I Want You - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shang Congzhi’s soft, slender wrist suddenly froze in place. Her body, wrapped in a shawl, stiffened like a cat that had just sensed danger.

All her senses were amplified. She could even hear the breathing behind her, closing in inch by inch. It felt like a sharp, tormenting blade hanging in the air, ready to—click—at any moment.

Moving as if in slow motion, Shang Congzhi turned around.

The scene that greeted her was the man methodically loosening his shirt collar. His clear, elegant fingers hooked the perfectly knotted tie, loosening it slightly, before he proceeded to undo his buttons one by one.

The refined look added a touch of unbridled charm. He then took off the low-key, understated watch from his wrist and placed it in the storage box.

Watching this series of actions, Shang Congzhi felt a sense of foreboding. Her thin back pressed tightly against the car door, and she acted calm while wrapping her shawl tightly around herself: “Mr. Mu, I’m very expensive these days, and… I sell my art, not my body.”

Mu Xinglan’s eyes were calm as he gave her a faint smile: “I don’t need you to sell your body.”

Then why are you putting on this ‘I’m about to do it in the car’ act!

Shang Congzhi’s beautiful little face was full of vigilance; she didn’t believe the man’s words at all. After all, a stunning fairy with a perfect figure and supreme beauty like her being locked in a car with a man—it was hard to imagine he wasn’t coveting her body! Surely he didn’t lock her in the car to admire her soul!

Just as Shang Congzhi was complaining inwardly, the man moved. Before she could resist, she felt her slender waist seized firmly by a pair of strong, powerful hands, leaving her unable to move.

The next second, she found herself face-down, draped across his lap.

Her soft body collided with his hard knees, and Shang Congzhi let out a sharp “Sss!”

It hurts like hell! She was still growing!

Her hands loosened subconsciously, and the shawl slid off her smooth skin, falling onto the car seat and revealing large swaths of snow-white, delicate skin. She was wearing only a thin silk evening gown. As she was pressed against his lap, the dress offered no cover at all, and the girl’s slender, graceful figure could no longer be hidden.

Facing such a mortal beauty, the handsome man’s eyes were dark and heavy. He reached out and adjusted her posture. Holding her struggling arms down with one hand—a motion so fluid and natural it seemed as if he had done it countless times—he raised his palm. His voice carried a bone-chilling strictness: “Zhizhi, remember this.”

Shang Congzhi was like a turtle that couldn’t flip over, struggling against his knees. Hearing his words, she paused for a moment: “Remember what?”

Before she could finish asking, a slap rang out.

It made her go completely rigid.

“D*mn it! You…”

Shang Congzhi felt like she was going crazy. She was already twenty-one years old, yet this “dog man” was still spanking her like a child.

“Using foul language?”

Another slap.

Shang Congzhi’s hair bristled. However—the man had already anticipated her movement, and another slap followed.

“Did you learn your lesson?”

After three hits, Shang Congzhi’s fluffy long hair hung down over the man’s black suit pants, making her look like a little lunatic. The charming elegance, nobility, and cold beauty of a celebrity were all gone; she was now listlessly resigned to being spanked.

Mu Xinglan controlled his strength, giving her a lesson without actually hurting her. Once he let go, he calmly straightened his tie and buttons, put his watch back on, and in a moment, recovered the poise and elegance of a noble young master. As if nothing had happened, he looked at the girl beside him, who was seething but afraid to act out, with a faint smile on his thin lips: “Can we talk properly now?”

Shang Congzhi tugged hard at the car door, as if venting her dissatisfaction with Mu Xinglan, and turned her head to glare at him.

Is this really the kind of thing a rumored refined and humble gentleman would do? Facing a glamorous female celebrity like her, Mu Xinglan had actually locked the doors just to spank her!

“Talk, talk, talk!”

Mu Xinglan ignored her dissatisfaction: “Since you don’t have any opinions about our marriage or about me, then starting today, you will move back to the Huan Shan Villa.”

Shang Congzhi pressed her lips tightly together. Going back to live under the same roof, staring at each other all day? She didn’t want to. She had finally managed to extinguish her feelings for this man, and Shang Congzhi would absolutely not allow herself to rekindle them.

Glancing at the locked door, Shang Congzhi decided to read the room for once. She didn’t confront him head-on and spoke rapidly: “I’ll go back in a few days. I have to stay at the apartment tonight. I have a flight at 5:00 AM tomorrow to film an advertisement; it’s not convenient to stay at the Huan Shan Villa.”

