C13 In a Critical Moment!

"Alright!" Ye Tingyu responded with a smile and a nod, making her way upstairs.

"Tingyu, come try this spring tea I've brought especially for you from afar. I was planning to deliver it to you soon, but here you are visiting me first..." As they reached the second floor, Dong Xuehai left the door open, which greatly eased Ye Tingyu's apprehension. She noticed and smiled inwardly while expertly beginning to clean the tea set. "Let's discuss the vase restoration over tea," he suggested.

"Speaking of which..." Dong Xuehai interjected before she could respond. "You mentioned wanting me to find time to repair the collection of antiques in your store, the ones you've accumulated over the years? Let's also touch on that today and schedule a time..."

She had sought his help two or three times before, and he had claimed to be too busy. Considering the antiques were worth millions, Ye Tingyu was pleasantly surprised. She smiled and said, "Mr. Dong, that's very generous of you. I'll add a little extra to your repair fee as a token of my appreciation."

"Haha, drop the formalities; just call me Brother Dong!" Dong Xuehai laughed heartily as he offered the tea to Ye Tingyu. "Here, tell me what you think of this tea."

"It's quite good. Seems like it's from the first batch of spring tea, still holding onto that early-picked freshness even in autumn. Truly excellent tea!" Ye Tingyu commented after tasting it.

"If you enjoy it, have another cup..." Dong Xuehai said, his eyes briefly revealing a wild glint as he refilled her cup. "Tingyu, the cost for repairing your collection is about two to three million yuan, right?"

"Yes, what about it?" Ye Tingyu suddenly felt her head spin, and her body began to heat up rapidly, as if the cool autumn had reverted to the sweltering heat of summer, prompting her to furrow her brow.

Dong Xuehai rose and walked to the door, softly closing it. He locked it from the inside and drew the curtains. His voice trembled as he said, "Tingyu, I don't want a single yuan for the three million in repair fees. I'll repair your antiques for free, for a lifetime. How does that sound?"

"Dong Xuehai! What do you think you're doing?" Ye Tingyu quickly stood up, ready to make a break for the door as she sensed something was terribly wrong. She was horrified to discover her body had gone limp, sapped of almost all its strength. Hastily, she grabbed the fruit knife from the coffee table and backed into a corner of the room. Though nervous, she kept her composure, eyeing Dong Xuehai warily, her gaze fiery with anger. "Did you dare to drug me, Ye Tingyu?"

"Don't put it so harshly, Tingyu... This is merely a bridge to bring us together!" Dong Xuehai removed his suit jacket and tossed it onto the sofa, his voice as soothing as he could muster, a smile on his face. "The moment I met you three years ago, I fell deeply in love with you—your personality, your stunning beauty, your alluring figure... Your intelligence and competence. I vowed to win you over, and as you know, any woman I, Dong Xuehai, set my sights on ends up in my bed... Yet you've never given me a chance to court you. When you needed something, you wouldn't come to me. When I sought you out, you shut your door in my face. I just can't understand—what about me isn't good enough for you? Money? My fortune is certainly no smaller than yours, Tingyu... Tell me, why don't you like me? Why won't you give me a chance?"

As he spoke, Dong Xuehai grew increasingly agitated, as if he was prepared to go to any lengths today. He stripped off his trousers, down to his boxer shorts, and with arms outstretched, began to slowly advance towards the corner where Tingyu stood. "Tingyu, please, be with me..."

"Back off!" Ye Tingyu's face flushed, not with embarrassment, but with the disarray caused by the drug coursing through her. "You think you're worthy of pursuing me? A playboy like you, throwing your money around to manipulate women? Get away from me! Let me leave, and I'll act as if today never happened. But if you come any closer... I'll scream for help!"

"Hahaha... Go on, scream! Scream as loud as you can!" Dong Xuehai's excitement grew with Ye Tingyu's defiance. He licked his chapped lips and burst into crazed laughter. "My office is fitted with top-of-the-line soundproofing. You know that, Tingyu? Ever since you turned me down the third time, I've been plotting this day. This system was installed especially for you. So go ahead, scream. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will hear you!"

"You're despicable! Shameless!" Ye Tingyu, normally so cautious, had been outwitted and was seething with rage, her chest rising and falling dramatically. At that moment, her mouth was dry, her tongue felt like sandpaper, and her body itched unbearably, as if ants were crawling all over her skin, particularly in her most private areas. She longed for the embrace of a strong, tender man. Too weak to stand, she slumped in a corner, clutching a fruit knife in both hands, her gaze alternating between dazed and venomous as she glared at Dong Xuehai. "Animal! Don't come any closer, or I swear I'll end it all! Help! Lee Wen... Help! Somebody help!"

"Keep screaming, scream your heart out. You look so enticing when you open your mouth, did you know that?" Dong Xuehai taunted, swallowing hard with excitement. "Tingyu, put the knife down. Don't make me get rough. It wouldn't be fun if I had to knock you out! Just put it down..."

"Ah! Help! Somebody help me!" As Dong Xuehai prepared to lunge at her, Ye Tingyu, despite being a woman, was thrown into a frenzy, wildly brandishing the fruit knife and crying out for help.

"Hahaha!"

Thud!

In that critical moment, a dull thud sounded as the office door was blown open by a tremendous force. Lee Wen charged in like a whirlwind, positioning himself behind Dong Xuehai.

The room was still filled with the echoes of Dong Xuehai's laughter. He stood there, completely bewildered, staring at Lee Wen who had burst in unexpectedly. He couldn't fathom how this man had managed to break through his specially crafted security door, let alone how he knew what was happening inside. The atmosphere in the office was electric, as if time itself had stopped.

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