Volume 1, Chapter 32: If You Shout Like That Again, I'll Make You Hoarse

During the lunch break, the emergency room was enveloped in silence.

The sound of her voice echoed in his ears, like a kitten, slowly and languidly scratching at his heart.

Li Shiyan did not look at the phone in his hand. "What did you call me?"

His voice struck her eardrums. Ning Yu curled into a ball, unconsciously wanting to rub against him. "Li Shiyan..."

It was a sound of unbearable longing and gentle submission; she hadn't said anything, yet it felt as if she had said everything. It was utterly seductive.

Li Shiyan’s brows knit together involuntarily. His grip on the report tightened, and he warned in a harsh, cold voice, "Don't call me that."

On the other end of the line, the person persisted, sounding somewhat desperate: "Uncle, help me one more time..."

Leaning back in his chair, he felt his entire body go rigid at being addressed as "Uncle." His expression remained impatient, his tone ruthless: "I'm busy. No time."

Those four words were exactly what she had used to dismiss him the day before; not even twenty-four hours had passed before he returned them to her, word for word.

Ning Yu let out a soft, mocking hum—laughing at his childishness, his grudge-holding, and her own lack of self-respect.

Li Shiyan was truly suppressing a wicked fire. She didn't continue, and he had no intention of softening. He raised his hand to hang up the phone.

Just as his fingertip touched the screen, he heard the woman, restless and breathless:

"Big brother..."

Two words, worth more than anything else.

The way she said it sent a shiver straight down his spine. Li Shiyan cursed under his breath, gripping the phone: "Stop that damn calling! If you call me that again, I'll fuck you senseless later."

"Zhou Yunming!"

Zhou Yunming immediately took the phone back, smiling. "Fifth Master, I'm listening."

"Get her to the North Mountain Villa within half an hour," Li Shiyan said, his voice low and raspy, leaving no room for argument. "Platinum is your territory; you know how to clean it up properly."

"Fifth Master... sending her is no problem, and half an hour is doable. As for Platinum, I can certainly handle it cleanly. It's just... I was dragged away from a company board meeting by your phone call." Zhou Yunming spoke with a feigned tone of difficulty. "Finding people, delivering them to you, and cleaning up your messes—this back and forth, the building you promised before won't be enough."

Personal favors were one thing, but businessmen always talked business.

On the other end, the man replied decisively: "The Qianshui Bay project is yours."

"You got it!" Zhou Yunming laughed immediately. "Don't worry, Fifth Master. Within half an hour, she’ll be delivered to you, safe and sound!"

The call ended.

Zhou Yunming looked at the woman on the bed. A rough glance was enough to make one's heart skip a beat.

He clicked his tongue. "No wonder the Fifth Master has such high standards. There's definitely something to her."

During the lunch break, Cheng Xiuming came down right on time, only to run into Li Shiyan, who had changed his clothes and was about to leave.

"Wait, Dr. Li, where are you going?"

"I have something to attend to. Cover for me."

Without a second glance, Li Shiyan strode away.

Cheng Xiuming stood there, watching his hurried back. "What could possibly be so urgent that it forces our esteemed Dr. Li to be this impatient?"

...

Ning Yu’s consciousness was a blur. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't open her eyes. Inside her, a nameless fire burned hotter and hotter, making her want to tear off her clothes and jump into ice water just to find relief.

Her ears were filled with the sound of voices, but she had long since lost the ability to distinguish them.

Finally, things settled. She was tossed down. She dug her nails into her palms; only the pain of drawing blood kept her from losing her mind completely.

A large, cold hand touched her. Like fire meeting ice, Ning Yu immediately pressed against it, clutching the person's arm. "Big brother..."

Li Shiyan’s eyes were filled with fire; her call made his whole body go rigid and burning hot.

He clamped his hand around her chin. "Ning Yu, who gave you permission to call me that?"

The woman in his grasp struggled to open her eyes, dazed and teary with pain. "Big brother..."

Li Shiyan’s brows furrowed tightly, his gaze fixed on her pale, delicate face.

She used to be thin, and he had spent years of effort to help her gain a little weight. Now, not only was she thin again, but as her chin rested against his large palm, she looked even more fragile.

