A deafening clap of thunder tore through the night sky, the damp autumn air thick with moisture as rain lashed against the half-open window.
A slender, pale wrist was pinned to the bedsheet by a man’s large hand, the fingertips tinged an unnatural pink. Her soft, sweet voice melted like honey as she pleaded,
“Please…”
Her long, dark lashes fluttered, revealing misty almond-shaped eyes. The flush on her cheeks spread to the corners of her eyes, making her look utterly pitiful.
She strained to lift her chin, pressing her lips to the man’s thin ones, murmuring softly,
“I’m so hot…”
“I feel awful…”
But the man she clung to remained coldly indifferent. Still kneeling on the bed, gripping her slender wrist, he stood motionless in the curtain of rain, like a dark statue amidst the steady patter.
Amidst the tension in his arms and his suppressed breaths, her soft, rosy lips brushed the corner of his mouth.
Like the first spark that ignites a wildfire.
The man’s eyes snapped open, dark pools swirling with unrestrained emotion. He wasn’t as calm as he appeared—his heart skipped a beat before pounding wildly once more.
His grip on her loosened unknowingly, his entire body frozen as her arms wrapped around his neck.
His finely tailored black shirt crumpled, the collar falling open to reveal taut, well-defined muscles.
Her sweet, light breaths lingered by his ear, the warmth of her exhale scorching the small patch of skin.
Yet she seemed unaware of how alluring her actions were, still speaking in that soft, pleading tone, cooing like a spoiled child.
Her silky hair brushed against his face, her petal-like lips kissing him haphazardly.
On the brink of losing control, the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he reached out and pinched her soft cheek.
Jiang Youwan had practically entwined herself around him. With her snow-white cheek pinched, she pouted like a little goldfish, her damp eyes blinking as if blaming him for not cooperating.
Lightning illuminated half the sky, the night wind billowing the curtains. Dappled light fell on the man’s noble profile, his phoenix eyes deep and his features strikingly handsome.
“Do you see who I am?”
The man’s low voice carried a restrained hoarseness as his thumb brushed her cheek.
But whatever she had drunk seemed too potent.
Long after he asked, she still gazed up at him with her pretty face, her eyes wide and innocent, as if she hadn’t understood his question at all.
The man leaned closer, his patience unyielding as he whispered softly,
“Wanwan, look at me.”
“Who am I?”
The girl whose cheek he held slowly fluttered her long lashes, her rosy lips parting to utter two words,
“Little Uncle.”
A flicker of light ignited in the man’s dark eyes.
The person clinging to him like ivy nuzzled her soft cheek against his palm, whispering complaints about him right in front of him,
“Huo Linyuan… is so mean!”
As soon as the words left her lips, she reached up again, tugging at Huo Linyuan’s shirt while clumsily pressing her lips to his. Unfazed by having just insulted him before seeking his help again, she continued in that soft, coquettish tone, directing him,
“Huo Linyuan, don’t you know how to hold a girl?”
As if dissatisfied with his lack of initiative, she whimpered about her discomfort while trying to remove her own clothes.
Skin as smooth as congealed fat and white jade seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. Huo Linyuan’s gaze darkened, forcing himself to hold back from making any abrupt moves toward her.
“Wanwan, you’ve been drugged. I’ll call a doctor—”
In the next second, the girl’s soft body threw itself against him. Huo Linyuan instinctively caught her.
But this child, who had always been as timid as a mouse seeing a cat whenever she encountered him before, was now fierce beyond belief.
She directly sealed his lips, and in the gaps between their entangled breaths, she spoke with a fierce yet confident tone:
“Are all older men like this…”
Her voice was sticky and coquettish, dripping with a spoiled air.
A vein throbbed at Huo Linyuan’s temple, unsure whether it was from her kisses or his anger.
“All? How many have you seen?”
He gritted his teeth, his voice low and tense.
“Older men? Who? Me?”
He could hardly believe it.
He was only twenty-seven, praised by everyone in their circle as young and accomplished, a talented and promising youth.
Yet, for the first time in his life, he had been scorned for being old.
The girl pressing down on him fumbled clumsily with his clothes, her delicate face flushed red.
She seemed utterly unaware of the danger, still brazenly taunting him:
“Why waste words? Are you up to it or not?”
Outside the window, the rain poured down heavily.
A torrential downpour engulfed the world, as if the entire earth were submerged in this autumn night’s rain.
Yet inside the room, warmth enveloped them, the air thick with an ambiguous heat.
Only a soft, tearful voice drifted through, shedding its earlier arrogance, its trailing tone now pleading:
“Huo Linyuan, I was wrong…”
“I’ll never say you’re old again…”
A loud clap of thunder echoed.
The girl on the bed jolted awake from her dream, her trembling lashes fluttering several times before she slowly opened her eyes.
Why did she have such a dream? Had she gone mad?
Jiang Youwan’s cheeks flushed, her fingertips curling inward.
Perhaps it was because she had seen Huo Linyuan too frequently lately, and last night she had accompanied her boyfriend to the charity gala he hosted. That must be why she dreamed of him.
And she had even dared, with reckless audacity, to superimpose the scene from that night onto him.
The lingering sensations of the dream intensified the overwhelming sense of guilt in her heart. Even though Huo Linyuan had no real relationship with her, even though he was merely her boyfriend Huo Jinchen’s uncle, she still felt deeply embarrassed.
Her gaze drifted to the easel not far away. Before she could even get out of bed, a familiar churning sensation rose in her stomach.
Slender fingers covered her mouth as her white cotton nightgown billowed in the air. Jiang Youwan rushed to the bathroom.
A few dry heaves passed quickly, followed by the sound of running water from the bathroom.
The beautiful girl, her lashes still damp, splashed water on her face.
Her stomach had been unsettled lately—perhaps she had developed gastroenteritis.
Huo Jinchen had mentioned taking her to the hospital for a check-up, but there had been no follow-up. Besides, the weather today seemed less than ideal…
Through the misted window, tree branches swayed wildly in the wind, strings of raindrops forming a curtain that poured relentlessly onto the distorted umbrellas of passersby.
Just as she was considering whether to call a taxi early, the doorbell rang.
“Miss Jiang—”
The moment the door opened, Jiang Youwan’s damp, soft, pale face met a meticulously pressed black shirt. Looking up, she saw the familiar, handsome yet cold expression.
This face perfectly overlapped with the one from her dream. Jiang Youwan’s mind went blank, struck by an inexplicable feeling of being caught red-handed after doing something wrong.
She stood frozen at the door, her dark, thick lashes trembling repeatedly.
“Miss Jiang, I was the one knocking.”
The assistant standing behind Huo Linyuan waved at her with a friendly expression.
That cold-faced uncle finally deigned to utter a low “Mm,” his voice deep.
“Here to return the clothes you left behind yesterday.”
His slender, well-defined hand hung in the air, an expensive wristwatch reflecting the morning light, accentuating the pale, delicate bones of his wrist—making him appear even more noble and imposing.
So noble that Jiang Youwan even felt that what Huo Linyuan was handing her wasn’t a shopping bag containing clothes, but a soul-summoning talisman thrown by the King of Hell!
She didn’t dare keep the cold-faced King of Hell waiting a moment longer and immediately reached out to take it. However, the next second—
“Ugh~”