Chapter 1: Provocation

The day she discovered her fiancé’s infidelity, Anan Xu went to the most exclusive club in Shanghai and ordered the handsomest male escort. Bottles clattered and scattered across the high platform as she clung to the man, kissing him hungrily from the corridor into the private room.

The bar’s dim lighting cast shadows; Anan Xu ran her hand over the man’s firm abs, thinking the money was well spent. Just as the last barrier between them was about to be shed, she couldn’t hold back and began moaning her boyfriend Jiang Yu’s name.

She was searching for a substitute.

Realizing this, the man’s mood soured. He halted, long, powerful fingers gripping her chin, forcing her to look up. His voice, low and hoarse, brushed her ear with a faint scent of alcohol.

“Anan Xu, look at me again,” he said, tone unreadable.

The voice was oddly familiar. In the hazy light, she finally saw his sharp, cool features. Her alcohol-numbed mind jolted with alarm.

The man pinned beneath her on the sofa noticed her change in expression and seemed amused, his lips curling into a wicked smile. “Remember me now?”

Her hand, resting on his belt, broke into a cold sweat. She’d never imagined that, at the one time she dared let herself go, the man she’d chosen wasn’t an escort at all, but Jiang Li.

Jiang Li—Jiang Yu’s uncle, a twenty-nine-year-old business prodigy.

True to his name, he was the most unpredictable, inscrutable presence in the Jiang family—a man so volatile that even the family feared him when he lost his temper.

Anan Xu feared him too.

She still remembered half a year ago, at a banquet of Beijing’s elite. A dignitary had merely handed Jiang Li a drink he disliked; the next day, the entire group was investigated, its stock plummeting, and within a month, the company collapsed.

Even Jiang Yu, who had always indulged her before his betrayal, had warned her, when introducing her to the family, about Jiang Li’s temper: “Don’t cross him.”

Now, Anan Xu’s trembling hand was still on his belt, her sense of despair growing.

Not only had she provoked Jiang Yu, she’d mistaken his formidable uncle for a substitute.

Jiang Li’s eyes dropped to her hand at his waist; his expression was unreadable, but certainly not pleasant.

A chill wind swept in, sobering her. She pushed him away.

“S-sorry, I got the wrong person.”

Her eyes reddened as she stood, voice shaking.

Jiang Li’s smile faded. He tugged at his tie.

Anan Xu had no idea how much he believed her, but at least he didn’t try to make her stay.

As for how someone like Jiang Li knew her name, though they’d never met, she couldn’t fathom.

She rose from the sofa, straightened her clothes, and glanced sideways—Jiang Li sat shrouded in the dark. Half his face was illuminated by colored lights, bearing a resemblance to Jiang Yu, yet sharper, more intense, mature and cold.

After such a fierce, mistaken encounter, he showed no sign of disarray, while Anan Xu was all bruised, nearly stripped of her final defense.

Clothed once more, hand on the doorknob, about to leave, she heard his phone ring.

It was Jiang Yu.

On the other end, Jiang Yu’s tone was respectful, yet barely contained his excitement. “Uncle, seven days from now is my engagement party, I hope you’ll do me the honor of attending.”

Jiang Li replied with a careless “Mm.”

He hadn’t put the phone on speaker, yet Anan Xu heard every word. Her movement toward the door faltered.

After the call ended, Jiang Li noticed her dazed in place, and with a hint of amusement, his lips curled: “What’s wrong? Not leaving? Want to continue?”

After what had just happened, his words were pure mockery.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Anan Xu’s anger flared. Who would have thought that after three years of pursuit, Jiang Yu’s proposal would only crown her with a fool’s cap?

She’d just accepted his proposal, only to see news of him in bed with his old flame.

If not for that, tonight would have been her first night with Jiang Yu.

She was not a forgiving soul. She couldn’t let this go.

Summoning her courage, she turned back, her hands pressing against Jiang Li’s sensitive points, her breath warm and seductive by nature.

Jiang Li’s eyes darkened, the dim light casting a shadow over those striking features.

His fox-like eyes swept over her, easily reading her thoughts. “Anan Xu, you want to use me to provoke Jiang Yu?”

Perhaps she’d been too obvious. A man as sharp as Jiang Li could guess without effort.

Exposed, Anan Xu didn’t mind. Her hands kept moving, her gaze steady and defiant. “Are you afraid?”

At her words, Jiang Li laughed.

She’d hit the mark. There was nothing in the world Jiang Li feared—he lived beyond the law.

But she’d used the wrong approach.

He brushed her hands away with a mocking grin. “I find you dirty.”

Anan Xu clenched her fists. As he picked up his jacket to leave, she blurted, “I… it’s my first time.”

Jiang Li paused, eyes narrowing.

Anan Xu’s voice was awkward: “I’ve… never been touched.”

Jiang Li sat back on the sofa, his expression unchanged.

She couldn’t read him, and kept stealing glances his way.

He leisurely wiped his hands with a handkerchief, the fabric stained with something that glinted in the light.

Anan Xu’s face flushed. She couldn’t help recalling how those long, skillful fingers had stirred waves across her body moments before—a stark contrast to his usual cold, ascetic demeanor.

Bravely, she inched closer, suggesting, “Shall we try again?”

He didn’t answer, still as a statue.

She touched her nose, ready to slink away, when suddenly a heated chest pressed up behind her.

She was caged between the door and his arms, with nowhere to look but his chiseled face.

Control of her body slipped entirely from her grasp.

Four hours later…

In the aftermath, Anan Xu collapsed boneless on the sofa, mind blank as Jiang Li dressed.

He buttoned his shirt, hiding the red marks across his chest, knotted his tie, once again the untouchable immortal.

There was no hint that he had just gripped her waist and devoured her with such fervor.

Lost in thought, her phone rang—it was Jiang Yu.

She glanced at it, blocked the number, and turned off her phone.

Noticing, Jiang Li’s lips quirked. He picked up a notecard from the bar and scribbled a number, handing it to her.

“If Jiang Yu bothers you again, call this number.”

He looked down at her, as if bestowing a favor.

“What does this mean?” she asked. “A long-term arrangement?”

She took the card, cheeks still flushed, looking every bit the tempting little rabbit.

Jiang Li watched her, a strange itch in his throat.