When he spoke, Yan Tingli was just a few inches behind her.

Without direct contact, he deliberately maintained an ambiguous distance that seemed to exist yet not exist.

The gaze falling on her body was like spilled water slowly sliding across her skin, leaving damp, cool traces.

Extremely offensive.

Shi Sui felt her whole body trembling.

But anger far outweighed fear.

Her clenched fingers loosened and tightened again.

Nothing could help her vent her angry emotions better than taking direct action. She turned around, wanting to give him a few more slaps.

This time, her slender white wrist was easily caught.

The moment their skin touched, his fingertip temperature rapidly rose, his breathing became heavier, and his gaze at her seemed to transform into an even denser, more enveloping net.

This ambiguous reaction made Shi Sui physiologically recall some very sticky memories—in the past, any private contact with him would immediately raise his body temperature at a boiling speed.

Yan Tingli most likely had a sex addiction.

Shi Sui concluded again.

As their eyes met, Yan Tingli leaned closer, looking at her with curved eyes: “No hitting the face. Anywhere else is fine.”

Hitting him was useless anyway.

Shi Sui turned her face away, her expression cold as ice: “I won’t hit you. Let go of me now.”

“But I don’t want to let go.”

“Then what exactly do you want?” Shi Sui really couldn’t stand it anymore.

Yan Tingli tilted his head slightly, his expression thoughtful, and said: “I originally wanted to punish you.”

It was like going back a few years.

Shi Sui immediately flared up upon hearing such words: “What qualification do you still have—”

“Shh,” Yan Tingli placed his index finger on her lips. The moment he touched her crimson lips, his finger bones trembled, and he lowered his voice: “Don’t make me angrier.”

Yet his fingertip couldn’t help but rub and press, grinding against her lips, unable to restrain himself, lingering reluctantly.

This sparked a tingling electric current along Shi Sui’s spine. Without thinking, she immediately opened her mouth and bit hard on his index finger.

This bite wasn’t light—it left a mark, and a bit harder would have drawn blood.

Not only did that person not retreat, but his fingertip temperature became so scorching it could burn her.

His other fingers still pressed against her lips, offensively caressing, seemingly eager to anticipate her biting a few more times, Shi Sui looked up and saw his slowly moving Adam’s apple and his chest rising and falling because of this.

She immediately perceived the lewdness and filthiness of this action and angrily slapped his hand away.

Shi Sui didn’t want to waste words with him: “This is my home. Leave quickly.”

“I said, I temporarily don’t want to punish you anymore.” Yan Tingli answered irrelevantly.

He lowered his eyelashes, looking at the back of his hand that she had slapped red.

His index finger still had the moisture from her mouth, and the soft smoothness that had just flashed by when her tongue tip swept across it.

“I want you to touch me.” He said thoughtfully, “Being close to Sui Sui just now was very comfortable.”

This seemed to slightly fill the empty black hole in his chest, making him a little happier.

To describe harassment so elegantly, Shi Sui was simply shocked by his shamelessness and immediately said, “Impossible.”

Yan Tingli’s dark pupils focused on her face, as if he didn’t understand: “Why?”

He still had the nerve to ask why?

“Why else?” Shi Sui glared at him, gritting her teeth word by word: “We’ve already broken up. We have no relationship now.”

“Broken up,” Yan Tingli scoffed, carelessly, “Did I agree to it?”

Shi Sui was easily provoked to anger: “Does breaking up require your agreement?!”

“Otherwise?”

Shi Sui repeated with patience: “I’ll say it again. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve already broken up and have no relationship whatsoever. You’re now trespassing on private property. I can call the police.”

“Fine.” Yan Tingli lowered his eyes, his tone seeming very regretful.

The next second, he stepped closer, meeting her eyes at the same level, his eyes pitch black, showing no trace of moral boundaries.

Accompanied by a startling thunder outside, before Shi Sui could react.

Her entire person was already being pressed into his embrace by Yan Tingli’s single arm.

Shi Sui immediately struggled, reaching out to scratch him.

He clicked his tongue, impatiently turning her around in a circle and locking both her hands.

Completely encircled her in his embrace from behind.

In this instant, Yan Tingli seemed to emit a satisfied gasp from his throat, softly saying in her ear: “When necessary, taking a little coercive measures isn’t unacceptable.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head.

His breath was moist and dense, following the texture of her skin, seemingly sniffing along her neck downward.

Yes, sniffing.

Like a beast finding where to bite, almost making Shi Sui’s hair stand on end.

“Sui Sui is still,” he thought for a moment, making a dreamy description from his throat, “so fragrant.”

Shi Sui’s cheeks burned, embarrassed and annoyed. She instinctively wanted to slap him, but lacking free hands, she raised her voice threateningly: “If you don’t let go, I’ll call the police to arrest you.”

