Qu Jingyou truly didn't believe it and spent a long time flipping through her phone, finally coming up with nothing.

But when she handed the phone back to Wang Zhuo, she watched him manipulate it a few times as if by magic, pulling up several photos she hadn't seen before.

"There are clearly things stored in here, but others can't find them," Qu Jingyou grumbled, "Is this a spy device?"

"It's just a trick for hiding things; spies don't use stuff like this," Wang Zhuo said, not without a touch of pride. "This was custom-made for me. I'm the only one who uses this kind of phone."

"Tch," Qu Jingyou shot back. "Everything hidden inside is probably something shameful, right?"

Wang Zhuo smiled without answering and casually pulled out a photo, handing it to her.

Qu Jingyou's heart immediately betrayed her, pounding fiercely, her emotions a complicated jumble. In the picture, the woman was frowning, glaring at the lens, her nostrils flared, her mouth buried in a thicket of glistening, dense hair—it was herself!

Although this picture only showed her head, the hand resting on top of her head and the tangled vegetation below were undeniably conveying the nature of the situation. She could even recall the feeling of that moment, a lump catching in her throat.

Taking several deep breaths, Qu Jingyou started scrolling through. Wang Zhuo's photography skills were actually quite good; he had mastered both composition and the timing of the snapshot, recording her performance that night with stark realism.

"Phones are wonderful things, aren't they?" Wang Zhuo laughed. "With a phone, you can find others anytime, and they can find you anytime. You can also record audio, take photos, shoot videos, listen to music, surf the net, play games—modern phones are truly omnipotent. If I didn't have this phone, I couldn't have captured something so spectacular."

"It is spectacular," Qu Jingyou replied coolly. "But that's your spectacle, not mine."

"Who says not?" Wang Zhuo chuckled softly, pointing to the photo just displayed on the screen. "Look how happy you were smiling then."

The photo showed Qu Jingyou displaying the essence she held in her mouth to the camera, indeed wearing a smile that seemed to come from the depths of her heart.

Qu Jingyou let out a cold laugh. "I was happy because of your money, never imagining it would all amount to nothing later. I'm a bad person, and you're no saint either."

"I admit, I enjoyed it without paying," Wang Zhuo said, the corners of his mouth lifting as he raised an eyebrow.

Qu Jingyou desperately wanted to retort, something like, Sister can't afford to play games, but Wang Zhuo had already played his hand. Saying that now would only invite his ridicule.

She had no intention of looking at the subsequent photos and videos. From the earlier pictures, she had already seen how ridiculous and degraded she looked that night. She thought she had outmaneuvered Wang Zhuo, only to be outmaneuvered herself, played with ruthlessly. How laughable, how tragic.

She had lost completely! Irredeemably!

Seeing her crestfallen expression, Wang Zhuo offered encouragement. "You're actually quite smart, and daring enough to think and act. You just walked down the wrong path. If you put your mind to proper business, you would surely succeed."

"Easy for you to say," Qu Jingyou sneered. "I almost took your life. Will you let me go?"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Zhuo answered candidly, "If this were three months ago, I certainly wouldn't have let you go. But quite a bit of time has passed, and I've gotten over it. Besides, I didn't really suffer any loss that day, so letting you off the hook isn't a big deal."

Qu Jingyou was stunned for a while. Sensing Wang Zhuo was speaking sincerely, she couldn't help but laugh wryly. "That simple? You're quite magnanimous!"

"What else would I do?" Wang Zhuo asked mischievously. "Did you think I'd use those photos to blackmail you, to make you my plaything?"

"Before I came, that's exactly what I thought," Qu Jingyou admitted, nodding.

Wang Zhuo burst into laughter. "I don't want that kind of excitement. Getting bitten down to the bone while I'm at my peak? No thanks."

Qu Jingyou couldn't help but smile a little too. She had entertained the thought, but only vaguely, never intending to act on it.

Wang Zhuo scrutinized her. This woman was twenty-seven, in the prime of her youth. He wondered where she had been these past few months, for her originally tender and fair skin to have tanned to a caramel color, somewhat resembling the dark-skinned girls achieved through tanning beds in Japan.

This darkness was distinctly different from the bronze skin earned by laborers under the sun; it was softer, finer, more translucent. Qu Jingyou already possessed striking dark eyes, which now, set against the caramel skin, appeared even more lively, especially her pale pink lips. Lips don't accumulate pigment from the sun, so they appeared slightly lighter than her skin tone, creating an extreme contrast.

"How did you get like this?" he couldn't help but ask. "Is your body like this too?"

Qu Jingyou shot him a sidelong glance, annoyed. "Why should you care?"

"Just curious," Wang Zhuo chuckled dryly, and with a casual sweep, used his X-ray vision to scan her entire body.

With that look, he discovered that Qu Jingyou had truly tanned her whole body—no area with skin was spared. Well now, she really had turned into a dark girl!

He clicked his tongue repeatedly. Qu Jingyou didn't know what he was marveling at, but judging by his suggestive gaze, it certainly wasn't anything good.