Mu Xinglan knew Shang Congzhi well; naturally, he wouldn’t push her too far. Hearing her concede, he checked the time on his watch: “Fine.”

It was midnight; if he sent her back now, she could still get some rest.

Shang Congzhi secretly sighed with relief. D*mn, if I had known Mu Xinglan was this scary now, I would have stayed far away. Who could have guessed Mu Xinglan would pull a stunt like this! Ever since she hit puberty, Mu Xinglan had avoided physical contact with her. Aside from that time when she was eighteen and had infuriated him, this was the second time she had been spanked since growing up.

Ten minutes later, the driver and Qin You got back into the car. Qin You peeked at his boss, his eyes wide with shock: Just ten minutes?!

Shang Congzhi caught the look and said deliberately: “What are you looking at? Never seen someone so fast…”

Before she could finish, she met Mu Xinglan’s warning gaze.

Shang Congzhi muttered quietly: “Tch~” Who cares what you think.

The car sped away, eventually stopping in front of a high-end apartment building in the city center with excellent security. Looking at the man, who remained calm and emotionally unmoved, Shang Congzhi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She felt that if she just left like this, she would have lost completely.

As the car door opened, before stepping out, she couldn’t swallow her anger. She suddenly leaned in toward the man’s ear and whispered: “How was the feel?”

Her breath was like orchids. Highly seductive. After teasing him, she quickly lifted her gown and stepped out.

However—the moment she turned around after getting out, the smile on her soft red lips disappeared without a trace. The streetlights in the residential complex were dim and blurry, reflecting on Shang Congzhi’s fair and beautiful face. Her expression was cold, indifferent, and ruthless; the lingering, seductive charm of a moment ago felt like a dream.

Watching her walk into the apartment lobby, swaying gracefully on her high heels with her gown held up, Mu Xinglan’s calm eyes deepened with darkness. His slender fingers, which had been resting on his knees, slowly curled.

That softness and warmth felt like a ball of fire burning his palm; the heat didn’t fade throughout the entire ride. Instead, it threatened to grow into a wildfire.

She has grown up.

The car window was half-open. The man’s handsome, refined side profile turned slightly. It wasn’t until the lights in one of the apartment buildings turned on that he spoke slowly: “Let’s go.”

The next morning, morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spreading evenly across the massive bed. A phone ringtone suddenly shattered the quiet room. The sea-blue quilt was as soft as a cloud.

Shang Congzhi reached out a fair, boneless hand from inside, groping for the frantically ringing phone. She knew how to enjoy life; even when moving out to live alone, she had decorated her place to be incredibly comfortable. Rubbing her cheek against the pillow unconsciously, Shang Congzhi half-opened her eyes and answered: “Yello…”

Su Lian’s manic, loud voice blasted through: “Open the door!”

When she saw the caller ID, Shang Congzhi had the foresight to keep the phone away from her fragile little ears. Wrapping herself in a silk bathrobe, she lazily went to open the door. Without even looking at the person outside, she turned around and threw herself back into the oversized leather sofa. Rolling herself into a blanket, she felt she could finally close her eyes in peace.

“You caused such a huge scene last night, and you still have the heart to sleep?”

“Beating up a female celebrity in the backstage area of an awards ceremony? Why don’t you just fly to the moon?”

“Do I need to tie you to my belt to keep an eye on you? You were gone for just a second, and you turned the world upside down!”

Seeing Shang Congzhi’s lazy, unreliable attitude, Su Lian was furious. Ever since he signed her, his menopause had arrived early!

Shang Congzhi couldn’t sleep from the noise. She fluttered her eyelashes and shot him a glance: “Did the sky fall?”

It hadn’t. Su Lian was stunned by the question.

“Since the sky hasn’t fallen, why are you making such a fuss?” Shang Congzhi leaned lazily against the armrest, her bare face still exquisite and fair, her tone calm and steady.

Su Lian was so stunned by her righteous attitude that he couldn’t react. Wait, who is the one making a fuss? How is she turning the tables on me?!! Thinking back to what Xiao Tang told him about the entire ordeal yesterday, Su Lian took a deep breath, trying his best not to become the first manager to murder his own artist, and squeezed out a smile: “If it weren’t for Mr. Mu’s help, you would have been trending on the hot search last night!”

