Chapter 23: Not a Glamorous Affair

"Don't move."

His large hand slid down her arm, as if trying to soothe her.

Her eyes burned with a mix of humiliation and grievance.

She didn't dare move again, but silent tears streamed down her face.

"Are you hungry?" He brushed away her tears with the back of his hand and answered his own question, "I'll feed you first."

Everything tasted like ash to her. She accepted the food he offered with a numbing passivity.

This "torture" lasted for a long time before it finally ended.

She slid off his lap, enduring the nausea and every ounce of discomfort. She slowly took a pack of pads from the bag and walked into the bathroom.

The moment the door closed and the faucet turned on, her stomach churned. Everything she had just eaten came back up.

When she emerged, he was already gone.

She curled up in the corner of the sofa and fell asleep; no one else came to visit the ward.

And, of course, the one she was waiting for never returned.

As predicted, the promise made to her had been broken.

Early the next morning, she stubbornly dialed the number again.

Still powered off.

That tiny spark of hope was instantly extinguished by a cold reality.

He arrived soon after to take her out of the hospital.

He had switched to a different car with a spacious back seat. A partition separated them from the driver, creating a private space.

She clutched a hot water bottle, looking like she was on the verge of death.

In her daze, she saw him take out a syringe and snapped into alertness.

"What are you doing?"

He ignored her, pinning her firmly in front of him.

"No, I don't want it... Ah!"

No matter how she struggled or screamed, he succeeded.

A moment later, she realized her stomach no longer hurt, and her breathing had smoothed out.

She thought back to that dream again—the dream where she called him "Doctor."

"What exactly did you inject me with?"

He packed his things and leaned back against the seat, saying lazily, "A painkiller. Don't worry, I'm not ready to let you die yet."

She breathed deeply, her face full of terror. "Really?"

"Really." He looked at her sideways and said gently, "Get some sleep."

She didn't dare sleep. She assumed they would be heading to the airport soon.

To her utter surprise, he brought her to a grand estate in a different city.

"What are we doing here?"

"Weren't we supposed to go to Macau?"

He draped an arm over her shoulder and led her across the threshold into a traditional garden. "Recover your health here first."

"Oh..."

"You're not making me do something bad, are you?"

He gave a reckless laugh. "Being tied to me, it's certainly not going to be anything good."

She was beyond speechless.

She truly regretted the impulsive moment she had ever provoked him.

Seeing how upset she was, he patted her head as a form of comfort. "I'll take you to your room. Rest well these next few days. When you're better, I'll come back for you."

"What do you mean?" She gripped his wrist. "I'm staying here alone? What about you?"

The architecture here was antique, and the rooms held an ancient charm. If red lanterns were hung everywhere at night, the mere thought made her turn cold from head to toe.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you that clingy?"

She pleaded earnestly, "I've been used to having someone around for years. Why don't you stay with me!"

Independence was one thing, but she couldn't stand loneliness—especially in a strange place.

He laughed. "Who do you think I am?"

"My boyfriend." She wrapped her arms around his waist and said softly, "Aren't you my boyfriend?"

This move caused the frost in his eyes to quietly melt, though his face remained unmoved. "Stay here and behave."

He removed her arms from his waist and pushed her luggage toward her.

Then he turned away coldly.

After a few steps, he looked back with a warning: "Don't try to leave, and don't try to call him. I'm giving you one last chance."

"Then when are you coming back?" she asked reluctantly.

"Depends on my mood."

With that lukewarm parting phrase, he actually left.

She glanced at the guards stationed there; they stood as straight as soldiers.

It seemed even if she wanted to escape, she wouldn't be able to.

She pushed her luggage into the room and shut herself inside.

She didn't know how long she slept, but the sound of rain outside eventually pulled her from her dreams.

As she turned over, she bumped into a heated body.

Her eyes widened in terror.

The man’s familiar scent was already at her lips. He invaded her senses without restraint, instantly seizing all her logic.

Panicked and lost, she pushed against his chest, but he captured her hand in his.

His breathing grew heavier.

He asked in a raspy voice, "Do you know how?"

Her eyes darted around, her mind flashing back to TV dramas she had seen abroad.