"The person you’re calling died eight years ago," he said, his tone cruel. "Ning Yu, you haven't had a big brother for a long time."

The woman had long since lost her reason and sobriety. Controlled by desire, she wrapped herself around his arm. "Big brother... Big brother, don't be angry..."

No matter what he said, Ning Yu only listened, incessantly burrowing into his chest, incessantly calling him "Big brother."

Every harsh word he threw at her felt like punching cotton.

As the drug took full effect, she felt as if she were melting into a puddle of water. Every cold remark Li Shiyan made was softly absorbed by her, yet he received not a single coherent response.

"Big brother, help me... it’s so unbearable, big brother..."

He watched coldly, then, in the blink of an eye, tore the clothes from her body.

...

When Ning Yu opened her eyes, her throat was parched. Outside, it was pitch black—it was already ten o'clock at night.

She couldn't remember many details, but she knew it was Li Shiyan.

She was in too much pain; her whole body ached, as if she had spent the entire day doing intense anaerobic exercise. She couldn't lift a limb.

He had been too ruthless—worse than that time in the car. He had truly been trying to break her.

The room was dark.

Ning Yu pushed herself up, finding it a struggle even to turn on the light.

When the light finally clicked on, she caught sight of the dozen or so purple bite marks on her body and offered a helpless, bitter smile.

She should have known—he was just like a dog.

Biting harder each time, as if afraid the marks would fade before others could see them.

Her original clothes had been shredded, scattered across the floor.

Ning Yu remained silent for a moment before heading to the shower, then casually pulling on a couple of items from his wardrobe.

She had no doubt that the Ning family wouldn't come looking for her.

Just as she reached the living room, the door opened from the outside.

Cheng Xiuming walked in carrying a bag. He raised an eyebrow at her. "My guess was pretty accurate—said you'd wake up at ten, and here you are."

Cheng Xiuming wasn't the least bit surprised; he even held the keys in his hand. It was clear he knew a fair bit about the business between her and Li Shiyan.

Ning Yu couldn't be bothered to put on an act. She just nodded. "Dr. Cheng."

Cheng Xiuming handed her the bag. "Clothes. Dr. Li asked me to bring them."

His clothes were too big and carried the scent of cold pine. Ning Yu felt uncomfortable, but she took the bag and turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to ask where he went?"

Ning Yu pressed her lips together. "If the Fifth Master wanted me to know, he would have told me himself."

After changing, she stepped out of the villa and saw a wine-red Koenigsegg supercar parked at the entrance. Cheng Xiuming was leaning against it, flipping the keys.

For someone who seemed so steady, his choice of car was remarkably arrogant.

Cheng Xiuming told her to get in. "Someone gave orders—I'm to take you home."

Ning Yu didn't play coy; she hopped into the passenger seat. Besides, with a supercar like that, the backseat wasn't exactly comfortable.

"Where to?" he asked.

Ning Yu gave him the address of the Ning residence, then added, "Sorry to trouble you, Dr. Cheng. Thank you. I’ll definitely treat you to a meal when I have the chance."

Cheng Xiuming looked surprised, tilting his head to glance at her. "I thought you might ask me to take you to see him?"

Ning Yu looked out the window. "If he wanted to see me, he would be by my side right now, wouldn't he? It wouldn't be Dr. Cheng here instead."

Cheng Xiuming laughed and stepped on the gas.

Only once they were on the road did Ning Yu realize they were on a mountain pass. She looked back at the villa and realized it was built right on the summit.

Cheng Xiuming explained lazily, "Don't worry, there's only one villa on the entire North Mountain. Your business with him is perfectly safe."

Ning Yu acknowledged him with a hum.

It was already twelve-thirty by the time Cheng Xiuming returned to the hospital.

He walked into the emergency department, keys jingling, just as Li Shiyan stepped out from his shift for a breath of air.

The hallway was empty, save for the motion-sensor lights.

"Delivered her back, so this car is mine now," Cheng Xiuming said, spinning the keys.

Li Shiyan glanced at it with disdain. "What kind of taste is that?"

"Whatever, it's still the one you bought when you were in your twenties," Cheng Xiuming retorted, recalling the day's events. "She looked a bit haggard. You really aren't going to go check on her?"

"She" meant Ning Yu.