Chapter 19: Help Me Another Way

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The scorching heat of his large palm penetrated the fabric, searing her skin. His touch felt like an electric current, sending tingling waves radiating from her waist.
Whether it was the lingering effects of the incense or not, Jiang Zhi found she didn’t recoil from this intimate contact. A treacherous part of her even craved closeness.
But a sliver of remaining sanity prevailed. She quickly popped the pill into her mouth.
A cool, minty sensation spread across her tongue. The uncomfortable heat within her body began to subside almost immediately.
Seeing she’d swallowed the pill, Shang Chi released her. He rolled back to his side of the bed.
Jiang Zhi turned her head towards him. “Thank you,” she murmured.
The man didn’t respond. His jaw was clenched tight, a muscle ticking visibly. He drew in a slow, deep breath, his chest rising and falling heavily. He leaned back against the headboard, eyes shut.
Silence descended between them.
Time crawled. Shang Chi’s breathing grew increasingly ragged and labored.
Sweat beaded thicker on his forehead and body. His brow furrowed deeply in discomfort.
He tilted his head back slightly, tendons standing out starkly in his neck, flushed and straining.
He looked utterly consumed by agony.
Jiang Zhi was now fully clear-headed, her own discomfort vanished.
Seeing him suffer so intensely, she started to move closer, intending to ask if he was alright. But he spoke first, his voice a raw, animalistic growl, “Don’t come near me!”

Jiang Zhi flinched, freezing instantly. She dared not move an inch closer.
She watched as he abruptly threw back the covers, swung his legs off the bed, and strode into the bathroom.
Moments later, the sound of rushing water filled the room, punctuated by the deep, strained sounds of a man fighting for control.
Jiang Zhi might be inexperienced, but she wasn’t naive.
She knew exactly what he was doing in there.
Heat flooded her cheeks. Her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the bedsheet.
Half an hour passed. He was still in the bathroom.
As time stretched on, Jiang Zhi’s unease grew.
He gave me the only pill. He’s suffering like this because of me.
After an internal struggle, she walked to the bathroom door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. “President Shang… do you need help?”
No response came from within. Only the relentless rush of water and the harsh sound of his breathing.
She knocked twice more. The result was the same.
On her fourth knock, the bathroom door was wrenched open from the inside.
Shang Chi stood there, a towel wrapped low around his hips. His upper body and hair were dripping wet, enveloped in a cloud of cold steam.
Clearly, he hadn’t even bothered to dry himself.
Water streamed from his hair. Droplets traced paths down the hard planes of his chest and abdomen, soaking the edge of the towel wrapped around his waist.
The evidence of his desperate struggle was unmistakable beneath the thin barrier.
Jiang Zhi’s eyes darted away instantly, her face burning.
Every muscle in his body was corded with tension, veins standing out starkly beneath his skin like ropes.
Shang Chi’s eyes were those of a cornered beast—dark, terrifying, pupils like spilled ink. The rims were bloodshot. He stared down at her, his gaze raw and predatory, teetering on the edge of control.
His voice, when it came, was ripped from the depths of his throat, shredded with strain. “Knocking on this door… do you understand what that means?”
Jiang Zhi met his gaze. “I know.”
Her clear, fox-like eyes held unwavering resolve, a stark contrast to the flush staining her cheeks.
Shang Chi’s expression darkened. His hand shot out, clamping onto her waist, pulling her flush against his bare, dripping chest.
Though mentally prepared for this possibility, his sudden movement still made Jiang Zhi tense instinctively.
Shang Chi felt the rigidity in her body. His eyes narrowed. He reached up, tucking a stray, damp strand of hair behind her ear. His voice, when he spoke, held a dangerous thread of dark amusement. “Don’t be nervous. I said I wasn’t in the mood for that today. But…”
Their bodies were pressed tightly together.
Jiang Zhi could feel the undeniable, powerful evidence of his arousal against her.
Just as she began to wonder what he meant, he voiced his demand.
His voice grated like sand over stone, low and deliberate. “You can help me… another way.”