“Top quality. I’m very satisfied.”
“In my eyes, you’re not ordinary—you’re beautiful.”
“I’d decided never to marry in this lifetime, but for you, I’m willing to break through that prejudice.”
“What do I have to do for you to see me? They won’t marry you, but I’d give everything I have.”
“When the feeling’s right, I just want you. I’ll wade into this muddy water too.”
“How do we split this? Everyone, place your bids!”
A year ago, Jiang Wanyin never would have dreamed—even in her wildest fantasies—that the big shots would be fighting over who gets to be the father of the child in her belly.
That she would become a woman even the big shots had to queue up to see.
(Content warnings: 1. The female lead is bound by the shackles of being a “good child,” always trying to shoulder everything herself. In the early stages, she exhibits somewhat self-sacrificing behavior, but as she experiences more, she gradually breaks free from the “good child” shackles and starts considering her own life—this requires a process of transformation.
Most of the male leads start off quite arrogant and hold some prejudices against the female lead’s actions—this also requires a process of change.
This is being revised, so the content may be somewhat disjointed.
A year ago, in the bustling metropolis of Shanghai.
A face like an angel from an oil painting, shimmering with a faint golden glow, a muscular physique veiled in a mist of sweat, warm yet slightly cool breath wrapped in overwhelming pheromones.
It was absolutely lethal!
Jiang Wanyin jolted awake from her dream. She reached for the alarm clock on her nightstand—only 4:30 in the morning.
She, who usually slept like a log, had actually woken up in the middle of the night, her heart racing and her body burning hot.
A pair of flame-like blue eyes flashed before her mind’s eye. Jiang Wanyin lowered her gaze to the bedsheets she’d twisted beyond recognition, her entire body feeling weak and boneless—
This was an intensity she’d never felt even with her boyfriend…
She finally understood the true meaning of the phrase: a devastating beauty.
Twelve hours earlier, at a hotel banquet hall in Shanghai.
“President Zhang, President Li, hello, hello… I’m Zhou Hai from Jiamu Construction…”
Jiang Wanyin followed behind her boss, Zhou Hai, watching him bow and scrape as he greeted people along the way, handing out business cards.
She’d been working as an interior designer at Zhou Hai’s Jiamu Construction for six months. The broader economic climate had hit the construction industry hard, and Jiamu hadn’t landed a single project in three months.
Just when Jiang Wanyin thought Jiamu was about to go under, her boss Zhou Hai somehow found a relative who helped him make some connections, landing him an interior design project for five villas.
The contract hadn’t been signed yet—tonight’s reception was all about connecting with the money men and trying to seal the deal.
As the designer, Jiang Wanyin had been told by her boss to come along, except…
She discreetly tugged at the slit of her qipao, trying to cover herself.
This pale green qipao was something the boss had taken her to buy that afternoon. He said this reception was high-class and extremely important, and had hired a styling team to doll up both himself and her.
The qipao was a severe test of one’s figure, and while she was average-looking, her greatest asset was her naturally voluptuous body—full chest, curvy hips.
“President Pei!”
Jiang Wanyin followed Zhou Hai’s gaze to a strikingly gorgeous man standing not far away. Before she could get a good look at him, another presence—one radiating an almost divine glow—caught her attention.
Within a dozen seconds, she’d followed Zhou Hai closer.
The moment Jiang Wanyin got a clear look at that man’s face, she was frozen in place.
Hair as bright as sunlight—a pure, golden blond she’d never seen in real life before.
His features weren’t as bold and exaggerated as most foreigners’; instead, they carried a refined, Eastern elegance.
A pair of eyes deep and dark like an abyss, expression indifferent. The man’s superior chin tilted slightly upward, exuding an air of condescending aloofness—add a pair of wings behind him and he could pass for an angel in a painting.
Could a person with such otherworldly looks actually exist?!
Jiang Wanyin felt an itch to paint him—
Zhou Hai extended his hand: “President Pei, hello. I’m Zhou Hai of Jiamu Architecture.”
“Zhou… ah, it’s you. The design firm my cousin recommended.”
The striking man addressed as President Pei gave a casual handshake, then turned to the blond man beside him: “Brother Ci, didn’t you say you wanted to renovate the decor of those villas? This is the design firm owner I found for you.”
Shen Ci nodded at Zhou Hai, offering a faint smile that added a touch of warmth to his demeanor: “Hello.”
Pei Zhou introduced: “The house belongs to President Shen. President Zhou, did you bring the design plans? Show him first.”
Hearing this, Zhou Hai stepped aside to reveal Jiang Wanyin behind him: “Brought them, brought them. This is our designer, Jiang Wanyin. She graduated from Modu University.”
Jiang Wanyin quickly retrieved the design plans from her handbag and handed them to President Shen, her heart inevitably beginning to race.
Their eyes met. Those blue eyes appeared calm on the surface, yet deep within lurked a strange danger. A chill ran down her spine, and her feet instinctively stepped back rather than forward.
