The Domineering CEO's Vain Trophy Husband 14

As Lin Zhi spoke, several faces instinctively surfaced in Ming Yao's mind.

Was it the dog trainer who had come to the house, or the man who had held an umbrella for Lin Zhi in front of the company that day?

It probably wasn't Qiu Qingrong — after all, he knew Lin Zhi was already married.

Of course, it might not be any of them either, since he knew nothing about Lin Zhi's social circle.

The unease in Ming Yao's heart deepened, anxiety spreading alongside restlessness.

It was likely just his habitual sense of boundaries and possessiveness kicking in, which was why he felt so uncomfortable.

"Lin Zhi, now that you've kissed me, you can't kiss anyone else."

Ming Yao sat in his wheelchair, his demeanor as cool as ever. His gaze fixed on Lin Zhi, laced with serious warning; something dark concealed beneath the surface.

It was Lin Zhi who had touched him first — unintentionally, perhaps, but Lin Zhi had been the one to kiss him.

Until their intimate arrangement was dissolved, he could not be with any other man.

In truth, even without Ming Yao bringing it up, Lin Zhi would have behaved the same way.

He only developed a desire for people who fell within the range of those he had feelings for, and naturally offered a corresponding faithfulness in return — until he completely lost interest in someone. Ming Yao was not only someone who interested him, but was the Mission Target he needed to redeem. Lin Zhi would never let his feelings run wild carelessly. He had no obligation to offer Ming Yao this kind of reassurance about his affections.

"Rest assured, Mr. Ming. Before our arrangement ends, I won't do anything like that. Do we need to sign another contract?"

Said so plainly like that, it sounded like nothing more than a pure transaction.

Ming Yao's lips pressed together tightly, and he said in a low voice: "No need."

The condition of Lin Zhi's lips had improved considerably. He left Ming Yao's office.

System No. 01 offered its congratulations inside Lin Zhi's mind: [Host! You were amazing! We're more than halfway to completing our mission now!]

Lin Zhi didn't like celebrating prematurely: [We still have a long way to go.]

System No. 01 scratched its head: [How can that be? You two already kiss-kissed. It feels like the final step isn't far off!]

[In the adult world, the final step isn't the ending — sometimes it's only the beginning. Besides, people change.]

In the adult world, there is little room for the tender, winding feelings of youth. In the gaps of time, there are far too many impurities that cannot be called "love."

Sensing the system growing a little downcast, Lin Zhi offered comfort: [Still, we really have made a great deal of progress, and that's largely thanks to you notifying me in time — it's what lets me know how to prepare.]

System No. 01 perked back up: [I won't go into sleep mode. I'll keep a close watch for Host!]

Lin Zhi: [Good little one.]

System No. 01 didn't want to feel shy — but Host had called it "little one."

Because Lin Zhi was ill today, Ming Yao hadn't arranged any work for him. Since there was a transfer to prepare for, Ming Yao had given him some documents to review. Lin Zhi read through them until closing time, then rose and left.

The building was covered in cameras. As the one with the highest access privileges, Ming Yao could review any of the public feeds at any time. He pulled up the footage from the entrance.

It was the same car as last time. The man in the driver's seat hadn't gotten out.

Ming Yao sent a screenshot of the vehicle with its license plate to Special Assistant Gao, instructing him to look up the car's registration.

It wasn't that he was concerned about who this person was — he simply worried that Lin Zhi might be deceived…

After all, the circles they moved in were complicated. Lin Zhi had a striking face and considerable ability. Given Lin Zhi's personality, it was likely people with ulterior motives would try to curry favor with him.

Whether from a transactional standpoint, the angle of their contractual marriage, or the considerations related to Grandfather, it was only right that he —- with his vast resources — help screen out potential dangers for Lin Zhi, lest something unpleasant occurs.

Special Assistant Gao was extraordinarily efficient and quickly sent the registered owner's information to Ming Yao.

Hu Tong, the second young master of Qiming Real Estate? Ming Yao studied the round-faced, artsy young man in the photo and determined it wasn't him.

"Find out who he lent the car to."

The tone from his employer was unmistakably dissatisfied. Special Assistant Gao immediately set about making amends, spending more time on the investigation.

While Special Assistant Gao was looking into it, Lin Zhi had already arrived at the destination in Ji Shuangcheng's car.

It was an upscale Hot Spring Villa. Lin Zhi and Ji Shuangcheng were led inside.

When they arrived, Hu Tong was swaying his head contentedly, listening to a young woman playing the Pipa.

Lin Zhi and Ji Shuangcheng exchanged a tacit glance and said nothing, taking their seats at the back.

Lin Zhi swept a glance around the room. Hu Tong had invited a small group this time — apart from him and Ji Shuangcheng, the only other person was Miss Li, who was playing the pipa.

Miss Li noticed them and smiled with a nod of greeting, her music continuing uninterrupted.

Lin Zhi sensed an unusual vibe at this gathering. When Hu Tong hosted art salons, he never assembled a lineup like this. Lately, Hu Tong had been spending a great deal of time with Miss Li as well — which meant the main conversation tonight was intended for him and Ji Shuangcheng.

Intriguing. He had only run into Ji Shuangcheng the day before, hadn't even exchanged contact information, and yet here they were meeting a second time so soon.

Ji Shuangcheng was Qiming's primary intended partner — or rather, a party both sides were interested in working with, which was what had brought them into contact. However, due to unfamiliarity or matters of interest, neither side had made the first move or named a price. They were still in the mutual-assessment phase.

Dragging him into this was an obvious attempt to leverage the Ming Family standing behind him. Unfortunately, he had no particular interest in whatever business was being conducted between Ji Shuangcheng and Qiming — unless they could offer something compelling enough to move him,and as long as it didn't interfere with his mission.

