Chapter 71 Part 3

Huo Boyan slotted the card into the power switch and shut the door behind them.

Zhu Ran prepared to head out.

Huo Boyan blocked the door, his cool gaze bearing down. “Where to?”

Zhu Ran’s heart inexplicably fluttered under Huo Boyan’s stare. Plus, with no meal reports these days and constant all-nighters, he knew he was in the wrong. Softly, he said, “I’m quitting soon. It’s a farewell dinner with colleagues.”

Huo Boyan raised a brow. “You’re quitting?”

Zhu Ran: !!

Wait, had he not told Huo Boyan?!

No… he really hadn’t…

He had brought up his resignation to his boss, but he apparently hadn’t discussed it with Huo Boyan.

“Very good,” Huo Boyan said. “You didn’t consult me about the internship, and now you’re quitting without telling me. Zhu Ran, well done.”

He had secretly paved so many paths for Zhu Ran, and now they were all wasted.

Zhu Ran pursed his lips and tried asking, “Huo Boyan, are you angry?”

Huo Boyan: “No.”

Zhu Ran: “You’re clearly angry.”

“I’m not,” Huo Boyan said. “This job is too demanding. It’s good that you’re quitting.”

Hearing Huo Boyan say that, Zhu Ran relaxed a bit and nodded. “I just felt like this job wasn’t right for me.”

Huo Boyan’s tone was calm: “Then don’t do it.”

He really wasn’t angry, and Zhu Ran finally felt relieved. He prepared to head out to keep his appointment.

“Hold it. Who said you could leave?” Huo Boyan blocked the door, his tone heavy.

Zhu Ran’s body stiffened as he realized Huo Boyan had come prepared tonight, determined not to let him off easily.

“Huo Boyan,” he tried to reason, “but I’ve already promised him.”

Huo Boyan: “Turn him down.”

Zhu Ran felt it wasn’t right and added, “There are other colleagues too.”

Huo Boyan didn’t bat an eye: “Turn them down, or I go with you. Your choice.”

Zhu Ran: “…”

Huo Boyan was ruthless, striking right at his weak spot. With hardly any hesitation, Zhu Ran messaged Song Jiangheng that he wasn’t going.

Huo Boyan’s expression softened slightly, and he said flatly, “Go take a shower.”

Zhu Ran’s neck shrank back, and he instinctively said, “But I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I want to sleep…”

Huo Boyan: “Go take a shower.”

It looked like he was in for a spanking tonight no matter what. Zhu Ran pursed his lips and turned toward the bathroom.

He dawdled in the shower for a long time. When he came out, his cheeks and joints were all flushed pink, making him look exceptionally soft and dewy.

Huo Boyan sat on the single sofa, lifting his eyelids to glance at Zhu Ran before patting his own thigh.

He was still wearing that expensive custom suit from the banquet, with a glimpse of white shirt at his wrist. Paired with his cool gaze, it exuded an intangible pressure.

Zhu Ran understood what Huo Boyan meant and went over to sit on his lap.

Huo Boyan didn’t react. Zhu Ran hesitated for a moment, then reached up to loop his arms around his neck.

They were too close.

It had been so long since their breakup that they hadn’t been this intimate, and never with Zhu Ran taking the initiative like this.

Hot breaths scattered across his neck, and Zhu Ran could even feel the tension in Huo Boyan’s thigh muscles.

But Huo Boyan showed no response. He lifted a hand to pat Zhu Ran’s lower back and said, “Bend over.”

Zhu Ran’s nape tightened as memories of being spanked flooded back.

It wasn’t like Huo Boyan hadn’t spanked him before, but those times had just been playful, part of their fun. Now, though, he could sense Huo Boyan’s anger, adding a punitive edge to it.

Zhu Ran felt a bit scared, but hidden within that fear was a tingling anticipation that made his scalp prickle. But he had work tomorrow…

Zhu Ran didn’t move. He grabbed Huo Boyan’s hand, trying to negotiate: “Can we do it next time…? I have work tomorrow. It’s my last day. I want to finish it properly, without regrets.”

Huo Boyan gripped his wrist in return and smiled. “Zhu Ran, do you think that as long as you act cute, I’ll definitely let you off?”

Zhu Ran looked away. “I’m not.”

His mouth said no, but in his heart, he thought, That’s exactly how it always is. Huo Boyan just seemed scary, but a little pleading and he’d agree to anything.

“Acting cute does work, but not tonight,” Huo Boyan said calmly as he pinched Zhu Ran’s chin. “Bend over yourself. Don’t make me do it.”

Zhu Ran didn’t budge. He pulled his hands back and sat quietly on Huo Boyan’s lap like a quail. When Huo Boyan lifted his face, he saw that Zhu Ran looked like he was about to cry.

“What are you crying for?” Huo Boyan pinched his cheek, his tone flat. “Do you think I’d bully you?”

Zhu Ran had just been putting on an act, playing pitiful to fool Huo Boyan. But for some reason, hearing that made him actually feel a little aggrieved. He hadn’t been able to cry earlier when he tried, but now that he didn’t want to, his nose started to sting.

Zhu Ran clenched his fists tight, scared and aggrieved all at once, fighting back tears until his whole body trembled.

Huo Boyan watched Zhu Ran quietly. Though he’d been dead set on it before, he finally sighed and pulled him into his arms.

Zhu Ran closed his eyes, trembling even harder, like a drenched little chick.

“Don’t be scared. No punishment tonight.” Huo Boyan leaned down to nip at Zhu Ran’s lips, his voice low and husky with indulgence. “I know you’re worn out from work. How about I just make you feel good?”