Yan Tingli pressed against her ear, asking puzzledly: “Is it also illegal for me to smell my girlfriend?”

“……………………”

There was no way to communicate with this madman using normal thinking.

Shi Sui took a deep breath, her eyes regaining coldness.

Using the most indifferent tone: “Yan Tingli, I’ve already dumped you. I’m annoyed with you and want you to get lost. Are you still hung up on me now?”

The next moment, the arm across her waist suddenly tightened.

The aura emanating from Yan Tingli also returned to bone-piercing coldness.

Shi Sui’s heartbeat accelerated, feeling the danger instantly rising from her spine.

Until that person’s pale fingers pressed against her neck from behind.

“Shi Sui.” Yan Tingli’s voice returned to normal coldness, enunciating: “Right now, I want to strangle you.”

“You’ll never make me happy.”

“Then don’t come looking for me.” Shi Sui steeled herself, gritting her teeth: “There are so many women outside. You can be as happy as you want with them.”

As soon as she finished speaking.

The hand on her neck suddenly tightened, veins bulging on the back of Yan Tingli’s hand.

Shi Sui didn’t know if he was using force, because she physiologically broke out in cold sweat all over, to the point where she seemed to have difficulty breathing.

Outside, rain poured down heavily.

A lightning bolt flashed, also illuminating Yan Tingli’s eyes looking at her.

Carrying some moist mist.

But it only flashed by for a moment, so quickly it seemed like an illusion.

“Then you’re going to be disappointed.” When he spoke again, his voice seemed endlessly sinister.

Shi Sui was dragged by him to the sofa.

He sat down, long legs spread apart, and she was pressed down by her spine to lie between his thighs.

Black suit pants wrapped around his long, straight legs. This person was naturally gifted—every part of him was perfectly formed.

Even the tense bulge in the middle, even through the pants, looked shameless at this moment.

“It’s very picky,” Yan Tingli lifted her chin, lowering his eyelids, slowly saying, “It only likes you.”

Shi Sui looked at him coldly.

He seemed to remember something, his fingertips suggestively caressing her lips as he laughed: “It misses every inch of skin on your body even more.”

In terms of shameless lewdness, she could never compare to him.

The anger in Shi Sui’s eyes was almost tangible: “…Is this the kind of thing you want to do?”

Yan Tingli made an “mm” sound.

He leaned back, his slender neck’s Adam’s apple moving slowly, carelessly.

“Perhaps?”

Shi Sui looked at him for a long time.

As if drained of strength, a sense of powerlessness suddenly surged through her whole body. She hung her head and said hoarsely: “What do I have to do for you to let me go?”

“Let you go?” Yan Tingli laughed, “Let you go do what? Sleep around with Theodore, Fang Huaijing, or Zhuo Haoyu?”

“Do you think I’m dead?” His tone was utterly indifferent.

Shi Sui’s expression was numb: “Then what do you want?”

There was a moment of quiet, his eyes narrowed, thoughtful.

“I want you to touch me, now.”

“Maybe I’ll be happier.”

The topic had returned to the very beginning.

Like before, nothing had changed—whatever he wanted, he had to get, no matter what.

Even more than before, it was difficult to understand his thoughts, moody to an unpredictable degree.

Shi Sui’s hand was held by him and placed on his right cheek.

A touch smooth as jade.

He pressed close for a while, his breathing washing over the back of her hand, gradually quickening.

Moving downward, he pressed her hand around his neck.

Yan Tingli closed his eyes.

His Adam’s apple swallowed and moved, and his chest also trembled continuously.

Shi Sui could almost feel the boiling surge of the major artery in his neck, the blood vessels.

He suddenly opened his eyes and asked: “Sui Sui, do you want to strangle me?”

Shi Sui’s heart jumped as she cursed: “Who’s as crazy as you?”

Yan Tingli chuckled.

Suddenly, he forcefully tightened her hand with his palm.

This force made the back of Shi Sui’s hand go numb.

It was also enough to make Yan Tingli’s cheeks flush red from suffocation, his crow-black eyelashes falling, casting a layer of shadow.

Shi Sui widened her eyes, wanting to pull her hand away but unable to, raising her voice in horror: “What are you doing! Yan Tingli! Let go, let go!!”

She shouted for a long time.

Only then did Yan Tingli release the hand pressing hers. Not because he chose to let go, but because of suffocation, he no longer had the strength to press her hand.

He hung his head, coughing continuously.

Shi Sui was still in shock: “What kind of fit are you having?!”

“Don’t you hate me?” he said while coughing, slowly looking up at her, his eyes bright.

Then he excitedly curved his lips at her: “Letting you strangle me, I’m suddenly happy.”

Especially seeing her worried, panicked expression for him.

He was very pleased with this discovery.

Shi Sui looked at him like looking at a madman, her whole body cold from dried sweat.

