The warm orange lights in the suite's corridor cast a romantic glow, further escalating the ambiguous atmosphere, with the air thick with the fervent pheromones of men and women.
"Be proactive, hmm?"
The man's low and sexy voice was like an enticing burn in Xu Ningxi's ears.
His large palm encircled her slender waist, his high nose bridge rubbing against hers...
Pressed against the wall by him, her eyes were drunken and hazy, her fair fingers slowly traced the distinct and handsome features of the man's face.
The temporary lover her best friend had found for her really had top-notch looks.
Not only that, but he danced well and was a master at flirting.
Tonight, she was going to "indulge" with this stranger!
With a "click", one hand swiped the room card to open the door, while the other grabbed the hem of the man's shirt, pulling him inside, with both bodies tumbling in through the doorway.
The "click, click" of a camera from around the corridor's corner marked the perfect end to the night.
...
Early morning.
In the quiet bedroom, the phone wouldn't stop ringing beside the pillow.
Xu Ningxi, hungover, woke up and reached for her phone, grabbing it just right.
After a glance at the caller ID, her expression tightened slightly.
At the same time, the man beside her sat up impatiently.
In the morning light, his excellent pectorals, abs, and the broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist, every inch was filled with strength and beauty, making it very hard not to be moved.
Thinking of his over-the-top performance last night, she embarrassingly blushed.
Annoyed that he wasn't dressed, she couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you wearing clothes?"
The man squinted his eyes and casually hooked a shirt towards him, feigning innocence, "You tore it."
Xu Ningxi looked at the shirt, a throbbing headache reminding her of the previous night.
She really was the instigator.
She had been so eager.
Eager enough to grab his shirt and pull him into the suite, vaguely recalling the sound of fabric tearing.
Truly wild.
"Fine, go freshen up, let me take this call."
She hurried him towards the bathroom, desiring some privacy.
The man stood, yet lingered with a playful gaze fixed on her.
Xu Ningxi felt inexplicably guilty under his stare, and just when she couldn't bear it anymore, the man strode off to the bathroom.
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief and answered the phone.
"Dad."
Her father Xu Hongyuan's furious voice came through, "Unfilial wretch! Do you still have the nerve to call me dad? The news about you finding a gigolo in a nightclub is on the front page headlines! Damn it, I disown you as my daughter!"
Xu Ningxi's lips twitched slightly.
Before she could reply, she heard Xu Hongyuan's harsh scolding, "You disgraceful thing, get back home and apologize to the Lin Family by kowtowing!"
With that, he rudely hung up.
Xu Ningxi exhaled softly.
Could she be any more shameful than her own father who sought glory through his daughter?
For the sake of money, he forced her to marry a disfigured cripple—a thought so outlandish it could only come from him!
Her fingers slid over the phone, and her gaze locked onto the headline of the day: "Lin Group's prospective daughter-in-law seeks fun in the nightclub, spends spring night with gigolo."
The exaggerated headline was accompanied by photos.
There were shots of her dancing passionately with the man, drinking together, and them pressed passionately against each other at the suite's entrance—their sensational entry into the room...
Her face was captured crystal clear, while the man's was always in profile and was pixelated.
With this report, she was fixed to the pillar of shame.
Indeed, she had found a gigolo.
It was her best friend that she had begged to find for her, with money and goods exchanging hands, fair and square to all parties, young and old alike.
But what of it!
Xu Ningxi smoothed her bangs, picked up her purse, took a deep breath, and walked towards the door.
She accidentally stepped on something underfoot.
Glancing down, she realized it was that gigolo's shirt, branded with a high-end logo, but she had inadvertently torn it.
She picked it up and placed it on the bed, thought for a moment, then took out a thousand yuan from her wallet and laid it on the shirt.
How could he afford designer wear?
What he wore was surely a knockoff, but since this was "work damage," she had to compensate.
A thousand yuan, a very fair and just price.
Ningxi settled the money, pulled down her sexy little black dress, slung her silver bag over her shoulder, and briskly left the room.
As the door "clicked" shut, the bathroom door was opened from the inside.
The man came out, his dark eyes scoured the room, eventually fixing on the red banknote on the shirt.
His slender fingers touched it lightly, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint mockery.
There was a knock at the door.
The man's face immediately regained its majestic indifference, and he went to open the door.
A man dressed like a black-clad bodyguard stepped forward with a suit in hand, bowing respectfully, "Third Young Master."
The man sized it up, took it, and his face remained coolly superior, "Find out her details."
…
The Xu Family mansion.
As soon as Xu Ningxi entered, she was met with a wave of cold air.
Then, a newspaper was thrown at her.
Ningxi bent down to pick it up, and it was filled with her "masterpieces" from staying overnight with Duckie.
"Someone engaged to be married and still seeking men at nightclubs—I'm embarrassed for you! Wait until Lin Hao gets here, and let's see how you explain yourself!" Xu Hongyuan was so angry his face was the color of iron, and his temples throbbed visibly.
He had expended enormous effort to forge a connection with the Lin Family and arrange the marriage between Ningxi and Lin Hao, all in preparation for the wedding next week when the Lin Family's substantial funds would solve his urgent needs.
Who could have thought that Xu Ningxi's scandalous behavior would create such a huge mess?
The Lin Family, being so prominent, might very well call off the marriage!
Ningxi placed the newspaper back on the coffee table, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What else can be done? If they want to call off the marriage, then we'll just call it off."
Xu Hongyuan nearly exploded with rage at her words, "Wretch, what are you saying! Do you know how much effort I've put into this marriage proposal? The Lin Family is such a prestigious family, and you should consider carefully before you think about annulling the marriage! Even if you have to kneel and kowtow to apologize, you must secure this marriage!"
Xu Huanyan, who had been sitting to the side, doing her nails, also chimed in to support her father, "Sister, Dad is right. The Lin Family is frankly out of our league, and for them to look favorably upon you is already your good fortune. Don't be ungrateful."
Ningxi shot Xu Huanyan a cold glance, her eyes filled with an icy coolness.
This Xu Huanyan was the daughter her stepmother brought into the family, two years her junior, always full of schemes.
Over the years, she and her mother had wrapped Xu Hongyuan around their fingers.
As his biological daughter, she had no place in this family and was pushed into an arranged marriage by their joint scheming!
She sneered coldly at Xu Huanyan, "Since the Lin Family is so wonderful, why don't you take this fortune? You're also a daughter of the Xu Family—marrying you off would be the same."
At these words, Xu Huanyan jumped to her feet, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly marry Lin Hao? Everyone knows he..."
Halfway through her sentence, she realized she was about to slip up and quickly covered her mouth.
Ningxi's lips curled into a cold smirk.
The whole family treated her like a fool, thinking she didn't know that Lin Hao had been physically defective since childhood, with a disability in his leg and scars from a burn on his face.
Because of his childhood insecurities, he had grown up to become a psychological deviant with the nickname "Yama."
Marrying into that family was like jumping into a pit of fire!
At that moment, a hubbub arose from outside.
Ningxi's beautiful eyes narrowed, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.
The person she was waiting for had arrived!