In order to manifest feminine beauty, the upper-middle class in Gafura still uses corsets, which essentially serve to cinch the waist and accentuate the bust.

Wearing them for extended periods indeed causes severe discomfort. Many people regard them as an inhumane garment, and even within Gafura, some share this sentiment. Yet, the nobility wear them when required.

"You won't peek, will you?" Jenia turned her face slightly, half hidden within her slightly disheveled hair, revealing the sideburns and ear on the other side to Lynch's view. Through her eyes, Lynch could see his own reflection.

Lynch did not answer immediately. His hand gently pressed against Jenia's back, "Your skin is very nice..."

"Could you help me untie the strings?"

...

The lighter, symbolizing a temporary closure to certain events, was opened with a "kin" sound, and a spark from the flint ignited the flame.

Jenia, wrapped in a towel, walked back from the bathroom without any reservations and sat beside Lynch, unwrapping the towel.

The damp towel made her uncomfortable, and the moisture would affect her skin. She took the cigarette from Lynch's hand, took a puff, and slowly exhaled.

Some movies require a cigarette to highlight the heroine's sadness, or anxiety, or confusion, or unease, or...

It also allowed her to master the art of smoking. The gradual exhalation of smoke made the flush on her skin peak at this moment, giving her a unique beauty.

"Incredible!" Jenia sighed. It was unclear if she marveled at Lynch's incredibility, the events that had transpired, or something else entirely.

Fortunately, she did not keep the mystery for long and provided the answer herself, "I always thought...," she reclined beside Lynch, "that such formal diplomatic events would involve a bunch of old men or middle-aged people. I didn't expect you to be one of them."

Lynch took back the cigarette from Jenia, nodded slightly, "I didn't expect it either."

As Lynch smoked, sparks flickered from the tip of the cigarette. This situation was quite common; during the process of shredding tobacco leaves, one or two slightly unruly stalks retain some elasticity and get squeezed inside the cigarette tube.

As the front leaf gets burned and pressure is released, it springs up, sparking a tiny ember.

Such flickering sparks might be trivial at other times, but here, when it happened, Jenia gave a startled low cry.

Lynch touched the spot that had been singed, blew on it gently...

...

After a while, the conversation resumed.

"What do you do?", asked the languid Jenia, lying on the bed, sounding somewhat exhausted with a slightly hoarse voice, conveying a unique allure, "Or are you just here for fun?"

Lynch was helping to relax her muscles; he had learned some massage techniques from his assistant, which were quite effective, "My projects have always been about solving problems for anyone, and charging a fee in return."

"Hmm, solving problems, that must be an interesting job."

"Indeed, I enjoy the feeling of conquering."

"A mountain, majestic, grand, I love watching it gradually be trampled under my feet."

"A river, raging, wild, I'll descend into its fiercest part and slowly feel its tranquility."

"It's the same with problems: I love seeing problems that trouble most people in the world, and then I solve them with ease. I love this feeling."

He gazed at Jenia lying beside him, who seemed to sense Lynch's gaze and opened her eyes to meet his.

For a moment, her mind went blank, as if she saw the eyes of her emperor brother—no emotions, only a chilling, reasoned indifference.

But when she looked more closely, it seemed like everything she discovered earlier was just an illusion. Lynch's gaze, as if telling a story, recited a poem that could flow into one's heart...

Whether due to that previous illusion or some other reason, she gave Lynch a little push, rolled over to straddle him, gently biting her red lips, her eyes filled with a sultry allure, "Can you still manage?"

"Of course!"

...

The next morning, when Lynch got into the car, his legs trembled uncontrollably for a moment. Fortunately, he was already seated inside, avoiding being a laughing stock. It had to be said, this was a fascinating and charming woman, while also marveling at how Gafura people truly spared no expense this time.

He didn't know what others encountered, but it was probably similar—they would go to great lengths to ignite these people's desires, hoping to extract some important information from them.

After returning to the hotel, Lynch immediately stripped off his clothes, lay in the bathroom tub, and exhaled a deep, satisfying breath at the warm, slightly hot water temperature.

