Chapter Nineteen: What More Do You Want!

So close—much too close. Close enough that they could hear each other’s heartbeats, close enough that every breath was audible. For a moment, neither of them moved, both frozen in that intimate posture.

It was now that Qin Mengxue, at last, saw her fiancé’s face clearly. It was nothing like what she had imagined. His skin was fair, but radiantly healthy, his hair thick and black but not at all unkempt, and his chiseled features strikingly handsome.

Beneath his dark, sword-like brows were eyes deep and fathomless, flickering with a hint of mischief; each slow blink made his long lashes tremble gently. Below, his nose was straight and elegant, and a wickedly charming smile played on lips of perfect shape—neither too thin nor too full, exhaling warm breath. His mouth, in particular, was unnervingly attractive.

Wasn’t this something else? Judging by looks alone, this man was undeniably handsome—a far cry from the portrait she’d imagined. For a moment, a subtle relief seeped into Qin Mengxue’s heart. Whatever he might be like inside, at least his outward appearance was pleasant.

Lost in thought, Qin Mengxue stared blankly at the man’s face before her.

“Ahem, wife, I don’t mind if we try this position out, but the floor’s pretty cold. Why don’t you get up and we continue on the bed?” Xue Tian’ai, at this moment, wasn’t busy admiring Qin Mengxue’s beauty—he was, in fact, suffering. Not only had she knocked him to the floor, leaving his backside in intimate contact with the chilly tiles, but the cold was biting into his kidneys.

More importantly, when Qin Mengxue had fallen, her knee had landed squarely on his most sensitive region, and she seemed completely oblivious, remaining frozen in place.

Xue Tian’ai was too embarrassed to say anything outright. Granted, his “little brother” had been thoroughly satisfied last night, but it had also been battered by that wild woman. And now his fiancée had delivered another blow. If this kept up, he’d end up as the last eunuch in China!

Just then, Qin Mengxue realized their pose was more than a little suggestive. Her delicate face flushed with embarrassment, but since she was the one who had fallen, she lifted herself up slightly and asked, “Sorry, are you alright? Thank you…”

Qin Mengxue’s attempt to rise only made things worse for Xue Tian’ai, as she braced herself with her knee. His already bruised “little brother” now suffered another KO.

He thought bitterly that, for all his experience—with nearly a hundred women, his stamina undiminished—his fiancée’s knee might be his undoing. Cold sweat broke out on his brow as he forced out, “Apology or thanks—could you just move your knee? I wouldn’t mind if it was your foot, but your knee… it really hurts… don’t move!”

At the word “knee,” Qin Mengxue instinctively shifted, and his groan of pain made her look down. At that moment, her blush deepened to crimson.

She’d had nine years of compulsory education—of course she knew exactly where her knee was planted! In her twenty-three years, this was the closest she’d ever been to a man.

“Pervert! Scoundrel! Shameless bastard!” she blurted, cheeks burning, but she quickly scrambled off him.

Feeling the pressure finally lift, Xue Tian’ai let out a sigh of relief, sitting up in one motion and teasing, “Wife, I never expected you to be so eager—going straight for my little brother with such aggression on our first meeting. I’m honored!”

Qin Mengxue, still flustered, felt her anger flare. He might be good-looking, but his mouth was insufferable!

She retorted instinctively, “Despicable, shameless, lecherous, filthy…”

“Stop, wife, could you be a bit gentler? You’re the beautiful CEO of Menghua Group! Can you not always use those crude words?” Xue Tian’ai grinned impudently, his handsome face marred by a roguish smirk.

“Don’t call me wife!” Qin Mengxue was tempted to slap him, but managed to restrain herself, instead turning away to sit on the sofa.

“If I don’t call you wife, then what? Would you prefer ‘Little Snow’?” He trailed after her, plopping down right beside her on the sofa.

Irritated by his presumptuousness, Qin Mengxue shifted away to put some distance between them, her tone cold. “Never mind what you call me. What’s your name?”

“Xue Tian’ai! But I’d prefer you call me Tian’ai—it sounds more intimate.”

“You’re from the Xue family?” The name made Qin Mengxue’s expression darken. She was betrothed to the first male of the Xue family’s third generation, but she’d never heard of Xue Tian’ai before. Publicly, the only third-generation Xue was Xue Gangtao.

“Of course! Why else would I be engaged to you? What, are you an idiot?”

“You’re the idiot, you—” Qin Mengxue bristled at the insult, ready to curse him out, but caught herself at the last moment.

She steadied herself. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Where are you from?”

“My mother’s womb.”

“You—” Qin Mengxue was livid at his flippant reply. She was asking in all seriousness, but he was clearly mocking her! Aside from his looks, this man seemed to have no redeeming qualities.

First, he’d stood her up for a night of debauchery; then, upon meeting, he’d startled her with his antics, leaving her embarrassed; now, he was all glib and unserious.

Her face turned stormy, lips pressed into a thin line, her autumn eyes sharp and commanding as she glared at him.

