Chapter 7

When I opened my eyes again, night had long since fallen.

I looked around and realized I was lying in the sprawling penthouse belonging to Zhou Xiangyu. The place was designed in a minimalist black-and-white palette, cold and almost devoid of warmth, yet somehow perfectly suited to the aura of a powerful underworld boss. Perhaps this was his temporary kingdom whenever he stayed on the mainland.

As if he had heard the sound of me waking, his deep voice drifted over from the dining table.

“Since you’re awake, come eat.”

I sleepily made my way over, only to freeze for a good five seconds.

Spread across the table was a full spread of seven or eight dishes, each one looking absolutely mouthwatering. But even more shocking was the sight of the mighty Zhou Xiangyu wearing an apron.

I couldn’t have imagined this scene even in my wildest dreams.

As if he could read every thought running through my head, he reached out and flicked me lightly on the forehead—hard enough to sting.

“Hsu Lian, I’m not some spoiled rich boy who does nothing but open his mouth and wait to be fed like Jiang Ye.”

With that, he casually sat down, hooked an arm around my waist, and pulled me straight onto his lap. Then he placed a pair of chopsticks in my hand.

Embarrassed, I tried to inch away.

“Zhou Xiangyu… I can sit in a chair and eat by myself, you know.”

He leaned close to my ear, his warm breath brushing against it and sending a tingling sensation through my skin.

“Be good. I’m not doing anything to you. I just want to watch you eat.”

With nowhere to go—and the irresistible aroma of food constantly tempting me—my common sense finally surrendered.

I picked up my bowl and chopsticks, doing my best to ignore the solid wall of muscle behind me as I buried myself in my meal.

But men really were all liars.

He acted all innocent, claiming he wasn’t “doing anything,” while his large hand remained firmly wrapped around my waist, slowly kneading my soft flesh.

I shot him an annoyed glare.

He merely answered in the most serious tone imaginable.

“I’m helping you digest your food. This is basically a massage.”

And so I spent the entire meal with my face burning red and my heart pounding like crazy. I couldn’t tell whether I was choking on my food or simply overwhelmed by the tension between us.

The moment I put down my chopsticks, I escaped to the sofa and buried my burning face in my hands.

Behind me came a few low chuckles, followed by the clinking of dishes being washed in the sink.

The notorious boss of Port City, actually willing to cook for me and then clean up afterward?

The whole scene felt so surreal that I had to pinch my own cheek just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

But there was a reason people said a full stomach could awaken certain… thoughts.

With nothing else to do, my gaze unconsciously drifted toward the enormous wine rack beside me.

Zhou Xiangyu was clearly a man who knew his way around fine liquor. The wine rack had three tiers, each one packed with expensive bottles arranged so neatly that even someone with OCD would probably have to nod in approval.

My previous drunken episode hadn’t exactly ended well, but I couldn’t deny that hazy, floating feeling I’d experienced when I was just starting to get tipsy. Even the lingering taste of that champagne from the other night had been strangely sweet.

If I only took one tiny sip this time, it should be fine… right?

The thought had barely formed before my fingers began itching to reach for a bottle.

But before I could even touch the glass, another hand snatched it away.

A tall, dark figure loomed over me.

Zhou Xiangyu narrowed his eyes in warning.

“No drinking.”

I lowered my head, nervously twisting my fingers together.

Perhaps he had spoiled me too much lately, because my courage had grown right along with his indulgence.

I quietly protested, even holding up two fingers to show just how tiny an amount I meant.

“Don’t be so stingy… I’ll only have a tiny bit this time. Just a little sip… I promise I won’t get drunk.”

Even I felt guilty saying it.

Zhou Xiangyu burst out laughing.

He bent down until his face was close to mine, his dark eyes narrowing with a mischievous, provocative gleam.

“Someone made exactly the same promise the last time. And what happened? The next morning, after you’d had your way with me and cleaned me out, you ran off without a second thought and treated me like a complete stranger.”

“I’ll take responsibility! I said I’ll take responsibility, okay?”

My face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

Provoked by his teasing, I gathered every ounce of courage I had, stood up straight, and declared it loudly.

My heart was pounding like a war drum. There was no way I could keep lying to myself anymore.

I liked him.

Clearly, undeniably, I liked him.

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Really… I mean it…”

My voice grew quieter with every word.

I had the distinct feeling I’d just dug my own grave, but I’d already jumped into the hole. There was no backing out now.

The man smiled like a sly old fox who had finally caught his prey.

He grabbed my hand and gave it a firm tug, sending me tumbling straight into his broad chest.

His hot breath brushed against my ear as he whispered seductively,

“My good girl, I’ll teach you slowly… But remember this: when a woman gives her word, she doesn’t get to take it back.”

The very next second, a passionate kiss carrying the cool, intoxicating taste of wine pressed against my lips.

The champagne mingled with his commanding presence, overwhelming every one of my senses and completely destroying the last of my defenses.

His eyes fell half-closed as he asked in a husky voice,

“So? Drinking wine like this… how does it compare to last time? Better?”

Honestly, this way of drinking was a hundred times more dizzying and intoxicating. It left me completely incapable of controlling myself.

And yet, in the end, I obediently nodded and whispered one word.

“Good.”

Hic.

The instant the word left my mouth, I let out a loud, perfectly timed hiccup.

Needless to say, I was mortified.

I wanted nothing more than to disappear into the floor, so I buried my face against his chest and refused to look up.

He laughed, clearly delighted, then lowered his head and gently bit my lower lip.

“What are you embarrassed about? I think you’re ridiculously cute.”

