.
"President Lu..." Li Zhen called softly to him, the red wine stain on her lips not yet faded, her moist crimson lips appearing fragile and delicate.
Conveying vulnerability, as if they would break with a bite.
So easy to conquer.
She didn't know that in Lu Yanming's eyes, she now resembled a lamb delivering itself to slaughter, letting him have his way.
Lu Yanming bent down slightly, bringing their faces so close their breaths intertwined, "One whole tray of pork ribs isn't enough to satisfy you? You're too greedy..."
The scalding air hitting Li Zhen's ear instantly made her blush and go weak at the knees.
But she stubbornly retorted, "Quit the tough talk and get to it."
"Trying to provoke me?" Lu Yanming chuckled lightly. He removed his glasses and placed them on the nearby counter, then grasped her slender waist and pressed her against the cold wall of the kitchen.
Li Zhen was momentarily stunned.
With his glasses on he appeared gentle and refined, she hadn't expected that without the tempering effect of the wire-rimmed lenses, his eyes would exude such overpowering, seductive desire.
They were eyes that could easily intoxicate anyone.
"Don't worry, if you want it, I'll give it to you," Lu Yanming's eyes smiled as he lowered his head to kiss her.
Afterwards, Li Zhen lay limply on the bed, her mind hazy.
It took a good half a day for her to regain her senses. Her peripheral vision caught Lu Yanming in the midst of wiping himself off.
Li Zhen abruptly sat up, "President Lu, what are you wiping?"
"I'm wiping..." Lu Yanming said, casting her a glance.
Li Zhen was shocked speechless by his directness.
He was wiping not her...but her 1.2% stake in Liyi Group!
She must have been too caught up that Lu Yanming didn't get absorbed in it. She had to learn from this experience!
Li Zhen grabbed his hand, "President Lu, let's go again!"
Lu Yanming's motions came to an abrupt halt as he laughed lightly, "You kept me up for five hours last night, and again until one in the morning today. Can you give me a break? Gluttony is not a good habit."
Li Zhen's face alternated between green and red, the temperature of embarrassment rising ever higher on her face, "My needs aren't that extreme, right? Or are you not up for it, President Lu?"
Unable to admit her own awkwardness, she could only inflict mental damage on others!
"Yes, I'm not up for it," Lu Yanming nodded.
After three days and two nights without sleep, if he went another round with her, there would only be two pounds left of him tomorrow, coffin included.
Li Zhen instantly understood, "It's okay, President Lu, don't feel inferior, I'll replenish you tomorrow!"
"Alright, tomorrow you can replenish me," Lu Yanming laughed softly. He picked her up and kissed her affectionately, "For now, let me draw you a bath..."
Lu Yanming's kiss made Li Zhen's heart tremble.
His dominant yet gentle demeanor from start to finish this evening fully met her expectations.
After Lu Yanming bathed Li Zhen, she fell asleep two seconds after getting into bed.
He placed the marriage certificate under her pillow, then laid down and wrapped her soft body in his embrace.
Outside the window, the wind blew through the branches, producing a clear yet low rustling sound.
The room was immersed in tranquil intimacy.
It had been seven years.
He had never dared to hope for today.
Lu Yanming rested his head in the crook of Li Zhen's neck.
It gave him a sense of comfort, like a weary bird returning to its nest.
"Zhen Zhen, you've given me all this, can you please not take it back..."
...
Li Zhen slept late but extremely well.
Having promised to replenish Lu Yanming, she got up early in the morning to go to the market, then came home to cook soup.
Seeing that it was almost time to go to work and Lu Yanming was still asleep.
As expected, he wasn't up for it physically!
It didn't matter if the deputy CEO overslept, he didn't have to clock in for duty anyway.
Li Zhen didn't wake him and left for work herself.
The dozens of elevators in Honghai Plaza were still crowded even during peak rush hour. As Li Zhen entered the elevator, she heard the other occupants discussing yesterday's meeting with the new deputy CEO.
Li Zhen pieced together the gist of it.
Yesterday was Lu Yanming's first day on the job. He had convened a meeting and ruthlessly axed several projects.
Two disgruntled veteran executives objected, but he incisively pinpointed the crux of the issues in just a few sentences.
They were all overlooked but extremely important details.
Everyone was convinced.
A young woman standing in the middle of the elevator spoke with admiring eyes, "I was sitting in the corner taking meeting minutes for our finance department. When I heard President Lu's final remark, 'Paying attention to finer details is key to accomplishing things, let's all work hard together, meeting adjourned,' my little heart was simply captivated..."
Li Zhen automatically visualized the scene in her mind.
A young and handsome executive with power and status, subduing the crowd of seniors with just a few words.
To a young woman just entering the workplace, it was indeed very easy to stir her heart.
Someone jokingly remarked, "Even if your heart is stirred, you can't act on it. The company prohibits office romances."
Honghai forbid in-house relationships. If discovered, both would be fired.
But everyone knew some people must be secretly dating or even married in hiding, and most concealed it very well.
This was also why Li Zhen and Yu Sheng had a hidden marriage back then, to avoid suspicion at Honghai.
The young woman's small face flushed as she said, "If I could be with President Lu, I'd be willing to lose this job."
Li Zhen couldn't help but chime in, "Giving up your career for a man is unreliable thinking. Women should always rely on themselves. Besides, President Lu isn't perfect either, he...has no stamina."
Li Zhen silently apologized to Lu Yanming in her heart.
To save a confused colleague befuddled by him, she could only reveal some harsh truths and shatter her illusions.
The girl exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, how do you know?"
Li Zhen: "Cough cough...I also heard it from others, but the information is reliable!"
What she witnessed with her own eyes could not be more true.
Lu Yanming only went once yesterday, and today he couldn't even get out of bed!
"With President Lu's great physique, I didn't expect him to be a case of appearances being deceiving. It must negatively impact married life. If my friend wanted to marry such a man, I'd definitely advise her against it," the girl slowly remarked, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
Li Zhen nodded approvingly, she had saved another lost lamb.
The next second, the girl shyly said, "She can't marry him, but I can!"
Li Zhen: ......