“I even thought of the headlines for you—1. Shang Congzhi arrested for crime; 2. Stained artist Shang Congzhi.”

“Oh, and it wouldn’t just be entertainment news, but social news as well.”

“Do you want to know what the social news headline would be?”

Shang Congzhi, curled up in the blanket like a tiny ball, spoke lazily: “I don’t.”

“Mu Xinglan won’t let me have any stains. Don’t worry, he’ll handle it very cleanly.”

If she could get into trouble right under Mu Xinglan’s nose, he wouldn’t be able to answer to the elders of both families. Shang Congzhi wasn’t worried at all. She even comforted him: “Don’t worry, the one who should be worried now is Shen Tanning.”

At this, Su Lian spoke with a grave expression: “What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Mu? Why would he help you do evil?”

Help do evil? Look at that—is that something a manager who is her ‘accomplice’ should say?

Shang Congzhi looked at him mournfully. It was Shen Tanning who had provoked her first; she had only acted in self-defense—that’s all! Besides, she hadn’t overdone the self-defense and accidentally strangled Shen Tanning to death. She muttered quietly.

“You wanted to strangle her to death?”

“I did not.”

Su Lian calmed his emotions and adopted the professional demeanor a manager should have: “Fine, then tell me, what is your relationship with Mr. Mu?”

Shang Congzhi lowered her eyelids, acting evasive: “What kind of relationship could it be? A power-and-sex transaction where I trade myself for money.”

Su Lian was serious: “Speak normally.”

Shang Congzhi sat up straight with dignity: “A marriage relationship with a certificate.”

Hearing her speak what was clearly nonsense, Su Lian looked at the slippers on the carpet and resisted the urge to give her a good beating. They had an advertisement to film in the afternoon; he couldn’t break her. He had to endure.

“Listen to yourself, is that normal human speech?”

“What the hell kind of nonsense is this! Who are you trying to fool!” If Su Lian didn’t know Shang Congzhi was 21 this year and only 20 when he met her, he might have believed her. But ever since she was 20, she had been filming, and this past year, she had been a fake young girl—a real brat who wasn’t interested in love and only wanted to stir up trouble!

Would anyone believe a brat who told them she was a married woman? And the person the brat was married to was the legendary, low-key, noble figure—Mu Xinglan, the top-tier noble son of the business world with a net worth in the billions. Su Lian felt he would have to be insane to believe it.

Shang Congzhi spread her hands and quoted a classic scumbag line: “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do.”

Su Lian: “…”

It was clear he wouldn’t get anything out of her, so he gave up. Thinking of the top-tier resources Shang Congzhi had been handed since her debut, and how famous directors treated her like a junior relative with whom they had a close relationship, Su Lian knew her background was likely very good. So, knowing the legendary Mr. Mu was normal.

Seeing that Su Lian absolutely refused to believe her, Shang Congzhi slid back into her blanket, buried her face, and closed her eyes slightly. See? Even an outsider thinks we aren’t a match. Why had she been so stubborn back then?

From now on, she would never love Mu Xinglan again. She was young and beautiful; why should she hang herself on an “old tree root”! Shang Congzhi threw the blanket off and trotted toward the bedroom, full of energy.

Su Lian, who was watching the itinerary schedule across from her, was startled. What is she stirring up now…

This time, Shang Congzhi wasn’t stirring up trouble. Half an hour later, Shang Congzhi changed into a French-style polka-dot dress that accentuated her figure, exposing her superior shoulder and neck line. Her already beautiful face was adorned with delicate makeup, making her eyebrows and eyes look like a painting—bright and wanton.

“Let’s go, let’s go make our fortune!”

Su Lian: “…”

She really was a whirlwind of moods. “I hope your professional attitude can last a little longer this time.”

Shang Congzhi indeed had an advertisement to film today, but it wasn’t the out-of-town shoot she had told Mu Xinglan about last night. It was in a coastal city near Lucheng, less than two hours away by car.

The advertisement they were filming was for a new line of jewelry with an ocean theme. While not an international top luxury brand, it was considered a first-tier jewelry brand domestically.

Just as Shang Congzhi finished her makeup and stepped out of the wooden lounge on the beach, she saw Su Lian and the filming crew staff standing by the sea, waving at her. The beach breeze was gentle, but it couldn’t fend off the blazing sun.

