Jiang Wei was on a blind date with Qin Xiaoye, the head of a top-tier financial conglomerate. The Qin family had reserved the entirety of the Wilderness Restaurant for the occasion.
The restaurant’s wooden vaulted ceiling held an antique charm. A faint scent of incense drifted through the air, reflecting the Qin family’s understated old-money elegance.
From the nearby mountain peak came the sound of monks chanting at a temple, mingling with the chime of windbells beneath the eaves—every note striking clearly against the ear.
Jiang Wei had arrived early. Gazing out at the dense bamboo grove, where the restaurant’s interior seamlessly opened to the outdoor scenery, she listened to the soft, steady rustle of fine drizzle pattering against the plantain leaves.
A cool, misty dampness suffused the air.
Outside the restaurant, a black stretch Lincoln—low-key yet undeniably luxurious—pulled up to the entrance.
A dozen bodyguards dressed in black stood in two silent, orderly rows along the covered wooden corridor.
Jiang Wei immediately sat up straight. The man she was waiting for had arrived. She let out a breath, inhaled deeply, and squeezed the nervous sweat from her palms.
Qin Xiaoye, the head of the Qin family. Rumors painted him as distant, restrained, and intensely rational—a ruthless and decisive man, bordering on heartless.
Along the wooden corridor outside, a tall, handsome man in a black suit held a black umbrella with his well-defined fingers. Raindrops trickled steadily down the edge of the canopy, framing his calm, poised elegance.
The bodyguards on either side bowed respectfully to open the doors, and the man strode inside.
He folded the black umbrella and set it by the entrance, his gaze locking onto the pure white figure by the window. Set against the deep, dark wood tones of the room, her presence exuded a breathtaking, refreshing aura.
Their eyes met across the space, and a profound, lingering tension seemed to dissipate into the air out of nowhere.
Jiang Wei’s heart skipped a beat, then began to quicken.
She wore a cool-toned white silk dress cinched at the waist with a delicate lace cord. Her figure was remarkably lush and shapely up top, yet her waist was slender enough to be clasped in a single hand.
Tilting her head slightly, she revealed a face of striking, pure beauty, framed by lustrous black hair that cascaded like a dark waterfall past her ear.
Qin Xiaoye walked over with long strides, pulled out a heavy wooden chair, and sat down across from Jiang Wei. His aura was calm, dignified, and aristocratic. “Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
“Not at all. I arrived early,” Jiang Wei replied.
Qin Xiaoye was, in fact, perfectly on time.
A waitress in a dark blue qipao approached and poured tea for them both.
Qin Xiaoye’s gaze rested on Jiang Wei. Crossing his legs, he folded his hands over his lap—the effortless, habitual posture of someone born to rule.
The hot tea released a fragrant, white mist that drifted between them.
A pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on Qin Xiaoye’s handsome face, lending him a scholarly, aristocratic air. Beneath his black suit, grey dress shirt, and dark grey tie, the tight contours of his muscles were clearly defined, filling out the fabric across his broad chest.
The vintage watch on his wrist gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.
The two stared at each other for two full minutes.
Feeling the oppressive weight of Qin Xiaoye’s presence, Jiang Wei picked up her teacup and took a small sip.
Her lips, now glistening with moisture, appeared all the more vivid and alluring.
Qin Xiaoye’s eyes were cool as he spoke in an unhurried tone. “Miss Jiang, are you open to marriage?”
Jiang Wei’s hand froze mid-sip. Her shimmering, water-bright eyes met his.
Qin Xiaoye looked straight at her, his gaze carrying an invasive intensity that left her skin tingling with a prickle of numbness.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Wei set down her teacup and lightly bit her red lower lip, her dark hair falling forward. “I am.”
Qin Xiaoye gave a slight nod. His gaze lingered on her moist lips for a second before turning toward the restaurant entrance.
A man immediately pushed the door open, stepped forward to respectfully place a stack of documents on the table, and then backed out of the room.
Qin Xiaoye tapped the wooden table twice with his long fingers and tilted his head slightly, signaling for Jiang Wei to open the folder.
Jiang Wei picked it up. Across the top, it read “Medical Diagnostic Report,” bearing the name Qin Xiaoye.
“I assume you are aware of my condition,” Qin Xiaoye said, “and understand the purpose of our marriage.”
Nervous, Jiang Wei licked her lips and read through the file:
Qin Xiaoye:
Age: 28.
Physical Condition: Excellent. All infectious disease screenings negative.
Sentinel: S-Rank.
Condition: Critical. On the verge of collapse. Urgently requires Soothing and relief.
Below this were various clinical indicators, many of which were teetering on the brink of catastrophic levels.
