[Let’s play a game between a playboy and a good girl. Whoever falls in love first loses.]
“Getting married?”
“I’m getting married? How come I didn’t know?”
In the luxurious private room filled with an intoxicating atmosphere of decadence, the rich aroma of red wine swirled in tall glasses. The light refracted off the crystal, casting shifting shadows that fell upon the strikingly handsome, almost aggressively attractive face of a man hidden in the darkness, causing the waiter who entered to pour wine to pause for a few seconds.
The man exuding an overwhelming aura wore a black silk shirt, casually unbuttoned at the top. His cold, sharp gaze swept across the room, making everyone unconsciously hold their breath.
Only the slight upward curve of his peach blossom eyes and his current nonchalant, teasing tone softened the solemnity.
The person who had first ventured the question quietly let out a sigh of relief.
This man’s temper was unpredictable, and he feared nothing, yet he wielded immense power. For a moment, he had genuinely worried he might provoke his anger.
If not for being asked by someone else, he wouldn’t have dared to pry.
Wiping away a subtle sheen of sweat, he replied with feigned ease, “Well, someone saw Jue Ye and that lady shopping for rings together~”
“If giving a ring means getting married, then our Jue Ye would have committed bigamy countless times by now.”
The response didn’t come from Ling Jue himself, but from another teasing male voice.
Ji Xiuheng.
One of Ling Jue’s close friends, and the next heir to the prominent Ji family in the Imperial Capital.
Perhaps only a friend would dare to jest so casually with the crown prince of the Ling Group, which controlled a significant portion of Hua Country’s economic lifeline.
Ling Jue neither confirmed nor denied it.
He was never stingy with women. Over the years, he had gifted countless pieces of jewelry. A mere ring held no special meaning, especially since that particular ring wasn’t intended as a gift for her.
But others were unaware of this.
“Really? I thought your precious had finally run out of patience and forced the issue.”
From another sofa, Xie Muchen, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, adjusted his frames and spoke with a smile.
A faint curve lifted the corner of Ling Jue’s mouth, his tone certain. “She wouldn’t.”
After a pause, he added emphatically, “She’s very well-behaved.”
She wouldn’t scheme relentlessly for the position of Mrs. Ling, nor would she cause a scene.
That roguish, self-satisfied demeanor made Ji Xiuheng click his tongue in amazement. “Where on earth did you dig up such a treasure?”
Beautiful, not fussy or demanding, neither greedy nor clingy—she was practically the ideal kept woman.
Oh, perhaps not a kept woman.
After all, this was the only woman to whom Ling Jue, the great crown prince, had ever officially granted the title of girlfriend. She was his legitimate girlfriend.
“Your jealous face is truly ugly.”
Ling Jue retorted lightly. Uncrossing his long legs, he stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, lighting a cigar and holding it between his fingers.
Through the drifting wisps of smoke, the man’s indifferent gaze looked down upon the flowing, brilliant city lights below. Thinking of the rumored object of his marriage—Qin Shuyi, whom he hadn’t seen for several days due to his recent overseas business trip—Ling Jue’s lips curled into a pleased smile.
Ji Xiuheng rolled his eyes. “Not as ugly as Jue Ye’s newfound ‘virtuous husband’ act.”
Putting on such airs, he almost seemed like a decent person now.
The other friend, Xie Muchen, couldn’t help but chuckle.
The legendary playboy Jue Ye suddenly settling down and engaging in a serious relationship with an unknown woman from Jiangnan had been one of the Imperial Capital’s favorite topics of gossip over the past year.
Of course, how much hidden jealousy and schadenfreude lay behind the amusement remained unknown.
“Honestly, I really thought you’d one day quietly come back with a marriage certificate,” Xie Muchen said, not without a teasing tone.
In their social circle, aside from strategic marriages based on weighing interests, so-called romantic relationships were nothing more than mutually understood performances, most without even a formal title. The women around Ling Jue had never lasted more than a month.
Only this Miss Qin Shuyi, starting as a game, unexpectedly gained a formal status and had been dating for nearly a year.
Many wondered in their hearts: Had the Crown Prince truly met his one true love this time?
“Won’t happen.”
