Chapter 39: I’ll Be a Beast One More Time

After the two of them went upstairs, Old Master He put down his teacup and adjusted the sleeves of his Tai Chi uniform: “At least you brat haven’t completely lost your senses. Just let Jiang Yu stay at Han Palace Mansion for the night, and tomorrow when the Song family comes over, return her to them.”

He Lian raised his eyelids, his expression sinking a bit: “Impossible.”

Old Master He furrowed his brows: “What? Are you seriously dead set on forcibly keeping Jiang Yu for yourself?”

He Lian: “Yeah.”

“…” Old Master He gritted his teeth, “You absolute bandit!”

Just as Butler He walked into the room, he saw the grandfather and grandson at loggerheads and hurriedly signaled the servants to pour He Lian a cup of tea to smooth things over.

“Second Young Master, it’s not easy for you to make a trip back, so don’t pick a fight with the old master. The old master was so happy this morning, he even specially asked the kitchen to make your favorite spun-sugar sweet potatoes.”

Caught red-handed, Old Master He tightened his weathered face: “Stop talking nonsense! Who cares about this little brat! I made that for myself to eat!”

He Lian raised an eyebrow: “Aren’t you worried it’ll stick to your dentures?”

Furious, Old Master He slammed his hand against his thigh. Too lazy to bicker with him, he steered the conversation back: “Don’t play the fool either. Jiang Yu has to be sent back. He is Jingyue’s fiancé after all, how can you keep him by your side?”

“I’ve already represented the Duan and Song families in calling off the engagement.” He Lian said lazily, pulling out a cigarette to smoke. “Besides, the Song family agreed to it too. At most, the two of them are currently relations of being fellow Earthlings.”

“……Then all the more reason to send him back.”

“The Song family wants to kill him for his inheritance.”

As soon as those words fell, both Old Master He and Butler He froze.

The former paused mid-reach for his teacup, a fierce, bone-chilling coldness surging up within him: “What did you say?”

He Lian crossed his legs, his gaze turning exceptionally cold at the memory of that night: “Old man, what do you think made me fire a gun at the old Song residence? Old Master Song left all his inheritance to Jiang Yu. If I hadn’t taken him away that day, he would’ve died for sure.”

Butler He gasped audibly and quietly seated himself.

“Do you know what kind of life Jiang Yu lived in the Song family? Starved of food, lacking proper clothes, covered head-to-toe in injuries. Those people in the Song family took advantage of his mental instability to beat and curse him at will. I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore, which is why I took Jiang Yu away. And now you’re telling me to send him back to that hellhole?”

It was the first time Old Master He had heard of this matter, and his expression turned considerably more serious.

Jiang Yu was around He Zhiyi’s age, and upon looking at him for a moment earlier, he felt the child was rather pleasing to the eye. Although this grandson of his was a scoundrel, he wouldn’t act recklessly when it came to matters of principle.

He believed He Lian’s words.

The old master picked up his teacup, his voice lowering: “Then since you don’t want to hand Jiang Yu over, why bother making the trip back here, only to meet with the Song family?”

He Lian exhaled a puff of smoke, staring up at the ornate chandelier overhead, and sneered: “Shen Jin has already passed the message along. The inheritance has been returned, and the art exhibition has been held, yet they still shamelessly came asking for people. Naturally, I have to teach these dogmatic bastards who keep pushing their luck a lesson.”

Old Master He savored his tea, mulling over the peak of the Song family’s influence as he silently pondered.

Although the He and Song families didn’t have much interaction, as a grandfather, sitting by and watching that child get abused to death felt wrong to him as well. Uncomfortably, he loosened his stance: “Fine, just don’t go overboard. Talk to the Song family properly, and don’t let him cause trouble for your dad’s side.”

He Lian remained silent.

His grandfather had served as a military district commander for the better part of his life and was utterly upright; he had anticipated that the old man would agree.

Butler He felt somewhat relieved. Just as lunch was ready, He Lian got up and headed upstairs.

Pushing open the door to the cloakroom, he was about to speak when his pupils shrank slightly.

He Zhiyi had interned at Star Fashion magazine some time ago, and her styling aesthetic had improved considerably. Under her hands, Jiang Yu had also been transformed into a distinctly feminine style.

