Chapter 1: One Drunken Mistake

“Qiao Yi’an!”

My father’s furious roar yanked me out of a deep sleep.

“What is it, Dad? Why are you making such a racket this early? It sounds like the whole market’s here.”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. I was still half-asleep when a sudden chill hit my chest.

Before I could react, an arm shot out from beside me and pulled me straight back under the covers.

“Gu Shen!” another voice shrieked furiously. “Look what you’ve done to An’an!”

Wait…

What the hell was going on?

Why did it feel like the sky was about to come crashing down?

I finally forced my eyes open and looked around.

There were people everywhere.

My parents. Gu Shen’s parents. My older sister. A few other relatives.

Every single one of them was staring at us with their eyes practically popping out of their heads.

“…Good morning?”

“What’s so good about this morning? You’ve already been thoroughly ‘eaten,’ and you’re still saying good morning!”

My father’s roar was loud enough to shake the entire hotel.

That was when I finally, truly woke up.

This was…

A hotel room.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor.

And me…

I slowly looked down and lifted the blanket.

Not. A. Stitch. Of. Clothing.

There were suspicious marks all over my neck and chest. And the moment I moved even slightly, a sharp ache shot through my lower body.

My heart went thud.

I whipped my head toward the person beside me.

The first thing I saw was a painfully familiar face.

Gu Shen.

That bastard of a nemesis was just as naked from the waist up as I was.

What…

What…

WHAT WAS THIS?!

“AAAAAHHH!”

My scream echoed through the room.

And just like that, the scene descended into complete chaos.

Screaming. Shouting. Scolding. Everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

And, of course, my father had to deliver the final blow with all the “love” a father could muster.

“Don’t worry, An’an! Your dad will make sure this little bastard takes responsibility!”

…I honestly wanted to pass out again and pretend none of this had happened.

Caught in bed in the morning.

Married by the afternoon.

I never imagined that getting my heart broken, drinking a few extra glasses to drown my sorrows, and trying to forget the world would somehow end with me selling myself off like this.

“Hic… Chi Chi, what am I supposed to do now?”

At the bar, I cried so hard I’d completely lost whatever dignity I had left, collapsing into the arms of my best friend, Xu Chi.

She held up my newly issued marriage certificate and clicked her tongue.

“Well, well, well. We go one night without seeing each other, and you somehow manage to tame Gu Shen—the ultimate eligible bachelor—and drag him straight to the courthouse to get married. At this speed, I’m officially calling you my master.”

“Waaaah…”

I cried even harder.

Getting dumped had already hurt enough. Now my best friend was twisting the knife.

Every time I thought about Gu Shen—of all people—becoming my husband, my heart ached in a way no medicine could cure.

Xu Chi raised an eyebrow, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

“Okay, girl. I have to ask. What’s Gu Shen like? I mean, physically. And… how was his technique?”

I froze.

My memory of last night was almost completely gone, but somehow, that question stirred up a few hazy images.

Firm, sculpted abs.

That seductive V-line—

Wait!

Qiao Yi’an, what the hell are you thinking?!

I immediately grabbed a can of beer and downed the whole thing in one go, as if I could drown the memory before it resurfaced.

“Hic… I want a divorce… I don’t want to live with him…”

Both sets of parents had been there that morning, and with us being caught red-handed in bed, they’d practically been handed the perfect excuse to force a marriage.

One person had supposedly “lost her virtue.”

The other had to “take responsibility.”

And so, we were marched straight to the civil affairs office.

“Come on, stop crying. I’m taking you somewhere to wash your eyes out with some handsome men.”

Xu Chi hauled me to my feet and dragged me straight toward the stage.

Several male models were dancing to the music while taking off their clothes. By now, all they had left on was their underwear.

Down in the audience, the women were screaming like they’d won the lottery, demanding that the men take off even more.

Xu Chi shoved a few bills into my hand, grinning excitedly.

“Go tuck these into their waistbands. And while you’re at it, give them a little feel. See what all the fuss is about!”

Well, that was Xu Chi for you.

Coming back from studying abroad had clearly done something to her. She went all out with everything.

And honestly, I wasn’t even sad anymore.

My tears had barely dried before a parade of ridiculously hot men had me dizzy with excitement.

One rugged, effortlessly sexy guy walked right up to me.

I copied Xu Chi, slipped some cash into the waistband of his underwear…

And casually ran my hand over his abs.

“Ahhh! I touched them!”

I squealed with excitement.

Now I understood why Xu Chi loved bars so much.

Six-pack abs like that…

Who could possibly resist?

I was just eyeing a particularly handsome, scholarly-looking guy when I noticed something else.

His ass was ridiculously round.

Just looking at it made my fingers itch to find out if it was as good as it looked.

“Hey, hey, hey…”

Just as I was about to make my move, Xu Chi suddenly leaned close to my ear.

