September. Jingyi International Hotel. Presidential Suite.
“Stay on your feet.”
The man’s voice was low and husky, rich with a magnetic edge as one hand tightened around the slender waist of the girl in front of him.
Her legs had long since given out. She was slowly sliding downward, and if he hadn’t been holding her up, she would have collapsed to her knees.
“I… I can’t…”
His other hand reached up to cup her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“Your legs are already this weak? Hmm?”
His breathing was heavy, the veins standing out across the back of his hand in an almost dangerously attractive way.
“If you can’t stand, lean on me.”
A brief pause.
“But don’t kneel.”
…
The noon sunlight filtered through the velvet curtains, turning into an intimate amber glow. A few stubborn rays slipped through the narrow gap in the drapes.
The scattered patches of light crept slowly up the wall before finally settling on the edge of the bed, illuminating the evidence of last night’s madness.
A charcoal-gray suit jacket lay crooked across the bench at the foot of the bed.
A necktie was tangled around a pair of high heels in the middle of the carpet.
A dress shirt, suit trousers, and socks formed a trail from the doorway all the way to the bedside.
As for the woman’s moon-white silk slip dress, it had been torn straight down the middle. It lay crumpled beneath the dressing table, one delicate shoulder strap half-ripped and dangling pitifully.
Meng Shuling slept quietly within Lu Yannan’s embrace, her breathing light and even.
The blanket rested loosely around her waist, leaving her smooth back completely exposed to the cool air. Her shoulder blades rose delicately beneath flawless skin marked by faint reddish traces that stretched from her shoulders all the way to the small of her back.
Like an unwrapped gift, she curled up beneath the covers, half concealed, completely unaware of how vulnerable she looked.
In her dream, warm, damp breaths brushed repeatedly against the skin behind her ear.
She frowned slightly and instinctively tried to roll over, pushing away the irritating source of warmth.
Instead, her fingertips landed on something firm… and warm.
Before Meng Shuling could fully wake, someone caught her wrist.
A low, dangerous voice murmured beside her ear.
“Touch me again, and you won’t be getting out of bed today.”
Every trace of sleep vanished instantly.
Her eyes flew open.
At first, everything was blurry.
Then her vision sharpened, meeting a pair of deep, unreadable eyes.
Their owner was lying on his side, supporting his head with one hand as he looked down at her from above. His posture was utterly relaxed, like a leopard that had already finished feeding.
His brow was sharply defined.
His nose was high and straight.
His jawline looked as though it had been carved to perfection.
Lu Yannan watched her for two silent seconds before releasing her wrist.
Then he pulled back the covers and rose from the bed without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
Afternoon sunlight poured freely into the room, exposing every trace of the night’s chaos.
Standing in the light, he was tall and lean, broad-shouldered with a narrow waist. The muscles across his back were smooth, powerful, and beautifully defined. Only the lower half of his body remained barely concealed by the blanket.
He bent to retrieve his black trousers from the floor.
Every movement was calm and unhurried.
Long fingers fastened the waistband before he pulled up the zipper. He picked up his shirt and slipped it on.
As each piece of clothing returned to his body, it was as though a towering wall was being rebuilt—locking away the fierce, uninhibited man who had shared her bed only hours before.
By the time Lu Yannan finished fastening his cufflinks and turned back around, he was once again the composed, aloof, and distinguished chairman of the Lu Group.
His indifferent gaze swept over the woman still wrapped in the blanket, staring blankly into space.
“What?”
“You still haven’t fully woken up?”
His words sent a shiver through Meng Shuling.
Fragments of the previous night flashed through her mind once more—
The dim lighting.
Bodies tangled together.
His hand gripping her waist, refusing to let her escape.
After a long silence, she finally managed to force a sentence through her dry throat.
“…Turn around.”
The blanket barely covered her chest.
Her shoulders and collarbones were completely exposed, along with the countless marks scattered across her skin—marks she couldn’t even bear to look at herself.
Lu Yannan didn’t move.
He simply stood there, looking down at her flustered expression.
After a moment, he bent over and picked up the clothes scattered across the floor.
Her dress.
Her lingerie.
A single lonely earring.
He casually tossed everything onto the bed beside her.
“Get dressed.”
Meng Shuling reached for the pile of clothing.
