Chapter 1: Into the Wolf’s Den

The day Xu Yu boarded his flight out of the country, I was so thrilled I almost bought a crate of fireworks to set off in celebration.

He was the absolute poster child for old-fashioned, control-freak discipline. No smoking, no clubbing, every button on his crisp dress shirts fastened straight up to his throat like some model civil servant.

Worse, he used his title as my “uncle” to dictate every single aspect of my life, slapping bans on anything fun. You’d think I was actually his blood relative or something.

Bossy, overbearing, and ten times more annoying than my own father.

On the surface, I was as meek as a songbird, but in my head, I’d cursed him out a thousand times over.

The worst part? Xu Yu possessed this terrifying, hound-like instinct. The second I stepped out of line, he’d track me down in under five minutes flat.

Case in point: right now.

I had barely nestled into the VIP booth at the bar, nursing a couple of drinks with a handsome male model draped over me, when my phone vibrated. Xu Yu.

I bolted upright like a teenager caught by the dean, clutching my phone as I sprinted straight into the restroom.

Accepting the call, a sudden wave of unprovoked guilt hit me, dropping my voice down several octaves into a meek whisper.

“Hey… Uncle Xu.”

The rushing sound of a shower echoed from the other end of the line.

After a long beat of silence, his voice came through, cool and unhurried. “At home?”

I swallowed hard.

Remembering what he was capable of, I grit my teeth and lied through my smile. “Yep! Just getting ready for bed.”

Another heavy silence stretched between us.

Just as I thought I was in the clear, Xu Yu spoke, his tone dangerously flat. “You know what I hate most, Xiaochuan.”

“I know…”

His voice was barely above a breath, yet it sent a wave of icy chills straight down my spine in the middle of summer.

Xu Yu was the stepson of my father’s second wife. After being brought into the family, he took our surname. We didn’t share a single drop of blood, yet my grandfather favored him above everyone else.

My father, on the other hand, was a hopeless playboy with zero ambition. When I was ten, he dumped the entire Xu family enterprise—and me—straight into Xu Yu’s lap, packed his bags, and fled abroad to live the sweet life.

From that day on, Xu Yu became the absolute monarch of the household.

And every time I faced him, I felt like the Monkey King trapped under the palm of the Buddha. No matter how high I jumped, I could never escape his grasp.

To make matters worse, my dear nominal “uncle” had one deeply infuriating habit.

He loved spanking me.

I couldn’t fight him off, and I couldn’t run away, so I adapted by mastering the art of instantaneous, groveling surrender.

Instantly softening my tone into butter, I whimpered, “Uncle Xu, how could I lie to you? I’m really at home. If you don’t believe me, check the security cameras!”

Check what, exactly?

I had secretly disabled the home cameras days ago. I internally applauded my own genius.

Xu Yu didn’t call my bluff. He just dropped a few brief warnings and hung up.

Letting out a massive sigh of relief, I strutted back to the booth, only to find Chi Hang slouching on the sofa. With the top few buttons of his shirt undone, he looked like a walking embodiment of “the world can go burn.”

I immediately slid over, sticking to him like glue. “Yo, Young Master Chi actually graced us with his presence tonight?”

Chi Hang was the type of guy who viewed the entire human race as mere background props—with the sole exception of his older brother.

He gave me a side-eye and asked dryly, “Feeling brave tonight, aren’t we, Young Master Xu? Did your little uncle leave the country?”

The phrase little uncle triggered a visceral, physical reflex in me.

It wasn’t just my heart that trembled.

My ass ached in sympathy.

Xu Yu hit hard. Really hard.

Every time I messed up, he’d stare me down with a cold face and order: “Pants down.”

Then he’d pull me face-down across his lap. No belt, no paddle—just his bare hand. But the force behind it was so intense I’d be afraid to sit down properly for days.

The most sinister part? He wouldn’t let me go to a doctor, nor would he let anyone else apply ointment for me. Only after I was reduced to a teary-eyed mess, clinging to his leg and sobbing for mercy, would he “graciously” apply the soothing cream himself.

Thinking back, it was a dark, blood-soaked history.

I glanced down at Chi Hang’s trim waist, a sudden burst of curiosity striking me. “Hey, Xiao Hang… when you mess up, does your brother ever spank you?”

Chi Hang froze for two solid seconds.

Then, he stared at me like I was some kind of alien creature. “No.”

“My brother isn’t that childish.”

Pricked by his judgment, I felt a rush of embarrassment and grabbed my glass to cover it up. “Drink, drink!”

Thankfully, he was too lazy to pry further.

Though for some reason, everyone seemed to have a heavy heart tonight.

Before Xu Yu left for his trip, he used to come into my bedroom every night to sit for a while before going to sleep. He rarely said much, just quietly handling his work by my bedside.

At first, I’d wanted to kick him out. But over time, it became a habit. Now that he was gone, I couldn’t sleep worth a damn. My sleep quality had taken a complete nosedive since his departure.

I was staring down, lost in thought, when a hand suddenly reached out and hauled Chi Hang roughly into a firm chest.

I raised my head and slammed straight into Chi Yan’s gaze.

His eyes were so cold I could practically see my own tombstone flashing before my life.

Xu Yu and Chi Yan were best friends—brothers in arms. And they shared one lethal trait…

They held grudges like nobody’s business.

Chi Yan didn’t utter a single word, but his glare spelt out a clear message:

You brought my brother to a bar?

You’re dead.

I’m telling Xu Yu.

Me: “…”

Great. The Monkey King was about to get pinned under the mountain all over again.

Right then, the male model beside me noticed my gloom. He slunk closer, sliding a hand beneath my shirt, his fingers slowly tracing upward.

“Young Master Xu…” he murmured, his voice lowered into a husky, suggestive whisper. “A night of spring is worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

For a fleeting second, I almost thought I was listening to Xu Yu.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Under the dim, pulsing lights, the boy’s lips bore a faint resemblance to Xu Yu’s—flushed red from the liquor, looking deceptively soft. Even his jawline carried a vague trace.

Since when did every random stray start cosplaying as Xu Yu?

The thought of how many people those lips had probably touched made a surge of disgust wash over me.

Reaching out, I gripped his chin, giving those lips a warning squeeze. “Go back and tell your manager.”

“Don’t try these cheap tricks on me.”

“Xu Yu doesn’t have a temper as nice as mine.”

The guy’s face paled instantly. “Young Master Xu… I was wrong… I won’t do it again.”

I shoved him away in annoyance.

Xu Yu would never pull such a pathetic face.

Countless people tried to curry favor with Xu Yu. He was icy and distant, but he doted on me without limits, so people constantly tried to use me as a stepping stone to reach him.

But I wasn’t stupid.

Sure, Xu Yu was a bit of a freak. But he was undeniably good to me. I wasn’t about to betray him over trash like this.

It had taken so much effort to sneak out for a night at the bar, only for the vibe to be completely ruined.

Worse, I realized a terrifying truth.

I…

I actually missed Xu Yu.

It must be the alcohol playing tricks on my brain.

While I still had a thread of sanity left, I immediately called a ride home.