Ch. 1.

Tomorrow was my big interview at Heng Hang Tech. To boost my chances, I had swallowed hard and splurged on a jaw-dropping, fiery red dress at the mall.

Red had always been my lucky charm. I wore red for my college entrance exams, red for my thesis defense, and I was dripped in head-to-toe red when I kicked my cheating scumbag ex to the curb. Basically, if it was a major life event, going full scarlet was my mandatory protocol.

During dinner, Xiao Yu had taken a call. The second she hung up, her face slumped into a scowl.

“Wan Wan, my second uncle is back in town,” she groaned. “I’m staying at your place tonight.”

The cocktail sausage I was chewing suddenly lost all flavor. Instantly, an image flashed in my mind, a towering, taciturn man who radiated raw, suffocating authority. Oblivious to my sudden frozen state, Xiao Yu kept crunching on her pickled bamboo shoots, complaining between bites.

“Honestly, Wan Wan, I’m so jealous of you. At least you don’t have a terrifying second uncle hovering over your life.”

I let out a fake cough and quickly shoved a braised duck foot into her bowl to shut her up.

Xiao Yu looked at me like I was an angel sent from above. “Aww! Wan Wan, you’re the best! If it weren’t for his legendary reputation as an untouchable celibate monk, and the fact that I’d hate to ruin your life. I would’ve set you two up and made you my auntie ages ago!”

An untouchable celibate monk? Oh, my sweet, naive child. You have severely misunderstood the man. A string of… unspeakable memories flashed behind my eyelids, sending my pulse skyrocketing. I forced my expression into a mask of total unbothered calm.

“Pass. Your uncle is practically ancient. I prefer younger guys.”

Our rented apartment had two bedrooms for one very good reason: I am a notoriously chaotic sleeper. After I accidentally kicked her out of bed onto the floor a few times, Xiao Yu swore off sleeping in the same bed as me forever.

The moment we got home, she darted into her room like a fish released into open water.

“Xiao Yu, I’m showering first!” I yelled after her. “Later I’m trying on some lingerie to see what matches the red dress, so prepare your expert opinion!”

“Got it~!” she sang back.

Half an hour later, wrapped in my towel, I pushed her door open with a grin, carrying a armful of my “gear.”

“Xiao Yu, look at these, should I go with this one or…”

I froze.

Her phone was propped up on the bed, active on a video call, the camera aimed dead-center at the doorway. And right from the speaker, that smooth, deeply magnetic male voice rasped out:

“Black looks better.”

My soul instantly evacuated my body. AHHHH!

Xiao Yu, who had been completely absorbed in devouring a chicken wing, gasped and scrambled over. Seeing me rooted to the spot in sheer horror, she slammed her screen face-down and started stammering out explanations.

“Wan Wan… I was so hungry, so I was eating while listening to my uncle lecture me… Thank god you don’t go braless around the house!”

You utter pig!

Flushed a violent shade of crimson, I clutched my undergarments to my chest and bolted back to my room. I officially canceled her late-night snack privileges on the spot. Served her right!

As I lay in bed, my heart still hammering against my ribs, my phone buzzed. A text popped up from a dangerously familiar number.

【If you want to know what looks good, why not ask me directly?】

—

The next morning, I woke up early to get ready. Heng Hang Tech was the holy grail for everyone in tech, and the competition was bloodcurdling.

Sitting in the packed waiting room, I overheard a couple of candidates whispering to each other.

“Word on the street is that a big shot from corporate HQ is sitting in today to personally scout talent.”

I tuned them out, focusing entirely on reviewing my technical notes. Until the assistant finally called my name: “Teng Wan, you’re up.”

Taking a deep breath, I smoothed down my red dress and stepped into the board room.

The second I raised my eyes toward the center of the table, my feet glued themselves to the floor.

Sitting in the main chair was a man whose sheer presence dominated the entire room. Dark, abyss-like eyes were fixed on me, brimming with a dangerous, heavy meaning.

“Teng Wan.”

That voice… It was the exact same voice from last night.

