Chapter 155: Left Hand

The morning sun sprinkled into the quaint guest room of the Mu Se Mountain Villa. On the palm-carved palm bed with its thin cotton quilt, Monique lay on a soft white pillow, sleeping soundly, her breathing steady and faint.

Her delicate features, illuminated by the gentle light, appeared exceptionally beautiful and full of graceful curves, like a sleeping court concubine, exuding a lazy and charming aura.

At this moment, the door suddenly opened slowly. Yang Chen, now dressed in a black suit with a dark red tie, carried a steaming plate of breakfast and walked in. He placed the bowl of congee and several exquisite dishes on the bedside cabinet, then stood up and looked down at the still-closed-eyed woman, smiling helplessly.

"Hey, we have important matters to discuss today. Don't you plan on getting up?"

Monique's long, fluttering eyelashes trembled slightly, her face turning red. Unable to withstand Yang Chen's direct gaze any longer, she opened her eyes and silently sat up from the bed.

"Do you know I woke up early?" Yang Chen teased.

"When you entered, your body trembled slightly. Your acting skills aren't good enough," he mocked.

"I'm sorry," Monique murmured, her eyelashes drooping as she couldn't find any words.

Yang Chen shrugged indifferently. "No need to apologize. Anyone would be frightened seeing what happened last night. If you felt nothing, I would start suspecting you're a female demon or a serial killer."

"How did things end up last night?" Monique asked softly.

After witnessing Yang Chen's act of killing, Monique had fainted. She didn't even know how she returned to the villa. Waking up this morning, she had been in a state of panic. Besides the fatal mysterious allure that the man possessed, he also made her feel afraid. So when Yang Chen entered, she didn't dare to open her eyes immediately.

Yang Chen pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. He explained, "After negotiating with Li Muhua, he agreed to exchange forty percent of Muyun's profits for his life in this cooperation. That means, including our original twenty-five percent, Yulei will receive sixty-five percent of the cooperation's profits."

"What?" Monique exclaimed in surprise, raising her head. Her pretty face was filled with disbelief. "Sixty-five percent? That's... that's an incredible amount!"

She knew the economic benefits that this cooperation could generate. If it were true, Yulei's future development would be unprecedentedly powerful!

"Isn't it good? At least Li's second son gets to keep his life," Yang Chen said with a smile.

Mo Qianyi looked at Yang Chen complexly. This man always did things that made people tremble. Finally, as if summoning the courage, she asked, "What about the others?"

"You mean those two bodyguards?" Yang Chen replied casually. "They're dead. Their presence was only a hindrance, and Li Muhua shot them himself. The conclusion given to the police yesterday was that Li Mucheng was the mastermind, and Li Muhua acted in self-defense, ultimately killing them. A good portion of the salary Hong Kong police receive each year comes from the Li family, so these things are just a formality. As for us, we've never appeared, so you can rest assured."

Mo Qianyi fell silent for a moment, then worriedly asked, "You're so ruthless towards Li Muhua, aren't you afraid he might retaliate?"

Yang Chen chuckled lightly. "I have confidence in myself, and I also have confidence in Li Muhua's rationality. He should be well aware of the consequences of retaliation. He can't beat me, so he will definitely choose to cut his losses."

Mo Qianyi forced a smile. "You always exude blind confidence, yet somehow you're always right."

"That's a man's aura," Yang Chen said, winking at her.

Afterward, they seemed to have nothing more to say. Yang Chen truly didn't want to explain anything, while Mo Qianyi's mind was in turmoil.

Finally, Yang Chen noticed the pained struggle in Mo Qianyi's expression and sighed knowingly. "You don't need to force yourself like this. Nothing actually happened between us. You have no obligation to try to justify me. As you saw last night, I'm skilled at killing, and I do it without hesitation. I won't explain why I kill, nor will I tell you about my past. I can only tell you that everything you've seen is real. There's only what I don't want to tell you, nothing I want to hide from you."

Mo Qianyi looked up, meeting Yang Chen's candid gaze. Suddenly, she felt the man who had been so close was drifting away again. The intimacy they had developed just last night seemed to vanish once more.

Her heart clenched with pain, more unbearable than immediate death!

He was so natural, so carefree, laughing so effortlessly, as if there was nothing to cling to. Yet, Mo Qianyi felt a profound loneliness, the lingering darkness within this man's soul, like a poison tormenting her every moment!

"Yang Chen, can you extend your left hand?" Mo Qianyi pursed her lips and said softly.

