Chapter 16: How Many Schemes Are Used Against Me

Zhou Ci let out a low laugh, his slender hand gently brushing her cheek. Her skin was just as flawless as ever—soft and supple, with a resilience that sparked in him a destructive urge.

“You can’t put up a facade with me,” he said, slowly withdrawing his hand. Without waiting for Gu Shenshen to reply, he turned and walked away.

Gu Shenshen bit her lip lightly, her hands gripping her bag so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

The following day, true to her word, Gu Shenshen went to Zhou Corporation.

At ten in the morning, Zhou Ci was still upstairs in a meeting, so the assistant had her wait in the office. She waited, bored and restless, for an hour and a half before Zhou Ci finally arrived.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black business suit, his tall figure exuding a refined, almost aristocratic air. Everything about him radiated the aura of an elite.

Gu Shenshen suddenly found it hard to recall the wild, untamed Zhou Ci of years past. The transformation was almost absurd, as if even his age had leapt forward.

“Sign it,” the man’s voice suddenly sounded above her.

Gu Shenshen withdrew from her thoughts and picked up the contract on the desk, leafing through it.

Seeing her scrutinize the document, Zhou Ci’s brows pinched together.

“What’s the point in reading so carefully? If you see a clause you don’t like, do you really think you won’t sign?”

Gu Shenshen replied with airy indifference, “It’s not that. I just want to see how much cunning you’ve set aside for me. I’m curious, that’s all.”

Zhou Ci leaned down slowly, his face drawing close to her ear.

Feeling his warm breath, Gu Shenshen instinctively tilted her head away.

“This is your office, can’t you restrain yourself a little? If I officially join the company, this is harassment. I could sue you.”

His large hand fell on her shoulder, forcibly turning her head back toward him.

“You can always choose not to be my secretary. I’m not forcing you.”

The contract in Gu Shenshen’s hands nearly crumpled under her grip.

He had cut off every escape route; what choice did she have?

All she could do was try to preserve what little dignity she could manage.

“Ah Ci, give me some time, will you?” Gu Shenshen grasped his increasingly audacious hand, her voice soft and melodic.

She knew well when to yield.

Even so, Zhou Ci deliberately bit her earlobe, and Gu Shenshen could only grit her teeth in silence.

“These past two years—have you met any man who satisfies you more than I did? Have you missed me, even a little?” His voice was hoarse, deliberately teasing.

That was exactly how he’d ensnared her back then—a moment’s weakness had led her into forbidden territory, planting the seeds of trouble.

Had she known he was this unhinged, she would never have saved him.

“I’m here to sign a contract today, not to play your games,” Gu Shenshen said, taking a deep breath and shoving Zhou Ci away with force.

Caught off guard, the man nearly stumbled, almost falling.

Seeing Gu Shenshen’s faint trace of anger, Zhou Ci’s face remained steeped in mockery.

Straightening, he looked down at her from above. “Two years apart, and you’ve learned to put on quite the act.”

She had nearly anticipated everything Zhou Ci would say or do before she arrived. Still, when the humiliation truly came, it stung more than she expected.

“I’ve signed the contract. I hope you’ll keep your word,” Gu Shenshen said, picking up the pen and swiftly signing her name before reminding him.

She said nothing explicitly, but Zhou Ci understood everything.

“You’re really willing to go this far for Feng Siyao. If you care so much, why not just be with him?” Zhou Ci’s tone suddenly turned sarcastic, tinged with personal emotion.