Xingyue Hotel.
Through the wall, the passionate sounds from the next room pierced the rush of the shower and reached Si Tian’s ears in faint fragments.
Sounds that should have made her blush.
But to Si Tian, they brought only mockery—and a pain that cut to the bone…
“Your fiancé and your cousin betrayed you on your wedding night. Doesn’t feel good, does it?”
A low, amused male voice suddenly came from behind her. Si Tian turned around—
At some point, the shower had stopped. A tall, upright figure emerged from the bathroom.
He wore only a towel around his waist and held another towel in his hand, rubbing at his wet hair, water still dripping from it.
Not a single light was on in the suite. It was almost pitch-black.
But the silvery moonlight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows illuminated the man’s sharply defined, cold features, making them clear to Si Tian.
Zhou Si?
Si Tian stared at the man before her in disbelief.
After all, she had only met him once, at her engagement party with Shen Yifan earlier that day.
Shen Yifan had introduced Zhou Si as a close friend since childhood. He’d gone abroad while still in high school and had only returned a week ago.
He was the heir to the Zhou Group and came from Haishi’s most powerful family.
Si Tian raised her eyes to meet Zhou Si’s. His gaze was fixed on her like she was prey, brimming with aggression.
“Young Master Zhou[1]An honorific used to address a young man from a wealthy or influential family in Chinese society. It acknowledges his family’s status and is not a formal aristocratic rank. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3729722_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3729722_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, just say what you have to say.”
In the middle of the night, he had forcibly “invited” her here from her home.
She didn’t believe he was so noble that he would cast aside his friendship with Shen Yifan and stand up for her.
Zhou Si arched a brow and casually tossed the towel onto the sofa.
“Want revenge?”
The man’s thin lips parted. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and the predatory gleam in his eyes sharpened. His whole bearing exuded a wicked certainty that he would get what he wanted.
Revenge.
Si Tian turned the word over in her mind. Her gaze drifted down from the man’s handsome face, slowly tracing his solid physique…
He looked about six foot three, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and an exceptionally well-proportioned build.
He’d just showered, and glistening droplets still clung to his body.
They accentuated his sharply defined eight-pack, making it all the more sexy and tempting.
The towel at his waist was loosely tied, leaving the V-lines at his hips clearly visible.
Several prominent veins traced upward from the edge of the towel, adding to the taut, enticing sight…
Water still dripped from the tips of his hair. A droplet fell at just the wrong moment onto his abdomen, slid slowly downward, and disappeared beneath the towel…
Si Tian felt herself heating up as she looked at him.
What Zhou Si meant was… obvious.
Si Tian pressed her red lips together and looked him straight in the eye. “I’m Shen Yifan’s girlfriend.”
Zhou Si suddenly let out a laugh. He strode to the sofa and dropped into it without ceremony. “So what?”
A bottle of red wine sat on the table. He poured himself a glass, his long, distinct-knuckled fingers gripping the stem as he swirled it.
Zhou Si lifted his eyes to Si Tian. His voice was low. “Shen Yifan’s done this to you, and you’re still clinging to that worthless title. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
Ridiculous.
It really was.
A bitter smile tugged at Si Tian’s lips as pain spread from her heart through every limb.
The man she had loved with all her heart for years had abandoned her on the night of their engagement just because his ex-girlfriend said her stomach hurt.
He’d left her behind to have sex with his ex, who had only just returned from abroad.
And now his best friend had his eye on her—and had made her listen to them having sex next door.
More ridiculous still, she had become Shen Yifan’s fiancée only because she looked somewhat like her older cousin[2]The original Chinese term is tangjie, referring specifically to an older female cousin whose father is a brother of the speaker’s father. Chinese kinship terminology distinguishes relatives … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3729722_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3729722_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
It felt as though a sharp knife had been driven into her heart. The pain was endless.
Even every breath hurt.
And the word “revenge” was careening through her mind, trying to take control of her reason.
Si Tian’s hand curled into a tight fist at her side, her nails digging deep into her palm.
The sting kept her somewhat clearheaded.
Revenge wasn’t worth sacrificing herself for.
“Trying to provoke me won’t work.” With that, Si Tian strode toward the door.
But just as her hand closed around the doorknob, she heard the conversation between the two people next door—
“Afan[3]The prefix A- is commonly attached to part of someone’s name in Chinese to create a familiar or affectionate nickname. It often indicates closeness between the speaker and the person being … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3729722_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3729722_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, why are you so clingy? Are you like this with Atian, too?”
“She’s not as charming as you.”
Si Tian: “???”
She was so angry she laughed.
His physique, looks, and height didn’t even come close to Zhou Si’s!
Maybe he couldn’t compare in that department, either…
At that thought, Si Tian didn’t know what had come over her. She turned and glanced back at Zhou Si.
But the moment she did, her eyes met his, lurking in the shadows and glinting like a wolf’s.
Zhou Si’s lips curled. “Miss Si, want to try someone else?”
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