Yang Chen, puzzled but without hesitation, stretched out his left hand.

Mo Qianyi reached out her delicate hands, gently grasping Yang Chen's left hand. Her tender fingers caressed the slightly rough skin, tickling and smooth. "Last night, it was with this hand that you took Li Meng's life, wasn't it?"

Yang Chen fell silent. Yes, it was this hand that, last night, took away Li Meng's life, gripping a handful of organs and flesh from Li Meng's throat. Over the past few years, the blood staining this hand, the deep-seated gore, even made Yang Chen occasionally feel like the bones of his hand had been dyed crimson!

Suddenly!

Mo Qianyi lowered her cheek, and her thin lips kissed the palm of Yang Chen's left hand!

The moist, cool, and soft touch sent a shiver through Yang Chen's body. This gentle, almost tender gesture felt like a powerful hammer striking his heart!

She kissed her own hand!

The hand that brought her deathly terror! The hand that terrified her into unconsciousness! The hand that took countless lives! The hand stained with endless sins! The hand shrouded in darkness.

A woman's kiss wasn't a holy light to dispel decayed sins, but it was an irresistible warmth, trickling into the tightly closed gates of Yang Chen's heart.

Seeping in, nurturing.

The smile on Yang Chen's face gradually faded, replaced by confusion.

Why? Shouldn't she be afraid, fearful, repulsed, like so many others in the past, keeping her distance or pretending to respect him from afar? Why would she kiss the most bloody of sins?!

After kissing, Mo Qianyi took a breath in Yang Chen's palm and then slowly raised her head, giggling, "It smells oily. It's not hygienic to not wash your hands after eating."

"Why?" Yang Chen disregarded the woman's joke and asked directly.

Mo Qianyi smiled tranquilly, leaning in with her soft body, and reached out to caress Yang Chen's face, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness.

"I like you, Yang Chen. Although I'm not sure since when it started, our time together has been short, but I just like you. Even though you always make me angry, even though you always act indifferent towards me, even though you're always flirtatious, even though you're my sister's husband, I still like you. I don't care who you were in the past, I don't care what status you have now, and I care even less about what you will be in the future. All I want to say is that I like a man named Yang Chen. He helps me out of trouble when I'm helpless, he chats with me when I'm lonely, and he protects me from harm when I'm in danger. What I like is the owner of this hand, it's you."

Yang Chen didn't trust any sect, didn't worship any deity, but at this moment, if there really were a creator, he would want to thank them for creating women.

Women, what fascinating creatures they were.

He had thought that after seeing a glimpse of his true nature, this woman would never be intimate with him again, that she would gradually drift away from him, maybe even avoid him. Although his strong mind could disregard these, a drop of water could wear away a stone, and pain could still erode his weary soul.

But the result was unexpected.

Yang Chen lowered his head, blinked, and when he looked up again, he wore a sunny smile. "Xiao Qianqian, I've decided to call you that from now on."

After Mo Qianyi confessed, as if the whole person had exhausted herself, she heard this nickname, spat out disdainfully, and threw a flirtatious glance at him. "So cheesy!" But in her heart, it was warm and sweet.

"What's this? Let me give you some more cheesiness!"

Yang Chen smirked and suddenly reached out to embrace Mo Qianyi's soft body, pulling her tightly into his arms, and kissed her deeply, leaving her no chance to react.

"Mmm!"

Mo Qianyi was taken aback and couldn't react in time.

After a long time, Yang Chen reluctantly released the woman.

At this moment, Mo Qianyi's cheeks were rosy, her breath ragged, and her pair of watery eyes, like enticing abysses, made it difficult for anyone to resist.

Seeing the woman in his arms looking so tempting, there was also a fiery passion churning in Yang Chen's core, but knowing it wasn't the right time, he had to struggle to suppress his desires.

"Xiao Qianqian, you wouldn't want me to push you down right now, would you?"

Mo Qianyi only then somewhat snapped out of it, panic flashing in her eyes. She immediately wriggled out of Yang Chen's embrace, covering her shy face, and hurriedly dashed to the bathroom, her fair and delicate feet bare.

Soon enough, the sound of running water filled the bathroom, indicating that Mo Qianyi had finally remembered that today was the formal day for business negotiations, and she was busy preparing herself by taking a bath and dressing up.

Yang Chen comfortably leaned back in his chair, turned his head, and gazed at the enchanting morning scenery outside the French windows, smiling contentedly.