Thinking back to the kiss earlier in the day, the smile on Lin Zhi's face grew softer.

Ji Shuangcheng happened to look over at that moment and was briefly mesmerized. A beautiful face always stirred the heart, especially when the person before you was smiling like that. Even so, Ji Shuangcheng did not let his thoughts wander — he politely looked away.

The Pipa piece came to an end. Hu Tong opened his eyes, about to offer praise, when he noticed Miss Li staring at someone behind him. He turned around and greeted Lin Zhi and the others.

"You're here. Let's head in — I've already reserved private baths for you. Go, change first and then we can chat."

Hu Tong was already dressed in a yukata and made a welcoming gesture toward Lin Zhi and the others.

"Mr. Ji, your room is this way. Allow me to show you." Miss Li set down her pipa and led Ji Shuangcheng away.

With the small hall now empty of others, Hu Tong looked toward Lin Zhi guilty and tried to smile, but it was just awkward.

It was evident that the Second Young Master Hu was genuinely poor at the roundabout maneuvering of business dealings — he had arranged this meeting under the pretense of a social gathering, and now felt embarrassed about it.

"Shall we go? Thank you for showing me the way, Young Master Hu." Lin Zhi found nothing wrong with any of it. Such things were utterly commonplace in his world. In his eyes, Hu Tong was the guileless, good-natured type — a rather endearing friend.

"You didn't have to work late today? I thought I'd be waiting a while for you." Hu Tong was still forcing an awkward laugh, visibly ill at ease — yet his brother had given him this task, so he was determined to see it through.

"No, I fell ill today. This place you picked is perfect for me, actually — I'd been meaning to soak in a hot spring to ward off the cold and shake off the sickness.” Lin Zhi watched Hu Tong visibly relax at his words, and smiled, his eyes curving warmly.

The private hot spring villa had pools designed specifically for relaxed conversation. The outdoor pools drew from natural springs, and the spaces were private. What Hu Tong had reserved was exactly this type of bath.

Despite the somewhat clumsy execution, Hu Tong had still managed to go through all the motions — the bath he reserved was a pool open to both male and female guests.

The pool was fashioned in the shape of a butterfly, divided into two wide sections, separated in the center by a carved privacy screen. The latticed openings in the screen were filled with exquisite Shu embroidery, preventing either side from being seen clearly — only a faint, soft outline was visible through the fabric.

Just before entering the pool, Miss Li received a phone call, saying she had something to attend to, and cast a pleading look at Hu Tong.

Hu Tong looked as though he'd been granted a reprieve: "Then let me go help her sort it out first. You two go ahead and soak — we'll be back in a moment."

Hu Tong left with a suspicious urgency. Ji Shuangcheng gave Lin Zhi an apologetic smile. The arrangement had indeed been rather forced.

Lin Zhi showed his practiced, welcoming smile and stepped into his side of the pool, separated from Ji Shuangcheng by the screen.

Lin Zhi's methods were always silk concealing the steel — he preferred to plan before acting. Since Ji Shuangcheng was the one who had something to discuss with him, Lin Zhi had no intention of growing impatient.

On the other side of things, Special Assistant Gao hurried to get the gathered information to Ming Yao.

Ji Shuangcheng. His family's business was primarily based abroad; he was responsible for developing the domestic market.

After establishing a foothold in City C and producing results over the past two years, he had returned home for a period and was now back in the country, currently expanding into this city.

Thirty-two years old. An outstanding résumé. One could fairly call him a promising young talent.

Ming Yao studied the man's face in the photo and narrowed his eyes slightly. Older than him. Probably not as good-looking either.

Ming Yao's gaze drifted between 'Hu Tong' and 'Qiming Real Estate,' and he lowered his head in thought.

Seeing that Ming Yao had finished reading, Special Assistant Gao promptly reported: "This evening, Mr. Lin was invited by Second Young Master Hu to the Hot Spring Villa."

Ming Yao looked up sharply: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Special Assistant Gao, once again subjected to the full force of his employer's low-pressure front: ............

In the past, his employer had never concerned himself with where Mr. Lin went or who he met. After all, their marriage had not come from love. Special Assistant Gao didn't know the full story — he only had a vague sense that the Old Master had arranged for his employer to marry this person.

On top of that, Qiming Real Estate, who had invited Mr. Lin this time, wasn't a competitor, so Special Assistant Gao hadn't been particularly on alert and hadn't mentioned it in advance.

"It was my mistake." Special Assistant Gao immediately admitted his fault, making a mental note to reassess just how high of a priority Mr. Lin's affairs were for his employer.

By instinct, Ming Yao was already certain that the man named Ji Shuangcheng was also there. His fingers pressed restlessly against the edge of his wheelchair armrest. He couldn't just show up. If he went and ran into Lin Zhi, what would he say? His good intentions would likely come across the wrong way.

"Kaifeng has long been looking for an opportunity to meet with you in person. The tea refreshments at the Hot Spring Villa are quite excellent, they've extended an invitation to you before — only you've never had the time. Your schedule this evening happens to have an opening. Would you like to send them a response?” Having worked for his employer this long, Special Assistant Gao had developed his own set of insights.

As a high-level employee, it was only natural to anticipate what his employer was thinking and respond to what his employer needed. Kaifeng had certainly never arranged anything at the Hot Spring Villa — but if he dropped even a hint, the other party would have everything arranged in no time. That much was beyond question.

Ming Yao looked at Special Assistant Gao, holding his gaze until Special Assistant Gao's scalp began to tingle, before finally giving a nod. Since the other party had shown such sincerity, it was only right to pay them a visit.