Five days.
That was all the time left before the independent audit Li Wei had pushed for would begin.
Guàn Jǐngchén tried to shield Lin Yuè from the growing tension, but the younger man felt it in every lingering touch, every extra kiss, every time the CEO pulled him closer at night as if afraid he might disappear.
On the first of those five days, they barely left the penthouse.
Guàn Jǐngchén woke Lin Yuè with slow, open-mouthed kisses along his spine. His hands roamed possessively, mapping every curve and dip of Lin Yuè's body as if committing it to memory.
"Stay in bed with me today," he murmured, voice rough with morning desire. He rolled Lin Yuè onto his back and settled between his thighs, kissing him deeply while his hand stroked him to full hardness.
Lin Yuè gasped into the kiss, legs wrapping around the CEO's waist. "Jǐngchén… the company…"
"Can wait." Guàn Jǐngchén slicked himself and pushed inside with one smooth, deep thrust. Both of them groaned at the tight heat. He set a slow, intense rhythm — hips rolling deeply, eyes never leaving Lin Yuè's face.
Every thrust dragged against that sensitive spot, drawing soft, broken moans from Lin Yuè's lips. Guàn Jǐngchén's hand wrapped around him, stroking in perfect time.
"I love you," the CEO whispered, voice raw. "No audit, no board, no one will take you from me."
Lin Yuè came with a trembling cry, spilling between them. Guàn Jǐngchén followed moments later, burying himself deep with a low groan as he filled him.
They stayed connected for a long time, foreheads pressed together, breathing ragged.
The second day, Guàn Jǐngchén took Lin Yuè shopping. He bought him new clothes — soft sweaters in pastel tones, comfortable trousers, even a few silk shirts that made Lin Yuè blush when he tried them on. Every time Lin Yuè stepped out of the fitting room, Guàn Jǐngchén's eyes darkened with hunger.
That night, he took him against the dressing room mirror in the penthouse walk-in closet, hands gripping Lin Yuè's hips as he thrust deep and hard from behind.
"Look at yourself," Guàn Jǐngchén growled against his ear. "Look how beautiful you are when you're mine."
Lin Yuè moaned, forehead pressed to the cool glass, watching their reflection as pleasure built until they both shattered.
On the third day, the board sent a formal letter requesting the audit proceed. Guàn Jǐngchén read it once, then tore it in half and threw it away.
That evening, the tension finally broke in the bedroom.
Guàn Jǐngchén took Lin Yuè with raw need — pinning him to the bed, thrusting deep and fast while whispering fierce promises.
"You're mine. No one else gets to question that. No one else gets to touch you. No one else gets to doubt us."
Lin Yuè clung to him, moaning his name as they came together hard and fast.
Afterward, as they lay catching their breath, Guàn Jǐngchén held him tightly.
"Three more days," he said quietly. "Then this nonsense ends."
Lin Yuè nodded against his chest, but inside, the fear was suffocating.
He had survived every scan so far.
But this independent audit would be more thorough. It would cross-reference financial records, old IP logs, and subtle coding patterns that even his careful redirects might not fully hide.
On the fourth day, Li Wei cornered Lin Yuè alone in the executive lounge during a coffee break.
"I'm not your enemy," Li Wei said quietly. "But I care about this company. If there's anything you're hiding… now is the time to come clean. Before the audit finds it."
Lin Yuè looked up with wide, innocent eyes, cheeks flushing. "I don't know what you mean. I just want to do my job and be with Jǐngchén."
Li Wei studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "I hope that's true. For both your sakes."
That night, Guàn Jǐngchén was quieter than usual. He held Lin Yuè close in bed, hands stroking his back in soothing patterns.
"I won't let them hurt you," he whispered. "No matter what the audit finds, I trust you."
Lin Yuè's eyes stung with tears. He kissed Guàn Jǐngchén with everything he had — slow, emotional, full of love and desperation.
They made love one last time before the audit — slow and tender, eyes locked, bodies moving together like they were trying to memorize each other.
When they finally fell asleep, Lin Yuè lay awake long after Guàn Jǐngchén's breathing evened out.
Two days left.
The audit would begin soon.
The mask was cracking faster than he could repair it.
And the boy who had once been Eclipse had never been more terrified of losing the only person who had ever made him want to stay in the light.
End of Chapter 36