She sucked in a breath and asked back with forced calm, "What did you say?"

She looked green and innocent, especially with those beautiful eyes opened wide; it made one hesitate to shatter the purity within them.

He forced himself to pull back, stood up, and began changing his clothes with his back to her.

She sat up in bed and waited a moment before asking, "Why are you back?"

"I finished my business and came back."

He spoke tonelessly, but as he glanced over, she wondered if it was her imagination—he seemed so gentle right now.

Even gentler than their first time.

She shrugged sheepishly. Before she could speak, he was already fully dressed. "Come out and eat once you've tidied up."

He went out first, giving her private space.

She wondered: what exactly did he want her to do in Macau?

She couldn't figure it out for the life of her.

At the dining table, she scanned the spread. "Huaiyang cuisine again. It's almost the same as last night."

The difference was that tonight, she actually had an appetite.

The man didn't seem quite so dark and terrifying either. He even busied himself putting food on her plate, claiming, "You're too thin. The 'feel' isn't good."

She curled her lip but didn't stand on ceremony. As she took her first bite of a meatball, she suddenly thought: "You didn't poison this, did you?"

He gave a cold snort. "Would I need to go to all this trouble if I wanted to kill you?"

"Oh..."

His words were arrogant, yet they fit his public persona of being wild and unmanageable perfectly.

She still wasn't quite used to it. After all, when he first came to the house to seduce her, he acted like a sunny older brother.

But her falling for the trap hadn't been because of his outfit.

A week passed in a flash.

She lived quite comfortably there, and her health had improved significantly.

Seeing her complexion had recovered, he immediately whisked her onto a plane.

Two hours later, they landed in Macau.

They checked into a hotel first to rest.

She tugged at his sleeve, a faint sense of unease in her heart. "You aren't lying to me, are you? Whether he gets out or not isn't actually something you can control, right?"

He was holding a glass of red wine. Before taking a sip, he let out a scoffing laugh.

"Asking me this now? Isn't it a bit late, Miss Joy?"

That name was filled with mockery.

She ignored the title and repeated, "Did you really lie to me?"

The wine glass was slammed onto the table, and his large frame loomed over her.

He deftly pinned her hands to the back of the sofa, his overwhelming masculine presence flooding her senses.

"Mmph..."

He kissed her until her head spun and her limbs went numb before letting her go to catch her breath.

He scraped a finger across her flushed cheek and laughed. "Are you planning to hold your breath until you die?"

She was still gasping. "Why won't the other man answer my calls?"

"You should ask him that yourself. Do you dare to gamble? Gamble that I haven't lied to you. As long as you do what I want, I'll bring the boy straight to you."

Under his coercion, she asked urgently, "What is it?"

She had a bad feeling. She sensed it wouldn't be anything glamorous.

Sure enough, he said, "Go get close to my older brother."

Chapter 24: Cousin-in-Law

She broke into a sudden fit of coughing.

She asked uncertainly, "Why do I need to get close to your brother?"

In the deep pools of his eyes, she could clearly see how shocked her expression was.

He watched her. "You got close to the other woman; don't tell me you have no thoughts about him?"

She was momentarily speechless.

How could she have thoughts about that man?

"Get close to him for what? What do you want me to get from him?"

He said leisurely, word by word, "Become good friends."

Natalie: "..."

"Why me?"

A thought struck her, and she was startled again. "He has a fiancée. You aren't trying to make me break him and the eldest Miss Zhou up so you can take his position, are you? It's not that easy. You're dreaming."

"So, you're not willing?"

He added, "If you're not willing, then get lost and go back to where you came from."

She pushed him away with all her might and stood up.

He tilted his head back, his eyes tracing a lazy arc. After a moment, his lips curled slightly. "This is so simple for you. Practice makes perfect—just like when you seduced me."

She gave a bitter, mocking smile, then burst into angry tears.

...

Nine o'clock at night. The lighting in the French restaurant was dim.

After dinner, she was using her compact mirror to touch up her lipstick.

He didn't forget to remind her: "He spends his life in high-end entertainment venues. Women with heavy makeup don't necessarily interest him."

She paused. She looked down at her brick-red French cinched-waist long dress; the style was classical and dignified.

