Shen Huaixu stood on the second-floor deck, his suit jacket open. The cuffs of his black shirt were stiff and sharp, paired with a silver tourbillon wristwatch.
A single red glow flickered between his fingertips, making his fair, slender finger bones look all the more cold and ascetic.
“Brother, it is too boring here. I want to go home.”
Hearing this, Shen Huaixu turned his head. Seeing that it was Shen Lanyin, he casually flicked away his cigarette because this younger sister of his had never been able to stand the smell of smoke since she was a child.
“Alright, I will go back with you.”
Shen Lanyin smiled and nodded, asking, “Brother, do you know Lu Xiao?”
Shen Huaixu’s brow furrowed slightly as he said sternly, “Yinyin, Lu Xiao is a mad dog. Stay away from him.”
“A mad dog? Then my dog-beating staff technique will come in handy.”
Far from being afraid, Shen Lanyin’s tone even held a hint of excitement.
Shen Huaixu coaxed her softly, “Yinyin, be a good girl and listen.”
Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Lu Xiao is Old Master Lu’s illegitimate son who was left outside for years, and he only returned to the family clan half a year ago.”
“It took him just three months to suppress all opposing voices and become the head of the powerful Lu family.”
“He used to be a Mafia boss in Italy, and he is sworn brothers with Long Moyuan, a bigwig in the Dragon Gate, the largest underworld syndicate in S City.”
“Lu Xiao has connections in both the underworld and the upper echelons. His temperament is violent and arbitrary, and his methods are ruthless and vicious. Without exception, everyone who has ever offended him has met a miserable end.”
“Be a good girl, Yinyin, and do not provoke him.”
Shen Lanyin crossed her arms. “I would not have guessed that old boy has so many alter egos.”
A cold smile suddenly bloomed on the corners of her lips. “I think he is not just a mad dog, but a venomous snake, peeling off layer after layer of snake skin endlessly.”
“Just remember to stay away from him, that is all.” Unconvinced, Shen Huaixu instructed her repeatedly.
Shen Lanyin gave a perfunctory nod. As long as Lu Xiao behaved himself and did not come to provoke her, she would be fine.
The night was enchanting and the breeze was alluring.
Pushing open the heavy doors of MAX Bar, the subtle intoxication of alcohol and smoke rushed over them, while the shifting neon lights sliced through everyone’s field of vision.
The heavy metal rock music was burning with explosive energy.
Young men and women gathered on the dance floor, frantically twisting their waists and hips, wantonly venting their passion and youth.
Meng Wantang carried a bottle of Rémy Martin Black Pearl Louis XIII cognac and delivered it to the booth.
Compared to the restless atmosphere on the dance floor, the environment at the booth was somewhat desolate, almost evoking a sense of lazy weariness.
Shen Lanyin sat on a single-person sofa, her long, straight, beautiful legs crossed.
The dazzling tassel diamond anklet made her ankles look like jade branches and snow-drifted blossoms, crystal clear.
The dim lighting cast its glow, gathering together to plate a layer of intoxicating halo all around her.
The woman’s features were cold and stunning, exuding an aloof aura indicating that strangers should not approach.
“Yinyin, should I call a few handsome guys to keep you company?”
Because of the matter concerning Lu Xiao, Meng Wantang’s tone involuntarily carried a bit of flattery.
Shen Lanyin toyed with the wine glass in her hand and slowly said, “What is so fun about men? Call a few beauties over instead.”
Meng Wantang’s delicate mouth parted slightly, the tips of her brows raising in an arc of astonishment. “Yinyin, you must not give up eating for fear of choking! Spare the beauties and go back to tormenting men instead.”
“Where on earth is your mind wandering?” Shen Lanyin’s lips curved slightly. “I am simply tired of looking at handsome guys and want to find a few pretty young ladies to feast my eyes on.”
Meng Wantang curved her eyes and boasted shamelessly, “Then just look at me! I am the most beautiful woman in this world.”
Shen Lanyin could not help it. “…Pfft.”
Meng Wantang’s face turned flushed, her tone excited. “Hey, do not laugh! I am not exaggerating.”
“From elementary school all the way through university, I was the campus belle. Not only did I receive love letters until my hands grew tired, but the space downstairs in the girls’ dormitory always had long lines year-round.”
“Alright, alright, great beauty.” Shen Lanyin poured a glass of wine to block Meng Wantang’s mouth. “Then keep me company here for a while.”
Meng Wantang took a sip, seizing the moment. “Yinyin, it looks like those rumors about Lu Xiao’s past as a host were completely fabricated. But he really went to great lengths just to get close to you.”
Shen Lanyin’s gaze turned sharp as she gave a casual, understated response. “Hmm.”
“Then what do you plan to do?” Meng Wantang could not help feeling a bit worried.
