Chapter 25: Caught in the Trap

Fang Cheng and Wei Zhishu stayed behind to handle the aftermath at the restaurant.

Shang Moting drove Lin Ting back to the hotel. The hotel was very close, only a ten-minute drive away. Throughout the journey, Lin Ting looked out the car window and said very little. After obtaining Shang Moting's permission, she only adjusted the air conditioning to a lower setting.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Shang Moting tossed his keys to the valet to have the car parked. He and Lin Ting entered the hotel and took the elevator up.

Standing at the door to Shang Moting’s room, Lin Ting said, "Thank you for today, Mr. Shang."

"You’re suddenly so polite that it makes me feel like you’re plotting against me." Shang Moting noticed that her face was a bit flushed.

Lin Ting narrowed her eyes and smiled, saying, "That’s right. I plan to wait until you’re asleep, then sneak to your bedside and throttle you until you’re screaming for help that nobody will hear."

Shang Moting raised an eyebrow.

Lin Ting lifted her chin and said, "Scared yet?"

Shang Moting curled his lips into a smile. "You can try it and see who ends up being scared."

Lin Ting chuckled and said, "Just you wait."

Shang Moting touched her face. "Why are you so hot?"

"I’m running hot, too," Lin Ting said. "I won’t talk to you anymore; I need to go back and turn on the air conditioner."

With that, she waved dismissively and turned to leave. Shang Moting watched her enter her room before heading to his own. He hadn't even had a chance to sit down when Fang Cheng’s call came through.

Shang Moting answered.

"Boss," Fang Cheng said, "Wei Zhishu and I need to take some leave."

Shang Moting remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"The private room we entered later was drugged," Fang Cheng explained. "We found an aromatherapy diffuser by the air vent; there was something wrong with the scent. Both of us were affected, though it’s not severe."

Shang Moting immediately thought of Lin Ting. She had been sweating and her face was flushed.

"We need to go take care of this," Fang Cheng said.

From the other end, Wei Zhishu shouted, "What do you mean 'we' need to take care of this together? You handle your business, and I’ll handle mine! If you say something like that again, I’m going to report you!"

"Boss, Wei Zhishu is already losing his mind," Fang Cheng noted.

"Slander! Pure slander!" Wei Zhishu yelled.

Shang Moting rubbed his temples and said, "Handle it yourselves. If it gets serious, go to the hospital."

"Yes, sir."

After hanging up, Shang Moting stood by the sofa for a moment. Lin Ting’s behavior had been so normal that he hadn't noticed a thing. Yet, both Wei Zhishu and Fang Cheng had fallen for it. Lin Ting had endured the entire trip without a word, her consciousness remaining perfectly clear. The training to develop drug resistance was an excruciating process; very few could withstand it.

Shang Moting clenched his fingers, turned around, and walked out of the room.

He arrived at Lin Ting’s door and was about to knock when he realized it wasn't closed.

"Lin Ting?" he called out as he pushed the door open.

There was no answer. Shang Moting walked into the living room and called out again, but still received no response. The bathroom door outside was open, and it was empty. The bedroom door was ajar as well.

Shang Moting walked to the bedroom and knocked on the door. "Lin Ting?"

A faint sound of running water came from the bathroom. Shang Moting looked toward the bathroom; the door was slightly ajar. He knocked on that door as well. "Lin Ting?"

Still, there was no response. He pushed the bathroom door open. The sound of running water was coming from the shower area inside. He walked in and, upon reaching the entrance of the shower, saw Lin Ting lying in the bathtub.

She was resting with her eyes closed, but upon hearing him, she sat bolt upright and looked toward the doorway. Her eyes were bloodshot, and as she stared at the entrance, it was as if she were locking onto prey. Her eyes were filled with a bloodthirsty, murderous intent, and her hand was gripped tightly around a dagger beside the tub.

However, once she saw it was Shang Moting, the killing intent in her eyes faded quickly. She set the dagger down. "Why are you here?"

"Are you okay?" Shang Moting asked, looking at her.

Lin Ting’s face and neck were completely flushed—an unnatural shade of red. Her hair was soaked, and the strands from her forehead were swept back. Water droplets clung to her face and eyelashes, and her clothes were plastered to her body. She didn't look disheveled; rather, she looked beautifully, glisteningly radiant. The water beads on her skin were crystal clear, looking as though they were seeping from her smooth, delicate complexion.

The sharp edge she had shown a moment ago had vanished. Now, she looked docile, listless, and soft.

"I should be fine, just very hot," Lin Ting said. "Feverish."

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Shang Moting asked.

Lin Ting lay against the edge of the bathtub, resting her head on her arms, and tilted her head to look at him. "No need. Did Wei Zhishu and the others tell you?"

"Yes," Shang Moting said, standing at the threshold of the bathroom.

Lin Ting looked at him. "So, what are you doing standing at the door?"

"Watching you suffer," Shang Moting replied.

"How cruel," Lin Ting remarked.

"Then, is it safe for me to come in?" Shang Moting asked.

Lin Ting smiled. "Not at all."

Shang Moting raised an eyebrow and walked into the bathroom.

Lin Ting watched him. "I’ve discovered that you seem to have a longing for the unsafe."

Shang Moting walked to the edge of the bathtub and leaned down to touch her face. "Places that are always safe make people slack and bored."

His hands weren't cold, but Lin Ting’s face was so hot that, by comparison, his touch felt cool. Feeling the relief, Lin Ting instinctively closed her eyes. Shang Moting watched her long eyelashes tremble slightly.

He pulled his hand away, but just as he did, Lin Ting grabbed his hand and pressed it back against her face. Shang Moting leaned over to look at her. Lin Ting opened her eyes, looked at him, then closed them again, gently rubbing her cheek against his palm.

The sensation of her smooth, soft, and burning skin gathered in his palm. Shang Moting’s pupils suddenly trembled. His thumb stroked her cheek.

"Leave it there for a while," Lin Ting said. Her voice was soft and submissive.

Shang Moting kept his hand still.

Lin Ting, eyes still closed, said, "Lin Jinchuan told all those media outlets yesterday that he wanted to sever ties with me. But today, when I brought the drafted agreement for him to sign, he wouldn't sign it—instead, he tried to sell me off. Have you ever seen a father like that?"

"I have now." Leaning over was uncomfortable, so Shang Moting knelt on one knee by the edge of the tub.

Lin Ting chuckled. "In the Lin family, Lin Jinchuan insisted he was just going out for a meal. But now that I have proof of him selling his daughter, I want to see if he dares to refuse to sign tomorrow."

"You went there to get evidence?" Shang Moting asked.

Lin Ting, resting on her arms with her other hand pressing Shang Moting’s hand against her face, opened her eyes to look at him. "Yes. And I beat them up. In the end, the Zhao family will still pin this debt on Lin Jinchuan." She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Guess what will happen to Lin Jinchuan? I like watching people who are barely hanging on take another heavy blow."

Shang Moting loved this little mischievous expression of hers. He stroked her face and said, "And then you ended up like this?"

"That, I didn't anticipate, but it’s not a big problem. I know what I’m doing," Lin Ting said. "Was it a problem with the air conditioning?"

"Yes," Shang Moting replied.

Lin Ting said, "I suspect Zhao Chen is getting old and can't perform without the help of drugs."

Shang Moting: "..."

"What’s with that look?" Lin Ting asked.

"The look of someone who agrees with you," Shang Moting replied.

Lin Ting laughed.

Shang Moting added, "He won't be able to do it even with the drugs in the future."

Lin Ting burst into laughter.