She had chosen a lake-blue off-the-shoulder slim-fit dress, paired with her own black thin-heeled stilettos. The soft fabric wrapped around Jiang Yu’s slender and graceful curves, and her long hair had been permed into large, undulating waves.

Jiang Yu raised her head, her face made up with delicate, subtle makeup. Her previous pallor was gone, replaced by an overwhelming charm.

The palm holding the door handle grew somewhat hot, and He Lian swallowed lightly.

He Zhiyi spread her hands toward Jiang Yu, gesturing up and down: “Ta-da! Brother, how is it?”

There was no answer from the opposite side.

Thinking her brother was stunned dumb, He Zhiyi smiled slyly and gently pushed Jiang Yu forward.

Jiang Yu had never worn high heels before. Stumbling twice, she fell forward into the man.

He Zhiyi silently cheered a mental yes!

He Lian instinctively caught her.

With lipstick applied, Jiang Yu’s complexion looked much better, and the exquisiteness of her facial features had stepped up a notch. Her fluttering eyelashes lifted, blinking slowly.

“It’s… time to eat.”

He Lian’s lips felt somewhat stiff. He pulled Jiang Yu along to head out, but at the corner, he suddenly scooped her up in his arms, strode into another spacious room in just a few steps, and kicked the door shut behind them.

The sound of the door slamming startled He Zhiyi.

She stood in the hallway and stared, thinking to herself that this move was certainly effective.

On the other side, He Lian placed Jiang Yu onto a chair, his wide palms resting on her supple shoulders. Breathing heavily, he leaned down, no longer able to conceal the desire in his eyes.

Jiang Yu’s hands clenched tightly at her sides. This guy couldn’t possibly be planning to do it right here… in broad daylight, with a whole bunch of people downstairs!

Just as she was trying to figure out how to reject He Lian, she heard him say: “Ah-yu, I know you don’t understand what I’m about to do, but… I’m sorry, I’m going to be a beast one more time.”

With that, He Lian cupped Jiang Yu’s small face and impatiently kissed her.

Jiang Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

It wasn’t as if she had never kissed He Lian before, but this time was obviously different. His movements were exceptionally gentle, carrying a deep, lingering tenderness, as if he were savoring some rare delicacy.

From time to time, he gently nibbled with his teeth, bringing a tingling pain.

Then he slid his hand down to interlace his fingers tightly with hers.

The warmth of He Lian’s palm washed over her. Jiang Yu’s arms trembled slightly, feeling somewhat dazed by his pacing. Her whole body felt as though it were soaking in warm water, and instinctual feelings made her involuntarily grip his hand back.

Yet it lasted only a split second before she immediately loosened her grip, terrified that He Lian might notice.

Fortunately, the man was utterly lost in the moment. It wasn’t until Jiang Yu nearly let out a soft moan that he reluctantly let go.

With his lips leaving hers, Jiang Yu lightly bit her lower lip where he couldn’t see.

Her heart fluttered continuously.

He Lian pressed his forehead against hers, taking quite a while to steady his breathing before speaking in a hoarse voice: “Seriously, why did He Zhiyi make you look so gorgeous? This is practically going to torture me to death.”

Looking down, Jiang Yu naturally noticed the man’s intense physical reaction, and her face burned even hotter.

Why hadn’t she ever felt this sort of thing before…

When it came to bed, He Lian was always so wild, treating it practically like a mission.

He Lian lifted her chin, noticeably pausing for a moment.

Why was the little fool’s face so red this time?

Did he bite her too hard just now?

“Ah-yu?”

He Lian tested the waters: “Does it hurt?”

Jiang Yu couldn’t quite put into words where it hurt; everything just felt strange. She bit the bullet and nodded.

He Lian fetched a pair of plush slippers from the room, knelt on one knee in front of her, and helped her change out of them.

Sky-high heels were out of the question; he always heard He Zhiyi grumble about foot pain.

Jiang Yu wouldn’t know when it hurt, so getting blisters would be bad.

After changing her shoes, He Lian took another deep breath before pulling her to her feet.

Looking down at the crown of Jiang Yu’s ink-black hair, he muttered to himself: “Damn it, this is killing me.”

Jiang Yu didn’t raise her head, gently biting her lip.

Who’s telling you it isn’t?

It really is killing me.

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