Ling Jue’s voice was indifferent, his sharply defined face blurred behind the interplay of lamplight and cigarette smoke.
That “won’t happen” left it unclear whether he meant he wouldn’t marry at all or that he wouldn’t marry Qin Shuyi.
But those two resolute words were enough to dispel the rumors.
The men and women in the private room, who had been eavesdropping, wore varied expressions.
The man who had first brought up the marriage topic, now too afraid to interject, let out a sigh of relief and quietly sent a text message.
—The rumors are false. What true love? Hilarious. She can’t even enter the Ling family’s door.
Xie Muchen shook his head. “The young lady is going to be heartbroken.”
Ji Xiuheng also clicked his tongue lightly. “With the way our Jue Ye carries himself, who wouldn’t say he’s serious?”
Ling Jue stubbed out his cigarette, his tone casual. “Just playing around.”
The good girl liked playing pure love games; he didn’t mind acting along with her.
“Scumbag.”
Ji Xiuheng offered a sharp critique.
…
Outside the private room.
Xu Chen glanced at the woman beside him, dressed in a light cyan qipao, her hair casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin.
Skin like ice, bones like jade, with picturesque brows and eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry lips perfectly proportioned—truly a fine appearance.
A hint of condescending pity surfaced in his eyes.
“Crossing social classes isn’t something achieved through beauty and a facade of warmth. Knowing your place and turning back from the bitter sea in time is not a bad thing, don’t you think, Miss Qin?”
Philandering is in men’s nature, especially for a favored son of heaven like Ling Jue.
Of course, he knew that no matter how the Crown Prince played around, he would ultimately choose someone of his own kind—like that moon he himself could never reach.
But Qin Shuyi had stayed around far too long.
This toy had lasted long enough to become somewhat of an eyesore.
He hoped that before the bright moon returned to its rightful place, those who shouldn’t exist would discreetly disappear.
Having been brought along to witness this grand performance and now deemed by everyone as nothing more than the Crown Prince’s plaything to relieve boredom, Qin Shuyi remained unfazed.
“If Young Master Xu has an issue, instead of trying to find ways to deal with me, why not persuade Ling Jue to settle down sooner? You know, in this relationship, I don’t have the power to end it.”
Xu Chen’s face darkened.
If Ling Jue were someone who could be persuaded, he wouldn’t have bothered scheming against Qin Shuyi.
His issue with Qin Shuyi wasn’t personal bias but rather a natural, class-based contempt from above.
Never mind. He had already heard the desired outcome today.
Since Jue Ye wasn’t serious, he just needed to cover things up properly and ensure she didn’t cause trouble reaching Tao Wangxi, who was still recuperating abroad.
He gave her a meaningful look, pushed open the door, and switched to an ingratiating smile. “Sorry I’m late. I’ll punish myself with three drinks later.”
As the private room door opened, aside from Xu Chen, the female protagonist of their conversation was also exposed to everyone’s view.
Oh ho.
Caught gossiping right in front of her.
Ji Xiuheng looked gleefully at Ling Jue.
How would he handle this now?
However, Ji Xiuheng, who had been waiting for the good girl to throw a tantrum at the Crown Prince, did not see the scene he had anticipated.
Ling Jue had no intention of explaining. He extinguished his cigar and casually patted the spot beside him on the sofa as he sat back down. “Come here.”
Qin Shuyi remained composed, walking over and sitting down under the gazes of the crowd—some expectant, some curious, others filled with disdain and mockery.
Those watching the spectacle restrained themselves and looked away.
Indeed, anyone with a brain knew that Ling Jue was not someone you could get what you wanted from by making a scene.
Opposing him would only lead to being kicked aside—no doubt about it.
With Qin Shuyi’s status, even if she heard something, she would have to pretend everything was fine.
“When did you arrive?”
Ling Jue naturally wrapped his arm around the woman’s slender shoulders, his other hand toying with her neatly trimmed, glossy fingertips.
Qin Shuyi picked up the freshly served floral tea beside his wine glass and took a sip, her voice calm.
“When you said it was just for fun.”
Thud.
The sound of an apple rolling across the floor.
After a chorus of coughs, the noisy private room fell into a momentary, suffocating silence.
Damn, she actually dared to say it!