Ti Shen

"You…" With his sight blurred, Lan Kuang could vaguely see the man with the demon mask approach him, but the man's bewitching voice was clear beside his ears.

"Hah, idiot. The drug isn't in the wine, it's on the glass. People say you're a cautious man who's sharp and clever. But perhaps you're too smart for your own good." The man smirked at Lan Kuang. He wrapped the whip around his left hand, playing with it. "But don't worry. I won't do anything to harm you. The drug was merely an aphrodisiac. You'll be fine as long as you find a person to help you later."

Lan Kuang struggled to get up while also trying to get a good kick at the man. The latter dodged easily and added, "I forgot to mention, but the drug isn't simply an aphrodisiac. I've mixed some anesthetics in there as well. It's normal for you to not be able to control your limbs right now. Don't even think about trying to kick me. We have to be realistic here. If you have the time to attempt something so pointless, why don't you try to conserve your energy instead?"

Lan Kuang's angry expression was immediately replaced by a look of nonchalance. He even chuckled and said, "Oh? My dear, did you bring a whip because you thought it would more exciting? What heavy tastes you have! But if that's the case, I can go wild with you. Come on, I can't wait!"

The man in the mask had never faced such a situation before. Why did Lan Kuang suddenly turn passionate and wild? Was he trying to tease him with those words? He couldn't believe the thickness of Lan Kuang's skin. Lan Kuang should be glaring at him and demanding to know what he had planned in mind. Why was he being so…so obscene?

Thank god that he was wearing a mask. He wouldn't be able to live if Lan Kuang noticed the blush creeping up his face. He forced himself to calm down and restrained his mind from wandering into dark places. He glanced over Lan Kuang, who was half-naked on the bed. He then knelt on the sheets and reached to pull Lan Kuang's pants down.

At the touch of the other's cold fingers, Lan Kuang felt a wave of cool relief flow through him. Without a hint of embarrassment, Lan Kuang started moaning, trying to get a crack at the man still wearing the mask. "Ah… Darling, just a single touch from you is enough to get me reacting like this. Ah… I feel so good. Oh… Darling, you're too slow. Don't just take off my clothes. Do yours too. I can't wait!"

Hearing those words, the man in the mask could feel his ears turning red and his fingers trembling as he pulled Lan Kuang's pants down the thighs, calves, and ankles. Before moving any further, he calmed himself, and then ripped off Lan Kuang's pants in one smooth move. He leaned toward Lan Kuang and lifted the man's chin with the whip that was still wrapped around his hand. He asked in a low voice, "Where's the data?"

"What data?" Lan Kuang was shocked.

"Don't pretend in front of me." The smile that appeared on the man's face was rather wicked. He waved the whip in front of Lan Kuang. "If you don't tell me now, you'll have a tough time later."

Lan Kuang's expression finally turned serious again. "What are you planning?"

The man in the mask swung the whip around a few times and glanced warningly at Lan Kuang. He chuckled and said, "I'll ask you again. Where's the customer data from the Long Wei Group?"

Lan Kuang sneered coldly. "Your methods are a little too despicable, don't you think?"

The man raised an eyebrow underneath the mask. "As they say, all's fair in love and war. The business world is akin to a battlefield. In a war like this, who can claim to be a gentleman all the time? Even if you can, they are the words of a hypocrite. As for me… Isn't it better to be straight up vile instead of hiding behind a barrier of pretenses?"

The man swung the whip down to mark the end of his words. A red lash appeared on Lan Kuang's chest. The man swung the whip again, adding another lash that crisscrossed with the other, making a giant X.

"Where's the data?" The man's voice was harsher than before. Lan Kuang now knew he was serious.

Lan Kuang winced at the pain on his chest, but he didn't say anything. He was more curious about the other's identity. "Who are you? What are you going to do with the data? What use do you have for it? Who ordered you? Moreover, don't you know that a cautious person like me never carries important data on my person?"

"That's a lot of questions." The man frowned at Lan Kuang. The marks on the latter's chest were starting to bleed in parts. He turned his head away. "There's no benefit from knowing too much. I'll say it again: I won't harm you, I simply don't want the Long Wei Group to have it too easy. If you'd been willing to cooperate, then I wouldn't have whipped you."

The man turned around and started rifling through Lan Kuang's clothes. He pulled out Lan Kuang's wallet, ID, and keys, not a single thing slipping his eyes.

While examining Lan Kuang's keys, the man found a small flash drive strapped to the keychain. The flash drive was made to resemble a monkey dressed up in hip-hop style. At first glance, it appeared like a normal keychain charm, but pulling off the monkey's head revealed the USB plug inside.

