Vol. 1 - Chapter 113 - In control
"What exactly do you want?"
Yu YueLuo slumped powerlessly against the couch, unable to discern HuMing's true intentions.
'Does he want his revenge on me?'
Her mind wandered, imagining certain peculiar scenarios. She had always been someone who enjoyed a thrill, and if HuMing were to demand something of that nature, she might even agree to it.
With that thought, Yu YueLuo slowly straightened her posture and leaned toward HuMing, exposing a tantalizing glimpse of the pale skin of her chest!
Despite having given birth to Li Yue, Yu YueLuo had always taken meticulous care of herself, and there were hardly any visible traces of age on her. It was precisely this that made her confident in her charm.
Young men like HuMing---she had encountered many over the years. A simple beckon from her, and they would fall intoxicated by her charms.
Her voice turned soft and pitiful as she reached to grasp HuMing's hand.
"Han HuMing, if you're seeking payback because of my daughter, I can take her place and bear the punishment. Just please don't leak those photos. I'll do whatever you want, even if it leads us to a bedroom."
Yu YueLuo's words were frank, and with them, she laid bare her limits in front of HuMing. For the sake of those photos, she was willing to offer her body.
In a different situation, this could have easily played out like one of those scenarios you'd see in cliched Japanese 'movies'.
But HuMing calmly pulled his hand away from hers, his lips curving into a polite smile.
"Yu YueLuo, do you really think that saying something like that would have any effect on me? You're nothing more than a filthy slut."
His words, spoken in the calmest of tones, were venomous.
It felt like a slap across Yu YueLuo's face. Her cheeks burned with shame, and her chest heaved with emotion as her anger surged, making her body tremble.
Yu YueLuo hadn't expected HuMing to show her no face at all; from the looks of it, he had no interest in her.
"What exactly do you want? Just tell me!" She gritted her teeth.
The dignified facade she had carefully maintained as a proper lady was nowhere to be found.
After all, HuMing had already torn down everything she tried to conceal. At this moment, she felt as exposed as if she were standing naked in front of him.
"Lee Tian has a sum of money transferred to an unknown source. I need you to help me investigate it," HuMing said calmly as he tossed a file onto the table before her.
Yu YueLuo picked it up. Inside, it detailed how every month, for nearly ten years, Lee Tian had a large sum of unmarked money transferred outside.
"I've never seen this money before, and I never get involved in Lee Tian's work affairs!" Yu YueLuo put the file back on the table.
HuMing shrugged, clearly unbothered. "So, you're saying you can't do it?"
"How can I? If Lee Tian finds out I'm investigating him, I'll be finished!"
Yu YueLuo was unwilling to take the risk. If Lee Tian got wind of her actions, he'd surely start digging into her own affairs, and then her secrets would be exposed!
"OK, then you're no longer of any use to me." Without hesitation, HuMing stood up. Seeing his movement, Yu YueLuo instinctively reached out and grabbed him.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear as her eyes filled with panic.
HuMing looked at her calmly, then replied, "You're useless to me now. I'll trade that information for something more valuable."
With that, he freed his arm from her grasp and walked toward the door.
Yu YueLuo, struggling in her high heels, was about to follow when a server blocked her path.
"Ma'am, you haven't paid yet."
"Get lost!"
Yu YueLuo pulled a wad of cash from her bag and tossed it at the server before rushing outside, desperately trying to catch up. But HuMing was nowhere to be seen.
Breathing heavily, she leaned against the railing, feeling helpless. Quickly, however, she snapped back to reality, immediately dialing a number on her phone as if it were her last lifeline.
...
HuMing, in fact, need Yu YueLuo. But she wasn't ready to make a decision just yet.
Liang Feng had tracked the mysterious transfers in Lee Tian's accounts, but digging further was beyond his reach. Yu YueLuo's vulnerability was a perfect opportunity---why not exploit it?
As for Yu YueLuo's earlier attempt to seduce him? What a joke. A woman who couldn't even hold onto her dignity---if he had given in, who knows what chaos that would have led to?
HuMing wasn't the type to think with his lower half. He had seen too many in his line of work fail because they let their guard down, succumbing to temptation, only to end up dead because of it.
HuMin had warned him to always stay in control if he wanted to achieve his goals. Of course, she'd also offered to "help" him if he ever felt lonely.
As for the way she would help? HuMing could already guess it wouldn't be anything good.
Now, he just needed to keep pressuring Yu YueLuo. She knew he had the video, and if he disappeared from this world, all her problems would vanish, too.
But he would destroy any hope she had left and make her follow his plan.
HuMing pulled out his phone and noticed a message from Ye QiuXue, which had been sent sometime earlier.
[HuMing, what are you doing?]
[Talking to you.]
Within seconds, she responded.
[Crazy! Be serious. Do you want to grab some milk tea? And I'll tutor your English while we're at it.]
[No way, President! Even on the weekend, you're squeezing my rest time?]
[Then just come out for milk tea!]
[Alright, I'll come over to your place. I'm already out anyway.]
[Ok!]
Meanwhile, Ye QiuXue, dressed in a lovely long dress, sat on her sofa, her phone in hand. Seeing HuMing agreed to meet her, she smiled and turned off her screen. She then picked up the freshly baked cookies from the table.
The last time HuMing had carried her home, so she decided to make him some cookies as a small thank-you gift. Standing by the window, she glanced outside, looking at the street below.
...
When HuMing wasn't around, Kang Xin had more free time on her hands. Without anyone giving her extra tasks, she typically spent her time studying in her room.
She knew she couldn't afford to be a burden to HuMing. If her presence only caused him trouble, she wouldn't have a reason to stay by his side.
Her pen moved across her notebook as she wrote down what she had been learning. But then, an unexpected knock on the door broke her focus.
Kang Xin paused, tucking away her notes and materials into the desk drawer. When she opened the door, the person standing there was someone she hadn't expected to see.