Her voice sounded like she’d just witnessed the apocalypse.

“Holy shit, Qiao Yi’an. Turn around and look who’s here!”

“Ugh, don’t ruin my mood. I’m busy looking at handsome men.”

I casually reached over and stole a few more bills from her hand.

But Xu Chi’s expression only grew stranger.

Her eyes kept darting over my shoulder like her brain had completely crashed.

“What? Are your eyes lagging?”

Xu Chi started panicking.

“This has nothing to do with me, okay? She’s the one who wanted to look at guys!”

And then—

She shoved me backward.

I stumbled from the sudden push and fell straight into a warm pair of arms.

I looked up.

And there he was.

Gu Shen.

Handsome as ever.

And blacker than thunderclouds.

“Qiao Yi’an.”

His voice was colder than an air conditioner set to eighteen degrees below zero.

“You really are something.”

He stared down at me.

“We just got married, and you’re already running off to a bar to watch other men. What, am I dead to you?”

…

Yeah.

Did anyone know where I could dig a hole and bury myself?

I was hauled into the car like a cheating wife caught red-handed.

Gu Shen’s face was ice-cold as he dragged me into the Maybach parked outside the bar, looking every bit like he was escorting a criminal to prison.

I curled up against the car door, as meek as a puppy that had just been caught misbehaving.

I didn’t dare even glance at him.

The truth was…

I was a coward.

I’d secretly loved his older brother for ten years and hadn’t even managed to finish a confession.

And facing Gu Shen—sharp-tongued, scheming, and always saying one thing while doing another—I was even more terrified.

Our parents had been best friends for years, so I’d grown up knowing both Gu brothers.

Gu Xing, the older brother, was gentle, refined, and exactly the kind of man I’d always dreamed about.

Then there was Gu Shen.

His mouth was sharper than a chili pepper. If he didn’t annoy me at least once a day, apparently he couldn’t eat or sleep in peace.

If he wasn’t calling me stupid, he was mocking me for getting the easiest math problems wrong.

His favorite line was always:

“What the hell is wrong with your eyes? How could you possibly fall for someone as pretentious as my brother?”

That was why, from childhood to adulthood, Gu Shen and I had been sworn enemies.

The number of times I’d cursed him behind his back?

If it wasn’t ten thousand, it was at least nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.

And who could’ve guessed karma would come this fast?

I had actually married the one person I hated most in the entire world.

“Lost your voice?”

His voice cut through the silence, cold enough to raise goosebumps on my skin.

“You seemed pretty happy back there.”

He gave a humorless smile, his eyes anything but amused.

“So? How were those models? Did you enjoy touching them?”

“Or should I pay them to take everything off so you can get a better look?”

My scalp prickled.

“No… No need. Honestly… they were pretty average.”

Wait.

Why was I feeling guilty?

What did it have to do with him if I looked at other men?

Qiao Yi’an, you’re absolutely pathetic!

“‘Average’?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Or do you think I’m not up to your standards? Maybe I’m not fun enough to touch, so you have to go outside and find someone else?”

…Huh?

Why did that sound so weird?

I looked up and met his deep, unreadable eyes.

There were only the two of us in the back seat.

The driver in front might as well have been invisible.

The atmosphere suddenly felt dangerously charged.

“I…”

Before I could defend myself, he cut me off.

“You can’t even explain yourself properly, and you still have the nerve to go looking for other men?”

He grabbed my hand.

“Don’t you like touching?”

His voice dropped.

“Fine. I’ll let you touch as much as you want.”

Before I could react, he pulled my hand inside his dress shirt.

Heat.

His skin was so warm it felt like he’d just stepped out of a furnace.

My face instantly burned.

And then, without warning, fragments of last night came rushing back.

Clear as an HD movie.

I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it firmly against his abs.

“Go ahead.”

His voice was low.

“Isn’t this what you like?”

He gave me a faint smile.

“Or do you think my body isn’t good enough?”

His voice carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.

“You certainly didn’t say that last night. In fact, you were the one telling me to hurry.”

…

My dignity had officially left the building.

Gone.

Completely gone.

I yanked my hand back in panic.

“Gu Shen, are you sick?! What does it have to do with you if I look at other men? I didn’t spend your money!”

Somehow, my courage suddenly multiplied several times over.

“If I want to look, I’ll look! I just don’t want to stare at your stupid face! Who are you to tell me what I can do? I’ll do whatever I want! And besides—”

I gritted my teeth and delivered the fatal blow.

“Your body and your technique… both suck!”

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes at me.

That faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips sent a chill down my spine.

But I was a woman.

I could lose anything.

My dignity, my pride, even my entire marriage—

But I absolutely could not lose the battle of attitude.

At least…

Not right now.

I refused to back down.