The legal war escalated faster than either of them expected.
Guàn Jǐngchén spent most days in strategy meetings with his lawyers, fighting to overturn the board's vote and regain control of Jǐngchéng Tech. The media frenzy had only grown worse. Headlines screamed about the "fallen CEO" and his "mysterious lover with a dark past." Old Eclipse rumors were twisted with new speculation, painting Lin Yuè as everything from a corporate spy to a seductive manipulator.
In the penthouse, Lin Yuè bore the weight of it in silence.
That evening, when Guàn Jǐngchén returned, his expression was exhausted but determined. The moment he saw Lin Yuè waiting in the living room — wearing nothing but a loose white silk robe that slipped off one shoulder — the tension in his body shifted into something darker, hungrier.
He crossed the room without speaking, pulled Lin Yuè into his arms, and kissed him with raw, desperate need. The kiss was all teeth and heat, hands shoving the robe open to grip bare skin as he walked Lin Yuè backward toward the bedroom.
"I need you," Guàn Jǐngchén growled against his mouth. "Right now."
He pushed Lin Yuè onto the bed, stripping the robe off completely. His own clothes were discarded impatiently. He slicked himself quickly and thrust inside with one deep, hard stroke, drawing a sharp cry from Lin Yuè.
The rhythm was intense and claiming — hips snapping forward, one hand gripping Lin Yuè's thigh while the other pinned his wrist above his head.
"Today they tried to use old financial records against you," Guàn Jǐngchén panted between powerful thrusts. "They wanted to prove you were Eclipse from the start. They wanted me to denounce you."
Lin Yuè moaned, legs wrapping tightly around him. "What did you say?"
"I told them the truth," Guàn Jǐngchén growled, thrusting deeper. "That you're mine. And I don't give a fuck what they think."
The pace grew brutal. Pleasure and pain mixed as Guàn Jǐngchén drove into him relentlessly. Lin Yuè came first with a broken sob, spilling between their bodies. Guàn Jǐngchén followed with a low groan, burying himself deep as he filled him.
They stayed connected for a long time afterward, foreheads pressed together.
Guàn Jǐngchén finally pulled out and rolled onto his back, pulling Lin Yuè on top of him. His hand stroked down the younger man's back in slow, soothing patterns.
"The lawyers say the case could take months," he said quietly. "We might lose significant assets in the fight. Are you ready for that?"
Lin Yuè lifted his head, eyes soft but resolute. "I'm ready for anything as long as I'm with you."
Guàn Jǐngchén stared at him for a long moment, then kissed him slowly, deeply, full of quiet emotion. The kiss turned tender, hands roaming with new gentleness as they made love again — slower this time, more emotional. Guàn Jǐngchén moved deep inside him, whispering "I love you" with every thrust. Lin Yuè clung to him, tears falling as pleasure and overwhelming love mixed together.
Later that night, as they lay tangled in the sheets, Guàn Jǐngchén held him close.
"I never thought I'd choose love over power," he admitted softly. "But here I am. Fighting for you instead of the company I built."
Lin Yuè pressed a kiss to his collarbone. "I'll help you rebuild. Whatever we lose, we'll make something new. Together."
Guàn Jǐngchén tightened his arms around him.
The legal battle would be long and brutal.
The public scrutiny would test them every day.
But in the quiet of the penthouse, with the world raging outside, they held each other through another night — two men who had risked everything for each other, now learning to fight side by side.
The future was uncertain.
But their choice was clear.
They would face it together.
End of Chapter 70