Chapter 14: General Bai, Please Have Some Self-Respect
"Don’t move."
Bai Ye’s thumb pressed precisely against the most sensitive spot on Yun Sheng’s wrist. The pad of his thumb was warm and calloused, applying unyielding pressure.
Yun Sheng’s entire body stiffened. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it in a firm grip.
"General Bai!" She glared up at him, her voice low but sparking with anger. "Show some self-respect!"
Bai Ye ignored her accusation.
He lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes falling to where their wrists touched. His fingertip slowly, deliberately, caressed her delicate skin.
"!!"
Yun Sheng shuddered violently. An indescribable, tingling numbness, mingled with the fury of being violated, shot straight to her head.
Almost without thinking, she swung her other hand toward the side of his face!
"SMACK!"
The crisp sound was especially jarring in the quiet room.
But the slap never landed.
Bai Ye’s other hand had caught her wrist firmly in mid-air.
Now, both her hands were in his grasp, pinned to the armrests of the sofa on either side of her.
He leaned in even lower. Their faces were mere inches apart, their breaths nearly mingling.
Yun Sheng was forced deep into the sofa, craning her neck to glare up at him.
She could clearly see the dark undercurrents swirling in the depths of his eyes, and she could feel the taut lines of his muscles and the searing heat of his body beneath his uniform.
The position was confining and alarmingly aggressive.
"Let go!"
Yun Sheng gritted her teeth and struggled, sinking deeper into the soft sofa but unable to move him an inch. Her cheeks flushed scarlet with fury.
Far from letting go, Bai Ye leaned closer, his gaze boring into her eyes.
"What are you hiding, Yun Sheng?"
Yun Sheng’s heart hammered in her chest, a mix of rage and a tremor born of being utterly controlled.
"Does General Bai want answers? Why don’t you just drag me back to the research institute and have them cut me open to see for themselves!"
"See what makes this piece of trash worthy of you going to such great lengths, resorting to this kind of interrogation!"
Bai Ye looked at her disheveled hair from her struggles, at the reddened corners of her eyes and her unflinching gaze. The force of his grip on her wrists loosened imperceptibly for an instant.
"CRASH!"
Just then, the grating sound of porcelain smashing heavily against the floor came from downstairs, immediately followed by Lin Hao’s furious, cracking roar.
"Fine, I’ll leave! I’ll leave this house right now! Happy now?!"
The sudden commotion shattered the extreme tension in the room.
A flicker of light crossed Bai Ye’s eyes. He glanced at the breathless Yun Sheng, who was just inches away, then shot a look toward the door.
Finally, he slowly released his grip and straightened up.
During that close-quarters inspection, he hadn’t detected any abnormal spiritual power fluctuations from her chaotic pulse and instinctual resistance.
His vaunted powers of observation had hit a wall with Yun Sheng.
He had no proof, but his suspicions only deepened.
Yun Sheng curled into the depths of the sofa, rubbing her reddened wrists. She watched him warily, like a frightened little animal with its quills raised.
Bai Ye stood up straight, adjusted his cuffs, and his cold, stern demeanor returned.
"Stay put. Don’t try to contact anyone you shouldn’t, or go anywhere you shouldn’t. If I find out you’ve associated with Si Jin again, or any other similar unstable elements..."
He paused, not finishing the sentence, but the unspoken warning was more menacing than any concrete threat.
"Yun Sheng, you don’t want to find out what happens next."
With that, Bai Ye didn’t linger. He turned, opened the door, and his tall figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
The door clicked shut. Yun Sheng remained curled on the sofa, unmoving for a long time.
The air still seemed to hold the man’s cold and oppressive presence. The skin on her wrists, where he had touched her, was still seared with a distinct, burning tingle. It was a long while before the sensation finally cooled.
She slowly exhaled, but her nerves remained on edge.
Bai Ye might not have found any concrete proof, but that look in his eyes before he left made it clear he wouldn’t give up so easily.
’I’m like prey being stalked by a top-tier cheetah. I’ve evaded the first pounce, but the danger is far from over...’
"KNOCK, KNOCK."
The rapping on the door, neither too light nor too heavy, sounded again.
"Miss Yun Sheng, the master has returned. He asks that you come to the study now."
The study was on the east side of the main residence’s second floor. Its heavy, solid wood door exuded an air of solemnity and detachment.
When Yun Sheng pushed the door open and entered, Lin Zhenye was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to the door.
Hearing the door open, he turned around.
"Sit."
He looked at Yun Sheng as she walked in, his face devoid of any particular expression. He simply pointed to the chair opposite his desk.
Yun Sheng did as she was told and sat down, her back straight, her posture neither deferential nor defiant.
"I know what happened in the house today. Lin Hao is impulsive and immature; I’ll discipline him. As for Yue Yao... she meant well, her methods were just inappropriate." Lin Zhenye paused, then continued, "Your mother has proposed giving you ten percent of the Lin Family’s shares as compensation."
He raised his eyes, his gaze like a torch. "Do you know what ten percent of the shares means?"
"It means I’ll have a certain amount of say in the Lin Family’s business, as well as the corresponding dividends," Yun Sheng replied calmly, as if stating an objective fact.
"More than that." Lin Zhenye leaned forward slightly, creating an invisible pressure. "It also means you will officially enter the Lin Family’s core circle of interests. It will attract more attention, and even... trouble. Given your current situation and... abilities, do you think you can handle it?"
The question was direct, even a bit cruel.
He was questioning her qualifications and testing her reaction.
Yun Sheng met his gaze, her voice still steady. "Whether I can handle it depends on whether you and Mother give me the chance. It also depends on... whether I find it necessary to accept."
She had deftly tossed the problem back to him, while also hinting at another possibility.
She didn’t necessarily have to stay with the Lin Family and accept this "compensation."
A trace of surprise flashed in Lin Zhenye’s eyes.
This daughter, just brought back from the slums, was calmer and more sharp-edged than he had expected.
"Are you blaming me?" he asked.
"No." Yun Sheng shook her head. "I’m just stating the facts. For the past eighteen years, I haven’t enjoyed a single shred of the Lin Family’s protection. Now that I’m back, if the family is willing to give me what I’m due, I will naturally learn to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. If you feel I can’t handle it, or don’t want to give it to me, I can understand that too. After all, blood ties don’t always mean everything."
Lin Zhenye fell silent.
He had anticipated many scenarios: his daughter crying pitifully, accusing Lin Hao and Lin Yueyao, or perhaps showing a fervent desire for the shares... But this calm, rational, almost cold demeanor before him was completely unexpected.
"The matter of the shares is no small thing; it requires careful consideration. You’ve just returned home, so take some time to adjust first. The Lin Family won’t treat you unfairly regarding what you’re owed. Also," Lin Zhenye changed the subject, "about Bai Ye... he seems quite focused on you? You came back from the Eighth Star Zone together. Did anything happen on the way?"