Inside a luxury hotel suite.
Two figures were entangled in an ambiguous embrace.
“Haven’t you had enough groping?”
Warm breath sprayed against Jiang Li’s ear as the man’s voice came low, carrying a hint of lazy seductiveness.
Who was speaking in her ear?
Jiang Li furrowed her brow slightly, alarm bells ringing in her mind as she snapped her eyes open.
Only then did she realize she was currently being half-held in someone’s arms.
However, the surrounding environment was extremely dim, and she couldn’t make out the man’s features at all, nor did she know where she was.
Jiang Li was stunned.
What had she been doing just now?
She noticed the man’s large hand resting lightly on her waist through the fabric of her clothes.
Without even having time to think through the cause and effect, she instinctively bent her knee and kicked out at him.
Though her mind was dulled by alcohol, driven by instinct, her movements showed not a trace of hesitation.
Just as her knee was about to connect with him—
Suddenly, the world spun around her.
Jiang Li felt her calf seized in an instant, and the next second, their positions were reversed as she was pressed hard against the wall.
Even as the back of her head was about to hit the wall, the man leisurely extended his other hand to cushion it behind her.
Jiang Li hadn’t expected the man to react so quickly. She tried to move her leg, but couldn’t budge it an inch.
Her eyes flickered, and she decisively attempted to strike the back of the man’s neck with the edge of her palm.
But the man seemed to have anticipated this, subduing her the moment she made her move.
One hand pinned both her wrists above her head, while the other gripped her slender waist.
He leaned forward, pressing against her seamlessly, locking her firmly against his body.
A faint scent of alcohol lingered as the two stood extremely close.
Their warm breaths intertwined, giving rise to an inexplicable air of suggestive intimacy.
Jiang Li was already considered tall among women, but with her high heels having fallen off somewhere, she was now a full head shorter than the man before her.
Enveloped by his presence, she frowned and looked up, her smooth, full forehead just barely brushing against the man’s jaw.
In the darkness, both of them froze.
The next second, the man lowered his gaze.
Within inches of each other, their eyes met.
Jiang Li was taken aback.
This man… seemed to have a very familiar pair of eyes.
His gaze lingered on her face for a long moment, slowly drifting down from her eyes, which shimmered with a peach-blossom flush…
His pupils were even deeper and darker than the night outside.
After a long while, he finally pulled back slightly, a hint of a teasing smile on his face: “So fierce?”
“That’s not how you were when you forcibly hugged me and had your hands all over me just now…”
The man’s innocent voice sounded above her head, his tone drawn out lazily, sounding utterly infuriating.
“Who are you?” Jiang Li’s throat was a bit dry, but she forced herself to stay calm. “Let go.”
“Who am I?” The man let out another laugh.
In the darkness, though she couldn’t make out his features.
She could still feel his condescending gaze, sharp and overwhelmingly oppressive.
His breath, carrying scorching heat, fell upon her ear.
“Only now thinking to ask that question after you’ve had your fill of touching? Jiang Li, don’t you think it’s a little late?”
If she weren’t at a disadvantage right now, Jiang Li would have cursed him out loud.
Who the hell was this guy?
Going on and on about her touching him?!
Was he suffering from persecution delusions or terminal narcissism?!
Yet she strained her muddled mind, unable to recall clearly what had just happened.
Why was she here?
And who was the man before her?
The man didn’t seem to be waiting for her answer, and indeed released her as promised.
But even so, because of their extremely close proximity,
the man’s presence still crept in slowly, with an overbearing dominance.
That arrogant yet clean sensation inexplicably felt deeply familiar to her.
A vague figure took shape in Jiang Li’s mind.
But before she could make sense of it, waves of intoxication washed over her, nearly making her unable to stand.
Her legs gave way, and she stumbled straight into the man’s embrace.
He reacted swiftly, reaching out to steady her.
After a moment, a soft chuckle came from above her head.
“Again?”
Jiang Li felt the world spinning around her. She frowned, about to say something, when she suddenly noticed the man before her had gone completely rigid.
His arm around her waist tightened, and even his voice seemed to have grown hoarse.
“Jiang Li, are you never going to stop?”
Not registering the familiarity in his tone, Jiang Li instinctively followed his gaze and looked down.
Only then did she realize that her right hand had somehow already slipped beneath the hem of his shirt.
If she were sober, Jiang Li would have pulled her hand away immediately.
But she was heavily intoxicated now, her mind hazy.
She only thought it felt wonderful.
Her fingers moved, pressing against his clearly defined abdominal muscles.
Following the ridges, she slowly traced upward.
Shang Chi hadn’t expected her to be this bold after drinking. For a moment, he stood frozen, forgetting to react.
The skin touched by her slender fingers seemed to catch fire.
The flames spread like wildfire.
Burning swiftly toward every other part of him.
He abruptly grabbed hold of Jiang Li’s hand that was still attempting to cause mischief.
His Adam’s apple bobbed several times.
The man who had seemed so composed just moments ago now had a voice hoarse beyond belief.
“Jiang Li, do you know what you’re doing right now?”
…
Chen Yan waited in the hotel corridor, unable to resist pacing back and forth as time passed.
The two of them had been in there for quite a while now—why hadn’t they come out yet?
Could something have happened?
After all, a man and a woman alone together…
Just as Chen Yan stood there with a blank expression, various scenarios flashing through his mind, the door opened.
Chen Yan blurted out without thinking, “How are you so fast—”
The man’s deathly gaze swept over calmly, instantly silencing him and making him swallow the rest of his words.
“Who was it?”
The man’s expression was blank, yet his tone seemed to carry a bone-chilling coldness that made one’s scalp tingle.
Chen Yan had been working in the industry for years, with extensive connections and efficiency. It didn’t take much effort for him to get the full picture.
“There was a business reception at this hotel tonight. Apparently an investor took a liking to Jiang Li at the event, but when she refused to yield to either persuasion or pressure, he resorted to some underhanded tricks.”
“The drink arranged for her looked no different from everyone else’s, but the aftereffect was especially strong. Even someone with a high tolerance would be at their limit after three or four glasses…”
Shang Chi knew a little about Jiang Li’s drinking capacity.
She wasn’t someone who could drink endlessly without getting drunk, but for her to end up this intoxicated, the drink’s aftereffect must have truly been potent.
After all, she was never the type to let her guard down.
He had just come up from the underground parking garage with Chen Yan when they ran into Jiang Li, whose cheeks were flushed red.
At the time, he was wearing a mask and a cap, so Jiang Li probably hadn’t recognized him at first.
She grabbed his sleeve directly and whispered, “Help me.”
The corridor was empty at that moment, but a corner of black clothing flashed past the turn ahead.
Jiang Li was clearly drunk, but she had obviously noticed something was off.
He couldn’t just ignore her.
So he had no choice but to bring her to his room first, while having Chen Yan contact her manager.
Unexpectedly, the moment they entered the room—before the lights were even turned on—Jiang Li crashed into him.
That was what had led to the scene just now.
Chen Yan didn’t notice Shang Chi’s expression. He sighed and continued on his own.
“It’s a good thing we ran into her, otherwise Jiang Li would probably have been taken advantage of for real…”
“Speaking of which, aren’t you two usually on bad terms? How did you—”
Chen Yan trailed off mid-sentence, catching a glimpse of Shang Chi’s face out of the corner of his eye. His heart skipped a beat.
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question and instinctively swallowed.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“The name.”
“Huh?”
The man’s posture remained languid, but a flash of menace flickered in his eyes.
“That investor’s name.”