Annoyed by his teasing, I bit him back in retaliation.

Instead of getting angry, Zhou Xiangyu simply pulled me tighter against him and praised me softly.

“Good girl.”

As he said it, he took my hand and slowly guided it along the hard, sculpted muscles of his body, as though he were giving me an anatomy lesson.

“This is your bicep. These are my six-pack abs. And this line here is the V-line…”

Clearly, my hand was the one touching him, yet somehow I was the one burning from head to toe.

Then my fingers accidentally brushed against the metal button of his pants.

I jerked my hand back as if I’d been burned.

My entire face turned scarlet.

“That one doesn’t need an introduction! I already know what that is!”

Zhou Xiangyu remained shamelessly calm.

“Yeah, you know. But I don’t. So, Hsu Lian, why don’t you tell me what this is?”

“Zhou Xiangyu!”

I was so furious I could practically see sparks in front of my eyes.

But all I got in return was his low, shameless laughter.

“Hsu Lian, you’re too damn cute.”

That night, I completely lost all sense of time.

I didn’t even remember when he carried me to bed.

All I knew was that, somewhere amid the dizzying waves of passion, one ridiculous thought suddenly crossed my mind:

If sound could leave physical evidence, then this bedroom would definitely need to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch.

Amid those surging waves of desire, I vaguely realized that the intense pain tearing through my body this time felt completely different from what I remembered about my “first time.”

But that tiny doubt was quickly swept away when he lowered his head and kissed the hollow of my throat, whispering my name again and again with unmistakable tenderness.

Once again, I surrendered completely to the intoxication of desire.

When the first rays of dawn slipped through the curtains, I slowly opened my eyes.

Something cool and soothing rested against my neck.

I looked down and saw a delicate lotus pendant carved from jade hanging from a red cord around my neck.

The jade was translucent and exquisitely crafted. One glance was enough to tell that it was an extraordinarily valuable piece.

From behind me, a strong arm tightened around my waist and pulled me back against a warm chest.

“Do you like it?”

Zhou Xiangyu’s familiar morning rasp sounded beside my ear.

I ran my fingertip over the jade petals and looked around the master bedroom.

Only then did I realize how many lotus motifs were scattered throughout the room.

From the embroidered patterns on the floor rug to the exquisite wooden sculpture sitting on the bookshelf…

Instead of answering his question, I looked at him curiously.

“Zhou Xiangyu, you really like lotuses that much?”

He paused for the briefest moment before quickly returning to normal, tightening his arms around me.

“Yeah. They’re my favorite.”

I happily toyed with the jade lotus around my neck.

“Lotuses are my favorite too! Zhou Xiangyu, do you think this is what people mean by loving someone so much that you end up loving everything associated with them? After all, there’s a ‘lian’ in my name too…”

He buried his face against the curve of my shoulder and let out a quiet laugh, but he didn’t answer.

Once Zhou Xiangyu and I officially became a couple, everything suddenly felt completely natural.

He would regularly drive over and park conspicuously beneath my dorm, picking me up and taking me to the hospital to look after my mother.

Every weekend, he would stock up on fresh ingredients and take me back to his penthouse, personally cooking an entire tableful of dishes according to whatever I happened to crave.

He was the kind of man who did far more than he ever said.

So much so that, little by little, I forgot he had once been the feared underworld boss of Port City who could command both the streets and the business world.

All I saw was a boyfriend who seemed determined to take care of me in every possible way.

Until one day, he became busy.

We started seeing each other less and less.

Once a day became once a week.

Then, eventually, there were times when I wouldn’t see him even once in an entire month.

That was when I finally woke from my dream.

Our sweet little bubble of happiness had to face reality sooner or later.

During those blissful days, I had been constantly convincing myself that everything would be okay.

But Jiang Ye’s cruel insults still slipped into my dreams from time to time, reminding me that I needed to wake up.

From the very beginning, Zhou Xiangyu and I had been two parallel lines belonging to completely different worlds.

Who was I to imagine that he would marry me?

And how could a man in his position ever marry a girl who had nothing to her name?

I knew better than anyone how this story was supposed to end.

Our love was like a shimmering soap bubble beneath the sunlight. It didn’t need some dramatic catastrophe to destroy it. One gentle gust of reality would be enough to make it disappear without a trace.

So that night, when Zhou Xiangyu held me in his arms, his fingers gently threading through my hair, his expression suddenly grew serious.

“Hsu Lian, come back to Port City with me.”

I barely needed a second to think before firmly shaking my head.

His body stiffened for a brief moment.

“If you’re worried about your mother, I’ll arrange the best medical team in Port City—”

“I’m not going to Port City, Zhou Xiangyu.”

It was the first time I had ever interrupted him so firmly.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat, gently freed myself from his arms, and turned my back to him.

It wasn’t just because of my mother.

There was also the graduate-school placement waiting right in front of me.

The independent, promising future I had fought tooth and nail to build was finally within reach.

I couldn’t throw away everything I had worked for just because of a beautiful little fantasy of love that he had painted for me.

I didn’t dare gamble.

And more importantly, I didn’t have the capital to gamble with.

So this time, I chose to step back.

I chose to protect myself.

As I had expected, the room fell into a suffocating silence.

The silence lasted so long that I thought I had already drifted off to sleep.

Then, finally, his low voice came from above my head, accompanied by a helpless sigh.

“Okay. I understand.”

I buried my face deeper into the blankets and smiled bitterly.

Perhaps this really was the best ending for both of us.

We could keep the most beautiful memories we had made together, then turn around and continue walking forward on our own separate paths.