The most dangerous place was the safest at the same time, was it? Luckily, he had seen plenty of cartoon flash drives before. Otherwise, he'd have completely disregarded the monkey as a simple charm.

Like the demon mask he was wearing, the man smiled wickedly. He pulled the monkey off the keychain and said, "I should've known beforehand. For an overly cautious person who pretends to be smart, you'd definitely carry everything on your person. I apologize, but I'll be borrowing this from you. Please forgive me if I've caused you any problems."

Lan Kuang was already feeling the effects of the drug. The man in the mask noticed his reaction and smiled deeply. "I've only given you a taste of your own medicine. You'd followed me out of your own free will. You can't blame me for this." He paused, then continued, "But seeing as you rather like me, I've decreased the dosage of the drug. Just bear with it. Or…you can go ahead and help yourself. Don't try to resist it though, I'd feel bad if anything happens."

Lan Kuang was silent. He was filled with self-hate due to his carelessness. He also hated the brilliant method the other had used in order to capture him.

"Then… Goodbye! Thank you for the data." The man blew a kiss at Lan Kuang and walked toward the door.

Barely two steps later, the man turned around. Meeting Lan Kuang's cold gaze, he said, "I guess you can say we are acquaintances now. If not for the data you have in your hands, we might have become friends. Since we're hitting it off so well, let me teach you something."

The man raised a finger and smiled, "One, the business world is a battlefield. People who randomly get close to you either have bad intentions or they are corporal spies. Don't trust anything such as a one-night stand. Especially when it comes to people like me, who are capable of letting go of ourselves in order to trap our target. You should've realized that something was wrong the second I insisted on pouring you a glass of wine. But I did take advantage of that. I can only say that you aren't careful enough. Too much confidence isn't a good thing."

The man added a second finger to the first, his smile widening. "Two, don't suddenly change your approach when you're capable of controlling the situation. Never let another person take command. The most innocent people are often the most manipulative. Like the smooth surface of a lake, you never know what's inside the waters. You never know when something might jump out and bite apart your throat."

The man raised a third finger and leaned down to look at Lan Kuang. He rubbed the latter's chin in a teasing manner. "Three, don't carry valuable information on your person. It'll be the end of you if you come across a calculating man like me."

The man straightened and added, "How about this? I'll teach you a good way to back up information. You should go and register for two email accounts. When you come across valuable information, upload it onto one account, then use that account to send it to the second one. Even if one system were to break down, you'd still have another to rely on. You'd never have to worry about losing your information. As long as you have access to the internet, you can view it whenever. As for other people, even if they were to ransack your home or beat you down into the ground, they'd never find it."

A crafty and arrogant smile appeared on the man's face. "I feel a bit guilty that you fell for my trap today. In the future…you should be careful." He patted Lan Kuang on the face. "I won't say goodbye again. I hope we never see each other again."

The man leaned down and kissed the whip marks on Lan Kuang's chest. He then turned around and left, leaving behind an elegant and proud figure.

Completely naked on the bed with both hands tied above his head, Lan Kuang watched angrily as the other man walked away step by step. When the figure disappeared from his sight, he finally broke down in laughter, a dangerous edge in his voice.

Very well! We are enemies from this day forth! You better prepare yourself for revenge.

Lan Kuang glanced at his lower half and another wave of anger rolled through him. With great difficulty, he managed to flip over and rubbed himself against the bedsheet. The rampaging heat inside him subsided for a moment, only to return at full force the next second.

Despite the anger in his eyes, Lan Kuang's face was icy. He gritted his teeth and glared at the door, as if trying to bore a hole into the wood.

Goddamn it. If I ever learn of who's behind this, they are dead for sure. My methods aren't as simple as yours.

Forcing me to do it by myself… Next time, I'll do it until you're screaming for help, until you can't get out of bed for three days!

You will pay me back in double! In triple! I'll make you penniless, but that would be letting you off too easy!

Shit! Not being able to do anything while this drug is inside my body makes me want to kill someone!

Lan Kuang had never been in such a sorry state in his whole life.

By the time the effects of the analgesic wore off, Lan Kuang was drenched in sweat. His lower half was still swollen to the point of pain. He leaned up and used his teeth to bite apart the belt that was tied around his hands. He then reached down and took care of himself a few times, finally, he felt the heat recede.

Still feeling a bit weak in the limbs, Lan Kuang quickly dressed himself. He left the room and ran in the direction of the security control room.