Chapter Eighteen: Let Me Tell You, I Am a Married Woman

Qin Mengxue stared in bewilderment at the unfamiliar man standing at the foot of her bed, while he simply smiled quietly back at her. Still half-asleep, she rubbed her drowsy eyes and muttered dreamily, “Am I still dreaming? Why is there someone else here?”

She rubbed her beautiful eyes again and pinched her delicate, oval face. The slight pain told her this was no dream. With the morning sunlight streaming warmly through the curtains, she saw clearly: there really was a man in front of her bed, grinning wickedly. No illusion, no dream!

Terror instantly flooded Qin Mengxue’s heart. She lived alone, with no real means of defense, and now a stranger was standing by her bed, watching her. The very thought made her skin crawl.

As her sleepiness faded and fear took hold, she could no longer contain herself. A piercing scream burst from her lips!

“Ah!” The shriek resounded like thunder, shockingly loud—who would have thought the icy CEO Qin Mengxue could produce such a sound?

Hearing the scream so close, Xue Tian’ai clamped his hands over his ears, his brows deeply furrowed. No wonder they say the Lion’s Roar technique was invented by women—this ordinary scream alone was enough to be lethal! Truly the most portable weapon for any woman.

“Hey, do you want to lose your voice? Can you stop screaming already?” Xue Tian’ai, thoroughly annoyed, snapped in a deliberately fierce tone.

Sensing the menace in his voice, Qin Mengxue’s heart turned cold. Had she encountered a thief, or an intruder with even darker intentions? Clutching the blanket tighter around herself for a sliver of safety, she snapped back,

“Who are you? How dare you break into my home! Get out right now, or I’ll call the police!” As she spoke, she reached under her pillow for her phone.

Seeing her determined words and her hand reaching for her phone, Xue Tian’ai nodded inwardly with satisfaction. It seemed his fiancée wasn’t as clueless as he’d feared.

Still, was he really being mistaken for some sleazy home invader? Was there ever a wolf as handsome as him?

After all, this was his own home—and his fiancée had even gone so far as to change the door code after all these years!

Watching Qin Mengxue’s feigned calm and the fear etched on her face, Xue Tian’ai was struck by a mischievous idea. Should he play along and give her a fright?

After all, he couldn’t just let the matter of the changed door code slide. Suppressing his laughter, he instantly slipped into a performance worthy of an award, ogling her with exaggerated lechery.

Indeed, now that the sun was up, he could see her more clearly—she was a true beauty. For once, those idiots at home hadn’t tricked him in this matter.

“Well, well, aren’t you something!” Xue Tian’ai stroked his chin, speaking in a languid drawl. “Is this your house? Pretty big, pretty nice. You live here alone?”

Seeing the green glint in his eyes, Qin Mengxue’s heart chilled further. She was doomed—she must have run into a pervert! But she forced herself to remain calm. “And if I do? Or if I don’t? Leave! Or I won’t be so polite!”

“Oh dear, so fierce! I’m trembling in my boots!” Xue Tian’ai put both hands over his head, pulling a comically terrified face.

“If you’re scared, then get out! Otherwise, when the police come, you’ll end up in jail!” Qin Mengxue tried to bolster her courage, feigning utter fearlessness, even waving her phone in threat.

“Ever heard the saying, ‘To die under a peony is still a romantic fate’? You’re so beautiful, I’d gladly be a ghost for you!” Xue Tian’ai leered, then, as if suddenly remembering something, added, “But your phone is going to be a problem.” With that, he lunged and snatched the phone from her hand.

“There, problem solved. Now, sweetheart, shouldn’t you submit to me?” He leered, moving closer.

With her phone gone, Qin Mengxue’s despair deepened, but she refused to give up. Grabbing her pillow, she hurled it at Xue Tian’ai, then, without looking back, clutched her blanket and dashed for the door. She had to buy herself more time—she couldn’t let things end like this!

Naturally, with his skills, Xue Tian’ai easily caught the pillow and made no move to pursue her, instead watching with a smile as Qin Mengxue bolted from the room.

Not bad—his fiancée had a strong sense of self-preservation, still thinking of resistance even in such a dire moment. She was no ordinary woman, clearly.

How could Qin Mengxue be ordinary? She’d revived the Menghua Group herself—how could she be lacking? Xue Tian’ai found this initial encounter with her most promising.

Qin Mengxue raced downstairs as fast as she could and began searching frantically for a landline to call for help.

But before she could find anything, a mocking voice drifted down from upstairs.

“Sweetheart, why not give in to me today? I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

The words sent a chill through her. She glanced around desperately, looking for a place to hide.

She spotted a large wardrobe and, without hesitation, dove inside, praying someone would come to her rescue. But she quickly realized, with a bitter smile, that this was her fiancé’s home; he wasn’t coming back, so who would save her?

She cursed her fiancé a thousand times over. If not for him, she wouldn’t be living in this villa, wouldn’t be forced to play cat and mouse with a pervert. If only he hadn’t gone out whoring that night and had kept his promise to return, none of this would have happened.

It was all his fault! The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved and upset she felt. If she truly were violated by this man, she would break off the engagement no matter the cost. A man who couldn’t even protect his own fiancée—what sort of man was that? Unknowingly, her eyes reddened with tears.

Yet a faint hope lingered—perhaps, like in her dreams, a hero would appear at the last moment to save her.

Meanwhile, Xue Tian’ai strolled leisurely down the stairs. Seeing no sign of Qin Mengxue and hearing no door open, he guessed she must be hiding.

His mischievousness grew. “Playing hide-and-seek now, sweetheart? Trying to spice things up for me?”

At this moment, the suave, legendary assassin “Phantom Butterfly” was nowhere to be seen—he was the very image of a street ruffian, toying with a proper young lady, his every move at odds with his handsome appearance.

