As the night deepened and the snow outside finally settled, silence reclaimed the world.
Inside the villa, little Jiang Haoyan lay obediently in his bed. He cherished these moments—the quiet ritual of his mother watching over him as he drifted into dreams. Su Yue tucked the covers around his small frame, then leaned down to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Goodnight, Haoyan.”
A shy smile lit up the boy’s dark eyes before he let them flutter closed. Su Yue switched off the light and stepped back into the hallway. When she opened the door to the master suite, she froze in the doorway.
“Jiang… Jiang Ci.”
There, sprawling lazily across the vast bed, was Jiang Ci. He looked up at her with a half-lidded, predatory gaze. “Is the little troublemaker finally down for the night?”
“Yes, he’s asleep.” Su Yue entered, clicking the door shut behind her. Suddenly, her heart began to hammer against her ribs like a trapped bird.
“Oh.” Jiang Ci shifted onto his side, propping his head up with one hand. A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. “I want one, too.”
Su Yue’s eyes darted around the room, avoiding his gaze. “You want what?”
“To be lulled to sleep.” Jiang Ci let out a soft snort. “You coaxed that little brat into slumber; now it’s my turn. Come here.”
Su Yue felt a mix of amusement and a simmering, nervous heat. As she walked toward him, her face began to burn. She could feel it—Jiang Ci was deliberately seducing her.
He had clearly just finished a shower. His damp bangs were swept up in a messy, effortless style that made his sharp features look even more untamed. He was wearing the new pajamas she had bought for him. With the Chun-jie [Spring Festival/Chinese New Year] approaching, she had wanted to break his habit of wearing nothing but “abstinent” black—a style that made him look severe and unreachable. To tease him, she had chosen a set of vibrant red silk pajamas, matching the set she wore herself.
She had assumed he would find the color too gaudy, but here he was, lounging in the crimson silk. Several buttons were undone, and because he was lying on his side, the collar had slipped low, revealing a broad, muscular expanse of his chest.
Red silk against dark hair; raw, masculine beauty. Su Yue found herself staring, mesmerized by how alluringly handsome he looked in the dim light.
Jiang Ci let out a lazy yawn. Noticing her standing frozen at the bedside, he let out a huff of mock displeasure. “Little Yue’er, lie down.”
Su Yue kicked off her shoes. The moment her feet touched the mattress, Jiang Ci’s hand shot out. He pulled her flush against his side with impatient strength. “What are you dawdling for? Well? I’m wearing the pajamas you chose. Do I look good?”
The cool silk of his sleeve brushed against her burning cheek. Su Yue looked up from the hollow of his shoulder. “You look… very good.” In the red silk, he possessed a kind of bewitching, dark beauty.
A triumphant glint sparked in his dark eyes. He hooked a long leg over hers, pinning her to the bed, and in one fluid motion, he flipped over to hover above her. The movement caused his collar to fall open even wider, exposing the sculpted lines of his torso.
Jiang Ci propped himself up on one arm. Looking down into Su Yue’s wide, bewildered eyes, he whispered, “We can begin now.”
“Begin what?”
His other hand reached out to pinch her soft, glowing cheek. “Lulling me to sleep.” He lowered his head, his tongue tracing the seam of her rosy lips, while his slender fingers began to deftly undo the buttons of her nightgown.
Realizing his intent, Su Yue quickly caught his hand over her collar, her pale skin peeking through her defensive fingers. “No… I’m on my period today.”
Jiang Ci froze. His handsome face instantly crumpled into a look of utter dejection. “Then when,” he muttered, “is my daughter finally coming?”
The sheer grievance in his voice made Su Yue burst into a soft laugh. She reached up, winding her arms around his neck to pull him down for a comforting hug. “Maybe next time.”
Jiang Ci’s brow furrowed in a sullen pout. He had planned an entire night of “exploration” on the Guifei-ta [chaise longue/lady’s couch], but his grand designs had been thwarted. He rolled over unhappily and flopped onto his back. “Go to sleep, then.”
“You don’t need me to coax you anymore?” Su Yue teased, her eyes crinkling with mirth.
With the neckline of his red silk pajamas gaping open, Jiang Ci rested one hand behind his head and used the other to idly twirl a lock of her hair. “I can’t have you anyway,” he said with his usual bluntness. “What’s the point of coaxing?”
Su Yue’s face flushed at his shamelessness. Seeing him so listless, she felt a surge of affection. She leaned over him, her red lips pressing a tender kiss against his cool, aloof brow.
Jiang Ci’s fingers stopped their twirling. He lifted his eyelids, taking in the faint, milky scent of her skin as a numbing, electric tingle spread through his chest.
Outside, the snow began to fall again. Under the amber glow of the streetlights, the white flakes danced in a serene, silent world. Inside, the air was thick and heavy.