He had picked it out for her himself.

It was beautiful, but this was her first time wearing something like this to a nightclub.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Can't your brother appreciate any kind of beauty?"

He mocked her heartlessly. "My brother has no shortage of women around him. Only a starving man accepts anything that comes his way. What do you think?"

She let out a disdainful snort. "I know you and your brother are different."

This was a jab at him for being a "starving man."

Infuriatingly, the comment didn't upset him. He replied without changing his expression, "Ever since I started dating you, other women seem tasteless to me."

Not only did she fail to anger him, she was teased instead.

She held her breath and then let out a cold laugh. "You've really put in a lot of effort to climb the ranks."

She lowered her head to continue her makeup, no longer looking at those cold, nonchalant eyes.

Leaving the restaurant, she walked alone in her high heels to the club just a hundred meters away.

Someone stopped her at the entrance.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you have a reservation?"

She asked tentatively, "Can I go in without one?"

The waiter said apologetically, "I'm sorry, we are not open to the public tonight."

She looked back at the man leaning against the roadside railing, smoking. The yellow streetlight made his tall figure appear even more detached.

The red ember at his fingertips flickered, vaguely outlining a profile that was naturally heartless.

This man was truly rotten to the core.

After hearing no reply in her earpiece for a long time, she knit her brows and gave him a harsh glare.

Just as she turned back, the roar of supercar engines sounded behind her.

Before she could react, the waiter who had been talking to her bypassed her and hurried forward to greet the newcomers obsequiously.

She turned and instinctively stepped aside.

Several stylish supercars stopped at the entrance, their license plates shouting their status.

Then, a man in a powder-blue suit stepped out, surrounded by a crowd.

Young men from the other cars crowded around him enthusiastically. Before they even entered the club, someone was already eager to present him with a beauty.

A tall woman in a sunset-colored tube dress was pushed into the man's arms.

"Please enjoy, Sir."

The woman in his arms had eyes like silk, calling out "Sir" in a seductive yet respectful tone.

The man laughed happily. "That sounds lovely."

Across this scene of debauchery, she stared at the man smoking alone by the railing. It was as if three different worlds existed in the same space.

Frustratingly, he and his brother shared a resemblance—especially that aura of profligacy. It was truly loathsome.

She steeled her heart. As they stepped toward the door, she rushed forward and crashed directly into the older brother.

With just a slight impact, she fell.

The boisterous noise went silent for a heartbeat.

The friend who had offered the woman was the first to snap: "Where did this stray come from, being so blind?"

The older brother seemed a bit stunned. Usually, in these situations, he didn't need to speak.

He only had to frown, and someone would immediately clear the obstruction.

As she lay partially on the ground, she lifted her eyes. Her "pitiful" gaze locked perfectly with the downward look of the man.

He paused visibly.

The friend spoke again: "Throw her out. If you ruin the mood, none of you can afford the consequences..."

As the bodyguards moved in, the man, who usually struggled to remember women's faces, finally recalled something. "Wait."

The friend's heart tightened. He was there to please the man and secure a project. He felt a great deal of hostility toward this mysterious woman.

"Sir, this woman is of unknown origin and likely has bad intentions..."

Before he could finish, a slap landed on his face in front of everyone.

He looked terrified. "Sir, this is..."

The man didn't even look at him. He let go of the woman in his arms, took two steps forward, and crouched down. "Cousin-in-law?"

She braced herself and looked up. "Cousin?"

"It really is you! What are you doing in Macau?" He hurried to help her up. "Honestly, you should have told me in advance so I could host you properly."

In truth, she had only met him twice, both times at family dinners.

"Don't stand here. Let's go in and have fun."

The man decisively abandoned the crowd and led her inside personally. "Ignore them. Those people don't know how to speak properly. I don't even know who they are."

She curled her lip in silent exasperation.

He took her into an empty KTV room. He slapped the wall, and the neon lights flickered to life, making everything feel a bit dizzy.

Soon, waiters brought in alcohol and fruit platters.

With his hands in his pockets, the older brother prepared to leave. "Your friends should be arriving soon, right? I've arranged everything. You'll have a great time here."

She looked up. "Cousin, I came alone."