When she looked up again, he was still standing there.
His tall frame towered over her, showing absolutely no intention of giving her any privacy.
“…Could you turn around?”
Her voice came out hoarse.
Lu Yannan studied her for several seconds.
The corner of his lips seemed to twitch ever so slightly.
He reached toward the bedside table, picked up a cigarette case, placed one between his lips, and flicked open a lighter.
An orange flame danced briefly.
Smoke curled upward, softening the sharp lines of his face.
He took a slow drag.
“I’ve already seen every inch of you last night.”
Meng Shuling’s breathing caught.
Through the drifting smoke, Lu Yannan lowered his gaze toward her.
His eyes paused briefly on her bare shoulder before shifting to the watch around his own wrist.
He exhaled another stream of smoke.
“You have three minutes.”
Still hiding beneath the blanket, Meng Shuling watched him standing tall in the sunlight—perfectly dressed, elegant, and completely composed.
Meanwhile, she didn’t even have a single intact piece of clothing.
Her torn slip dress and damaged lingerie lay in a heap beside her.
Three minutes later, she stood fully dressed.
She had never experienced anything like this before.
Her thoughts were a complete mess.
But no matter what, she had to deal with the man standing before her first.
She pulled out her wallet, took out every bill she had, and placed the cash on the entryway cabinet.
“I drank too much last night,” she said quietly. “But don’t worry, President Lu. I’m completely sober now. I’m twenty years old—not some little girl. We’re both adults, and what happened last night was entirely consensual.”
It was nothing more than one reckless night.
Now that morning had come, they would simply go their separate ways.
She would even pay for the hotel room.
That was dignified enough, wasn’t it?
Leaning against the doorframe, Lu Yannan idly twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
He glanced down at the stack of cash before looking back at her.
Then, without changing his expression, he picked up the bills, folded them neatly in half twice, and slipped them into the breast pocket of her blouse.
“Meng Shuling…”
“So after sleeping with me, you think this little bit of money is enough to send me away?”
…
Outside the revolving doors of Jingyi International Hotel, a white sedan sat parked by the curb with its hazard lights flashing.
The passenger-side window rolled down.
The woman inside immediately leaned out. The moment she spotted Meng Shuling, she hurried out of the car and ran over.
“Lingling! You’re finally out!”
Duan Tiantian threw her arms around Meng Shuling and apologized over and over.
“I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry! This is all my fault!”
Meng Shuling froze in surprise.
Seeing that Duan Tiantian looked close to tears, most of the frustration in her heart immediately faded.
Duan Tiantian had been her childhood friend since they were little.
She also happened to be Lu Yannan’s cousin.
The two girls had grown up together, and Duan Tiantian had always been timid—especially around her cold, intimidating cousin.
Throughout the capital, everyone knew the name Lu Yannan.
He was the eldest grandson of the Lu family, the sole heir to a dynasty that had dominated the capital for over a century.
More importantly, he was the man in control of the Lu Group, a conglomerate worth trillions of yuan.
He had graduated from Harvard with dual degrees in Business and Finance, earning top honors.
Within a single year of returning to China, he ruthlessly dismantled the old guard within the company and rapidly expanded the Lu Group’s empire across the globe.
Its businesses spanned real estate, technology, finance, luxury hotels, and numerous other industries.
Jingyi International Hotel itself was one of the Lu Group’s properties.
His methods were ruthless.
His personality was cold and aloof.
His looks were unrivaled throughout the capital.
Countless socialites dreamed of winning his favor, yet he had never shown interest in women, and his private life was impeccably clean.
It wasn’t just Duan Tiantian who was afraid of him.
Meng Shuling was too.
“What happened?” Meng Shuling asked. “Let go of me first. Do you even realize how much trouble I got into last night? I still haven’t recovered.”
Duan Tiantian knew exactly what had happened.
Because she had been the one who inadvertently set the whole thing in motion.
She hurriedly explained,
“The drink last night… the one that had been tampered with…”
“It was supposed to be for Chen Jiarang.”
Meng Shuling stopped in her tracks.
Chen Jiarang was the man she had secretly liked for more than half a year.
He was also Duan Tiantian’s senior at school.
She had always known that Duan Tiantian wanted to play matchmaker between the two of them.
She just never imagined she would resort to a method like this.