"Can you delete these photos?" she lifted the phone slightly.

"A bit of a shame..." Wang Zhuo looked troubled. "They're so spectacular. If I delete them, they'll be gone forever."

Qu Jingyou felt an urge to pick up the phone and hurl it at his impudent face.

"Let me think... if you could..." Wang Zhuo hesitated halfway through his sentence, looking coy.

"I'll say it for you!" Qu Jingyou snapped back impatiently. "If I agree to spend another night with you, you'll consider deleting them, right? Is that what you were going to say?"

"You said that, not me," Wang Zhuo immediately shook his head. "But I might consider your suggestion!"

"Dream on!" Qu Jingyou threw the phone toward his chest.

Wang Zhuo caught it, studied her up and down, and teased, "Actually, you wouldn't lose anything by coming back for one more time. You don't have a boyfriend now anyway."

Qu Jingyou gave a cold laugh. "Just because I don't have a boyfriend means I have to be cheap for you?"

"Dare you say you didn't enjoy yourself that night?" Wang Zhuo shifted closer. "If you dare say that, I won't argue. I'll delete all this stuff immediately!"

Qu Jingyou opened her mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter the lie. The pleasure Wang Zhuo had given her that night surpassed all her previous experiences combined. If one disregarded their adversarial relationship, Wang Zhuo was indeed an exceptional bed partner.

No confession? No chance to escape! Wang Zhuo extended his left index finger, tilting her chin up, and murmured suggestively, "Why did you come to my door? Weren't you afraid I'd take you?"

Qu Jingyou turned her face away, remaining silent.

"Don't act like a wronged little wife; I'm the victim here, aren't I?" Wang Zhuo asked with a smile. "You seem to have blushed? So what if you're tanned? I can still tell."

"I'm leaving!" Qu Jingyou suddenly stood up.

With a swift pull, he made the tall woman tumble back onto the seat. Wang Zhuo raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't hard to get you here, but it won't be so easy for you to leave."

"What do you want?" Qu Jingyou looked at him dismissively, thinking this was an office where someone could walk in at any moment. Did he dare act like a scoundrel here?

But this time, she miscalculated again! Wang Zhuo's X-ray vision could see into her deepest thoughts, and he immediately grasped her intention. Her challenging gaze instantly ignited Wang Zhuo's competitive spirit. You think you have me cornered? Fine, I'll show you what I can do!

"Miss Qu, Qu Jingyou," Wang Zhuo said calmly, meeting her provocative stare. "You don't need to play these winding games with me; it's useless. I know you still cling to the feeling of that night, that you want me but can't bring yourself to ask. It’s alright."

Qu Jingyou maintained her cold sneer, but a sense of panic fluttered within her heart, as if a tightly shut sluice gate was beginning to loosen.

Naturally, her state of mind must be complex after such an encounter. The deepest, most irrational element hidden within was the lingering memory and craving for Wang Zhuo's body. But Wang Zhuo was subtly manipulating her subconscious with his X-ray vision, allowing this feeling to sprout and grow rapidly, creating an illusion that she truly had the inclination to surrender to him, something she hadn't realized before!

"Think about it, you know exactly who I am," Wang Zhuo continued his gentle persuasion. "Since you came looking for me, it was inevitable that something would happen between us, yet you still came. This shows you were mentally prepared." He paused. "All that debating you did, it was just your facade. You know the final outcome, and that's what you were hoping for."

Qu Jingyou's cold sneer had become extremely strained; she was forcing herself to maintain it.

"You actually admire me, you just won't admit it. Maybe a little worship, too—there's nothing wrong with that. Women should naturally admire excellent men, and you're no exception. Let me guess, did you just put on a new set of underwear before you came? Let me tell you, that's because you already anticipated that I would personally take them off!"

...

At some unknown point, Wang Zhuo had coiled Qu Jingyou's long hair up and secured it into a bun at the back of her head. A melody seemed to echo in her mind: Conquered by you just like this, cutting off all retreat.

Wang Zhuo was as dominant and forceful as last time. She was led by him to the floor-to-ceiling window of the office, from which they could look down upon the vast expanse of the BD Plaza—people coming and going, a scene of thriving prosperity.

Even knowing that the glass was outwardly reflective and impossible to see through from the outside, the sense of taboo made her extremely tense.

Especially since this was a completely unfamiliar environment for her, and someone could "arrive" at any moment. The dignified Miss Qu was kneeling on the sofa cushion Wang Zhuo had graciously granted her in these conditions, servicing Wang Zhuo with her lips and tongue.

The man before her was strong, wealthy, and commanding. Her feelings for him were a mixture of love and hate; he was the destined nemesis who understood everything about her, and in this way, he had conquered and possessed her.

For some reason, Qu Jingyou recalled a picture frequently seen in QQ groups: "I've been inside you; we're friends now." The twists of fate were incredible. When she had originally intended to rob and murder Wang Zhuo, how could she have ever imagined things escalating to this point, willingly submitting to him under duress?