Instinct took over, and I launched into my self-introduction smoothly, but I refused to look him in the eye. Still, I could feel his gaze burning through me, carrying a smug, teasing curve.

Bastard. No wonder he sent that cryptic text last night!

Once I finished my intro, the other interviewers fired off a round of tough technical questions. I answered every single one without missing a beat, but my mind was completely elsewhere.

Ever since I walked in, Pei Hang had only looked at me once before falling silent. He leaned back against his chair, the corner of his lips tugged into a lazy, amused smirk, his long, elegant fingers lightly tapping a rhythm on the wooden desk. And right under his palm… was my resume headshot.

Dammit. This feeling was way too familiar. I had spent six months with this man, and whenever he gave me that exact smirk, it never ended well for me.

The room fell into a heavy silence. Because Pei Hang hadn’t spoken, the rest of the panel held their breath, waiting for his cue.

I knew for a fact he was doing this on purpose. Petty, arrogant man! He knew damn well I was interviewing at Heng Hang, while I had absolutely no idea he was the final boss of the entire company.

Thinking about it made my chest tight. Instead of shying away, I squared my shoulders and locked eyes with him, throwing him a gaze full of pure defiance.

The curve of his lips deepened visibly. Without another word, he stood up and walked toward the exit. The panel reflexively scrambled to their feet to bow him out.

As he reached the door, he threw back a nonchalant line:

“Her. Tell her to report to headquarters tomorrow.”

Wait. Did I just… get brought in through the back door?

—

The moment I stepped out of the office building, I spotted the familiar black sedan parked conspicuously right by the curb. He wasn’t even bothering to hide it. I tried to play dumb and keep walking, but the phone in my purse started vibrating frantically, threatening to blow my cover.

After checking to make sure no one I knew was watching, I sneaked over like a thief in the night and slid into the back seat.

As soon as I looked up, I was met with Pei Hang’s strikingly handsome, impassive face.

I froze halfway in. Leaving felt awkward, but staying felt worse.

“Scoot over,” I muttered.

He didn’t budge an inch.

Does he think he owns me? I bit my lip and made a move to back out of the car, my mind screaming frantically: What kind of ghost possessed me back then to get mixed up with this impossibly gorgeous, devilish man?!

The second I shifted my foot. CLICK!

The car door slammed shut. I lost my balance entirely and tumbled straight into his lap.

“Pei Hang! What the hell are you doing?!”

He let out a low chuckle, the kind of soul-stealing laugh that made it impossible to stay genuinely mad. “Wan Wan, I was just helping you close the door.”

If it weren’t for that devastatingly attractive face, I would have planted my fist right into his nose. I scrambled to get up, trying to squeeze past his long legs to get to the far seat. For a brief second, my upper body was pressed flush against his. Through the thin fabric of my red dress, the heat radiating from his chest was overwhelmingly clear.

He leaned down close to my ear, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper: “Nice dress. Shame about… what’s underneath.”

“Pei Hang! Where do you think you’re looking?!”

I opened my mouth to tear into him some more, but seeing that he was about to drop an even more scandalously shameless line, I clamped my hand over his mouth.

Instead of backing off, the devil cheekily flicked his tongue against the palm of my hand. A jolt of electricity shot straight down my spine, leaving me completely paralyzed.

Holy shit! The driver is right in the front seat!

Finally, Pei Hang relented and pulled his legs back. I retreated into the farthest corner of the seat, but he kept a firm grip on my hand, weaving his fingers through mine. I thought about pulling away, but… whatever. If he wanted to hold it, he could hold it. It wasn’t like I was losing anything.

Looking out the window as the city blurred past, a sudden realization hit me. “Where are we going?”

“To go shopping with you.”

I cried tears of blood on the inside. Please, bring back the cold, aloof, untouchable Pei Hang from the day we first met!

The car eventually pulled up in front of a high-end boutique. The moment I caught sight of the brand logo, I instantly realized what kind of “shopping” he had in mind. Hmph. Men really are all the same, upright and dignified on the outside, absolute degenerates on the inside.

I glanced up at his flawlessly chiseled side profile, and against my will, memories of the very first day we met came flooding back…