Su Yue didn’t stop. Her lips traced the bridge of his nose before pressing a firm, lingering kiss onto his mouth. Then, she slid lower, her lips grazing his chin like a kitten’s tongue, tickling his heart and sending shivers down his spine.
Jiang Ci lay there, dazed by her sudden boldness. His hand clenched into a fist behind his head, the veins on his arm bulging with suppressed tension. He let out a low, ragged groan as her lips moved to his neck.
Seeing his prominent Adam’s apple, Su Yue couldn’t resist. Knowing she was “safe” because of her period, she grew playful. She nipped at the skin with her small teeth, deliberately grinding them against the sensitive cord of his neck.
The man’s entire body went rigid.
“Su Yue!” His voice was hoarse, a strained growl.
She looked up, her eyes moist and bright with mischief. “What’s wrong? Did I bite too hard?”
Jiang Ci had tried to be a gentleman, but her teasing had pushed every cell in his body to the breaking point. He gritted his teeth. “Do you really think I can’t do anything to you just because of your ‘condition’?”
Su Yue looked at the faint teeth marks on his neck—red against his pale skin and red silk. The sight was intoxicatingly masculine. She suppressed a giggle. “Don’t you like being coaxed?”
Pfft!
Jiang Ci saw right through her. She was weaponizing her period to humiliate him. His hand snapped out from behind his head, gripping her slender waist. He sat up abruptly, bringing their faces so close they shared the same breath.
“I was going to be considerate,” he smiled, the sullenness replaced by a dangerous, predatory glint. “But you seem to have plenty of energy to spare.” He scooped her up, her playful smile freezing on her face, and carried her toward the chaise longue by the window.
“Ao Ao [a pet name/nickname], I’m actually quite sleepy,” she squeaked, nuzzling her head against his chest in a desperate plea. “Shall we just go to sleep?”
Jiang Ci just chuckled. He set her down on the beige chaise longue. In the scuffle, the remaining buttons of her gown gave way. He ignored them, spreading her legs over the armrests of the couch and leaning in until his breath fanned her face. He poked her chin with a fingertip. “Little fool. You think I don’t have other ways to handle you? Be good… try not to cry later.”
Su Yue’s heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening as the blue curtains billowed in the draft, veiling the two figures in shadows.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, the aftermath of the banquet scandal was far from over.
Jiang Xuan leaned against her pillows, her body throbbing with pain that even the painkillers couldn’t fully mask. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm outside.
“Xiao Xuan, is the news true?” her manager demanded, standing by the bed with a grim expression. “Did you really hire that man to kill Su Yue?”
Jiang Xuan’s face went white. “I don’t know who is behind these lies!” she cried, her voice rising in panic. “If I hired him, why would he attack me? I’m the victim here!” She had tried calling Song Nianyue, but the woman had vanished, leaving her to face the fire alone.
“Your explanations don’t matter to the public,” the manager snapped. “The internet is tearing you apart. You’re trending for all the wrong reasons, and your sponsors are already pulling out and demanding compensation.”
Jiang Xuan felt like she was suffocating. She bit her lip, tears welling up. “I didn’t want her dead. She’s family… I just wanted to ruin her face so she’d have to leave the industry.”
“I see.” The manager sighed. She knew Jiang Xuan was usually “gentle,” and it was hard to imagine her as a murderer. “I’ve tried to get the media to delete the posts, but they won’t budge. Someone powerful is protecting the story. You need your husband to step in.”
Jiang Xuan looked away, a cold dread pooling in her stomach. She thought of Jiang Ci. Was this his handiwork? The thought made her tremble.
At the Hengyuan Group headquarters, the tension was palpable.
“President Jiang,” a subordinate reported to Jiang Muhang, “the media outlets refuse to take down the stories. They say it’s on Jiang Ci’s direct orders.”
Jiang Muhang slammed his file shut. “What is my brother playing at? Fabricating lies to slander my wife?” His face was a mask of cold arrogance. “He has no respect for me.”
The subordinate stayed silent, keeping his head down. Everyone in the business world knew the truth: when the company was failing, it was the “Old” General Manager—Jiang Ci—who had single-handedly resurrected it. Jiang Muhang was capable, but compared to the legend of his older brother, his leadership was unremarkable.
“How is the Yongheng project?” Muhang asked.
“The Sheng Group [Jiang Ci’s company] just won it,” the subordinate replied. “They undercut our offer at the last second and promised immediate funding. It was a calculated strike.”
A last-minute decision? Jiang Muhang’s eyes narrowed. This wasn’t just business; it was a warning. His brother was coming for him.
“Fine,” Jiang Muhang said after a long silence. “Report this directly to Grandfather. If my brother wants to play dirty, I don’t need to be polite anymore.”
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