But Jiang Wanyin only retreated half a step before immediately returning—it all happened in a split second: “Hello.”
The blond man reached out to take the design plans, his fingertips brushing against hers as if unconsciously. The touch was cool, carrying an intangible yet overwhelming presence. Jiang Wanyin reflexively pulled her hand back.
The woman’s movement was extremely subtle, but Shen Ci still noticed her reaction—as if she were avoiding a plague.
He gripped the design plans in his hand, a gentle smile on his face: “It’s inconvenient to stand here. Shall we go to the lounge and sit down to look?”
Zhou Hai immediately jumped in: “Yes, yes. President Shen, President Pei, please—”
Pei Zhou narrowed his handsome eyes, inwardly surprised by Shen Ci’s unusual behavior. He glanced at the woman in the cheongsam with her decent figure and went along with it: “President Zhou, my sister asked me to help you out. Just have the designer go with Brother Ci to discuss.”
Zhou Hai paused mid-step, delight spreading across his face: “Great. President Shen, rest assured—our Wanyin is very professional.”
Send her alone?
Jiang Wanyin hesitated, feeling the request was somewhat odd, but her boss gave her a gentle push: “Wanyin, go accompany President Shen and take a good look. Do as President Shen asks.”
She couldn’t very well argue with her boss, so she could only follow behind President Shen as they moved to an empty lounge.
When the door closed with a click, Jiang Wanyin’s heart rose to her throat.
In that brief meeting just minutes ago, perhaps she was being overly sensitive, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that President Shen’s gaze carried a hint of inexplicable aggression.
She was probably overthinking it. With his refined, high-quality attire and extraordinary bearing, he was clearly some wealthy young heir.
Shen Ci walked over to the sofa with great composure and sat down, lifting his eyes to appraise the woman who had followed him in. She wasn’t particularly beautiful—a soft oval face that seemed gentle and demure, but her extremely fair skin and the indifferent, languid look in her eyes lent her a unique cold allure.
He rubbed his fingers together: “Sit. Let me look at the drawings first.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Wanyin walked to the loveseat on the other side and sat down. Landing a position as a designer at Jiamu Architecture was her first job after graduation, and she hoped she could stay there long-term.
Jiang Wanyin pondered for a moment before taking the initiative to speak: “President Shen, I brought my laptop. We can look at the 3D model for a more intuitive view. Would you like to…”
“That would be even better…”
Upon receiving his response, Jiang Wanyin quickly took out her laptop, powered it on, and opened the software to display: “This one comes with a garden outside. I think a low-key rustic luxury style would be more suitable…”
“Wait a moment.”
Shen Ci stood up and, with a long stride, sat directly beside the woman. Her pupils contracted slightly, her expression guarded and tense.
Shen Ci, who was used to women throwing themselves at him, discovered for the first time that his appearance was having the opposite effect.
Most women couldn’t see through his gentlemanly facade to the intense misogyny lurking beneath.
Was this girl equipped with top-tier radar? Interesting…
Shen Ci smiled warmly: “This way it’s easier for you to present. Please continue.”
Jiang Wanyin was momentarily stunned. Seeing that the man’s gaze and movements were quite restrained, she could only continue her introduction: “Alright… This is how I was thinking about it…”
Her voice came in fits and starts, laced with a hint of nervousness—not from his good looks, but because her subconscious told her the man beside her was dangerous.
Although their upper bodies were separated by some distance, their legs were close together for the convenience of viewing the laptop.
Jiang Wanyin’s legs couldn’t be completely covered by her skirt, and through the slit, she could feel the man’s leg muscles—full of scorching, powerful energy.
Too close. So close that she could see the warm lamplight reflected in his eyes, and in his deep blue irises, it seemed to scatter thousands of stars.
And her reflection was like a small boat, wrapped in countless starlight within the vast universe.
Jiang Wanyin dared not look again at this man whose beauty defied human standards. She always felt as though he exuded an unfathomable allure at every moment.
She explained in a dry tone while her mouse rotated the 3D model on screen.
“Miss Jiang, that spot just now—I’d like to change the color…” A voice with an ethereal quality came from beside her, causing a tingling sensation to ripple through Jiang Wanyin’s ears.
The man reached over and guided her hand, turning the view back.
This action brought his upper body closer to hers, and his presence enveloped her overwhelmingly.
A crisp, cool fragrance lingered at the tip of Jiang Wanyin’s nose. It was faint and subtle, yet it carried an intense aggressiveness that seemed to permeate every organ in her chest.
Aside from her boyfriend, Jiang Wanyin had never been this close to a strange man.
She instinctively leaned back slightly. When she came to her senses and saw the man looking at her with gentle, puzzled eyes, she realized her avoidance had been too obvious.
Jiang Wanyin quickly tried to recover: “Alright… What color would you like to change it to, President Shen?”
What was wrong with her today? Why was her fight-or-flight response so severe?
Little did Jiang Wanyin know that the day she met the golden-haired gentleman would be the turning point of her fate.