Chapter 39.2: You really have improper thoughts about me!

At this moment, when Cheng Yao looked at Qian Heng again, she saw him staring at her with a cold sneer.

“Awake now?”

Not just awake—she was wide awake, crystal clear, and internally screaming.

But fortunately, Cheng Yao had thick skin. She shamelessly put on a cheerful face, pretending nothing had happened. “Boss, why are you out of your room too? You’re still up?”

Qian Heng expressionlessly replied, “Isn’t it because someone called me and dared me to answer?”

“…”

Qian Heng glanced at her again, but surprisingly, he didn’t press the issue further. Instead, he turned around, preparing to head back into his room.

Cheng Yao quickly grabbed the corner of his pajama top. “Boss! Did you notice? The power’s out! Oh no, what should we do?! At this time of night, you must still have a ton of work to handle, right? Will this affect your overtime? Is your laptop battery still good? Do you need to borrow mine?”

No matter what, the surroundings were still pitch dark. Sure, her boss was almost as scary as a ghost, but at least he was warm and alive…

Cheng Yao’s mind was in turmoil, but her hands had already made the decision for her—they firmly clung to Qian Heng’s sleeve.

At a time like this, as long as she wasn’t alone, anything was fine—even getting scolded by Qian Heng was better than isolation!

But perhaps she pulled too hard, or maybe his pajamas were too loose. His neckline was already wide, and with her tugging—whoosh—his top slid halfway off, exposing half of his shoulder, a beautifully sculpted chest, and a defined waistline…

Although people always say don’t look at things you shouldn’t , well—Cheng Yao thought— you know what? It actually looks really good.

Objectively speaking, if Qian Heng were to go into that profession, with a physique like his, he’d be charging at least 10,000 yuan a night…

Cheng Yao remained calm.

Qian Heng, on the other hand, reacted as if he were an innocent maiden being harassed by a rogue. He immediately pulled his shirt back up, clutching the loose neckline tightly with both hands, covering himself so thoroughly that even his collarbone was completely hidden.

“Cheng Yao, I misjudged you.”

Cheng Yao: ???

Qian Heng glared at her. “So you really are just like the others. You finally couldn’t hold back and revealed your true nature.”

Wait, wait… what?!

“Although it’s just the two of us alone in the dark, and I can understand how someone might lose their composure when faced with someone like me, you need to restrain yourself.”

Boss, are you sure you didn’t accidentally pick up the female lead’s script?!

Cheng Yao weakly defended herself, “I didn’t… It was an accident…”

Qian Heng, however, had evidence. “Just now, your eyes never left my waist. You even had a pervy look, as if you were calculating something.”

I’m innocent!!! I was just estimating how much you’d be worth in the escort industry!!!

Cheng Yao wanted to explain further, but Qian Heng simply waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget it. Don’t say anything more.”

He looked at Cheng Yao with an expression full of pity.

“I understand.”

Understand what exactly?!

“Alright, I’m going back to my room. It’s best if we don’t see each other right now—I think my face and body might be too much of a temptation for you.” Qian Heng spoke with the air of a benevolent saint. “When you feel like you can’t control yourself, recite the Great Compassion Mantra or take a cold shower.”

Under normal circumstances, Cheng Yao would have turned on her heel and left, letting Qian Heng see what true indifference looked like.

But tonight was different. Tonight, Cheng Yao had just finished watching a horror movie, the power was still out, and the mere thought of being alone made her shiver.

No matter what, she had to keep Qian Heng here! Stall him! Make him stay with her until the power came back on!

So once again, Cheng Yao grabbed onto Qian Heng. “Boss, I really have something to talk to you about!”

Qian Heng remained on guard, his hands still clutching his collar. “What is it?”

Gritting her teeth, Cheng Yao forced herself to sound righteous. “I want to discuss the family trust dispute we’re taking on tomorrow!”

“No.” Qian Heng was blunt. “The living room is too cold. I’m going back to my room.”

