Chapter 4: Fuel to the Fire

Huo Ci was definitely a man of his word. When he’d claimed to be high-maintenance in the affection department, he hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest.

I constantly reminded myself to stay grounded, not to lose my head over a pretty face. But the problem was… every time this gorgeous man initiated physical closeness, my logic flew right out the window. Especially when he wrapped his arms around me from behind, leaning in close to whisper “baby” in my ear. Listening to that deep, raspy voice instantly melted whatever weak willpower I had left.

At first, I was still a bit shy, instinctively wanting to hide under the covers. But Huo Ci was endlessly patient. He never teased me or cared about the insecurities I carried.

Gradually, a realization washed over me: what had plagued me for so many years was actually trivial. Physical flaws were just a tiny part of who I was, and Huo Ci… seemed to cherish every single detail of me, including the imperfections I’d spent a lifetime trying to hide. Perhaps because I was loved so wholly by him, I finally began to let go of my deep-seated self-doubt.

The days that followed were blissfully peaceful, until I noticed Huo Ci was taking longer and longer to text back. Sometimes I’d send a message in the morning and wouldn’t hear from him until late at night; other times, he’d vanish for an entire day.

My mind began to spiral into overdrive: Was he getting tired of me? Had he found someone more interesting? Or…

The more I stewed over it, the more plausible every terrifying scenario seemed. Ultimately, I decided to sulk. No texts, no calls, no checking in on him whatsoever.

Two days hadn’t even passed when, in the middle of the night, my doorbell suddenly rang. Opening the door, I found Huo Ci standing in the hallway, his dark hair slightly messy, clearly having rushed over.

He looked down at me, his voice so impossibly soft it made it hard to stay mad. “Is my Niyi angry with me?”

All the pent-up grievances I’d bottled up inside instantly exploded. Crossing my arms, I tilted my chin up. “Of course I am! Huo Ci, listen to me carefully. As long as you’re with me, you are not allowed to mess around with anyone else. You’re mine and mine alone. Got it?”

I had sounded so fierce, but to my surprise, Huo Ci just froze. A moment later, the corners of his lips curved upward into a radiant smile. Eventually, he couldn’t hold back a soft laugh, his eyes shining as if overflowing with pure joy. “Only you. From the very beginning, it’s always only been you.”

Before I could process his words, he yanked me tightly into his arms. All the frustration and doubt that had accumulated over the past few days vanished without a trace.

—

Not long after, a piece of news sent shockwaves through City A: the Qiao family was bankrupt.

Rumors spread like wildfire. Supposedly, heiress Qiao Ran had been reckless enough to offend someone she absolutely shouldn’t have poked. The formidable Huo family had retaliated in a rage, driving the Qiao empire to total ruin within a terrifyingly short span of time.

When I heard the news, my immediate thought was: Wait… the Huo family?

I turned my head slowly to look at the man lounging on my sofa. Huo Ci was casually flipping through a stack of documents, looking entirely unbothered, as if the storm brewing outside had nothing to do with him.

Yet a powerful gut feeling came over me. It seemed like the boyfriend I’d casually “picked up” from the hotel… was far from simple.

—

Following her family’s collapse, Qiao Ran clung to Shen Yuhang like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, relentlessly pressuring him to marry her.

When Yuhang adamantly refused, she harassed him for days until he finally snapped. Shoving her away roughly, he shouted, “Get a grip, Qiao Ran! The only person I’ve ever loved is Niyi!”

Instead of getting angry, Qiao Ran burst into a twisted, bone-chilling laugh. “Shen Yuhang, do you honestly think your precious Zhao Niyi is pure as driven snow?”

With a harsh smack, she slammed a stack of photos onto the table. They showed Huo Ci and me walking into a hotel together, some taken from afar, some side profiles, and others strategically angled to look blatantly scandalous.

Qiao Ran leaned in, her voice like honeyed poison. “All it takes is one leak, and her reputation will be utterly destroyed.”

Her eyes burned with raw malice. Stripped of her wealth and status, she’d plummeted from a pampered heiress to a penniless nobody. Even Yuhang, someone she used to look down on, was abandoning her. If she was sinking into the abyss, she was dragging Zhao Niyi down with her.

“When Zhao Niyi loses everything… who else can she run to besides you?”

“Shut up!” Yuhang shot up, shoving her back, his chest heaving violently. “Niyi and I grew up together! I’d never do something so despicable to her!”

Qiao Ran sneered, tossing another thick folder onto the table. “Then see for yourself! Take a real close look at the timeline.”

Yuhang looked down, his face instantly draining of color. The detailed log of how frequently Huo Ci and I had been meeting hit him like a barrage of slaps to the face. A monstrous green-eyed monster erupted within him, burning away his last shred of logic and composure.

Qiao Ran fanned the flames. “If these hit the internet, how far do you think Zhao Corporation’s stock will plunge?”

—

Later that afternoon, Yuhang cornered me in a deserted underground parking garage.

He slammed a stack of photos right down on the concrete, sending them scattering across the ground around my feet. I didn’t need to look closely to know what they were—shots of Huo Ci and me together.

I looked up coldly. Yuhang was glaring at me, his eyes bloodshot as if he hadn’t slept in days. His voice rasped with suppressed rage: “You’re really something, Zhao Niyi. I look away for two seconds… and you’re already this cozy with another man?”

I calmly bent down to pick up the photos, but the moment I moved, he grabbed my wrist aggressively. His grip was brutal, so tight I winced.

Struggling to pull my hand back, I kept my voice as cool as possible. “Shen Yuhang, we ended things a long time ago. Who I’m with is my business, not yours.”

His face darkened further. Trapping me against the car, he hissed through gritted teeth, “None of my business? Fine!”

He held up the remaining stack of photos, his voice chillingly cold. “If these hit the front page tomorrow with the headline: *’Zhao Heiress Spotted in Secret Tryst, Private Life Scandal Exposed’*, how badly do you think your family’s stock will take a hit?”

I stared at him, momentarily stunned into disbelief that such vile threats were coming out of his mouth.

Seeing my shock, a smirk broke across his face. It held none of the foolish, carefree boy I’d grown up with; all that remained was bitter malice and smug triumph at having finally found a lever to control me.

“Niyi, I’ll give you two choices. Option one: come back to me, and we get engaged like before. Option two… I let the whole city know about what you did that night. When you have no one left in your corner, I’ll be the only one stretching out a hand to save you.”

I stood there, frozen. The boy who had once sworn to protect me for the rest of his life was now using my dignity to blackmail me.

Letting go of my wrist, he took a step back, his bloodshot eyes locking onto mine as he rasped out: “Two days. I’ll be waiting for your answer.”