The little assistant wanted to laugh but was a bit afraid to while helping Lynch tidy up his clothes, "You must have had a crazy, exhausting night yesterday!"

Given that Lynch didn't come home last night and returned today with a strong scent of women's perfume and various marks on his body, she understood what Lynch had been up to.

She didn't feel jealous or possessive; her relationship with Lynch hadn't progressed to the level of life partners.

The Federation's feminist organizations were indeed remarkable, helping women understand the distinctions between physical, emotional, life, and social partners.

In terms of her relationship with Lynch, her thoughts leaned more toward repayment. Lynch had saved her entire family and her life.

At her most desperate, she even considered the idea of becoming a high-class call girl, as it was the only fast-money option available to save her family. So being with Lynch was a form of gratitude.

Besides, Lynch was quite handsome, and the assistant didn't feel shortchanged; in fact, she felt she was getting a good deal.

After all, the personal life of a "domineering CEO" can't be too tame, otherwise, they're not "CEO" enough.

Lynch grinned, "If I were you, I'd give my boss a head massage. I'm feeling dizzy right now..."

On the other side, Jenia returned to the Imperial Palace looking content. Since she made a name for herself in the film industry, she rarely took the initiative to come back.

Being here always reminded her of unpleasant memories, a time of madness, darkness, and suffocation.

But this time, she had to return because contacting Lynch was an order directly from the Emperor, asking her, as a member of the Imperial Family, to contribute.

The atmosphere within the Empire was somewhat tense, and whether for her own sake or the country's, or to avoid being drawn into the treacherous succession struggle, Jenia took on the task.

She initially thought it would be a nasty job but unexpectedly found it quite agreeable and even satisfying.

Entering the palace without hindrance, she met her brother, the Emperor.

"You look great!" Emperor Gafura praised sincerely. He was considerably older than his sister, and there was a bit of estrangement, but that didn't stop him from showing familial warmth with a bit of conversational flair.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"Call me brother!" Emperor Gafura emphasized, "When there are no outsiders, you can call me brother."

Jenia was somewhat moved internally. Those siblings who were killed by the Emperor could never have imagined he'd appear so magnanimous now.

Only siblings who posed no threat to him were good siblings; otherwise, they were enemies.

"I understand, brother."

"I've completed the task you assigned me. Lynch serves a role similar to a staff officer for the delegation, providing impartial business advice."

"I heard he's one of the major shareholders of the United Development Company in Nagariel, with a net worth in the millions or even billions, in folly units."

"Moreover, he has a good relationship with Truman, which is why he was assigned to accompany the delegation."

The Emperor nodded continuously as he listened, showing a thoughtful expression as if he were truly paying attention, thinking, and studying.

These weren't exactly new insights; some he already knew. What he was unaware of was the delegation's apparent high regard for Lynch, a perspective he hadn't obtained before.

This led him to realize that increasing their influence over Lynch could gain them advantages in upcoming negotiations. "I'm sorry for having you handle these matters. I'm quite satisfied with your efforts. As your brother, I've likely overlooked the feelings of my family; I'm unsure what I should reward you with. Is there anything you desire?"

Emperor Gafura didn't hasten Jenia to continue finding out more about Lynch and his side; rather, he shifted the conversation to rewards. This implicitly hinted to Jenia that this was merely a phase of reward and completion!

"Serving the Empire is my honor, brother, and I don't find it... difficult to bear."

"Lynch is young and handsome, has a charming manner of speaking, and is physically fit..." Anyone could sense undertones in this statement unrelated to the current conversation.

Seeing the Emperor's slightly changing expression, Jenia deftly ended the topic. She only intended to tease the Emperor slightly, not to infuriate him completely.

Her actions were to make her position clear, asserting her independence, and to prevent the Emperor from thinking she was entirely compliant and always suitable for any future orders.

She refused to become the Empire's puppet!

"By the way, late last night as we were about to rest, Lynch mentioned he had a way to solve Amelia's issue."

"I think he was talking big. The problem that neither you nor the entire Empire's nobility can solve, how can a foreigner possibly resolve it?"

"I'm just passing on the information I have. How to analyze it, how to handle it, that's your business..."

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