Wang Liben felt that his young master was being undervalued.
Last time, his young master — who had never punished him before — had made him go home for a week of reflection.
It must have been because of Sang You!
Only because of Sang You would his young master treat him that way!
Back then, when Gong Ze mentioned Sang You, there was hesitation in his voice — hesitation that made Wang Liben realize his young master might have stopped pretending and actually fallen for the son of his enemy.
Unable to suppress his jealousy and anger, when Gong Ze ordered him to return to the hotel to deliver clothes to Sang You, he had deliberately tormented and frightened him.
“I hate it most when people disobey me!”
After his young master discovered this, he called Wang Liben into the study and whispered darkly in his ear.
Kneeling on the ground, Wang Liben felt his young master’s breath, carried with his words, land on his neck. Two patches of red slowly crept across his face.
This man — whom Gong Ze had once teased as looking like a polar bear in a suit — had naturally cold, pale skin. He was quiet, with eyes that carried the oppressive weight of a bear, reminiscent of the frigid Russians.
He also had large bones and a solid, muscular build.
Not the vein-popping, gym-sculpted kind of muscle, but the elastic, powerful type.
There was a certain hidden sensuality about him.
The quieter a person is, the more pent-up, flirtatious tendencies they often hide inside.
Wang Liben was Gong Ze’s most useful blade.
From the inexplicable sense of devotion in childhood that made him decide to follow Gong Ze, to now, he had come to regard Gong Ze as his god.
He adored him, yet also harbored a mad, intense possessiveness.
After hearing Gong Ze’s reprimand, Wang Liben was silent for a moment. Then he pulled a pile of objects from the cabinet under the desk, bound his own hands behind his back, and slowly knelt down, shuffling forward on his knees until he reached Gong Ze.
He looked up with the shimmering, fervent eyes of a self-sacrificing believer.
“I’ve done wrong. Please punish me.”
“…”
Gong Ze silently took the whip.
Wang Liben, as if this were routine, braced his shoulders against the floor and clumsily lifted his upper half, ready to take the beating.
But before he could properly kneel, Gong Ze lifted his foot and planted it on Wang Liben’s thigh, tight against his dress pants. With cold finality, he pressed the whip against the man’s head.
“Get out. Don’t make me say it twice.”
“…”
Wang Liben left Gong Ze’s study in a daze, dejected and shattered, punished by being forbidden to return for seven whole days.
“How could this happen…”
Curled up on the bed in his rented room, hugging his knees, both he and the room exuded a dark, mad, neurotic aura.
He couldn’t understand.
His young master used to love this the most — why did he suddenly stop liking it?
In his heart, Wang Liben made excuses for his young master.
His young master wasn’t a bad person.
It was just that he had borne the heavy burden of revenge since childhood — that was why he had become cruel.
The first time ‘Gong Ze’ had violently beaten him, Wang Liben hadn’t been afraid at all. Instead, he had been filled with pity for his young master, sobbing uncontrollably.
From ‘Gong Ze’s’ adolescence — when he secretly tortured small animals that couldn’t fight back — to later, when he turned on the disabled orphans in the welfare home who always angered him and caused him trouble…
Wang Liben thought instead: “How pitiful he is…”
My young master must be in so much pain! He can only rely on these things to relieve his stress!
To redeem his young master, Wang Liben willingly took his beatings.
He was happy.
Truly happy!
Thinking of his young master’s satisfied smile after beating him, Wang Liben felt that his own existence had meaning!
“This is my little secret with my young master… It belongs only to the two of us…”
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But now, all those beautiful memories had been ruined by that Sang You — the one who should have been dealt with long ago!
On what basis—
In the depths of his heart, Wang Liben roared with twisted fury.
Like a fanatic whose god has abandoned him to love someone else, he was filled with hatred and resentment!
Later, when Gong Ze used the excuse of a promotion to transfer Wang Liben away from his side — making it impossible for him to stay close to Gong Ze as he used to — Wang Liben’s sorrow and hatred grew by the day.
