Lu Xuan finished his shower and glanced at the wall clock; it was ten-thirty at night.
Zhang Yining was probably arriving soon.
His gaze shifted to the bed—no, to be precise, to the figure curled up on the rug beside the bed, her shoulders still trembling slightly.
Chen Xue's dark hair clung messily to her sweaty cheeks and neck, a pitiful sight that would have evoked sympathy in anyone else.
Unfortunately, Lu Xuan was not anyone else.
A playful smile touched his lips, and a thought flashed through his mind, like a child finding a new toy.
"Tsk, it's cold on the floor; don't catch a chill."
Lu Xuan slowly ambled over, sat down on the single armchair in the center of the room, and patted his thigh. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached Chen Xue's ears: "Little Xue'er, come here."
Chen Xue's body stiffened, and she slowly raised her head. Her eyes, swollen from crying, were filled with confusion and lingering fear.
"Ah?" Her voice was hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone, clearly not understanding Lu Xuan's meaning.
Lu Xuan leaned back in the sofa, relaxed and at ease, pointed to his leg, then to her, his smile growing more meaningful: "I said, come here, sit here."
Chen Xue's face instantly went from pale to fiery red, then from fiery red to ashen white.
She was not an innocent little girl; how could she not understand Lu Xuan's ill-intentioned gaze?
Shame, anger, humiliation… all sorts of emotions churned within her, but in the end, they all turned into a deep sense of powerlessness.
She knew she had no room to resist.
"What? Do I have to invite you?" Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow, a hint of impatience in his tone.
Chen Xue bit her lower lip, her pearly teeth almost drawing blood.
She struggled to get up from the rug. With every movement, a tearing pain shot through her body, making her gasp.
She leaned on the edge of the bed, limping, and dragged her heavy steps towards Lu Xuan.
Those few short steps felt as long as a century.
Finally, she stood before Lu Xuan, her head bowed low, not daring to look into his eyes.
Lu Xuan reached out a hand, and with a gentle tug, Chen Xue let out a cry of surprise.
...
Half an hour later.
"Hu-… husband…"
She strained to squeeze out a few words, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, laced with a sob and a hint of dependence she herself hadn't noticed.
"On… on the internet… they all say… they say there's only a bull that dies of exhaustion, never land that's plowed barren… it's… it's all lies…"
After saying it, she herself was stunned for a moment. At a time like this, why would she say something like that?
It was like coquetry, and also like a complaint.
Lu Xuan looked down at her, his eyes holding a hint of mockery and undisguised possessiveness.
He extended his foot and gently hooked Chen Xue's chin with his toe, as if teasing a pet.
"Heh heh, silly girl, that depends on whose bull it is, and whose land is being plowed."
He chuckled, "As long as you're obedient, there will be many more new tricks waiting for you to experience."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xue's body trembled uncontrollably, but she forced a fawning smile onto her face, her voice intermittent: "I… I naturally have to listen to my husband… From now on… I'll listen to everything you say…"
When under someone's roof, one must bow one's head.
What's more, her weakness was firmly clutched in this devil's hand.
Lu Xuan nodded in satisfaction, as if thoroughly enjoying her current humility and obedience.
He suddenly thought of something else, his tone laced with malicious amusement: "Tell me, what kind of expressions would those boys in your finance department, who worship you like a goddess, have if they saw you like this right now?"
Chen Xue's heart clenched suddenly, and all the color drained from her face.
"Their drool would probably flow for two miles, right?" Lu Xuan tutted twice, making no attempt to hide his malice.
"They'd never dream that their pure and unblemished 'Little Xue'er,' the innocent department beauty they constantly thought about and longed for…"
"…is, at this moment, merely Lu Xuan's little… hmm, docile pet, right?"
"Oh, husband…"
Chen Xue lowered her head, mortified to death, yet not daring to refute, only able to mask her feelings with a tearful, coquettish whine: "You… you just love to tease me…"
"Hahahaha!" Lu Xuan burst into a hearty laugh, his laughter echoing through the spacious presidential suite.
"They have no idea that their goddess is now only wagging her tail for me!"
Chen Xue's body trembled. After several seconds, she finally looked up at Lu Xuan, her eyes complex.
"Husband is right, I'll listen to everything husband says, I'll do whatever you want me to do~"
"Whatever husband says I am, I am. Everything about me belongs to husband."
Chen Xue looked at Lu Xuan with alluring eyes, full of charm. At this moment, whatever Lu Xuan said, it was so.
Lu Xuan was Chen Xue's heaven!
"Xue'er is so good."
Lu Xuan leaned down and patted her cheek, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation, as if admiring his own masterpiece.
"It's only the first day, and I've already trained the renowned finance department beauty like this. Even I admire myself a little."
Just then, in Lu Xuan's mind, the system's notification sounds rang out consecutively:
【Target's psychological defense has completely collapsed. Control value is full.】
【Current Control Value: 100/100】
【Congratulations to the host for perfectly controlling a target for the first time! Reward: 399 points!】
【Reward: Special Skill: Gynecology Master (Beginner)】
【Host's physical quality slightly improved: Constitution 80 → 82】
"Holy shit!"
Lu Xuan couldn't help but curse inwardly.
The control value being full was within his expectation; after all, Chen Xue had been completely broken by him.
The reward of 200 points was also not bad.
His constitution even increased by 2 points, which was a pleasant surprise.
But… what in the world was this Gynecology Master skill?!
Was the system encouraging him to become a 'friend of women'? Or did it think he was too busy and needed some professional skills to protect himself, lest his 'backyard catch fire'?
Lu Xuan's mouth twitched, feeling a bit exasperated.
However, a skill was better than nothing.
Perhaps it would come in handy someday.
"Points… what are points for?" Lu Xuan thought to himself, his consciousness sinking into the system.
Sure enough, on the system panel, in addition to the existing "Black Material Generation" and "Character Panel," two new icons appeared.
One was 【Skill Management】, which, when clicked, showed his current skills: "Sanda (Beginner)," "Drone Piloting (Beginner)," and the newly acquired "Gynecology Master (Beginner)."
The other icon was a sparkling shopping cart, labeled 【Points Store】 below it.
Lu Xuan's eyes lit up, and he became interested.