Volume One, Chapter Four: Wanting Her

When Jiang Wan arrived at the designated address, she moved through the corridor with purposeful steps. One ostentatious crystal door after another flashed by in her peripheral vision, the room numbers drawing ever closer to her target.

As she passed by suite 2018, she noticed the next door stood conspicuously ajar, as if it were a trap laid out just for her. She paused, listening—there was no sound. Cautiously, she leaned toward the threshold, peering inside—

And met, at once, those hunter’s dark eyes.

The instant their gazes locked, it felt as though he had sunk his teeth into the nape of her neck, biting straight into her lifeline.

Lu Wenzhou lounged alone on the curved sofa, a blurred glass wall behind him. He had changed his clothes and now wore a black sweater. One arm rested along the back of the sofa, long fingers curled around a glass of whiskey, legs elegantly crossed.

At that moment, Lu Wenzhou resembled a black panther hidden in the jungle—languid yet graceful, mysterious and dangerous. Seeing her take the bait, a faint, elusive smile tugged at his lips, as though everything was unfolding precisely as he had planned.

Jiang Wan’s expression darkened. Realizing he was alone, she understood she had been deceived. She turned to leave, but before she could, Lu Wenzhou swirled the glass in his hand with a playful flourish. “Looking for him?”

As he set his glass down, he reached for the remote control on the coffee table and pressed a button. Instantly, the glass wall behind the sofa shifted from opaque to clear, the bronze-tinted surface reflecting the adjoining suite in crystalline detail.

Jiang Wan fixed her gaze and immediately recognized Gu Huaixu, surrounded by women. He sprawled on a similar curved sofa, legs spread, his belt undone. His head tilted back in lazy abandon, while several beautifully dressed women lounged around him in various postures—some kneeling, some leaning, some sitting.

The scene was lurid, impossible to look at directly.

Almost unconsciously, Jiang Wan stepped closer, standing before the sofa, taking in every detail through the one-way glass. Even though the soundproofing was impeccable, she felt as if she could hear Gu Huaixu’s pleasure-laden sighs.

She had known, long before accepting him, about Gu Huaixu’s licentious nature. And every woman who had been close to him shared a common trait with her: a pair of alluring, almond-shaped eyes.

All the women before her now bore some resemblance to herself.

Yet Jiang Wan felt no anger. On the contrary, she was almost glad—she was the most beautiful of them all. It was this distinction, she knew, that had made Gu Huaixu willing to marry her. Of course, her meticulously crafted image as a virtuous woman had played its part too.

Men, after all, always wanted to play wild outside, only to marry the most obedient girl in the end.

“Have you seen enough?” Lu Wenzhou’s voice was low and beguiling, laced with danger. “He’s always this dissolute. Did you think he was doing anything else this afternoon?” He raised his glass to his lips. “He’s filthy like this, and you still want him?”

“What filth?” Jiang Wan smiled suddenly, her voice even and untroubled. “Isn’t he quite thoroughly cleaned up?” Her indifference made the man beside her pause mid-motion; the glass, almost at his lips, was lowered once more.

He looked up at her, a dark tide surging deep in his eyes, his grip on the glass tightening.

“You don’t care?” Each word he uttered came out bitten and heavy.

“Not at all.”

Jiang Wan’s face remained calm, her ease unshaken. She had not only investigated Gu Huaixu’s private life but had even peeked at his medical reports. He was in perfect health, every vaccine taken on schedule. Even if he fooled around, he wouldn’t infect her with anything.

That was enough.

For a man she did not love, a mere tool to be used, what more could she demand?

“No matter how many women he likes, the one he marries is still me. No matter how wild he plays outside, in the end, he has to come home to—”

Her words were cut short by the crash of glass shattering on the floor.

She was yanked forward, thrown heavily onto the sofa.

“Jiang Wan.” Lu Wenzhou’s voice was cold, every syllable squeezed through gritted teeth. He loomed over her, his powerful frame pinning her down, their noses only centimeters apart. His black eyes glinted with a bloody red, his brow furrowed with fury.

“What can he give you that makes you so eager to marry him?” His tone was laced with contempt and disdain. “Luxury cars, villas, designer bags, jewels—have I ever given you less?”

He laid their past bare with brutal candor. The closeness brought with it a familiar scent—fresh, fruity notes of grapefruit mixed with the steadiness of woods. Her gaze drifted down across his sharp features, lingering on his clean-shaven chin.

It wasn’t cologne, but the aftershave she had once chosen for him.

His stare felt scorching, as if he wished to burn her to ash. Yet all that greeted him was Jiang Wan’s cool, detached eyes as she met his gaze once more.

She saw herself reflected in his eyes—once warm and full of tenderness, now cold as ice.

Under Lu Wenzhou’s intense scrutiny, Jiang Wan spoke quietly but firmly, “What I want, only he can give.”

Her voice was soft, yet the world seemed to tilt and tremble.

The sound of leather creaked by her ear, and she saw, out of the corner of her eye, his fists clenched tightly, the air around them growing heavier by the second. Yet inside, Jiang Wan’s heart remained utterly still.

“Is that answer satisfactory, dear cousin?” she asked, making as if to push him away.

But as soon as her hand touched his chest, the man above her seemed to snap. Bloodshot eyes, a storm raging in their depths.

“Not satisfied,” he growled, seizing her chin and crushing his lips to hers.

The taste of whiskey flooded her mouth, wild and unrestrained. His kiss was familiar—frenzied, overwhelming. Jiang Wan struggled, but he pinned her firmly, his hand shifting from her jaw to toy with her earlobe, fingers tracing with mocking intimacy.

The temperature in the room soared.

Outside the open suite door, guests drifted past. The crystal doorframe reflected a double tableau: the soon-to-be-married couple, each kissing a different partner on opposite sides of a single glass wall.

Jiang Wan’s breath grew shallow. He knew her too well—her preferences, her vulnerabilities. As she felt her body go weak, Lu Wenzhou’s lips curled in triumph. The storm of his kiss transformed into a gentle rain.

Until—

His hand slipped beneath her knitted dress. The cold air and the heat of his palm struck her in sharp contrast, jolting Jiang Wan back to her senses at the edge of surrender.

Alcohol and her fleeting loss of self had unleashed the beast caged in the depths of his heart. Lu Wenzhou wanted her, here and now.

Realizing his intent, Jiang Wan’s eyes widened, clarity returning in a flash. Taking advantage of his brief distraction, she bit down hard.

Pushing him away, she slapped him with all her strength.