Chapter 46 That Man—Mad and Shameless!

How could Xu An’an possibly expose Jiang Li? She would have to be courting death. Yet this banquet was never Jiang Li’s idea—it was the old man’s wishful thinking. With Jiang Li’s temperament, it was laughable to expect him to cooperate obediently.

She gripped Jiang Li’s hand tightly, lowering her voice.
“Second Master, please restrain yourself.”

But Jiang Li would never listen to Xu An’an; he only grew even more audacious.

At that moment, two figures drew near. Xu An’an tensed in fright. From their voices, she recognized them as Jiang Yu and Ning Xiyue.

Behind his mask, Jiang Li’s thin lips curved into a smile. He boldly pulled Xu An’an into his arms, their posture unmistakably intimate.

Seeing this, Jiang Yu and Ning Xiyue hesitated to come closer. Yet they, too, indulged in their own small acts, emboldened by the shadowed corner. Jiang Yu embraced Ning Xiyue with daring, perhaps because of the masks, but Ning Xiyue’s heart was elsewhere.

She longed to edge toward the center of the dance floor, closer to the man who held everyone's gaze. But Jiang Yu was here.

“Stop, your hand… mmm…”

Ning Xiyue played coy, deliberately mentioning Xu An’an. “She hasn’t come to see you lately. Could she be hiding something, meeting another man behind your back?”

Indeed, Xu An’an hadn’t sought out Jiang Yu recently. She didn't want to waste her time on him, especially with her busy work at the magazine.

Sensing that Jiang Li wasn’t doing anything outrageous, Xu An’an pricked her ears, eager to hear what this pair of scoundrels said about her.

Jiang Yu’s expression cooled at Ning Xiyue’s words. In his eyes, Xu An’an had always been at his beck and call; now she dared not to contact him first. Thinking of the photos from last time, Jiang Yu pulled out his phone.

Hearing nothing, Xu An’an tilted her head slightly. In the darkness, the phone screen shone brightly.

Realizing what Jiang Yu intended to do, Xu An’an panicked. She tried to break free from Jiang Li’s embrace, but feared hurting his injury.

Ring, ring, ring!

The phone rang anyway.

Jiang Yu looked up.

Xu An’an gritted her teeth, whispering, “Let me go.”

“Where’s your phone?”

“Left pocket.”

Jiang Li quickly fished out Xu An’an’s phone and silenced the ringtone. Xu An’an didn’t relax, but urged Jiang Li to turn it off entirely.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Li didn’t shut it down, but kept pressing buttons on her phone.

Nestled in Jiang Li’s arms, Xu An’an dared not look up, but could glimpse from the side that he was fiddling with her phone. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yu dialed Xu An’an’s number again, heading toward where she and Jiang Li were.

He had already thought the woman in the rabbit mask seemed familiar—and now, as he called Xu An’an, her phone rang as well. What a coincidence!

“Hello.”

The call was answered. Jiang Yu paused, hearing Xu An’an’s voice on the line, but the woman being held was silent. Had he made a mistake?

Jiang Yu retreated, “Why didn’t you pick up before?”

“I was busy.”

“What are you up to lately? Why haven’t you come to see me? Are you meeting another man behind my back?” His tone was angry.

Xu An’an rolled her eyes. He played the role of “good friend” while acting like a boyfriend, yet had the nerve to question her!

But her curiosity was piqued—how had Jiang Li managed this?

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Li slipped the phone into his pocket and led Xu An’an away from the banquet.

They reached a quiet garden.

Before Xu An’an could speak, Jiang Li casually removed his mask—and hers too—grasped her chin, and kissed her.

The kiss was forceful, rough, as if he meant to steal all the air from her lungs.

Xu An’an felt herself suffocating, her legs weak, sliding down the pillar behind her, but Jiang Li caught her, deepening the kiss.

At last, Xu An’an was free. She leaned against Jiang Li, gulping fresh air.

That scoundrel, mad and shameless!

“Wasn’t that exciting?” Jiang Li grinned, wiping the smeared lipstick from her lips with his thumb. “Almost got caught—don’t you want to thank me?”

When Jiang Yu approached, Xu An’an’s heart nearly stopped.

She sat aside, displeased. “How did you do it?”

Jiang Li handed back her phone. Xu An’an saw Jiang Yu was still speaking, but the replies were from an AI, sounding just like her.

Not wanting to hear his arrogant rambling, Xu An’an put the phone on mute.

“Can I use this function again?”

If possible, she’d never take Jiang Yu’s calls again—always forced to deal with him, such a bother.

Jiang Li tapped her chin. “Of course.”

It was just a matter of programming—easy for him.

“But how will you thank me?”

“Is there anything Second Master can’t get?” Xu An’an retorted, her gaze bright and clear.

Jiang Li stared at her, dazzling specks of light reflected in his eyes, as if her silhouette were captured within.

Suddenly, he reached out.

Just as his fingers were about to touch her cheek, she instinctively dodged.

He chuckled, a shadow flickering in his eyes.

The next moment, he pulled her into his arms with a mischievous air, a low laugh brushing her ear, lingering into her heart and lungs. “What do you think? Is there anything I can’t obtain?”

Xu An’an didn’t resist—struggling was pointless.

“How would I know?”

“You’ll find out.”

“….”

Just then, Assistant Wang approached, clearing his throat softly. “Second Master, the old master is looking for you. Please go to him.”

Annoyed at being interrupted, Jiang Li released Xu An’an unhappily.

Watching Jiang Li’s departing back, Xu An’an was distracted, an image surfacing in her mind—another figure’s silhouette, overlapping with Jiang Li’s yet somehow different.

She wanted to leave, glanced at the two masks left on the chair, and couldn’t help but laugh. What a joke.

Her mask was a little white rabbit, Jiang Li’s was a big gray wolf.

As if she were destined to be devoured by him.

Turning the idea over in her mind, Xu An’an realized their relationship really was just like that—she was always at Jiang Li’s mercy.

She stuffed both masks into her bag, then hurried toward the main entrance.

“Xu An’an, stop right there!”

A sudden angry shout froze Xu An’an in place. She cursed herself—she should have hidden till the banquet ended, then she wouldn’t have been caught by Jiang Yu.

Who knew how the AI had responded just now? If it said she was at home, she’d have no way to explain herself.

Tap tap tap.

The sound of leather shoes striking marble echoed, betraying the fury of the approaching figure, as if he meant to destroy everything.

Xu An’an tensed all over.

The footsteps drew nearer and nearer!