29: A sensible secretary

She could no longer support herself, leaning her entire body weight against Lin Chao.

Her voice trembled slightly due to the intense pain.

"Suddenly... a sudden sharp pain..."

Seeing the fine beads of cold sweat instantly popping up on her forehead, Lin Chao's brow furrowed, and he no longer hesitated.

He bent down, his strong, powerful arms precisely sliding under her slender knees and soft back.

The next second, he directly and steadily lifted her up in a princess carry!

"CEO Lan, pardon the offense."

The sudden feeling of weightlessness made Lan Yanran let out a subconscious cry.

"Ah..."

Her body reacted instinctively; her slender arms tightly encircled Lin Chao's neck, fearing she might fall.

It was this very action that brought her closer to this man's chest than ever before.

Through the thin shirt, she could clearly feel the firmness of his chest and his burning body temperature.

A scent of male hormones, mixed with a faint smell of sweat and sunlight, domineeringly invaded her nostrils.

This scent wasn't unpleasant; instead, it carried a primal, reassuring power.

It was quite marvelous.

The agonizing pain that had been raging in her lower abdomen like a knife twist was miraculously eased by a fraction the moment she was enveloped by this scent, as if an invisible force had smoothed out its sharp edges.

Her heart skipped a beat for no reason.

"Ding—"

At that moment, the elevator doors slowly opened.

Carrying her, Lin Chao didn't hesitate for a moment and strode into the CEO's Office.

Zhong Xiao, who was organizing documents at the desk, instinctively looked up when she heard the movement.

The next second, her eyes instantly widened like copper bells!

What was she seeing?!

That man named Lin Chao was actually... actually carrying their high-and-mighty, ethereal CEO Lan out of the elevator in a princess carry?!

Zhong Xiao's brain buzzed, instantly going blank.

She stood there in a daze, completely unaware of when the folder in her hand had dropped to the floor.

Lin Chao looked straight ahead, carrying the pale woman in his arms as he walked directly toward the Private Lounge at the very back of the office.

Only when the lounge door closed did Zhong Xiao snap back to her senses.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

As the CEO's chief secretary, she knew very well what to see and what not to see, what to ask and what not to ask.

Steadying herself, she bent down to pick up the documents on the floor, then tiptoed out of the office, considerately closing the office door softly from the outside... Inside the lounge.

Lin Chao carefully placed Lan Yanran onto the large, soft bed.

"Bear with it for a moment."

He spoke in a low voice, then without any superfluous movements, he directly reached out and began to unbutton her professional suit jacket.

Lan Yanran's body instantly froze.

Although she knew Lin Chao was doing this to facilitate the massage, her cheeks still uncontrollably flushed a burning red when a man's fingers touched her body at such close range.

Lin Chao's expression was exceptionally serious, his eyes clear and focused, without a single stray thought.

He was like a surgeon about to perform an important operation, completely focused.

After unbuttoning the jacket, he reached out again and gently pulled up the zipper on the hem of her shirt.

Until that flat, fair abdomen, slightly convulsing from the intense pain, was completely exposed to the air.

Lan Yanran nervously closed her eyes.

Then, a broad and burning hand covered it.

The temperature from his palm was like a small furnace, instantly dispelling the coldness on her abdomen.

Lin Chao didn't start moving immediately; instead, he let his palm rest against her skin, using a steady stream of heat to first help relieve the muscle tension.

A few seconds later, he began to rub slowly and rhythmically.

His technique was very professional, the pressure varying between light and heavy, with every press accurately landing on the sore and painful acupoints.

That warm power seemed to carry a magical charm, seeping in through his fingertips and slowly kneading away the chill and pain entrenched in her body.

Lan Yanran's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

She could feel the maddening sharp pain slowly dissipating, replaced by an indescribable comfort and warmth.

After an unknown amount of time, when Lin Chao finally withdrew his hand, Lan Yanran felt her whole body lighten as if a heavy burden had been lifted; the pain in her abdomen was completely gone.

She slowly opened her eyes and let out a long sigh, her voice carrying a hint of weakness from having survived a disaster and sincere gratitude.

"Mr. Lin, your massage technique... is really excellent."

Lin Chao didn't pick up on that.

He looked at Lan Yanran's pretty face, which still retained a hint of sickly paleness, his brows tightly knit, his face filled with lingering heartache.

"CEO Lan, your menstrual cramps are so severe. I really can't imagine how you managed to endure all those years before meeting me."

Lan Yanran was slightly stunned.

She looked up at Lin Chao in surprise.

What she saw wasn't arrogance from his merit or polite pleasantries, but a pure, heartfelt heartache and pity.

In that moment, Lan Yanran's heart, which had long been hardened like iron by the business world, felt as if it had been lightly bumped by something, trembling violently.

She smiled faintly; that smile diluted the paleness on her face and added a touch of soul-stirring tenderness.

"Perhaps, it was all so that I could be lucky enough to meet you today."

After saying that, she seemed to remember something and asked with a hint of apology.

"Does it cause you a lot of trouble, me calling you over so suddenly every time?"

Lin Chao shook his head, looking at her with sincere eyes, his tone firmer than ever before.

"Not at all."

"As long as you need me, you can find me anytime."

Lin Chao's gaze was sincere and burning.

Like a flame, it threatened to melt her.

Lan Yanran's heart trembled, and she didn't quite dare to meet his gaze.

She instinctively looked away, a faint pink hue rising on her snowy-white neck.

"Don't... don't you need to wash your hands?"

She asked weakly, her voice as small as a mosquito's hum.

After saying this, she herself was stunned.

Was this still the decisive, authoritative CEO of Lantu Group?

Why was it so difficult to even say a complete sentence in front of this man?

Lin Chao looked at her shy and lovely appearance, a world apart from the powerful, majestic, and cold queen at the door earlier.

This huge contrast also caused a strange ripple in his heart.