After dinner, Su Yue watched cartoons with Jiang Haoyan for a while before Jiang Ci scooped her up and carried her back to their room.
“Not sleepy?” Jiang Ci set her down on the edge of the bed, looming over her. Even though her eyes were bloodshot and her head was nodding, she had insisted on finishing the show with that little troublemaker.
Su Yue couldn’t help but yawn as tears of exhaustion start welling in her eyes. “So sleepy.” He had been a madman last night, fooling around until the first light of dawn. Even though she hadn’t crawled out of bed until noon, she was still operating on a massive deficit.
“Sleep a little longer then.” Jiang Ci’s gaze drifted to the floor beside the bed, where the gray wolf costume and her bunny outfit still lay in a heap. A glint of something predatory and satisfied flickered in his eyes.
Su Yue followed his gaze, and her face instantly flamed. The “evidence” of last night’s chaos was still right there. She hurriedly reached down to gather them up.
“I’ll do it.”
Jiang Ci was faster, his large hands lifting the shredded remains of the costumes. The white dress was in a sorry state; much of its fluffy trim had been rubbed away, and the rabbit tail was hanging by a single thread, nearly torn clean off. One could only imagine the sight of that snow-white, plush tail being squeezed and tugged by a relentless, large hand.
“Throw it away,” Su Yue said, her voice a mix of shame and annoyance as she stared at the ruined fabric. She couldn’t bear to look at it for another second.
Jiang Ci glanced at her, then walked over to the trash can in the corner. With a casual flick of his wrist, the wolf and the rabbit were tossed into the bin.
Su Yue turned her head away, but now she was facing the large floor-to-ceiling mirror and memories of the reflections from the night before surged back, making her face burn even hotter. She gave Jiang Ci’s trouser leg a light, petulant kick as he walked back. “And the mirror.”
Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”
Su Yue pursed her lips, her soft, fluffy slippers giving him another frustrated little nudge. Her voice was thick with embarrassment. “Go find a cloth and cover it up!”
Tch. Her “out of sight, out of mind” approach was adorably foolish. Jiang Ci snorted at her blushing face but didn’t argue. He pulled a thin sheet from the wardrobe and draped it over the glass. Cover it up, then. He could always pull it down next time.
As he turned, his gaze settled on the chaise lounge not far away. Besides, variety was the spice of life; he could always try something different next time.
The Hengyuan Group’s annual gala was held at one of their flagship five-star hotels, drawing the city’s most powerful and wealthy figures. As dusk fell, crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant, opulent glow across the lobby. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the hum of social climbing. Guests in tailored suits and elaborate evening wear bustled through the hall.
Jiang Xuan, clinging to Jiang Muhang’s arm, looked every bit the delicate beauty in a light blue gown.
“Nervous?” Jiang Muhang felt her grip tighten. He softened his voice, a rare tenderness appearing in his eyes. “Just stay by my side.”
Jiang Xuan snapped back to the present with a sweet smile. “You’re the star tonight, Muhang. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
Jiang Muhang knew his wife wasn’t fond of these ying chou [应酬 – Obligatory social interactions/networking events], so he squeezed her hand. “You’re more important than the event.”
Jiang Xuan’s heart steadied, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. “Muhang, you’re so good to me.”
A ghost of a smile touched Jiang Muhang’s cold face, but it froze instantly. Jiang Xuan followed his line of sight to the entrance. Jiang Ci and Su Yue had arrived.
When her eyes landed on Jiang Ci, Jiang Xuan’s breath hitched. The jagged, frightening scars that had once defined his face were gone. Clad in a sharp black suit, he looked tall, slender, and devastatingly handsome—his presence so dazzling and aloof that he seemed to pull all the light in the room toward him.
His scars… they’re healed? In her previous life, Jiang Ci had been blind, and those scars had remained a permanent, gruesome fixture of his . Now, as she watched the young socialites in the room stare at him with undisguised longing, Jiang Xuan felt a bitter swirl of emotions.
Then she looked at Su Yue. Her heart sank. Su Yue was wearing the same color palette as her. While Jiang Xuan wore a modest, strapless light blue dress that projected innocence, Su Yue was in a mermaid-style starry blue gown. The off-shoulder design was encrusted with rhinestones that shimmered like a galaxy with every step she took. She didn’t just walk; she radiated a brilliance that overshadowed every other woman in the room.