Yan Tingli recovered and continued pressing her hand, inch by inch, caressing his still-heaving chest.

Beneath her hand were hard muscles, tense, suppressing excited tremors.

Shi Sui’s palm was almost burned.

Until he brought her hand to his thigh.

His grip on her hand carried certain directional implications.

Physiological reactions weren’t his alone.

When she realized her own body temperature was also physiologically rising, and certain long-suppressed desires were sweeping over her again, Shi Sui was embarrassed and annoyed.

When Yan Tingli tried to guide her hand toward that place.

She appeared compliant on the surface, then unceremoniously twisted hard.

At that very moment.

Yan Tingli let out an unbearable low gasp from his throat, his eyelashes also trembling.

He pressed her hand down firmly.

Dozens of seconds later, Shi Sui’s expression changed as she looked down.

The air was also filled with that particularly invasive sensory smell.

Their gazes met.

Although the room had the most comfortable constant temperature system, both of them were covered in fine sweat.

Yan Tingli’s eyes looked like they’d been washed with water, staring at one point, completely misty.

It was clear he was still caught in the recent climax, his mind not yet returned.

Simply put, he was blissfully dazed.

But Shi Sui felt particularly absurd and angry.

She didn’t want to have this kind of relationship with him anymore, not even a little bit.

Much less let him feel good.

But she kept being dragged into it by his various coercive and tempting methods.

This feeling of being unable to shake him off made her extremely irritated.

“Get up quickly.” Shi Sui immediately withdrew her hand, tensely saying, “Don’t dirty my family’s sofa.”

Thinking that her parents would still watch TV on this sofa in the future, Shi Sui felt an indescribable sense of shame spreading in her heart.

But Yan Tingli didn’t feel embarrassed at all, his gaze falling directly on her face.

Using a tone that was maddeningly composed: “Sui Sui, you want to do it with me too.”

“If you want, I can also—”

Shi Sui kicked at him: “Get lost.”

“Theodore told me,” Yan Tingli didn’t dodge, saying unhurriedly, “you wouldn’t let him touch you, much less kiss you.”

“He also said you liked his eyes the most.”

Speaking to this point, he deliberately paused, ambiguously laughing once.

He lifted his thin eyelids, looking straight at her.

Shi Sui clenched her fists upon hearing this. This madman—exactly how much did he know?

She composed herself and said coldly, “I just don’t like Theodore.”

Yan Tingli used tissues to clean the fabric, lowering his head: “Then you like me.”

“Even less.” Shi Sui didn’t hesitate.

Yan Tingli’s movements slightly paused.

“Fine.”

He stood up, throwing the tissue ball into the trash can.

Silently approaching her ear: “Whether you like me or not doesn’t matter.” As if remembering something, Yan Tingli laughed mockingly: “It’s just a trick you habitually use to toy with me anyway.”

Shi Sui’s eyelashes moved slightly, but she didn’t speak.

“I’m very happy tonight,” he said pleasantly, “Just don’t let me catch any disgusting trash appearing around you next time.”

“Otherwise, I won’t be so easily appeased.”

Hearing this made Shi Sui’s spine turn cold as she asked the question she’d been suppressing for a long time: “Have you been monitoring me all along! Is it this damned 3.0!”

Yan Tingli approached, rubbing his face against her cheek.

Laughing with complete fearlessness: “So what if I am?”

“Guess,” he asked with a smile, “are there others? There’s a reward if you guess correctly.”

Shi Sui was so angry that her whole body trembled.

Yan Tingli continued sniffing along her neck and cheek, saying with satisfaction: “Sui Sui smells good even when angry.”

She immediately swung her hand to slap him, but he easily avoided it.

“I said not to hit the face.” Yan Tingli said disapprovingly, pausing for a moment. As if thinking of something, he smiled, his tone becoming suggestively lewd: “Anywhere else is fine.”

Shi Sui really couldn’t stand it anymore, pointing toward the door: “Get out! Get out now!”

“Alright,” Yan Tingli glanced at his watch, saying gently, “I should also go back to play piano music and lull you to sleep.”

Until he left and she watched the door close, Shi Sui stood in place for a long time.

She stared fixedly at 3.0’s master control system, taking deep breaths as emotions surged.

She wouldn’t live here for another moment without getting rid of this thing.

Shi Sui made up her mind—tomorrow she would move back to the old house, and when her parents returned, she’d have them pack up this 3.0 and send it back before coming back to live.

At night, punctually and on time, like a provocation, the piano music started playing right on schedule.

Shi Sui was so angry she directly turned off the circuit breaker, but then couldn’t sleep from the heat.

With no other choice, she turned the power back on. She tossed and turned until one o’clock before finally falling into deep sleep.

The next day, she opened her eyes and had to go to work again.

