The final three days before the board meeting felt like standing on the edge of a cliff.
Guàn Jǐngchén threw himself into work during the day, but every evening he returned to the penthouse with a storm in his eyes. The tension between them had become a living thing — thick, electric, and impossible to ignore.
That night, he came home later than usual. The moment the door opened, he looked at Lin Yuè — who was waiting barefoot in the living room wearing only a loose white button-down — and something inside him snapped.
He crossed the room in long strides, grabbed Lin Yuè by the waist, and slammed him against the nearest wall. The kiss was brutal, all teeth and hunger and barely contained rage.
"You've been waiting for me again," Guàn Jǐngchén growled against his mouth, hands shoving under the shirt to grip bare skin. "Like a good little prisoner."
Lin Yuè gasped as the CEO bit down on his lower lip. "I'm here. I didn't leave."
Guàn Jǐngchén spun him around, pressing his chest to the wall. He shoved the shirt up to Lin Yuè's waist and pushed his trousers down in one rough motion. Slicking himself quickly, he thrust inside with one hard stroke, drawing a sharp cry from Lin Yuè.
The rhythm was punishing from the start — deep, fast, and unrelenting.
"Three days," Guàn Jǐngchén panted between powerful thrusts. "Three days until the board decides whether I'm still fit to lead this company. Because of you."
Lin Yuè moaned, forehead pressed to the cool wall, pushing back to meet every brutal thrust. "I'm sorry… I never wanted to ruin your life."
Guàn Jǐngchén's hand tangled in his hair, yanking his head back as he drove deeper. "Then take responsibility. Take everything I need to give you."
He fucked him harder, the sound of skin slapping skin echoing through the penthouse. Lin Yuè's moans turned into broken whimpers as pleasure and pain blended together. When he came with a sharp cry, spilling against the wall, Guàn Jǐngchén followed with a guttural groan, burying himself deep as he filled him.
They stayed pressed against the wall for several minutes, breathing harshly.
Guàn Jǐngchén finally pulled out and turned Lin Yuè around. His eyes were dark, conflicted, and exhausted.
"I told the board today that I won't distance myself," he said quietly. "I told them if they force a vote, I'll fight it with everything I have."
Lin Yuè's eyes glistened. "You're risking everything for me."
Guàn Jǐngchén cupped his face with both hands, thumbs brushing away the tears.
"I still don't know how to forgive you," he admitted, voice strained. "But the thought of losing you completely… it's worse than the betrayal."
He kissed Lin Yuè then — slower, deeper, full of pain and lingering love. The kiss turned tender, almost desperate, as if both of them were trying to hold onto something slipping away.
Later that night, as they lay in bed, Guàn Jǐngchén held Lin Yuè from behind, arm locked tightly around his waist.
"Two more days," he whispered into the darkness. "After the meeting… everything might change."
Lin Yuè turned in his arms and pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone.
"Whatever happens," he whispered back, "I'm still yours. If you'll still have me."
Guàn Jǐngchén's grip tightened.
"I don't know if I can let you go," he admitted. "Even if I should."
In the quiet penthouse, with the board meeting looming like a death sentence, they held each other through another night — two broken people clinging to the fragile remains of a love built on lies.
Three days until everything could fall apart.
Or three days until they began to rebuild something new from the ashes.
End of Chapter 60