That night, at the top floor of the Royal Club.
Colorful lights swept and crisscrossed, cutting the room into blocks of contrasting shadows.
Qin Muyao pulled off his boxing gloves. Sweat trickled down his chiseled abs, disappearing into the vivid red lips of the woman pressing against him.
He frowned slightly, tilted his head back, and let out a sigh.
“Sinian still isn’t here?” Gu Chusheng swept the woman off his body aside and sat up to ask.
The woman slumped limply to the side, her red lipstick smeared, her clothes already disheveled.
Ji Hantian gave a cold snort. ”He’s probably bringing his fiancée. A guy who chooses women over his brothers.”
“Pei Qiuxu? That girl from the countryside?” Qin Muyao narrowed his eyes, thinking, and the image of the woman’s fair, delicate face came to mind. He lowered his head and chuckled. “She really is a beauty. The climate in Moqing City must be nourishing—it really did raise a jade-carved, gold-inlaid treasure.”
“Interested, Young Master Qin? Once Sinian’s done playing with her, we can have a try too.” Gu Chusheng swallowed his liquor, his voice hoarse.
With that, the men exchanged glances, all understanding each other perfectly.
City A, in the north, was the nation’s irreplaceable economic core, and the most prominent figures there were the four great financial dynasties.
The Qin family dominated politics—most of the powerful figures in the political world had intricate ties to them.
The Gu family held military and defense power, an indispensable force at the nation’s frontier.
The Ji family controlled the economy, monopolizing most of the country’s hotel chains and real estate.
And the Zhong family was deeply rooted in cutting-edge technology, with research institutes spread across the nation—and dirtier hands behind the scenes than anyone else.
The four families checked and balanced one another, complementing each other.
The other wealthy and noble families beneath them meant nothing compared to these four financial dynasties.
Pei Qiuxu, wearing a moon-white silk-modified qipao gown, entered the club arm in arm with Zhong Sinian.
She wore a smile on her face and waved at the people in the room when she saw them.
“Here we are.” She kept her gaze straight ahead, as if unable to see the naked women kneeling on the floor.
“Finally! We’ve been waiting forever.” Qin Muyao said, his eyes fixed on Pei Qiuxu with a smile. “You’ll have to punish yourself with three drinks for that.”
He pushed the liquor in front of him toward Pei Qiuxu while tilting his head to study the person before him who was forcing herself to stay calm, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
The girl was very pretty. She wasn’t the skinny type—she was slightly soft, and her fair, jade-like face was as tender as the first dew-kissed peach blossom on a tree in spring.
Her waist was so slender it curved inward, small enough to be gripped in one hand.
Pei Qiuxu’s fingers curled slightly, and she lowered her eyes, refusing to look at the man in front of her. She was a little scared and instinctively sought out the person she was slightly more familiar with.
From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Zhong Sinian—as if he hadn’t heard anything, one hand caressing the bonelessly soft waist of another woman.
Qin Muyao laughed out loud.
She was clearly a soft little rabbit, and she’d put on such a convincing act when she came in. But now, with just one sentence, her true colors had shown.
“Of course, of course.” Pei Qiuxu rearranged her expression, flashed a brilliant smile, and downed the glass in one gulp.
“Impressive tolerance!” Qin Muyao pushed the woman off him, sprawled on the sofa, and clapped in applause.
The fiery liquor slid down her throat, bringing a burning sensation. Pei Qiuxu endured and endured, but in the end she couldn’t hold back and coughed out loud.
Beside her, Zhong Sinian finally gave her back a gentle pat, his voice soft: “If you can’t drink it, don’t.”
Pei Qiuxu shook her head quickly. “It’s fine. The wine is excellent.”
Ji Hantian finally had a chance to climb off the woman beneath him, and he laughed loudly. “Sinian, feeling sorry for her? Even sister-in-law says she’s fine.”
He stood up and sat down beside Pei Qiuxu, his hand sliding down along her back. “Sister-in-law, this wine was saved especially for you.”
Pei Qiuxu felt every hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She couldn’t help but shiver, forcing a stiff smile and saying nothing more.
Knock, knock. There came a knock at the door.
A young girl in a short maid’s outfit pushed the door open, looking about the same age as them.
Trembling, she held a custom wooden gift box, from which she took out a bottle of wine. It was a classic straight-sided whisky bottle, its cream-colored vintage label printed with a large “1926.”
She tilted the bottle slightly, and amber liquid flowed from its mouth.
Pei Qiuxu stared at the bottle without a word.
Even for the Pei family, wine of this vintage wasn’t guaranteed even at New Year’s celebrations.
The girl kept pouring slowly, but just as she was about to finish, her wrist inexplicably wobbled, her fingers slipped, and the crystal goblet crashed to the floor.
Startled, she spilled the remaining wine, soaking the clothes of the man beside her.
The private room fell silent in an instant, and Pei Qiuxu’s brow unconsciously furrowed.
Qin Muyao looked down at the stain on his clothes and clicked his tongue in displeasure. He seized the girl’s chin, the corner of his mouth curling into an arc. “Now what? You spilled the wine.”
His voice was soft, almost carrying a hint of excitement.
The other men also turned their gazes on the girl kneeling on the floor, forcing herself to look calm.
“I didn’t do it on purpose. I… I can pay for it.” The girl gritted her teeth as she looked at them, her voice trembling, but she held herself together, looking all the more pitiful for it.
“Ha.” Qin Muyao gave a soft sneer, picked up the half-empty bottle from the table, and patted her face with the cold bottle. “This bottle is worth over a million. What are you going to pay with?”
His eyes swept brazenly over the girl’s body, his expression amused.
The girl’s face went deathly pale, and she hung her head in silence.
Ji Hantian stood up as well, smiling wickedly. He fished out a white pill from nearby and casually dropped it into a glass in front of him. “How about this—finish this glass, and I’ll let you go. Deal?”
Pei Qiuxu glanced at the pill in the glass. She didn’t know what it was, but in a club like theirs, what could it possibly be but something foul?
Looking at the girl’s bewildered face, Pei Qiuxu felt her stomach churn violently.
Pale-faced, she tugged at Zhong Sinian’s sleeve and whispered, “I’m going to the restroom.”
Zhong Sinian didn’t look at her, his eyes still fixed on the girl. He merely nodded.
Pei Qiuxu picked up her bag and walked out with graceful steps.
There were two naked women locked in the private room’s bathroom, and she didn’t want to go in there.
Pei Qiuxu closed the door of the private room behind her and walked to the public restroom. Looking at her impeccably made-up face in the mirror, she finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
Her eyes reddened in an instant, her heart pounding, her hands shaking so badly she could barely hold her bag. She was truly terrified.
[Ahem, the male lead hasn’t appeared yet]
Putting this warning in an author’s note in case anyone misses it, so I’m placing it here.
Both leads are pure/faithful, 1v1 + mindless old-school melodrama + Mary Sue + a male lead with extreme controlling tendencies and no moral compass!!
This is not a strong-female-lead story. The heroine has no growth arc either—she stays a little dummy the whole time, doted on by the male lead.
The male lead has no moral compass. He’s not a normal person—he’s completely unhinged.
In the early stages, the heroine plays both sides a bit (before she knows the male lead’s true identity). After she finds out, it’s all about playing the pig to eat the tiger—hiding her strength and striking when least expected.
This story is purely the author’s shameless indulgence in personal kinks, so I suggest you read it with your brain switched off too~】