Thinking about the intensive work arrangements of the new week and the complex, difficult-to-adapt interpersonal relationships, Shi Sui began to feel restless again.

Shi Sui splashed cold water on her face several times before barely perking up.

She stared blankly at herself in the mirror, watching water droplets slowly flow down, and another thought gradually emerged—she wanted to return to America and continue interning there until graduation.

At least she could hide for another year.

Or she could directly get a green card and work there permanently, only returning a few times each year.

Anyway, no matter where she hid now, Yan Tingli could find her.

So she might as well stay far away—at least she wouldn’t be so easily controlled by him.

Absent-mindedly arriving at the company, she was immediately thrown into an intensive morning meeting.

Team leaders and deputy team leaders reported on the week’s work.

When Fu Ze was reporting, the vice president specifically praised him: “This background painting is much improved compared to last week. It has great texture—exactly the feeling I wanted.”

Fu Ze bowed obsequiously, expressing gratitude for the vice president’s appreciation.

Shi Sui was propping her chin and daydreaming at the time. When Deputy Team Leader Zhao Sheng looked at her, thinking she’d been caught slacking, she quickly sat up straight.

“This background painting is the one you revised, right?” Zhao Sheng asked her quietly.

Shi Sui nodded.

Zhao Sheng suddenly sneered: “Here we go again.”

After saying this, she stood up and went on stage to begin her work report.

Until Shi Sui was suddenly called out by name and stood up under everyone’s gaze.

Zhao Sheng introduced from the stage: “This set of storyboards and the background painting Team Leader Fu just showed were both completed by our team’s new intern, Shi Sui, working overtime.”

“Shi Sui also communicated some innovative details with me…”

Seeing the vice president cast approving eyes toward her, Shi Sui finally belatedly realized what was happening. A warm current surged in her heart as she smiled gratefully at Zhao Sheng.

Until the routine work reports from each team ended, before the meeting concluded, the vice president clapped his hands and solemnly announced something.

Zhilian Future was about to develop an AI tool for automatically generating or optimizing animation, but training the model required large amounts of precise animation datasets.

They had extended an olive branch to Guangmei Studio with very generous compensation.

The other party was a hot tech company with lots of money and few demands—for them, it was like being handed a pillow when sleepy.

With tight production budgets and fierce resource competition among teams, everyone needed to take on such outsourcing to push their projects forward.

Sure enough, once this news was announced, several project team leaders including Fu Ze were all eager to try.

Vice President: “We can’t decide yet. We still need to wait for their person in charge to come for negotiations.”

After the meeting ended, Shi Sui slowly walked out with the crowd.

She was walking near the back when suddenly footsteps came from behind.

Fu Ze called out to her.

Shi Sui responded absent-mindedly.

“Xiao Shi, I didn’t deliberately take credit in front of the vice president today,” Fu Ze walked beside her, using a gentle voice to slowly say, “It’s because you’re currently still under Zhao Sheng. If I had spoken up at the morning meeting, she would have made things difficult for you later. The last girl left the company that way. You understand, right?”

Shi Sui had her own pile of troubles and was too lazy to listen to his rambling about these messy matters.

She gave a perfunctory couple of “mm-hmms.”

Fu Ze chattered on about many things, but Shi Sui barely listened.

Until he suddenly said with a smile, “Several teams in the company are competing for this Zhilian Future project, but I’m confident I can secure it. They need precise original art, storyboards, and motion capture data. Currently in the team, I most recognize your abilities.”

Shi Sui barely smiled: “Thank you.”

Fu Ze patted her shoulder, lowering his voice: “If we can secure Zhilian’s project this time, our team’s movie can go to market next year. As a major contributor, I can immediately promote you to Zhao Sheng’s position.”

After saying this, he smiled at her and walked away.

After Fu Ze’s long-winded speech, Shi Sui hadn’t absorbed more than a few words, watching him walk away with an expressionless face.

From the moment she heard the vice president say “Zhilian Future,” her mood had plummeted straight to rock bottom.

There couldn’t be such a coincidence.

She’d only been here a few days, and Zhilian Future already had a collaboration with them.

Shi Sui went to the break room and wearily crouched down along the wall.

From parents to friends, and now to work.

That person loomed like overwhelming dark clouds, calmly watching her panic and scurry about, then slowly tightening the net in his hands.

Like having her throat squeezed, a tide-like feeling of suffocation emerged, making it hard for Shi Sui to breathe.

Her fingers unconsciously slid across the screen.

She searched through her entire contact list, but there was no longer anyone who could help her.

Shi Sui didn’t even dare say another word on any electronic device, because she didn’t know if Yan Tingli could monitor it.

Shi Sui’s eyes stung, strengthening her resolve to return to America.

She silently made up her mind.

This time she wouldn’t tell anyone—she would quietly go back alone.