Rose Manor: Tycoon's Relentless Chase
Chapter 34 - 31: Disheveled

Chapter 34: Chapter 31: Disheveled

Fu Jichen leaned back into the sofa, the fabric of his clothes rubbing against the leather, emitting a faint rustling sound. His dark eyes gazed at Zhu Yilan, devoid of any emotion, as if looking at an inanimate object, completely unmoved by her beauty.

After a while, he lifted the hand resting on the sofa armrest, pressed it against his chin, and let out a low, cold laugh: "Do you know what you’re doing?"

How could someone sit there yet exude such an overwhelming aura, a chilling presence that seemed ready to devour anyone in its path.

Zhu Yilan met his icy gaze, belatedly feeling fear and shame.

However, the words had already been spoken; there was no taking them back, especially since they were her true feelings. She wanted to be his woman, ever since she first saw him at the Junshan Group Headquarters, she was captivated.

She found herself increasingly unable to control her desires, wanting more.

"Mr. Chen, give me a chance, I am worth more than Shen Jianian," Zhu Yilan said, her face pale, lips trembling slightly, looking at him with earnest longing.

The man remained unmoved.

Zhu Yilan bit her red lips, then knelt down beside his legs, placing a hand on his arm, hoping for a trace of pity.

Fu Jichen abruptly stood up, truly looking down from a height, gazing at the person on the ground: "Zhu Yilan, I remember warning you last time not to play tricks. Everything has its limits; you’re smart enough to know where my boundaries are. If you can’t position yourself correctly, then leave early."

Each word was like a sharp arrow, piercing right into the heart. Zhu Yilan trembled, her body weakened as she collapsed to the ground.

Last time... How could she forget? Last time, she deliberately tampered with a data point in a document intended for Shen Jianian’s review, confident Shen wouldn’t catch it. And indeed, Shen didn’t.

The document, which Shen Jianian handed over to the boss for signing, any errors would be her responsibility, and the boss would thus see her stupidity clearly. Her scheme seemed flawless, yet she hadn’t expected Fu Jichen to see through her tactics instantly. After Shen Jianian returned from the CEO’s office, she conveyed the boss’s message, asking Zhu to go over.

With a sense of trepidation, she entered the office, only to be scolded sharply by him.

What did he say that time?

——You’re very smart, but unfortunately, your intelligence is misplaced.

Recalling this, Zhu Yilan trembled even more violently, a sense of remorse grew from her heart, spreading throughout her being. She indeed lost her senses, provoked by Fu Jichen’s kindness to Shen Jianian, foolishly seeking his love.

"Mr. Chen, I was wrong."

Zhu Yilan lost the poise and composure she usually maintained in front of others, her eyes reddening, holding back tears from falling.

In front of the man she admired, she was just a woman longing for attention, not that formidable, decisive assistant.

Fu Jichen coldly said: "Leave."

Zhu Yilan shakily got up from the ground, picked up her crumpled trench coat, holding it to her chest, her exquisite makeup and hair now seemed like a joke.

*

Downstairs in the restaurant, Shen Jianian was petting a cat while finishing her late-night snack. The little black cat, comfortably scratched, purred contentedly.

She patted its head, got up, and carried the bowl and spoon to the kitchen. Just as she turned on the faucet, Zhou Rongzhen came over: "Leave it to me, you should go rest."

"I slept all day, perfect to get some movement."

"But this isn’t the way to do it." Zhou Rongzhen smiled, a bit anxiously, she wasn’t accustomed to doing such work. _{fr\eewe.bn(o)v\el.c(o)m}

Shen Jianian didn’t listen, pumped some detergent, quickly cleaned the bowl, and rinsed it under the faucet.

Zhou Rongzhen, unable to help, stood by watching her with an exasperated smile, suddenly feeling a tickling sensation on her leg. She glanced down, seeing the coal-black cat had slipped into the kitchen and was crouching by Shen Jianian’s slippers, its long fluffy tail swishing around, brushing against her leg.

"This cat really likes sticking with you," Zhou Rongzhen said, laughing.

"You said before it has a bad temper, but I find it very well-behaved, maybe it just dislikes someone," Shen Jianian said, placing the bowl on the drain rack, and pulled a paper towel to dry her hands.

Zhou Rongzhen knew exactly who she was referring to, laughed dryly, not daring to respond carelessly.

"I’m heading upstairs, you should also rest early."

Shen Jianian said to Zhou Rongzhen, left the kitchen, walked through the living room, and headed upstairs. Having just finished a bowl of wontons, she thought walking might aid digestion, so she chose to take the stairs instead of the home’s elevator.

At the third-floor staircase, Shen Jianian placed a hand on the railing, looking up to find a woman coming out of Fu Jichen’s bedroom.

She wore a seductively alluring light-colored long dress, the neckline gathering into several folds, slightly low, yet still elegant. Her hair, tied up, was slightly disheveled, with a few strands falling to her face and neck, appearing a bit disordered, but still beautiful.

Their eyes met, and Shen Jianian internally gasped, realizing it was Zhu Yilan.

Her eyes were slightly red, her face drained of color, lacking her usual vibrant beauty, and she no longer carried that cold and fierce aura, as if someone had wronged her.

Zhu Yilan was the first to turn away, avoiding her gaze, nervously clutching her trench coat against her chest as she hurriedly stepped into the elevator, not daring to look back.

She feared seeing the disdain in Shen Jianian’s eyes.

Zhu Yilan would never know how her disheveled appearance would lead to misunderstandings in others’ eyes. Like Shen Jianian, who thought there was something between her and Fu Jichen, feeling nauseated by the thought.

Shen Jianian had never disliked someone so much before, just thinking about someone doing the most intimate things with her filled her with discomfort.

"Why are you standing there in the middle of the night?"

Lost in thought, Shen Jianian was startled by a sudden voice, glancing over to see the person causing her discomfort.

Fu Jichen came out of the bedroom, wrapped in a black bathrobe, exuding a clean and refined demeanor, clearly having just showered.

Shen Jianian replied sharply, "Nothing at all."

Hearing her slightly harsh tone, Fu Jichen didn’t suspect anything, seemingly used to her attitude.

After saying that, Shen Jianian turned to head back to her room, but Fu Jichen reacted quicker, stepping in front of her, his solid chest like a wall blocking the doorway. Unable to halt in time, her nose bumped into him, causing her to let out a faint groan of pain.

Covering her nose, she stepped back, trying to sidestep him into the room, but he intentionally blocked her path, moving left as she moved left, and right as she moved right, driving her to frustration.

"What do you actually want?!" Shen Jianian shouted at him.

"Not teasing you anymore, let me see your nose." Fu Jichen pulled her hand away, slightly tilting his head to look at her reddening nose, and clicked his tongue, "How did you bump it like this?"

The impact didn’t affect him much; at most, it felt like a feather brushing against him, slightly ticklish rather than painful.

Seeing him annoyed her, Shen Jianian pulled her hand back, not saying a word, directly entering her room, turning around to close the door, only to find a hand pressing against it, stopping her.

"I’m going on a business trip tomorrow." Fu Jichen looked at her through the slightly ajar door.

Shen Jianian was puzzled, she knew this; he had told her earlier that day: "So what?"

Fu Jichen’s dark eyes deepened, staring at her for a few seconds, losing the patience for conversation. With a slight force, he fully opened the door, picked her up horizontally, and walked toward his own nearby bedroom.

Realizing what happened, Shen Jianian was both shocked and angry: "Put me down!"

"Sleep with me tonight."

Fu Jichen tightened his arms, holding her firmly in place, leaving no room for refusal.