Qin Xiaoye, Out-of-Control Value: 78.
The higher the Out-of-Control Value, the more dangerous the Sentinel became.
In a sense, Jiang Wei was a doctor too—she just didn’t treat humans.
She was a veterinarian who ran a pet clinic, though it was currently on the verge of bankruptcy.
She understood the data. A heavy silence settled over her.
No wonder Qin Xiaoye was in such a rush for a marriage alliance.
Though he appeared calm, restrained, and perfectly rational on the surface, was he truly in such a perilous state?
Sentinels made up merely one percent of the population, and S-Ranks were as rare as phoenix feathers.
Possessing superhuman physiques, acute intellects, and heightened senses, they were known as “human weapons” and “rampaging beasts”—blessed with superior genetic traits inherited from eras of war. However, if they went without Soothing from a Guide, they were doomed to suffer mental breakdown and lose control.
Guides made up two percent of the population. Known as “soul soothers,” they could calm a Sentinel’s volatile emotions, and were naturally sensitive to—and capable of influencing—the emotions of others. S-Rank Guides were equally scarce.
It was only recently, when the Jiang family conducted a paternity test, that they discovered Jiang Wei possessed the genes of an S-Rank Guide.
She turned to the next page of the report, her fingertips freezing in place.
It was a Soothing compatibility assessment between her and Qin Xiaoye.
Between Sentinels and Guides, Soothing compatibility was a crucial metric.
If the compatibility score was too low, even an S-Rank Guide would struggle to Soothe a B-Rank or C-Rank Sentinel. Generally, a score had to exceed 40% for Soothing to have any tangible effect, and anything above 60% was considered extraordinarily rare.
Her compatibility with Qin Xiaoye was 99.7%!
Reaching the final page, Jiang Wei looked up at Qin Xiaoye.
Qin Xiaoye held her gaze, speaking in a slow, steady voice. “Miss Jiang, do you know what Soothing and relieving stress entails?”
Jiang Wei’s face instantly flushed crimson. She gave a small nod. “Yes.”
The method for Soothing and relief was physical intimacy.
The closer the contact, and the longer the duration, the better the result.
Which meant that “negative distance” yielded the best results—and the longer that negative distance lasted, the better.
This was precisely why the Qin family demanded an alliance through marriage.
As for Jiang Wei, her willingness to agree stemmed from that single paternity test, which had stripped her of her status as the Jiang family’s eldest daughter, revealing she was merely an unrelated adoptive child. With the Jiang family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, this was her way of repaying the debt of gratitude for the years they had raised her.
Qin Xiaoye’s voice sounded as if it were steeped in the falling rain, cool and misty. “To be completely clear: this marriage alliance requires doing it. Is that acceptable to you?”
His words fell into Jiang Wei’s ears like the drenching waters of an early spring shower, soaking through her entirely. Her face and the tips of her ears burned red. With a hint of shyness, she whispered, “It is.”
Discussing whether or not they would “do it” so formally with a complete stranger made a light sweat break out across her back, a slow heat diffusing over her skin.
Qin Xiaoye’s eyes settled on her blushing cheeks and the flushed tips of her ears. His throat felt a little dry.
Picking up the teacup from the table, he took a swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Jiang Wei murmured softly, “My medical report…”
“I have already reviewed it,” Qin Xiaoye replied. “Miss Jiang is in perfect health.”
Of course. With a background like Qin Xiaoye’s, his people had undoubtedly investigated every detail of her life far more thoroughly than she knew it herself.
Jiang Wei bit her lip, remaining silent.
The fine drizzle formed a light mist, rustling gently as it brushed against the bamboo grove, sweeping the scent of moisture toward them.
“In our marriage, we will not interfere in each other’s affairs, nor will feelings be involved,” Qin Xiaoye stated. “The contract is for two years.”
He stood, extending a hand across the table, his tone deep and even, as if concluding a business transaction. “Miss Jiang, I look forward to working with you.”
Jiang Wei rose as well, taking Qin Xiaoye’s hand. “I will be in your care for these next two years, Mr. Qin.”
Jiang Wei’s hand was soft and slightly cool.
Qin Xiaoye felt a faint, soothing chill transfer from her skin, gently quelling the violent, irritable impulses that had been constantly surging and being suppressed within him.
Yet, in its place, an entirely different kind of unbearable hunger began to rise.
With her fingertips clasped in Qin Xiaoye’s grip, the rustling curtain of rain striking the plantain leaves filled Jiang Wei’s ears, and the scent of cold, woody incense enveloped her senses.
A man’s burning body heat slowly traveled from the tips of his fingers into hers, smoothly dissolving into faint, crackling currents of electricity that buzzed with a soft, tingling hum.