“Then I’ll go to your room to discuss it!”

Qian Heng immediately extended an arm to block her from stepping inside. “Then let’s just talk in the living room.”

Cheng Yao was confused. The living room really was cold—she rubbed her hands together. “Why not go inside your room? Don’t you have floor heating in there? If not, you can come to my room, mine’s warm.”

“No.”

Cheng Yao held it in for a moment but couldn’t resist blurting out, “I’m so much shorter than you! Do you really think I’d be able to do anything to you in the middle of the night? What’s with that overly cautious expression?”

She thought her words would finally leave Qian Heng speechless. But instead, he let out a cold snort and replied without missing a beat, “Have you read Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils ?”

“…Huh???”

“In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils , Lady Ma and Qiao Feng were alone in a room. She tried to seduce him, failed, and then turned her love into hatred, falsely accusing him afterward.” ¹ This reference from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (天龙八部) by Jin Yong (Louis Cha) is about a classic wuxia trope involving betrayal and false accusations.

In the novel, Ma Dayuan’s wife (Lady Ma) tries to seduce Qiao Feng , but he rejects her. Humiliated and resentful, she turns her love into hatred and later falsely accuses Qiao Feng, contributing to the series of misunderstandings and betrayals that lead to his downfall.

In story’s context, Qian Heng referenced this story to imply that Cheng Yao, as a woman, might falsely accuse him if they were alone in a room together. Basically, he was being overly dramatic and distrustful, as if assuming Cheng Yao would act like Lady Ma.

Cheng Yao was utterly lost. “And???”

“So what if you later falsely accuse me of improper conduct just because we were alone in a room together? How would I prove my innocence?”

“…”

“Fine, fine! The living room it is!”

Forget it— a wise person knows when to back down!

“Five minutes.”

“Family trusts are still a relatively new concept in the country. Since the implementation of the Trust Law in 2001, only a few people have actually put it into practice. It’s only in recent years that many wealthy entrepreneurs have started considering how to protect their family assets. I’ve looked into the Trust Law , but I’m still unclear about some operational aspects—like the independence of trust assets, the process of transferring and registering them, and the tax implications. Also, between domestic and offshore family trusts, which one currently holds the advantage?”

Although coming up with this topic was a desperate move to keep Qian Heng around, as a family law attorney, Cheng Yao had actually studied the Trust Law in her spare time. The questions she asked weren’t fake—she genuinely wanted answers.

Clearly, Qian Heng was a little surprised that she could bring up such technical questions. “You have done some research. Generally, family trusts can include cash, stock equity, real estate, and so on. But because of the transfer system from the trustor to the trustee, it relies on the non-transactional transfer system. Currently, non-transactional transfers are limited to inheritance and gifting, which creates issues when processing trust transfers. As a result, domestic trust institutions tend to favor assets like cash and stocks instead.”

…

Five minutes passed.

Qian Heng didn’t tell Cheng Yao to leave.

Ten minutes passed.

Qian Heng was still deep in explanation.

Fifteen minutes later…

Qian Heng seemed even more engrossed in the discussion.

He and Cheng Yao went back and forth—Cheng Yao had completely forgotten that she had started this just to stall for time. She nodded continuously, absorbing the information, occasionally lowering her head in thought, and even interrupting to ask questions.

By the time Qian Heng answered her last question, nearly thirty minutes had passed…

“As for the issue of domestic versus offshore trusts,” Qian Heng finally said, “I’ve been researching that recently too. It’s complex and not easy to explain briefly. Come to my room—I have notes I’ve organized that will help you understand it better.”

Cheng Yao: ???

Seeing Cheng Yao standing there in a daze, Qian Heng turned back and shot her an unreserved eye-roll. “Why are you just standing there? Get in the room. Do you want me to freeze to death out here?”

But, Boss… Weren’t you the one who swore you’d never let me into your room, afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself and do this and that to you?