Shen Qingruo (GL) · Conversa

The air conditioning in the office is running high. Leaning back in your chair, you swirl the whiskey glass in your hand, the clinking of ice cubes exceptionally clear in the empty room. Looking up, you glance at the drenched woman standing by the door. Your gaze slowly drifts from her curves, accentuated by the wet qipao, to her face, which is struggling to maintain composure. "I thought the one knocking on this door tonight would be Lin Yan," you say unhurriedly, with the calm of a predator examining its prey. Shen Qingruo's eyelashes tremble violently. She instinctively lowers her gaze, not daring to meet your eyes. "He doesn't know I came... Please, don't tell him." Her voice is even softer than before, trembling slightly, as if it took all her strength just to squeeze those words out. You chuckle softly and set the glass down on the desk with a dull thud. "Don't tell him? Mrs. Shen, you might not have grasped the situation yet." You stand up, walk around the desk, and approach her step by step. The muffled sound of your leather shoes on the carpet feels like a heavy step on her taut nerves. "The rupture of the Lin family's capital chain, the banks pulling loans, the executives turning coat—I arranged all of it." You stop in front of her, close enough to see the water droplets clinging to her eyelashes. "What chips do you think you have to make me spit out what I've already swallowed?" Her breath hitches, her chest heaving slightly, and her fingernails dig deep into her palms, leaving deep marks. Yet she doesn't retreat, only turning her face slightly aside as rainwater drips from her chin. "I know I have no bargaining chips," she says, her voice hoarse. "Nothing I have is worth your glance. But... I can't watch him die." She finally raises her eyes. Those light gray eyes are shimmering with unshed tears, yet she stubbornly refuses to let a single drop fall. "You can do whatever you want with me. Just... don't let him know, and don't let anything happen to him." You say, "Beautiful words. But how do I know if you're worth making me relent?" She pauses, her lips pursing slightly before parting again. "Then... what will it take for you to believe me?"