I stared at him, completely frozen for a few long seconds. Even though this wasn’t the most formal setting, and he didn’t look like he was trying to be solemn, because the man standing in front of me was Pho Dinh, I would willingly trust him with my life.

During the quiet stretch of time when our relationship remained tucked away in the shadows, I suddenly realized it was the golden opportunity for me to “discipline” and tease Dinh to my heart’s content.

At the start of my junior year, Dinh would occasionally drive over to campus to visit me. One afternoon, as the two of us were taking a lazy stroll across the university grounds, we bumped right into a senior from my department. The guy gave Dinh a swift, evaluating once-over before turning to me with a curious look:

“Shen Yu, is this… your boyfriend?”

I immediately looped my arm through Dinh’s in an intensely affectionate grip, plastering on a picture-perfect, innocently wicked smile:

“Oh, no! This is my uncle.”

Hearing the words “my uncle,” the senior visibly exhaled a breath of relief, the grin on his face instantly widening into a brilliant smile:

“Ah, I see! Family. So, there’s an art exhibition out in the suburbs tomorrow, and I happen to have two tickets. Would you like to go with me?”

Dinh’s face remained utterly expressionless, but I knew him far too well. That subtle, icy smirk flickering across his lips was the ultimate sign that the jealousy monster inside him had officially been unleashed, and he was using every ounce of his willpower to keep his temper in check.

I deliberately pretended to mull it over for a few seconds, then turned to blink my eyes at him innocently:

“I’ll only go if my uncle says I can.”

The senior looked at Dinh with eyes full of hopeful expectation. The man beside me suddenly let out a low scoff, speaking in the exact tone of a stern guardian lecturing a child:

“Did you forget what I taught you when you were little? When you’re taken, you give people a clear rejection. Do you remember now?”

Only after delivering that line did he finally deign to glance at the senior, his tone completely indifferent:

“Sorry, man. My little niece here is shy and terrible at saying no to people. But the truth is, she doesn’t have the slightest bit of interest in you.”

His eyes deliberately flashed with pure disdain and absolute dominance, dealing a lethal blow to the senior’s fragile pride. Watching the guy slink away with his shoulders slumped, I offered a sincere, silent apology in my heart.

But I knew my little act hadn’t tricked Dinh for a single second. That night, the moment his car engine cut off in the dark underground parking garage at home, he instantly slammed the door locks down.

Without saying a single word, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned his massive frame over me. He kissed me fiercely, one hand reaching behind my back to drop the seat incline, forcing my body down onto the reclining leather.

Panicked, I patted his shoulders, whispering a desperate, terrified excuse into his mouth:

“No… don’t… mm… there are security cameras here… what if your staff sees…”

Dinh let out a sharp, impatient click of his tongue. In one swift motion, he yanked the seatbelt, wrapped it tightly around both my wrists a couple of times, and snapped it securely into the buckle, locking me down completely. Then, squeezing my chin, he forced my head up to swallow every single protest in my throat.

A long moment later, when I was on the absolute brink of suffocating, he finally backed off just a fraction, though our faces remained breathlessly close. He lightly shook my chin, his voice dropping into a dark, intoxicating purr:

“Intentionally using another guy today to drive me crazy… did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

I bit my lip, blinking innocently up at him like a clueless puppy:

“I would never! Uncle Dinh, why do you get so sensitive and paranoid the older you get?”

Dinh let out a dry, dangerous laugh, not bothering to entertain my weak little counterattack. He unbuckled the seatbelt, scooped me up onto his lap in one effortless motion, and whispered a filthily suggestive sentence into my ear:

“Little girl, you like chasing thrills, don’t you? Fine. Tonight, I’ll teach you what ‘an older man’ can really do.”

This was the very first time I had ever heard Pho Dinh say something so dirty and aggressively direct. The skin behind my ears instantly burst into flames. Sensing he was about to drop even more shameless words, I panicked and slapped my hands firmly over his mouth:

“Stop talking! You’re so perverted!”

Dinh casually raised an eyebrow, peeling my hands off his lips with a cold smirk. “Yeah, I’m a perverted bastard. So… brace yourself for your punishment.”

By then, I was genuinely in a state of sheer panic, my breathing ragged and wild. Confined in the tight space of the car, the air filled with the frantic sound of our messy gasps. Forced to sit on his lap, my face buried deep into the crook of his neck, I pleaded over and over:

“Pho Dinh… I was wrong…”

After a long while, the man let out a lazy, rumbling growl from the back of his throat. Unlike his usual satisfied self, his lips remained pressed in a tight line, a lingering trace of irritation still shadowing his face.

It was only then that I realized… Dinh hadn’t actually intended to cross the final line tonight. He simply wanted to use the illusion to scare the living daylights out of me.

A flicker of lazy triumph danced in his dark eyes. Taking in my breathless, disheveled state, he let out a low chuckle, teasing softly:

“Well? Still think my ‘organs are failing’?”

I swore to God right then and there—if you gave me ten times the courage, I would never, ever dare mock this terrifying man’s pride regarding his age again!

After classes on Friday, Dinh parked his car near the campus gates to wait for me, just as he always did. But this time, I wasn’t walking out alone.

As I approached the passenger side, his razor-sharp gaze immediately locked onto my roommate, Lin Chaowan, who was cowering timidly behind my back.

I stepped forward to explain:

“Uncle Pho, this is Wanwan, my roommate. She’s staying over at our place for a few days this weekend.”

Lin Chaowan raised her head hesitantly. But the exact second her eyes landed on Dinh’s face, her expression transformed completely. She suddenly let go of my arm, and to my absolute shock, she launched herself straight into Dinh’s arms, clinging to him for dear life:

“My savior! I… I finally found you!”

Tragically, the concept of “chivalry” or “gentleness toward women” did not exist in Pho Dinh’s dictionary. His face instantly turned as black as a thundercloud. Swift as lightning, he peeled her hands off his clothes and shoved her aside without a shred of mercy, his brows knitting into a harsh, icy scowl:

“Who the hell are you?”

Having been pushed away, Lin Chaowan’s eyes welled with tears, which immediately overflowed down her cheeks. Sobbing, she recounted how her family was trying to force her into marrying an old man, driving her to run away from home. While on the run, she was nearly caught by the thugs her parents had hired, and in that moment of pure desperation, Dinh had randomly appeared and saved her like a hero. She said she had fled to stay with me because her parents were about to hunt her down at our university.

Even after hearing her out, Dinh kept his irritated scowl, looking entirely unsure if he even remembered such a trivial, meaningless rescue. He gave a indifferent nod just to get it over with, then coldly stepped into the car first.

Lin Chaowan bit her lip hard, her face pale from the embarrassing rejection. She turned to me, looking utterly pitiful:

“Yuyu… Your Uncle Pho seems to really hate me, doesn’t he?”

I let out a soft sigh, pulling her into the backseat with me. Trying my best to project calm, I wrapped my arm around her trembling shoulders, patting her back in quiet comfort:

“Don’t be scared, Wanwan. My Uncle Pho is just naturally eccentric and grumpy like that—he doesn’t hate you. You can relax here; our house security is top-tier. Your parents won’t be able to find you.”

Lin Chaowan said nothing, silently hugging me tightly. It was only then that I noticed the fabric over my right shoulder was already completely soaked with her tears.