She took the small floral umbrella handed to her by her assistant to avoid tanning her delicate skin—this was skin maintained by skincare products bought with the “blood and sweat money” she had earned working hard in the entertainment industry. If she got tanned, it wouldn’t be her fair skin that was ruined, but her crimson cash.

Because the sunlight outside was too toxic, Shang Congzhi didn’t let her assistant follow; she held the small floral umbrella herself and walked slowly toward the seaside: “Is it starting?”

The person in charge looked a bit embarrassed: “Miss Shang, the yacht is having some technical issues and can’t come for now. We probably have to wait a week to film.”

“A week?” Su Lian checked Shang Congzhi’s schedule. “That’s too long. In three days, our Zhizhi has to enter a new set.”

“Is three days okay?”

The person in charge was helpless: “They need a week. We must use a yacht for our advertisement filming, but there is only one luxury yacht available for rent that meets the filming requirements. We have to wait in line.”

So who hijacked the yacht? Just as Shang Congzhi was about to speak, Su Lian stopped her: “Let’s discuss it first.”

“Why are you so cowardly? I’m just going to ask who hijacked it.” Shang Congzhi looked at him with disdain.

They had agreed on all filming equipment long before filming started. For this to happen now, someone was definitely looking for trouble on purpose. This wasn’t Shang Congzhi being paranoid. The truth was indeed that another first-tier actress was also filming a yacht blockbuster. The time slot originally intended for them was supposed to be after Shang Congzhi’s crew finished, but now it had suddenly been pushed forward. Who would believe that wasn’t intentional?

Hearing Su Lian’s explanation, Shang Congzhi crossed her arms and said sarcastically: “We, the C-list female celebrities, really have no status.”

“Then let’s terminate the contract.”

“This advertiser has no backbone; they can’t even get back a single yacht.”

“Let’s stop the partnership and go home.”

“Wait, are you trying to slack off again?” Su Lian saw her making such a grand excuse for quitting. Where was the “let’s make a fortune” energy from this morning? They hadn’t even started working, and she already wanted to clock out early?

“I just can’t stand companies that are pushovers!”

Shang Congzhi held up her already-changed Bohemian dress and prepared to head back to the lounge to remove her makeup and leave. Su Lian was in extreme pain. Suddenly, a flash of light went through his head: “Wait, I remember seeing in a news report that Mr. Mu owns a luxury yacht. It’s worth over 100 million, and it made the headlines because it was so valuable.”

“Isn’t your relationship with Mr. Mu quite good? Why don’t you borrow the yacht from him?”

Saying that, he searched the internet for photos of the yacht and showed them to Shang Congzhi: “Yes, this is the one.”

Under the scorching sun, even holding an umbrella, Shang Congzhi felt she was about to melt. She wished she could take the opportunity to just let it all go. Through the blurry heat, she saw that yacht with two graffiti letters “ZZ” in fancy script on it.

It looks familiar. Shang Congzhi opened her eyes wide, and those two letters became clearer. Isn’t this the coming-of-age gift Uncle Fu gave me? It was just that back then, because she was young, her parents were afraid she would go wild playing with the yacht every day, so they had entrusted it to Mu Xinglan to manage. She had almost forgotten about this thing.

“Borrow?” After a long while, the word spilled from Shang Congzhi’s lips.

Mu Xinglan was just a human-shaped warehouse keeping it safe for her at most. She was going to retrieve her own belongings—did she need to “borrow” it from the “warehouse”? What a joke!

“What, do you think Mr. Mu won’t lend it?” Su Lian thought seriously for two seconds: “Hey, that’s true. I heard Mr. Mu treasures this yacht; he never brings it out. If it weren’t for an iron-clad relationship, he certainly wouldn’t lend it.”

“Forget it, let’s think of other ways.”

“As for terminating the contract, don’t even think about it!”

Shang Congzhi sneered.

“Do I need to borrow it from him?”

Only a fool would chat under the scorching sun. She took advantage of Su Lian not paying attention and quickly walked back.

Su Lian reacted and hurried to follow: “Slow down, slow down, what do you mean?” Can she borrow it or not?

Shang Congzhi looked back while holding the umbrella, a few strands of messy hair falling onto her fair, flexible neck. Every move she made radiated unintentional, amorous charm. She curled one side of her red lips, her shallow smile confident and relaxed:

“Wait in peace. I’m going to the ‘warehouse’ right now to take back my precious yacht!”