Chapter 31: Will Without Power

Shang Yucheng seemed to have lost both his hearing and his ability to show any expression. His face was set in cold, stony lines, while that audacious hand of his slipped automatically under Liang Jinshang’s shirt. Her taut back and skin, smoother than silk, only darkened the storm in his eyes. The softer she felt, the stronger the urge to torment her surged within him.

The spot on her scapula that had been bruised a moment ago was now kneaded so hard by him that it ached even more. Outside the door, Gong Xueyuan’s voice kept coming through, “Yucheng? Yucheng! Are you all right? I’m really worried if you don’t answer me!”

One of Shang Yucheng’s legs pressed over the line, pinning Liang Jinshang down. She was no match for his strength, and the cold water stung her eyes unbearably. Her hands clung to his back—damn her professional habits, she’d never kept her nails long, or by now she could have scratched a map of China onto his back!

Her hands slid down along his latissimus dorsi, but the wet, firm muscles were hard to get a hold of, until finally she reached the dimples of Venus at the base of his spine. That spot, praised as the “eye of seduction,” she dug her nails into mercilessly.

She narrowed her eyes and threatened him in a low voice, “Shang Yucheng, if you really let her in, you’ll be handing over your moral high ground to her without a fight!”

True, Gong Xueyuan had been caught on video, but if anyone walked in on Shang Yucheng and her right now, it would be a blatant affair—especially with Chao Jingyu as a witness outside!

Based on her earlier assessment, she’d guessed Shang Yucheng would be furious when he saw the video, but he’d definitely use the leverage to squeeze benefits from the Gong family and then exact revenge on Hu Zhinan. If she’d known he would get this irrational after drinking tonight, she’d have just released the video herself and dragged everyone into ruin—that would be better than this!

Gong Xueyuan called out, “I’m coming in now—”

Liang Jinshang shut her eyes in despair.

“—Wait.” Shang Yucheng straightened up from over her at last, finally speaking.

The door, which had been pushed open a crack, stopped abruptly.

But Gong Xueyuan didn’t leave. She softened her voice, drawing out his name, “Yucheng…”

Liang Jinshang’s heart, barely recovering, leapt back into her throat. Disaster!

Late at night, tipsy, a man and a woman alone—at least that’s how Gong Xueyuan saw it—the perfect setup for a wild tryst before falling asleep in each other’s arms. In the bathroom, after such moments, Shang Yucheng was usually more attentive, even helping to wash her up—she suspected he might have had just as much fun in the bathroom with Gong Xueyuan in the past.

After all, the way Gong Xueyuan called “Yucheng” was so tender and suggestive, even Liang Jinshang could hear it as an invitation to feast.

Shang Yucheng lifted a hand and snapped off the shower.

Compared to Liang Jinshang’s tense vigilance, he was eerily calm, not at all like a man on the verge of being caught in an affair. In their earlier struggle, he’d already shed most of his clothes and now casually wrapped a towel around his waist. After all that cold water, his face had taken on the sharp, cold elegance of a carved jade statue.

Gong Xueyuan seemed to take his silence as consent; the half-open door finally pushed wider. Liang Jinshang’s breath stopped, like the long-hanging sword over her head had finally fallen—she resigned herself.

But in that instant, a strong hand pressed down on her shoulder, forcing her to her knees. Caught off guard, she knelt; the half-wall next to her perfectly concealed her figure, as if it had all been calculated. As long as Gong Xueyuan didn’t come any closer, she’d never be seen. No wonder he’d been so calm just now!

Liang Jinshang had no idea what this man was plotting. Her knees ached from kneeling, and she tried to shift to a squat. But Shang Yucheng’s large hand pressed her shoulder firmly, not letting her move. Worse, with an absent-minded air, he shifted slightly to the side.

Her face couldn’t escape—she wished she could just discard it altogether!

Gong Xueyuan gazed at Shang Yucheng—he was so handsome, she could look at him a thousand times and still feel her heart flutter. Her cheeks flushed pink. “Yucheng, you’re not answering me. Are you trying to trick me into coming in?”

Shang Yucheng’s lips curled in a meaningless half-smile. “You’re not asleep yet?”

“I can’t sleep… Yucheng, I…”

“Where’s Jingyu? Already asleep?” he interrupted indifferently. “Which guest room are you in?”

Gong Xueyuan fell silent, biting her lip stubbornly. Any man with half a mind would know what she was hinting at, but Shang Yucheng just stood there, utterly unmoved.

He ignored her allure as a woman entirely.

After a pause, Shang Yucheng let out a helpless laugh. “Xueyuan, I’ve been drinking… Tonight, I’m afraid my heart’s willing but my body can’t keep up.”

At that moment, Gong Xueyuan felt her proud self-esteem trampled under his feet.

And Liang Jinshang was faring no better…

Damn this man—could he stop saying he was “willing but unable” while being so “able and willing” in his actions?

Just moments ago, pressed together as they were, his grip had been bruising, but perhaps his rage had overpowered any other impulse, and his “self-control” had been exemplary. Yet now, with Gong Xueyuan standing just five paces away, he spoke the most proper words to her, while his body waged a silent assault on Liang Jinshang.

Most infuriating of all, Liang Jinshang dared not move a muscle, terrified that the smallest sound would give everything away. She could only endure Shang Yucheng’s every blatant, humiliating move.

Finally, Gong Xueyuan stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Liang Jinshang could bear it no longer—she shoved Shang Yucheng away, shot to her feet, and snatched a towel to furiously wipe her mouth!

Shang Yucheng’s face showed no hint of guilt; even the last trace of that smile he’d given Gong Xueyuan vanished, leaving only his blank, emotionless mask. Perhaps the alcohol had finally worn off—or perhaps he’d never been drunk at all. He looked at Liang Jinshang and said, “Let’s talk. What do you want?”

She was soaked through, water dripping from her hair, and felt this was hardly the time for a conversation. But with Shang Yucheng actually willing to sit down and talk—a fleeting opportunity—she knew he could easily bypass her and go after Hu Zhinan directly.

Her video did give him a pretext, but who said Shang Yucheng needed a reason to destroy someone?

She clarified first, “Mr. Shang, are you really going to go after them?”

He would never let Hu Zhinan go, that much was certain, but as for Gong Xueyuan… Liang Jinshang wasn’t sure how much feeling or reluctance he still had for her.

Shang Yucheng gave a cold, mocking laugh, as if he’d heard a joke not worth answering.

She retrieved her phone from where it had fallen, checked that it was still working, and asked, “Can you take me off your blacklist? I’ll send you the video first.”

Water still dripped from her hair, and her eyes were as clear as if they could spill over—like everything she’d done had been for him alone.

If Shang Yucheng didn’t know her so well, he might almost have believed it.