45: Chapter 45 Vermouth Gets Tricked

The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, cutting light and shadow across the floor of Lin Long's office.

The air was filled with the faint scent of cigars. Lin Long leaned back in his large executive chair, his fingers tapping idly on the keyboard, while dense streams of data scrolled across the screen—he was browsing the latest movements of the Tomizawa Financial Group sent by the Shadow Guards.

"Knock, knock, knock—" The sound of knocking interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." Lin Long didn't even look up, his tone flat.

The door pushed open, and a slender figure walked in. It was none other than Vermouth, using the alias "Akagi Yuko."

She seemed to have dressed up specially today; her originally loose work uniform had been replaced by a tight white shirt and a form-fitting skirt, outlining her incredibly explosive curves.

The neckline was cut extremely low, and with her movements, that dazzling flash of snow-white skin was visible, almost bursting out. She carried a tray with a freshly brewed cup of Blue Mountain coffee, swaying as she walked over, every step exuding deliberate charm.

Lin Long's gaze swept over her, a knowing smile flashing in his red eyes. She was here.

Having been ordered around like a servant for the past few days, it seemed this "vermouth" could finally hold back no longer and was ready to get serious.

"Boss, your coffee."

Vermouth's voice was as soft as water, with a deliberately softened, coquettish tone, a stark contrast to her usual timid demeanor.

Lin Long finally looked up, watching her face close at hand, and asked knowingly, "Why is it you? Where is Ochiai?"

"Butler Ochiai said he had something to attend to, so he asked me to bring you your coffee."

Vermouth blinked her big, watery eyes, her tone innocent yet carrying a hint of imperceptible flirtation, "Boss, try the coffee I brewed and see if it's to your liking?"

As she spoke, she leaned down to place the coffee on the desk in front of Lin Long.

This movement caused her neckline to open wider, exposing almost half of her bust to Lin Long's eyes; the air seemed to grow thick with a few more layers of ambiguity.

Lin Long leaned back against the chair, watching her with composure, a playful smile on his lips. This was the so-called honey trap? It was a bit too cliché. However, there was no reason not to watch a "good show" that had delivered itself to his doorstep.

"Put it down." Lin Long's voice betrayed no emotion.

A flash of triumph crossed Vermouth's eyes; it seemed this trick still worked on Lin Long.

She set down the coffee but didn't leave immediately; instead, she pretended to be flustered and her hand shook—"Ah!"

The scalding coffee spilled instantly, splashing mostly onto Lin Long's black dress pants and leaving a dark stain.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Boss! I didn't mean to!" Vermouth's expression changed instantly, her face filled with panic, her eyes reddening, looking pitifully, "I, I'll help you wipe it off!"

As she spoke, she hurriedly crouched down, took out a tissue, and reached for Lin Long's pant leg to wipe it.

But her movements were extremely "careless," her fingers constantly brushing against the inside of Lin Long's thigh, and the moment she crouched down, she deliberately puffed out her chest, letting the view in her neckline be exposed to Lin Long's eyes without restraint—this was no apology; it was blatant seduction.

Looking at her "panicked" appearance, which was filled with seduction at every turn, Lin Long sneered inwardly. Act, keep acting.

He didn't push her away; instead, he reached out and grabbed her waist.

Vermouth's waist was slender and soft; through the thin shirt, he could clearly feel its amazing elasticity. She was startled by Lin Long's sudden action, her body stiffening instantly, and a flash of shock crossed her eyes—she hadn't expected Lin Long to be so direct.

"Boss... what, what are you doing..." She looked up, her eyes filled with just the right amount of panic and shyness, her cheeks "timely" flushing red.

"What do you think?" Lin Long's voice was low and magnetic, carrying a trace of danger. He applied a little force, pulling Vermouth directly into his arms.

Vermouth gasped, falling onto Lin Long's lap, her soft bottom pressing right against his key area.

She could clearly feel the body heat radiating from Lin Long and that oppressive masculine scent; she cursed "pervert" inwardly, but her face still maintained that shy and helpless expression.

"Boss, don't do this... this is the office..." She pushed back gently, her tone carrying a hint of half-hearted coquetry.

Lin Long didn't buy it at all; his hand reached directly into her shirt, his fingertips gliding over her smooth, delicate skin, feeling that amazing elasticity.

In his past life as a person of Great Xia, he had read the "Art of War" quite a bit; he was adept at using the strategy of "using the enemy's own tactics against them."

Vermouth's body tensed instantly, and she barely restrained herself from throwing a punch. This Lin Long was simply a lecher! How could he be so impatient!

But thinking of her goal, she forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart, even taking the initiative to wrap her arms around Lin Long's neck, pressing her body closer, her breath like orchids: "Boss, don't be so impatient... Drinking coffee alone is so boring, let's have some wine to set the mood, shall we?"