Having learned that Gong Ze had suddenly taken five days of leave, Wang Liben was worried.
He had barely managed to find an excuse to replace the driver, just to see Gong Ze and ease his yearning. But instead, he discovered that his young master had not only forgiven the son of his enemy but was also bringing him to the company.
Didn’t his young master know that as long as Sang You lived, he would forever threaten the Sang family fortune that Gong Ze had so painstakingly obtained?
Young master, what exactly are you thinking?!
Do you like him that much? So much that you’ve forgotten your own hatred?
Especially when he noticed the obvious hint of sexual indulgence between Gong Ze’s brows and the shamelessly seductive look on Sang You’s face, Wang Liben instantly understood that the two of them had done everything.
Hearing Gong Ze say he couldn’t bear to let that sickly brat give birth, that he had to accommodate him even in bed — Wang Liben’s heart ached with a mix of jealousy and madness!
“I could do so much more! I’m not as delicate as he is! My young master could use this body of mine however he wants! I could satisfy him! Why has my young master been bewitched by Sang You?!”
Looking at Sang You now, Wang Liben had clearly developed murderous intentions.
He watched Gong Ze and Sang You get out of the car and enter the company, his eyes as dark and oppressive as the sky before a thunderstorm.
“Young master, you only need to believe in me.”
·
·
Just before arriving at the company, Gong Ze woke Sang You up. With his arm around the young man, he covered the back of his head with his hand to prevent Sang You — who had just woken up — from catching a chill in the cold air when he got out of the car.
Over in the smoking room, a bunch of old hands were gathered, smoking and slacking off.
“So, what do you think? That new chairman of ours — is his position really legitimate?”
“Tsk tsk, legitimate? His ulterior motives are obvious to everyone!”
Even though no one at the company had said it outright, the story of Gong Ze telling the board that Sang You was sick and that he would take over the company in his stead had already spread among the employees and management.
“It’s clearly a live-in son-in-law killing his father-in-law and then the young master — a fortune-hunter taking everything.”
“That talk about illness is all fake! Director Sang really let a wolf into the house. Sigh — a poor college student with no parents, and just like that, he turns into Chairman Gong.”
“If I weren’t so softhearted, I’d go hook myself a rich heiress too. Maybe I’d get to inherit my father-in-law’s fortune, get a promotion, make a killing, and become a widower all at once!”
The bald man’s tone was sour and envious.
The other male colleagues around him chuckled lowly, cigarettes between their lips.
“I give it a few more days before the young master Sang ‘dies of illness.’”
“Heh, definitely…”
After finishing their cigarettes, the group had just returned to their seats when a colleague pulled them aside. “Come here, quick. Guess what? Today, Mr. Gong brought the young master Sang with him to the company!”
They were shocked. “What? Young master Sang is fine?”
The colleague looked confused. “Of course he’s fine. He looked radiant. Why?”
The group waved their hands guiltily. “N-no reason.”
Exchanging glances, they averted their eyes, not daring to bring up their earlier conversation again.
Gong Ze didn’t hide anything. In front of the entire company, he brought Sang You into his office.
In just one morning, Sang You’s identity had spread throughout the company. The old foxes on the board also received the news and were scratching their heads, trying to figure out what Gong Ze’s move meant.
“Hiss… Isn’t Gong Ze trying to seize the Sang family fortune? Why would he actually bring the young master out?”
What happened to the strategy of “holding the emperor hostage to command the nobles”?
The directors opposed to Gong Ze gathered together, utterly baffled.
“Could it be that his talk of being an acting chairman is genuine? Did he really take power just to stop us from sidelining the young master Sang?”
“No way. Faced with a fortune this big, how could Gong Ze not be tempted? I refuse to believe he can resist cutting the young master out and truly keep him by his side.”
An elderly man with deep, thoughtful eyes narrowed them. “Alright. Time will tell a horse’s strength. Let’s just wait and see.”
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