[Task Reward: The second small billiards hall.]
Another new task, and Li Zhiyan’s passion was fully ignited. He was going to become the boss of his seventh establishment!
"Xiao Yan, Aunt is heading back to bed."
Zhao Shumin felt a bit sleepy too, so she wanted to leave.
"Aunt Zhao, can you sleep with me, please?"
"I can’t keep indulging you anymore."
Zhao Shumin’s voice carried a certain firmness.
"Aunt Zhao, I’m begging you. Shang Yunsheng scared me today. I can’t sleep alone."
Zhao Shumin recalled how Li Zhiyan had stopped her earlier today. In that moment, Li Zhiyan had given her a sense of security she’d never felt before.
Like a beam of light piercing through the endless dark night.
"Alright, just for tonight, Xiao Yan. But you have to behave yourself."
"I promise, Aunt Zhao!"
Zhao Shumin turned off the lights and lay down beside Li Zhiyan.
After covering Aunt Zhao with the blanket, he took in her sweet fragrance.
The feeling of happiness was sincere, coming from deep within...
"Aunt Zhao, you smell so nice. Hugging you while sleeping feels amazing."
"Xiao Yan, take your hand off Aunt’s leg."
"Aunt Zhao, you’re wearing pantyhose. I’m touching the pantyhose, not your leg."
Zhao Shumin realized she really had no way to deal with Li Zhiyan, but she didn’t remove his hand either.
"Aunt Zhao, can you turn to face me while sleeping?"
"Aunt can’t fall asleep lying like that."
"I want to see Aunt’s face."
Gently, Zhao Shumin turned her body, facing Li Zhiyan. Their eyes met, and Zhao Shumin felt a wave of heat rise again.
Li Zhiyan’s lips were so very close to hers.
As Li Zhiyan spoke, Zhao Shumin could feel his breath.
"Enough now, Xiao Yan. Aunt needs to lie down."
"No, Aunt Zhao, I want to hold you."
Li Zhiyan placed his hand on Zhao Shumin’s back and pulled her into a hug.
Reluctantly, Zhao Shumin extended her arm and gave him a gentle embrace.
"You, almost 21 years old, still acting like a child."
"Aunt, in front of you, I’m nothing more than a baby."
Feeling the warmth of holding Aunt Zhao, Li Zhiyan’s excitement was overwhelming.
He ran his leg lightly along the pantyhose’s texture until, finally, he couldn’t resist and leaned in to kiss Zhao Shumin.
In that instant, Zhao Shumin’s heart was thrown into chaos.
"Xiao Yan, you promised to behave. You’re not listening to Aunt."
"Aunt Zhao, kissing is merely an expression of how close we are. You’re more than 20 years older than me, kissing doesn’t mean anything."
"Twisting logic again. I wish I could open your head and see what it’s filled with."
"My head is filled with thoughts of Aunt."
"All I think about is Aunt."
"Aunt Zhao, just let me kiss you once, please."
"I swear it’ll be the last time!"
With Zhao Shumin’s hesitant consent, Li Zhiyan eagerly leaned in for the kiss.
And Zhao Shumin found herself responding as well.
The difference between responding and not responding—it’s entirely distinct.
Li Zhiyan quickly lost himself in the moment.
After a long while, Li Zhiyan whispered softly, "Aunt Zhao, can you do me a favor?"
He leaned closer to Zhao Shumin’s ear and began to whisper his request.
"Don’t push things too far, Xiao Yan."
"How about like before?"
"Aunt, please, I really like you."
"From now on, you must listen to Aunt. Otherwise, Aunt will truly get upset with you and stop indulging you."
Zhao Shumin’s mind was full of the image of Li Zhiyan fearlessly protecting her earlier.
Whether Shang Yunsheng had a knife or not, nobody could say. But Xiao Yan, without a shred of hesitation, had shielded her.
With such a remarkable young man, who else deserved her kindness if not him?
Completely overtaken by emotion, Zhao Shumin’s steadfast boundaries had crumbled entirely.
Every thought, every decision at this moment seemed futile, vanishing like shadows.
The next day, when Li Zhiyan woke up, Zhao Shumin had already left. He knew she had gone to make breakfast for him.
He glanced at the paint on the walls and floor.
Feeling utterly at ease, Li Zhiyan stretched lazily and went to freshen up.
While brushing his teeth, he continued studying and absorbing knowledge. With his photographic memory, Li Zhiyan didn’t want to waste time—acquiring more knowledge always had its advantages.
"Only because I’m deep within these mountains."
After reciting the ancient poem, Li Zhiyan switched to studying Korean. He was already fluent in Korean.
"Next, I’ll specialize in Japanese. Those wonderful adult films are such a pity to watch without subtitles."
"Once I understand them, I can enjoy them freely without any distractions."
Coming out of the bathroom, Zhao Shumin had already brought the meal into his room.
As soon as she entered the room, Li Zhiyan hugged Zhao Shumin from behind.
As she felt Li Zhiyan’s morning grumpiness, Zhao Shumin’s heart was a mix of shyness and regret.
Why hadn’t she stuck to her principles?
Each time Xiao Yan pushed her just a little, she couldn’t help but indulge him.