Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 68

Inspection

Jiang Zhou restrained himself, taking two steps back, his gaze sharply sweeping over Xu Binbin, who had already stood up.

“You said he called you here?” Jiang Zhou repeated the boy’s accusation, his tone flat but carrying an immense, inexplicable pressure.

“Then tell me the specific time, how he contacted you, what resources he promised, and what evidence you have?”

Xu Binbin hadn’t had time to fabricate so many details.

Jiang Zhou’s barrage of questions made the already guilty boy even more incoherent.

“I…” Xu Binbin stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence.

“The company’s artist contract explicitly includes professional ethics clauses. False accusations, and—” Jiang Zhou’s eyes swept over the boy’s disheveled appearance.

“—misconduct. Any one of these is enough to terminate your contract immediately and require you to pay a huge penalty.”

His voice was calm and emotionless, merely stating facts, but it instantly drained the color from Xu Binbin’s face.

“CEO Jiang, I didn’t—”

“It was Teacher Shen! He really did call me here! He even left the door unlocked for me!”

Shen Zhiyu let out a soft “Oh,” drawing out the final syllable. “So that door was left open for you, was it?”

“You! Teacher Shen, you’re turning on me! If you hadn’t called me, why would I have come!”

“I’m only eighteen! What do I know! You’re the one who lured me, you’re shameless, you—”

Jiang Zhou’s gaze sliced through the air, cold and sharp. Xu Binbin abruptly stopped speaking, a shiver running inexplicably down his spine.

Jiang Zhou no longer wanted to hear him drag Shen Zhiyu down and only wanted this farce to end quickly.

“Regarding your accusation, do you require me to immediately contact the legal department and your manager for an on-the-spot verification? Surveillance footage, communication records, witnesses—we can go through them one by one.”

“Think carefully before you answer. This is your last chance.” The words were clear and cold, carrying undeniable authority.

Xu Binbin instantly realized that his clumsy performance was powerless against absolute authority.

The man before him was CEO Jiang, who could determine his life and career, not someone he could manipulate at will.

“No… no need…”

“I’m sorry! Teacher Shen! I’m sorry! I was talking nonsense! It was me, I liked Teacher Shen too much, I was misled… It has nothing to do with Teacher Shen! I slandered him! I’m sorry! Truly sorry!”

He apologized incoherently toward Shen Zhiyu, not daring to look up at his expression, much less meet Jiang Zhou’s gaze.

Jiang Zhou watched his pathetic repentance expressionlessly. Only after he finished did Jiang Zhou coldly utter a single word:

“Scram.”

Xu Binbin felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. He grabbed his clothes and scrambled out of the room.

The room suddenly fell quiet.

Shen Zhiyu took two steps forward, nearly pressing against Jiang Zhou.

The fresh scent of his shower mixed with the smell of alcohol wrapped around Jiang Zhou brazenly.

Jiang Zhou frowned.

He had been drinking again. If he had arrived a moment later, Xu Binbin might have succeeded. Thinking of this, an inexplicable surge of anger flared in his heart. It wasn’t for anyone else, but for Shen Zhiyu.

He was angry that Shen Zhiyu didn’t protect himself, angry that he drank despite knowing he shouldn’t, and angry that he was alone in the room yet didn’t lock the door…

Suddenly realizing his own emotions, Jiang Zhou stepped back in disbelief. How could he attribute the problem to Shen Zhiyu?

He should be blaming himself; he hadn’t protected Shen Zhiyu well enough, and his arrangements hadn’t been thorough enough.

How could he blame Shen Zhiyu?

A heavy sense of oppression suddenly surged in his chest. Jiang Zhou struggled to breathe, gasping for air.

Shen Zhiyu thought he was hurting himself again and quickly grabbed his hand. But Jiang Zhou’s palm was smooth and clean; there was nothing there.

Shen Zhiyu sighed in relief and reached out to gently stroke his chest. “What’s wrong?” Jiang Zhou, overwhelmed by unfamiliar emotions, felt his limbs go weak. He leaned against the other man for a moment, waiting for his mind to settle.

“I’m fine.” Jiang Zhou steadied himself and gently pushed Shen Zhiyu away.

“I will handle this matter. Teacher Shen doesn’t need to worry. Get some rest.” Jiang Zhou finished speaking and turned to leave.

“Jiang Zhou! You want me to sleep in the bed that his naked body was just in?” Shen Zhiyu looked utterly incredulous.

“He got into your bed?” Jiang Zhou had thought what he saw when he pushed the door open was the whole story, not realizing the bed-climbing incident.

He nervously looked Shen Zhiyu up and down.

His clothes were relatively neat, but his exposed skin was faintly flushed, and his eyes held a silky, seductive charm.

That Xu Binbin had actually seen him in such a state, and had even climbed into his bed naked.

At this thought, a frantic possessiveness over a private belonging surged in Jiang Zhou’s heart.

Jiang Zhou used immense self-control to forcibly suppress this insane possessiveness.

“Yes,” Shen Zhiyu said, his tone sounding slightly wronged. “I specifically left that door open for you. Who knew CEO Jiang would take so long and let someone else get a head start?”

“But, thankfully, CEO Jiang arrived in time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t just lose my innocence; I’d also be stuck with the scandal of sleeping with a rookie.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhou frowned in strong disapproval, but when he heard that Shen Zhiyu had been leaving the door open for him, a shameful delight uncontrollably arose in his heart.

“That won’t happen. Everyone is here,” Jiang Zhou said, making his voice sound as steady as possible.