Faced with her silence, Xue Tian’ai clicked his tongue and said, “I was wondering what my fiancée would look like before I came. Maybe Grandpa Qin thought you were unmarriageable and pawned you off on me, then changed my family’s access codes to stop me from seeing you—what, did you think you were a dinosaur? But now that I see you, you’re not bad. Passable, at least—not embarrassing.”

Passable? Not embarrassing?

Any man in the city who overheard this would have banded together to lynch him. Their goddess reduced to “passable”?

Qin Mengxue glared, dumbfounded by his words. “What do you mean, ‘passable’? Would marrying me be so humiliating?”

“Beautiful, of course you’re beautiful! I’m very satisfied. But…” Xue Tian’ai trailed off.

“But what? Out with it.”

“But your aura is too strong—you’re the cold-faced CEO of Menghua Group. I can’t handle facing an ‘ice queen’ wife every day. How about you smile more and I’ll stop saying ‘passable’?”

Qin Mengxue’s expression grew ever more inscrutable. This guy was truly one of a kind. Did he think she was some kind of tigress? Or a stern judge?

“Xue Tian’ai, do you know there are enough men in this city who want to marry me to form a division? And to you, I’m just ‘passable’?”

“Damn, really? That means I’m the enemy of a whole division of men? Am I here to get married or to get myself killed?” Xue Tian’ai feigned horror, his expression comically exaggerated, even a little frightened.

Of course, he wasn’t afraid at all. The infamous Phantom Butterfly, who had completed SSS-level assassination missions, would never fear a few love rivals. But it was more amusing to play scared.

Qin Mengxue, seeing his fearful act, felt a pang of disappointment. Every young woman dreams of marrying a hero. She was no exception. Yet her fiancé quailed at the mere mention of rivals—was he really hero material?

“What, scared already? Then call off the engagement!” Her face turned ashen with disappointment, her words clipped and biting.

“Scared? Why would I be scared?” Xue Tian’ai lifted his chin, feigning defiance, then sighed. “Call off the engagement… do you even have the power to do that?”

His words, light as air, landed heavily on Qin Mengxue’s heart. She’d pleaded with her father Qin Lanwan and her grandfather Qin Yichen countless times to no avail. What could she do?

“Never mind that. Why have I never heard of a grandson named Xue Tian’ai in the Xue family?” She finally voiced her deepest doubt.

With that, Xue Tian’ai’s roguish demeanor vanished. A solemn, pained look crossed his face, and he fell silent, the room suddenly heavy.

Qin Mengxue was taken aback. His entire aura had shifted, utterly different from his playful self. Did he truly have a secret? Was there some story with the Xue family?

After a long breath, Xue Tian’ai’s voice dropped. “The truth is, when I was young and foolish, I took a role in a Japanese adult film—you know, the kind you like to watch. After that, the Xue family erased my name from their records. But it doesn’t matter. I’m still the Xue family’s eldest grandson, and our engagement stands.”

Qin Mengxue’s fists clenched in fury at his words, her hands trembling. Her watching adult films? She didn’t believe for a second he’d acted in one, but the implication that she watched them infuriated her.

Suppressing the urge to beat him, she snapped, “I would never watch something so filthy! Whatever your past, within this engagement, things will go my way!”

“Oh, come on, wife, you should watch them! Otherwise, how will we ‘fight’ in bed?”

“Xue Tian’ai, I’m warning you—” She was cut off by her phone ringing.

Glancing at the caller ID, her brows knit in worry. She checked the time—damn! She’d been so caught up talking to Xue Tian’ai, she was already late for work.

It was Yu Xiaoxiao calling; that girl must be worried. Gesturing for Xue Tian’ai to keep quiet, she answered, “Hello, Xiaoxiao? I’ll be late today, don’t worry.”

“What? I’ll come right over!” Whatever she heard made her face change, and she rushed off to the bathroom to freshen up.

Seeing her so flustered, Xue Tian’ai was startled. “Wife, is something wrong?”

“I have to get to work! And stop calling me wife!” She quickly applied some light makeup, packed her essentials, and headed for the door.

“Need any help?” Xue Tian’ai asked, genuinely concerned.

“No, we’ll talk about your issues later. And go buy yourself some clothes today. Even if I don’t have feelings for you right now, as your fiancée, I find your outfit disgusting!” With a cold glance, she swept out, leaving Xue Tian’ai alone.

He glanced down at himself, puzzled, and then his face darkened. His white T-shirt and khaki pants were fine, but at some point, the shirt had become covered in lipstick marks—dozens of them, bold and bright.

Damn it, it had to be that woman from last night! The memory of the previous night’s escapade brought a sly smile to his lips.

But just then, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, his expression turned ice-cold.

He hesitated a moment, then answered, and before the caller could speak, he barked, “I’m back. I’ve met the fiancée you arranged—I’m satisfied. I’ve brought back the Wolf Order. What more do you want?”