Crouched in the wardrobe, Qin Mengxue dared not make a sound, pressing her hands tightly over her mouth and nose, praying, Don’t find me, don’t find me.

Xue Tian’ai calmly tapped here and there, searching. Then he noticed the wardrobe in the hall wasn’t fully closed, and he could just make out the corner of a blanket sticking out.

He almost laughed aloud. Of all places, she’d hidden herself in a dead end—if he really were a pervert, wasn’t she just delivering herself into his hands?

Step by step, Xue Tian’ai walked toward the wardrobe. His shoes scraped softly against the smooth floor.

To Qin Mengxue, hiding inside, that sound was like a death knell, a dirge sealing her fate.

The footsteps drew closer. Qin Mengxue’s despair deepened; in her heart, she cursed her fiancé even more bitterly.

With a creak, the wardrobe door opened, and light flooded in. The man stood there, smiling at her.

“Don’t come any closer! If you try anything, I’ll scream!” Qin Mengxue shrank back into the wardrobe, her voice trembling.

“Go ahead, scream. Scream your lungs out—no one will come to save you.”

“Ah!…” Qin Mengxue obediently began to scream again.

Xue Tian’ai’s brows furrowed at the shrill cry, and he snapped, “Shut up! Scream again and I’ll have you right here!”

At his fierce threat, Qin Mengxue’s voice died instantly. Panic and confusion clouded her face, and tears slid down her already reddened cheeks. Her voice broke as she choked out, “I’m warning you, I… I have a husband… He’ll never let you get away with this when he comes back!” She clung to the faint hope that invoking her fiancé—now promoted to husband—might save her.

Seeing her huddled in the wardrobe, wrapped in her blanket, those tearful, heartbreakingly beautiful features tugged at Xue Tian’ai’s heart. Had he gone too far with his joke?

“Oh? You have a husband? Who is he?” His tone softened, tinged with concern.

“He’s a very powerful man. I’m telling you, my husband is a killer! He’d have no trouble dealing with you. He’ll be back any minute, so you’d better leave!” Sensing his change in tone, Qin Mengxue was suddenly hopeful—perhaps she had frightened him? Emboldened, she embellished her story further.

But she had no idea if her fiancé was really impressive or not—she was making it all up, hoping her bravado would intimidate her tormentor.

Xue Tian’ai couldn’t help but twitch at the mention of her “killer husband.” The little kitten had guessed right!

“Then call him. Tell him to hurry back. I might find it even more exciting to play with his woman right in front of him!” he sneered, tossing her phone back to her.

Qin Mengxue’s fleeting hope vanished in an instant—he wasn’t afraid of her husband at all; he was a total pervert!

Call her fiancé? What a joke—she’d never even met the man!

She had no faith in her fiancé, but with no other option, she braced herself and dialed the number she’d labeled “Bastard” in her contacts.

The phone barely rang twice before a pleasing ringtone sounded—right in front of her.

Startled, Qin Mengxue wondered if the pervert was getting a call too. She looked up through her tears—only to see the man who’d been leering at her moments ago now holding up a phone, smiling at her with surprising warmth.

She glanced at the phone’s screen. The contact was listed as “Fiancée”—and the number was her own!

Her mind went blank for a moment, then realization dawned. Her enchanting eyes widened in astonishment. “You’re my fiancé?”

“Call me ‘husband’—you were just calling me that so sweetly before! My, we’re not even married yet and you’re already so affectionate. I’m truly gratified!” The lecherous menace was gone, replaced by a gentle, if slightly mischievous, smile.

With those words, all of Qin Mengxue’s terror and panic evaporated, replaced by a furious rage—her fiancé had dared to play such a trick on her, to make her the butt of his joke!

The humiliation and distress that had filled her moments ago now gave way to blazing anger.

“You bastard! How dare you fool me! I won’t let you off!” she yelled, leaping at Xue Tian’ai, teeth bared and claws ready.

“Hey! Calm down, you were just calling me ‘husband’—are you planning to murder your own spouse?” Xue Tian’ai dodged aside in a flash.

“Stop right there! Today I’ll kill you!” Now that she knew he was her fiancé, Qin Mengxue was fearless. He was her fiancé—what could he possibly do to her? If he really angered her, she’d report him to the elders and ensure he paid dearly!

“Do I look like a pervert to you?” Xue Tian’ai pointed to his own nose.

“You’d better stop, or this engagement is off!”

“You’re not in charge of that.”

“Are you even a man?”

“If you want to know, we could find out together!”

“Bastard, pervert, creep, shameless scoundrel!”

“Snowy darling, is that really how you should talk to your husband?”

“We’re not married yet!”

“I’m still your fiancé!”

The entire living room became a battlefield, filled with Xue Tian’ai’s shameless banter and Qin Mengxue’s furious, clenched fists—she looked as though she wouldn’t rest until she’d beaten him black and blue!

After ten minutes of chasing each other, Qin Mengxue accidentally stubbed her toe on the sofa and cried out in pain, stumbling forward uncontrollably.

Hearing her cry, Xue Tian’ai spun around and rushed to her side. Just as she was about to fall, he caught her by the shoulders.

Propelled by momentum, Qin Mengxue tumbled into Xue Tian’ai’s arms, her hands instinctively circling his neck.

But Xue Tian’ai, having just reached her in time, lost his balance and fell to the floor with her on top. Propping herself up, Qin Mengxue gazed down at him.

Their eyes met, and both fell silent, staring at each other. For a moment, it was as if Qin Mengxue had performed a “floor pin” on Xue Tian’ai, the air between them thick with unspoken intimacy—utterly and exquisitely ambiguous.