“I’ll have them arrange a new room for you.”

“No,” Shen Zhiyu refused.

“You still want to stay here? Then I’ll have them clean—”

“Jiang Zhou,” Shen Zhiyu interrupted him. “I’m scared.”

“?”

Jiang Zhou looked up at him.

The man claimed to be scared, yet there was no fear on his face; instead, a faint smile lingered in the corners of his eyes.

Shen Zhiyu continued, “It was him tonight, but tomorrow it might be someone else. If I get bitten back again, it won’t just be a simple case of sleeping with a rookie.”

“So, for the sake of my reputation, shouldn’t CEO Jiang protect me personally?”

—

Jiang Zhou brought Shen Zhiyu back to his own room.

His room was also a suite, right next door to Shen Zhiyu’s.

Shen Zhiyu’s shoes were dirty, so he had walked over barefoot. Jiang Zhou gave him a new pair of slippers.

Shen Zhiyu went into the bathroom to wash up again.

Jiang Zhou called Wei Yan to instruct him on handling the aftermath. Originally, he had intended to show a sliver of mercy since Xu Binbin was young, but after hearing Shen Zhiyu mention that the boy had actually climbed into his bed naked, he decided not to leave any room for leniency.

After hanging up the phone, the sound of running water stopped, and Shen Zhiyu’s voice came from the bathroom.

“Jiang Zhou—”

Jiang Zhou walked over and asked from the doorway, “What is it?”

“Come in and inspect.”

Inspect? Had something gone wrong inside again?

Jiang Zhou pushed the door open.

The steam in the bathroom had not yet dissipated, and a wave of warm, humid air washed over him.

Shen Zhiyu stood in the hazy mist, completely naked, water dripping from his wet hair.

Jiang Zhou gasped in shock, his eyes searching for somewhere to land.

Although the two of them had been intimate several times, they had never faced each other so clearly and directly.

Jiang Zhou’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently. The sight before him shattered his rationality, and heat surged through him.

“Inspect… what…” Jiang Zhou’s voice was hoarse, almost lost.

Shen Zhiyu walked toward him barefoot, water droplets trailing onto the wet bathroom tiles with his movements.

“Here—” Shen Zhiyu’s voice, softened by the moisture in the air, was slightly gentler than usual. His fingertip lightly touched the area below his collarbone. “And here—” His finger slid down. “It feels a little dirty.”

Dirty!

Jiang Zhou’s mind buzzed.

Damn it! He should have had Xu Binbin’s hands chopped off.

Possessiveness was quietly consuming his rationality, and Jiang Zhou was completely unaware.

“Jiang Zhou?”

Jiang Zhou snapped back to attention and stepped into the bathroom.

He stopped in front of Shen Zhiyu, looking intently at the places Shen Zhiyu had pointed to, his gaze deep.

The smooth skin had nothing but the flush caused by the heat and the wet water droplets. It was temptingly clean.

“There’s nothing dirty,” Jiang Zhou’s voice was extremely dry.

“Is that so?” Shen Zhiyu frowned slightly, seemingly unconvinced. He leaned forward a little more, almost resting against Jiang Zhou. “But I keep feeling a little itchy…”

He grabbed Jiang Zhou’s wrist, guiding his hand toward the side of his neck. “Feel it. Is it a little red?”

As his fingertips touched the warm, slick skin, Jiang Zhou’s breath hitched as if he had been burned.

The pulse beneath his fingers beat clearly and rapidly. He couldn’t tell if it was Shen Zhiyu’s or the illusion of his own blood surging.

Jiang Zhou’s fingers trembled slightly. He wanted to pull his hand back, but his body remained rooted against his will, even greedily wanting more contact.

Shen Zhiyu lowered his head and leaned closer, his warm breath brushing Jiang Zhou’s cheek. His eyes were shimmering with moisture. While his words asked for an inspection, they hid a hook of temptation underneath.

“Have you inspected thoroughly, CEO Jiang?”

“Is my innocence still intact?”

The last few words were almost a whisper, mixing with the humid air of the bathroom, heavily striking Jiang Zhou’s crumbling rationality.

Jiang Zhou’s breathing was completely erratic.

“CEO Jiang?” Shen Zhiyu stared at him intently, his eyes pure, seemingly waiting for his answer.

“It is.” The skin under his palm grew hotter and hotter. Jiang Zhou wanted to withdraw his hand, but Shen Zhiyu held him fast.

Shen Zhiyu led him two steps further inside and, with a *snap*, turned on the overhead shower.

Scalding hot water poured down from above, completely drenching Jiang Zhou.

Before Jiang Zhou could react, Shen Zhiyu pulled him into an embrace.

Jiang Zhou stood in the curtain of water, looking up slightly at Shen Zhiyu through the hazy mist.

Shen Zhiyu looked down at him, water droplets sliding down his cheeks, like a jade carving washed by rain, possessing a breathtaking fragility and beauty.

“CEO Jiang hasn’t finished inspecting—” His voice, mixed with the sound of the water, carried a wet, seductive quality.

Jiang Zhou was lured by his voice, sinking deeper with every step, his palms tracing every corner of the other man’s body with burning heat.

He instinctively moved to lean down, but Shen Zhiyu tightly clasped his waist.

Jiang Zhou looked up in confusion, then, through the misty white curtain of water, saw the burning desire and a silent declaration in the other man’s eyes.

He realized what it was. A wave of panic washed over him, and rationality screamed sharply in his mind.