“I asked around, and this Lu Xiao is a pathological paranoid with an extremely strong possessiveness. You had better be careful.”
Shen Lanyin’s captivating fox-like eyes lifted slightly, a smile playing on her lips. “In my dictionary, the two words ‘be careful’ have never existed.”
“I am heading out.”
As she spoke, she stood up gracefully and walked out toward the door via the exclusive passage.
A fiery-red Koenigsegg crouched by the roadside, its body lines smooth and sharp, noble and grand.
Shen Lanyin bent down and sat in the driver’s seat, started the engine, and merged into the endless stream of traffic.
After driving for a short while, Shen Lanyin sensed that something was wrong.
A Bugatti La Voiture Noire clung to her like a ghostly specter, refusing to shake her off.
After driving out of the bustling downtown area, Shen Lanyin pressed her foot all the way down on the accelerator.
Screeech!
The tires scraped against the ground, producing a piercing sound.
The car shot forward like an arrow released from a string, speeding wildly down the empty highway as the scenery on both sides rapidly retreated.
Shen Lanyin glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of her eye.
How irritating—it was still biting her heels!
At a curve in the road, she calmly and smoothly adjusted the steering, the car body sliding almost flat against the ground.
Every drift made one’s heart skip a beat, but she executed it with practiced ease, as if she and the car had melted into one.
After drifting through the turn, Shen Lanyin smiled brightly.
She had finally shaken off that black spider spirit!
Yet the smile on her face lasted for only a split second before two dazzling sets of headlights hit her head-on, forcing Shen Lanyin to narrow her eyes.
“Some jerk flashing high beams with a crappy light, really thinking he is the sun? Damn it!”
Vroom, vroom, vroom!
The roar of the engine pierced the night. Shen Lanyin gripped the steering wheel tightly as her speed skyrocketed.
Like a fierce beast, she charged straight ahead, lunging fiercely toward the black Bugatti coming from the opposite direction.
The high-speed collision made her heart race even faster, and she could almost hear the roar of blood surging through her veins in her ears.
If he wanted to play with his life, she, Shen Lanyin, would play to the end. She was not scared at all!
At the very last split second, the Bugatti sharply spun its direction, brushing right past the Koenigsegg.
Coward!
Endless smiles spread across the corners of Shen Lanyin’s lips, blooming like a rose, charming and dazzling enough to make anyone fall for her.
She tapped the brakes, rolled down the car window, and stuck out a slender hand tipped with manicured red nail polish.
She raised her middle finger, then a moment later switched to her thumb, pointing it fiercely downward.
Silent contempt, utterly unbridled!
The chilly night breeze slowly poured into the car through the window.
Lu Xiao’s arm rested casually on the upper frame of the window. On the back of his distinct, well-knuckled hand, veins pulsing with vibrant strength slightly bulged, exuding a hint of seductive desire.
The profile of his jawline was clean-cut and sharp, and his bottomless black eyes gazed calmly and ripple-free into the distance.
The flash of fiery red he had desperately chased had long since vanished without a trace.
Past memories rushed into his mind like a rising tide.
“You really have not changed at all, Shen Lanyin. You are still just as arrogant and domineering.”
Lu Xiao chuckled softly to himself, murmuring, “What am I supposed to do, though? The person I have set my sights on, even by force and coercion, I am bound to get!”
The stray locks of hair across the man’s forehead fluttered in the breeze. He closed his eyes, his thick, long, curled eyelashes looking as graceful as spring butterfly wings.
Yet when he opened them, his gaze was sharper than the keenest blade, hiding a delirious blood-red tint.
In the thick, ink-black night, the roar of the engine echoed through the heavens.
The Bugatti streaked past like a black lightning bolt.
Dancing with the wind, it sped away along the winding road, blurring all the scenery behind it.
One month later.
Shen Lanyin returned from her trip to Fregate Island Private Resort in Seychelles, and the moment she stepped one foot through her front door, she was intercepted by Xu Qingru.
She was met with a fierce, point-blank scolding!
“You dead girl, your guts are getting bigger and bigger! You vanished for a whole month without a single word.”
“You do not answer my calls, and you do not reply to my messages. Do you even have me as your mother in your eyes?”
Shen Lanyin picked at her ears, which had been battered numb by the barrage, her expression completely calm and wave-free.
“Empress Mother, I am already twenty-six years old. I can go wherever I want; I do not need to report everything to you, right?”
Xu Qingru was boiling with rage, shouting sharply, “Shen Lanyin!”
Pointing a finger at her in fury, she scolded, “Get out of this house right now! Do not let me ever see you again!”
“Fine, then I am leaving. Smoothly and swiftly.”
Shen Lanyin shrugged with total indifference.
She turned around with casual flair and strode toward the exit, without the slightest hint of reluctance.
Xu Qingru flew into a towering rage. “Stop right there!”