The news exploded overnight.
By morning, every financial outlet, social media platform, and industry gossip circle was flooded with the story: **"Jǐngchéng Tech CEO Defies Board, Risks Empire for Controversial Partner."**
Guàn Jǐngchén woke to dozens of missed calls and a flood of messages. He silenced his phone and turned to Lin Yuè, who was still asleep beside him, curled against his chest like he belonged there.
He brushed a strand of messy black hair from Lin Yuè's forehead and pressed a soft kiss there. The younger man stirred, golden-brown eyes fluttering open, instantly wary.
"It's out," Guàn Jǐngchén said quietly. "The whole world knows now."
Lin Yuè's breath hitched. He sat up slowly, the sheet pooling around his waist. "I'm sorry. This is all because of me."
Guàn Jǐngchén pulled him back down, rolling on top of him and kissing him deeply, almost punishingly. His hands roamed possessively over bare skin, gripping hips and thighs as the kiss turned heated.
"I made my choice," he growled against Lin Yuè's mouth. "And I'd make it again."
He didn't wait. He slicked himself quickly and pushed inside Lin Yuè in one smooth, deep thrust. Both of them groaned at the connection. Guàn Jǐngchén set a slow but intense rhythm, eyes locked on Lin Yuè's face the entire time.
"Let them talk," he whispered with every deep roll of his hips. "Let them judge. I don't care about any of it when I have you like this."
Lin Yuè moaned softly, legs wrapped tightly around him, fingers digging into broad shoulders. "I love you… even if I destroyed your world."
Guàn Jǐngchén thrust deeper, harder. "You didn't destroy it. You changed it. And right now, I don't regret a single thing."
They came together — Lin Yuè with a broken cry, Guàn Jǐngchén with a low groan as he filled him. They stayed connected for a long time afterward, foreheads pressed together, breathing ragged.
Later, over breakfast, the reality set in.
Guàn Jǐngchén's phone buzzed incessantly. Headlines flashed across the screen:
- "Guàn Jǐngchén Chooses Love Over Leadership"
- "Is Jǐngchéng Tech's Future in Jeopardy?"
- "Who Is Lin Yuè? The Mystery Man Behind the CEO's Downfall"
Lin Yuè stared at the screen, face pale. "They're calling me a gold-digger. A security risk. A ghost who seduced you."
Guàn Jǐngchén pulled him into his lap, arms wrapping around him protectively. "Let them say what they want. I know the truth. You're the one who stayed when you could have run. You're the one who chose me even when it cost you everything."
He kissed Lin Yuè's neck, hands sliding under the shirt to caress bare skin. The kiss turned heated again. Guàn Jǐngchén lifted him onto the dining table, pushing the shirt up and thrusting inside with one smooth motion.
This time it was slower, more emotional. Guàn Jǐngchén moved deep inside him, whispering against his lips, "You're worth every loss. Every fight. Every headline."
Lin Yuè clung to him, tears slipping down his cheeks as pleasure and guilt mixed together. "I'll help you rebuild. Whatever you need. I'll be by your side."
They came together quietly, holding each other through the aftershocks.
In the days that followed, the pressure intensified.
Guàn Jǐngchén's lawyers began preparing for a legal battle to challenge the board's decision. The media camped outside the tower. Old Eclipse rumors resurfaced, twisted with new speculation about Lin Yuè.
Through it all, Guàn Jǐngchén kept Lin Yuè close — possessive touches, late-night lovemaking, quiet moments where he held him like he was the only stable thing left in his world.
One night, as they lay tangled in bed after another intense round, Guàn Jǐngchén stroked Lin Yuè's hair and spoke into the darkness.
"I don't regret choosing you," he said softly. "But I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," Lin Yuè whispered.
"No more secrets. Ever. If we're doing this — fighting the board, facing the world, rebuilding — we do it together. No hiding. No running."
Lin Yuè pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone. "I promise. No more lies. No more masks. Just me. All of me."
Guàn Jǐngchén tightened his arms around him.
The legal battle was just beginning.
The public scrutiny would be brutal.
But for the first time since the reveal, they faced the future as equals — scarred, imperfect, but honest.
The hunter and the ghost had become something new.
Something worth fighting for.
End of Chapter 68