As she spoke, she "magically" produced a bottle of red wine and two stemmed glasses from under the tray behind her.

This bottle of red wine was something she had prepared long ago; it was mixed with a special sleeping pill—colorless and odorless, fast-acting, and after waking up, one would only think they were tired, without any suspicion.

Her plan was: use a honey trap to seduce Lin Long, get him to drink the drugged red wine, and once he fell asleep, take the opportunity to search Lin Long's office to see if there were any valuable clues.

Lin Long looked at the bottle of red wine, a cold glint flashing in his red eyes. His sense of smell was already far superior to ordinary people's; even if the sleeping pill was colorless and odorless, he could faintly detect that extremely faint chemical scent that didn't belong to the wine itself.

Trying to drug me? Vermouth, you're still a bit too green.

"Sure." Lin Long acted as if he were blinded by lust, smiling and nodding, "I'll do as you say."

Vermouth was delighted; it seemed the fish had taken the bait. She deftly opened the red wine, poured half a glass into each of the two glasses, handed one to Lin Long, and picked up the other herself.

"Boss, cheers~" She raised her glass, a hint of imperceptible calculation flashing in her eyes, and tilted her head back, pretending to drink.

In the split second Vermouth turned away to put down the wine bottle after pouring, Lin Long's hand moved as fast as lightning, swapping the glasses in their hands. This movement was so fast that it was almost impossible to see, and Vermouth didn't notice at all.

"Cheers." Lin Long raised his glass, smiled at her, and then downed the wine in one gulp—of course, he drank the one that originally belonged to Vermouth, the un-drugged one.

Seeing this, Vermouth didn't hesitate and drank the wine in her glass. Watching Lin Long "drain" his glass, she was already calculating where to start searching.

"Boss, how's the wine?" Vermouth put down her glass, pressing her body even more proactively against him, her fingers lightly drawing circles on Lin Long's chest.

"Not bad." Lin Long smiled, his large hand still roaming over her body, feeling that firm texture, "However, it's still not as tempting as you."

Vermouth was irritated by his teasing (half was feigned, half was genuine anger), but she still held back, giggling: "Boss, you're so bad..."

As she spoke, she observed Lin Long's reaction, waiting for the drug to take effect.

However, several minutes passed, and Lin Long's eyes remained clear; he was even looking at her with a smile, showing absolutely no signs of falling asleep.

Vermouth began to panic. That's not right; the drug should have worked quickly, how could it...

Just then, she suddenly felt a wave of intense dizziness wash over her, her eyelids feeling as heavy as lead, her body starting to go limp, and even her thoughts becoming sluggish.

"What's going on..." Vermouth shook her head, trying to stay awake, but the drowsiness surged like a tide, impossible to resist.

She looked at Lin Long in disbelief, and when she saw that knowing, playful smile on his face, she instantly understood everything.

"You... you swapped the glasses..." Vermouth's voice became slurred, her body went limp, losing all strength, and she collapsed into Lin Long's arms.

In the last moment before she lost consciousness, she heard Lin Long's mischievous voice: "Is that all the Vermouth honey trap is capable of?"

Lin Long held the unconscious Vermouth in his arms, feeling her soft body and even breathing, the smile on his lips growing more playful.

He looked down at her disguised face—although she was wearing a human skin mask, one could still see that breathtaking beauty.

It had to be said, Vermouth's assets were indeed substantial; no wonder she could make such a name for herself in the American celebrity circle.

"Heh, you delivered yourself to my doorstep, so don't blame me." Lin Long picked up Vermouth and walked toward the lounge behind the office.

The lounge was comfortably furnished, with a large double bed occupying most of the space.

Lin Long placed Vermouth on the bed and pulled the quilt over her—of course, before that, he didn't forget to "casually" search her, taking away the miniature bug and a small dagger she had hidden in her clothes.

"Have a good sleep, 'vermouth'."

Lin Long looked at her sleeping face, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

He didn't do anything out of line to her. It wasn't out of kindness, but because he felt it was unnecessary.

Forcibly taking a woman who had lost consciousness was too degrading. Besides, keeping Vermouth had greater utility.

If he really took advantage of the situation and forced himself on Vermouth, she would likely go crazy and do anything to kill Lin Long.

Lin Long wasn't afraid, but if it reached that point, it would be hard to clean up.

But now he was more interested in what Vermouth's reaction would be when she woke up. Would she turn hostile in a fit of shame and anger, or would she continue to play dumb?

Lin Long walked out of the lounge, closed the door, returned to the desk, picked up the remaining bottle of red wine, and poured himself a glass.

The sun was still bright, but the office seemed to have undergone a subtle change.

He called Butler Ochiai to bring over a camera.

Vermouth, this move of yours was a blunder. Now, it's my turn.

Playing with the camera, Lin Long returned to the lounge. The game was getting more and more interesting.