It was quite peaceful for Serena in the following days to work without dealing with Yao Luli’s schemes. Jianyu and Serena were also quickly growing fond of each other. There was a dangerous attraction slowly budding between them and which both of them were aware of.
Jianyu wanted to deny his feelings for that idiot, but his eyes would always wander off to where she was and what she was doing. Her smile was really infectious. He would find himself smiling with her for no reason.
One evening, as usual, she was working on creating a new design in the living room when the lights suddenly went off.
“Huh? Jianyu?” Serena called out. It was completely black.
“Yeah. The lights are off. Wait, I will check.”
He came back after two minutes and said, “Well, the whole area is dark. They said it would take some time.”
“Ah, then there are some candles in my room, in the drawer of my bedside table. Will you light them up?”
“Sure. You stay where you are.”
“En.”
Jianyu switched on his mobile flashlight and made his way towards her room. He opened the drawer and found the candles. But his sight went onto the papers below.
They were application forms for interviews of different interior design companies. They were not old since it had recent dates entered—some of five days back, some of yesterday.
He frowned.
Does Serena want to look for a new company?
“Jianyu? Did you find the candles?”
“Ah? Ah, yes. I’m coming.”
He lighted them and sat in front of Serena.
“Thanks. I guess I will have to stop here for now. It will fry my head off I try to work in such dim light.”
She sighed and cleaned things up.
Jianyu asked, “Um, you didn’t say that you are looking for a new place to work?”
Serena froze.
“How do you know?”
“Ah, sorry…” He felt embarrassed. “when I rummaged through your drawer, I saw some interview forms. Sorry, I shouldn’t have peeked at them.”
“No, it’s fine…”
Jianyu found it a little odd. By now, she would have definitely teased him for apologizing to her. She lacked her usual cheerfulness.
“Is there any problem? How can it be that you haven’t said something stupid to annoy me by now?”
Serena’s face darkened. “You are mean!”
He snorted.
“So? You just recently joined after your internship, right? Why do you want to change so soon?”
“I…”
He thought of something and asked, “Is it that woman again? What was her name…Yao something…Did she come back to trouble you?”
“No, she is still under suspension.”
Jianyu didn’t understand. “Then?”
Serena was fidgeting with her fingers.
Jianyu narrowed his eyes. He was getting a bad feeling.
“What are you hiding from me? Tell me the truth. Did any problem occur with the deal you got from Chen Corps?”
If that were the case, then he would definitely help her solve the problem.
He was Chen Jianyu, after all.
“No! It’s going alright. Nothing is wrong with the deal.”
“Then will you please tell me what is going on? I’m getting worried now.”
Serena bit her lower lip. “Alright…it happened last week.”
“What?”
Serena didn’t know why, but she was afraid to tell him. She was scared if he would judge her or misunderstand her. She was never that unsure in her whole life. She was always straightforward and headstrong.
But now that she had realized that she has begun to like Jianyu, she didn’t want him to feel disappointed in her. Although she was not at fault in the incident, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.
“Last week, I was in a meeting with the boss regarding the Chen Corps deal. We were sitting beside each other, discussing the designs when he suddenly…started f-feeling my thighs.”
“WHAT!!?” Jianyu stood up, enraged.
Serena panicked. She was also shocked by seeing what the boss was doing. She never thought he was a freaking, disgusting pervert inside. No wonder he said he wanted to have the meeting alone.
“I felt something wrong when he was trying to get closer to me, but I thought I’m imagining things. But then I understood that he was trying to hit on me.”
He gritted his teeth. “This happened last week. Whole seven days went by, and you are telling me this now!? Why did you keep quiet about it?”
An unknown fury was rising within Jianyu. The thought of another man touching Serena unleashed a storm inside him. He wanted to gauge that b*stard’s eyes out; he wanted to break every bone in his body; he wanted to torture him so bad that he would feel his life is a living hell.
His eyes held a glint of viciousness in them that Serena never saw before. He was always so gentle and calm. But, now, he looked the exact opposite. His whole body was trembling as if he was itching to murder someone.
Who the f*ck does he think he is to touch my Serena!?
His mind was clouded only with the intent to kill him.
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
He didn’t say a word and started to storm out of the house.
“Jianyu! Wait! Where are you going?” She quickly followed him.
“To kill that son of a b*tch!”
She tried to hold his hands to stop him, but he shook it off.
“Jianyu, listen to me!”
He ignored her. He was about to open the door when Serena came in front of him. “Stop!”
“Out of my way.” He said in such a dangerously low voice that it sent shivers down her spine.
She gulped. “Jianyu, please calm down. I had kicked him hard in his balls after what he tried to do. I even slapped him hard. And he still hasn’t recovered from him hehe. You know he still walks like a broken stick.”
“Do you think this is funny?”
She took a step back when he squinted his eyes. “No, I was just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Well, it didn’t, so get out now.”
“No!” She held his face and said, “I know you are angry, and I’m sorry for hiding this, but I thought you would be d-disgusted by me. I don’t know what got over me.”
“He tried to cross his limits, so what was your fault in that? You are so stupid!”
He didn’t wish to waste his time anymore in talking. Jianyu was really close to losing his patience. “Leave!”
“And what will you do!? Kill him? Do you want to go to jail?”
Jianyu looked at her as if she was an idiot.
Jail? Him?
Jinhai and he had the whole underworld in their control, in the palm of their hands, and here she thinks that he will go to jail?
Right, she doesn’t know my true identity yet.
He chuckled sinisterly. “You don’t have to worry about that. I won’t go to jail, I promise.”
Serena didn’t understand where he was getting his confidence. She felt that he meant what he was saying. But she only knew one thing that she didn’t want to create such serious trouble for him. If something happened to him, then she wouldn’t be able to take it. She cannot lose him because of her!
The thought of losing Jianyu was enough to make her feel breathless. Her eyes rimmed in tears.
The rage in his eyes finally started to clear out, seeing her tears dropping.
“Jianyu! You have to swear to me that you will not go anywhere. If you do, then…then I will surely die today. And I will haunt you for the rest of your life for killing me so young.”
Jianyu was finding it hard, reigning his temper. He grabbed her arm and dragged her back inside.
“Alright, tell me!”
Serena sighed in relief.
The boss and she were having their usual meeting except he said for others not to take part in it. Serena was puzzled for sure, but she didn’t mind. In the meeting room, instead of sitting opposite to her, he took his seat beside her. But she shrugged it off.
As the meeting was progressing, she found it uncomfortable when he was inching closer to her. He purposely brushed his arm against hers, but she withdrew it quickly. Her brain was ringing alarm bells inside. Then he leaned forward and made it look like he accidentally grabbed her thighs.
Serena couldn’t take it anymore, and she stood up and slapped him on his cheek.
The boss was furious. “How dare you! Are you out of your mind!?”
“I think you are out of your mind.” Serena glared at him. “You are disgusting. Do you think I’m a fool who couldn’t understand what you are doing?”
“What did I do? It was an accident. Apologize to me now!”
“Accident my a**!”
The boss panicked. Truth to be told, he was always interested in her. He would always check her out whenever she was in his line of sight. But she was a little rowdy and aggressive that he didn’t like in her. He thought it would be good if she could be innocent and docile that so that he could control her.
