Chapter 81: Could the Esteemed Second Master Jiang Be Deceived as Well?

Xu An’an could hardly believe her eyes. The renowned Second Master Jiang, of all people, was actually willing to humble himself and sleep in his car. No one would ever believe such a thing.

Why hadn’t he left? Was he worried about her?

He hadn’t replied to any of her messages—had he fallen asleep?

A sudden wave of emotion flooded her heart.

Xu An’an rubbed her eyes, wanting to knock on the car window, but she dismissed the idea. Jiang Li must have been truly exhausted to fall asleep in the car.

She turned around and leaned against the side of the car.

From time to time, she tilted her head, allowing her to catch sight of Jiang Li sleeping soundly inside. His head was slightly bowed, unruly strands of hair falling over his rebellious brows, the straight bridge of his nose tracing a sharp and clean silhouette. Moonlight poured cold and clear through the window, casting a hazy glow upon his profile, as if gilding his features with a soft, ethereal light.

He looked just like a prince from a fairytale, waiting outside for the princess he adored…

Suddenly, Xu An’an snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. What was she thinking? Even if Jiang Li was a prince, she could never be a princess.

She glanced at Jiang Li sleeping, then at her own reflection in the rearview mirror, the pale, reddish blotches marring her face. A wave of dejection swept over her.

She reached out and folded the mirror away.

Whenever Xu An’an and Jiang Li had walked together before, passersby always said they looked like a perfect match in terms of appearance. She hadn’t cared at the time, but now…

“Were you sneaking a look at me while I sleep?”

A sudden voice startled her.

Xu An’an lifted her eyes and realized Jiang Li had woken up at some point. He was staring at her through the window, a mischievous smile playing at his lips.

Before Xu An’an could cover her face, it was already too late.

Resigned, she clenched her fists and forced a nonchalant expression.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Why would I look at you while you sleep? Didn’t you say you like horror movies? I just wanted to let you experience up-close what it’s like to be inside one.”

With that, she closed her eyes and moved as if to press her face toward him.

Go ahead and look! See if you don’t get a fright!

“Hold on, step back a little,” Jiang Li said.

Xu An’an snorted, a sharp pang pricking her heart.

She stepped back, crossing her arms, her face full of mockery. “I thought the great Second Master Jiang was supposed to be fearless—looks like you’re not so tough after all.”

Jiang Li opened the car door in response, reached out, and pulled Xu An’an onto his lap before shutting the door behind her.

The next second, an urgent kiss found her lips.

The moment their lips met, Jiang Li deftly parted her teeth, his hot breath fanning over her face as he kissed her deeply—hungrily, thoroughly, exploring every corner, greedily drawing in her breath as if it belonged to him alone.

His masculine scent filled the air, overwhelming her senses.

Xu An’an instinctively closed her eyes, surrendering herself entirely.

Their heated breaths mingled, her mind growing hazy with the rising temperature. She tightened her arms around his neck, answering his desperate need, until she was nearly breathless.

She collapsed against him, lips parted, a sight to make anyone’s heart race.

Before Jiang Li could make another move, Xu An’an pressed down on his restless hand—she blamed the dim light inside the car.

She remembered a saying: everyone looks the same when the lights are off.

Annoyed, she muttered, “What do you think you’re doing?”

When Jiang Li looked over at her, Xu An’an couldn’t help but turn her head, but he caught her chin and forced her to face him.

He studied her face closely.

There was no disdain in his gaze.

His fingertips brushed softly over the reddish marks on her skin. “Does it hurt?” he asked.

Xu An’an’s pupils trembled.

She hadn’t expected concern instead of mockery from Jiang Li.

During the days of filming, Xu An’an had kept up appearances, but she’d heard every cruel word spoken behind her back.

Without exception, everyone said her face was ruined.

The male staff who used to vie for her attention all avoided her now.

Even Jiang Yu looked at her with nothing but disgust.

“Don’t you think it’s ugly?” Xu An’an lowered her gaze, her hands clenched tight.

“I think it’s rather cute,” he replied.

“What?”

Xu An’an’s eyes widened. For the first time, she thought Jiang Li’s taste was peculiar. Even she couldn’t stand to look at herself, and yet he called her cute.

Jiang Li didn’t answer. Instead, he reached into the pocket of the jacket beside him and pulled out another tube of ointment.

Earlier, when Xu An’an had buried her face in his chest, much of the ointment had rubbed off.

He dabbed a bit with his fingertip and gently massaged it into each red mark.

“Did you have fun filming the show?” he asked.

Realizing he truly wasn’t repulsed, Xu An’an relaxed her shoulders and leaned back against the steering wheel, closing her eyes. She felt awkward meeting his gaze.

She pouted. “It wasn’t fun at all.”

No one cared about her well-being.

“Why not?”

Xu An’an hadn’t intended to say, but Jiang Li’s tone was so intimate that all her pent-up grievances spilled out like beans.

She sneered, “That half-sister of mine—you’ve met her. To boost her image, my father, who’s always so stingy, suddenly turned generous this time.”

“He arranged a luxury van for her, bribed the production crew, gave her every possible privilege.”

The more Jiang Li heard, the more wrong it sounded. Hadn’t he instructed Qi Xize to look after Xu An’an? How could that brat mess up something so simple?

How could he confuse Xu An’an with Xu Wanwan!

He wanted nothing more than to drag Qi Xize over right now and give him a thorough beating.

“When you get older, your eyesight starts to go,” he said.

Pfft!

Hearing Jiang Li mock her father that way, Xu An’an burst out laughing, wholly agreeing, “Exactly, but he was blind even when he was young.”

Otherwise, how could he have fallen for such a vicious woman as Shen Ying!

Seeing the smile return to Xu An’an’s face, Jiang Li’s lips curved unconsciously. “Apply this ointment three times a day and keep your diet light.”

“Is Quanhai Pharmaceuticals really yours? You must be joking,” Xu An’an took the ointment and examined it carefully in the moonlight.

How had she never heard of Quanhai making this kind of ointment?

Suddenly, Xu An’an noticed something odd. Her eyes widened. “Wait, where did you get this knock-off? It only has the Quanhai name on it!”

“Nothing else at all?”

“Even you, Second Master Jiang, can get scammed?”

Seeing her wide, bewildered eyes, Jiang Li couldn’t help but laugh. He wanted to pinch her cheeks but settled for stroking her hair.

He raised his brows. “I told you, Quanhai Pharmaceuticals belongs to me.”

“But… you can’t just make a knock-off product, can you?”

“I knew your skin was allergic, so I had a new formula made just for you.”

“A special formula just for me? I—” Xu An’an was stunned. If those words had come from anyone but Jiang Li, she would never have believed it.

Jiang Li’s voice sounded by her ear, accompanied by gentle kisses as soft as falling snow.

“As my woman, you’re entitled to at least this little privilege.”