For the first time, Jiang Xuan felt a visceral spark of animosity toward Su Yue. Her previous hesitation about Song Nianyue’s proposal vanished. She realized now that cooperating with her was the only way for her . A tight, determined smile fixed itself onto her face.
As the couple moved through the hall, the whispers followed them like a wake.
“Is that… Jiang Ci?” a guest hissed, eyes wide at the clear skin where the scars used to be.
“They’re gone! I never realized he was so handsome!” a group of debutantes gasped in hushed excitement.
“I saw him at a banquet recently and his face was terrifying! I couldn’t even look at him. He’s like a different person now. How did we never notice he was this good-looking?”
“Did he have qu ba [祛疤 – Scar removal surgery]? It used to be so disgusting… now, he’s actually outshining Jiang Muhang.”
Jiang Ci had kept his face under bandages or gauze for weeks, letting everyone assume he was undergoing a long recovery process. It was only recently, at Su Yue’s insistence, that he had finally unveiled the result.
Su Yue, hand tucked into Jiang Ci’s, heard the chatter. She felt a swell of proprietary pride, her dark eyes sparkling. Her man was, without a doubt, the best in the room.
“Young Master, the Old Master requests your presence,” the butler interrupted her glee, bowing low.
“Annoying,” Jiang Ci scoffed, his mood souring instantly.
“You go ahead,” Su Yue said, releasing his hand. “I’ll head to the buffet for a snack.”
Jiang Ci was slightly annoyed by how easily she let him go. He reached out and gave her smooth, white cheek a firm pinch, his expression softening into a smirk. “Wait for me. I’ll be right back.” He then turned to the butler, his face snapping back into a mask of cold impatience. “Lead the way.”
With Jiang Ci gone, Su Yue wandered to the refreshment area. The long tables here were laden with jing zhi [精致 – Exquisite/delicate] pastries. She was reached for a plate when Jiang Xuan appeared beside her, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “What a coincidence, Yueyue.”
“Mm,” Su Yue replied, not even looking up.
“I heard you finished filming. What are your plans now ?” Jiang Xuan pressed. “Our mother-in-law proposed to you to leave the industry. Have you considered it?”
Su Yue paused, then gave a curt shake of her head. “No.” She had her own plans, which she’d discuss with Jiang Ci in private.
“I see.” Jiang Xuan’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before brightening again. “Me neither. I won’t be leaving the industry either.”
Just as she spoke, a man in a black suit approached them. His face was a mask of twitching, murderous tension. Jiang Xuan glanced at him but dismissed him as a staff member. She had the answer she needed; the last shred of guilt as for what was about to happen has evaporated.
But as she turned to leave, the man suddenly lunged. He pulled a small, wicked knife from his jacket, his eyes wide with a frantic, localized madness.
“Die!” he screamed, the sound echoing through the refined hall.
“Ah!” Jiang Xuan shrieked, dodging awkwardly. The blade caught her arm, and a line of crimson bloomed against her pale skin.
Panic erupted by her scream . The man, seeing Jiang Xuan stumble, turned his sights on Su Yue, who had already stepped back.
“Save me! Su Yue” Jiang Xuan wailed, her eyes darting around for a way out.
Hearing the name “Su Yue,” the man’s focus shifted with terrifying speed. He lunged at Su Yue with the knife.
Clang! The tip of the blade struck the center of a heavy white porcelain plate. Su Yue had used her dinner dish as a makeshift shield. In the split second the man was stunned by the impact, Su Yue swung the plate with everything she had, smashing it hard against his temple.
The man staggered, dazed and bleeding.
Jiang Xuan, who had collapsed to the floor, tried to scramble away. But the man, fueled by a final burst of adrenaline, lunged again. In a blind panic, Jiang Xuan grabbed Su Yue—who was trying to clear the area—and violently pulled her in front of herself as a human shield.
The sound of the blade finding its mark was sickeningly wet. A splash of bright, hot blood instantly stained the front of Su Yue’s starry blue dress.
By the time security swarmed the area, the elegant gala had descended into a scene of absolute, bloody carnage.
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