According to the original novel’s plotline, Xu Ruyan wasn’t supposed to appear at this point in the timeline.
But Shen Yan had deliberately advanced the plot and met her in the bar ahead of schedule.
Since he couldn’t be sure whether she would still be harassed by thugs under these altered circumstances, Shen Yan simply hired a few to stage a perfect “hero saves the beauty” scene.
“Hehehehe…”
The woman beside him laughed uncontrollably, her legs swinging playfully, her fair feet dazzling under the night sky.
Her beautiful, jade-like feet kept catching Shen Yan’s peripheral gaze.
Although the novel described Xu Ruyan as outwardly proud and cold, deep inside lived a wild beast named madness.
During those years of living like a widow, that beast had been caged and dormant.
But ever since her useless husband Ning Yuan died, the beast inside Xu Ruyan began to awaken and slowly reveal its nature.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done something as shocking as going to a bar to find a stranger just to have a child.
“How was it?” Shen Yan asked with a grin.
“A bit… thrilling!” Xu Ruyan’s eyes lit up. “Handsome, your car’s pretty good. Go faster!”
She had figured it out—since he didn’t know who she was, why not enjoy herself while it lasted?
“There’s a speed limit in the city,” Shen Yan said, like a law-abiding citizen.
“You buy a car like this and obey speed limits? Isn’t that a waste?” Xu Ruyan rolled her eyes at him, looking charming.
“I’ve got money, so I do what I want,” Shen Yan replied.
Xu Ruyan burst out laughing again. This man was more interesting than she had imagined.
But no matter how rich he was—could he be richer than her?
After driving for half an hour, the Lamborghini had exited the city, and Shen Yan started to accelerate.
The sports car raced through the night like a flash of lightning, wind howling past.
“Ahhhh!!!” Xu Ruyan cheered with excitement. “Faster! Go even faster!”
“We’re already hitting 120!” Shen Yan said. “That’s fast enough!”
If it were the Shen Yan from his previous life, he’d already be dizzy and nauseous, probably complaining, “Ugh, I’m gonna puke!”
This crazy woman! Shen Yan’s expression changed. He immediately pulled over, slammed the brakes, and yanked out the key all in one swift motion.
“What? Are you serious? You call yourself a man and get scared this easily?” Xu Ruyan scolded him indignantly.
Shen Yan ignored her. With all the chaos and the car’s air conditioning, he’d already started sweating. Frustrated, he took off his suit jacket.
At that moment, Xu Ruyan reached out with her long, elegant fingers and began undoing the buttons on his shirt—first one, then the second, then the third…
Shen Yan instantly slapped her hand away. Then he grabbed her purse, pulled out a cigarette from the box, and lit it. He took a deep drag and exhaled a long breath of smoke.
Shen Yan rarely smoked. The original host didn’t either.
So after arriving in this world, he never carried cigarettes—not because he couldn’t smoke, but because he usually didn’t.
But now, with this crazy woman around, he felt like he had to have one just to calm himself down. Otherwise, she’d drive him insane.
Xu Ruyan’s craving was clearly stronger. Seeing Shen Yan light up triggered her own urge. She reached for the cigarette box only to find it empty.
“Sorry. Last one,” Shen Yan said with a smile, cigarette between his lips, cracking open the window to let the smoke out.
Xu Ruyan huffed, eyes fixed on him—staring at his well-defined throat, the cigarette at his lips, and the trail of rising smoke…
Feeling her intense gaze, Shen Yan turned his head, only to see her looking at him with a burning, hungry expression.
Holding the cigarette between his fingers, the red ember glowed in his eyes. His voice dropped low in the confined car, “Want a drag?”
Xu Ruyan nodded without hesitation. She couldn’t even tell if it was the smoke that tempted her or the man in front of her.
Shen Yan flicked the ash out the window, then brought the cigarette back in.
Under her scorching gaze, he took another drag. The next moment, he took off his gold-rimmed glasses and suddenly leaned in.
His handsome face grew rapidly larger in her view. Without the glasses to obscure him, Xu Ruyan suddenly recognized who he was.
“You’re—”
Before she could finish, her chin was gently gripped, and his cigarette-laced lips landed precisely on hers, sending a mouthful of smoke into her lungs.
Xu Ruyan’s eyes widened. The strong tobacco mixed with his breath overwhelmed her senses. In that instant of distraction, she choked and coughed violently. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
A few seconds later, Shen Yan leaned back, took another puff, and looked at her with a half-smile. “Want more?”
Xu Ruyan coughed for a while before she could stop, but inside, a storm had already begun to rage.
Oh my god!
The man sitting in front of her…
He was Shen Yan!
The heir of Shen Corporation. She hadn’t recognized him this whole time!
Even with all her experience and calm, she was momentarily at a loss.
As she struggled to regain her composure, her gaze drifted to the rearview mirror and saw the heavily made-up woman reflected in it.
Xu Ruyan froze, then relaxed.
So what if he’s Shen Yan? With the way she looked right now, there was no way he could recognize her.
After all, all she wanted was to have a child with him. One night and they’d go their separate ways. What did it matter if he was Shen Yan or not?
Thinking that, Xu Ruyan’s brows eased, her full lips curling into a flirtatious and triumphant smile.
At that moment, it felt like the gate labeled “indulgence” within her had been thrown wide open.
“What are you laughing at?” Shen Yan glanced at her and asked.
“What, scared? Afraid Sister will eat you alive?” Xu Ruyan leaned closer, pushed out her chest, and winked seductively.
“Scared? What a joke,” Shen Yan replied with a grin.
“Hehe, now that’s more like a man. Tonight, wherever you say we go—we go!”
“Got it!” Shen Yan started the car again.
Xu Ruyan, still unsatisfied from earlier, suggested they race around the entire suburban area. Shen Yan agreed immediately.
As the speed picked up again, Xu Ruyan cheered excitedly, sticking her arms out the window to wave them in the wind.
Finally, she had him open the sunroof, stood on the seat, and raised her upper body outside, spreading her arms like she was about to fly.
This crazy woman… clearly, her long-suppressed desires were finally breaking free.