Chapter 9 Enchanting

President Wang reached out, trying to pull Xu Anan back, but a tall figure stepped in to block him.

Xu Anan turned around, gazing at the imposing figure now shielding her. For the first time, she felt an unexpected sense of safety.

“She’s already turned you down. Don’t you understand plain language?” Jiang Li’s voice was cold, his gaze sharp as a poisoned arrow aimed straight at President Wang, his hostility undisguised.

The invisible menace emanating from the man made President Wang shudder uncontrollably. It was clear that the man protecting Xu Anan was not someone to be trifled with, so President Wang didn’t dare say another word. He slunk away in disgrace, leaving Xu Anan to deal with the bill herself.

Naturally, Xu Anan had intended to pay from the start—after all, she’d invited President Wang out to discuss investment. Fortunately, she managed to return one bottle of wine. As for the other, already opened and strong, Xu Anan decided to offer it as a token of thanks—though she doubted Jiang Li would care for it, it was better than nothing.

By the time Xu Anan finished settling the bill, Jiang Li was already drunk. The woman who’d been with him clung to his side.

“Li, you’re drunk. Let me take you home,” the woman said heatedly, and just as she tried to throw herself into Jiang Li’s arms, a slender, alabaster arm stopped her.

It was Xu Anan.

The woman glared at Xu Anan with open hostility. Earlier, Jiang Li had stood up for Xu Anan, enough to make her wild with jealousy. After all, Xu Anan’s face was more beautiful, her figure leagues ahead.

“What do you want?” the woman snapped.

“Isn’t that what I should be asking you?” Xu Anan retorted, glancing at Jiang Li’s half-closed eyes, the flush on his cheeks lending him a dangerously alluring charm—like a monk tempting the demons. Yet his aura was as forbidding as ever; no wonder the women who coveted him were so cautious. Jiang Li clearly had no interest in engaging with them.

Given that, Xu Anan decided to intervene, if only because Jiang Li had just helped her.

“I’m Jiang Li’s friend. I’ll take him home,” Xu Anan declared.

“You? I’m his girlfriend!” The woman rolled her eyes dramatically, full of disdain. Her mind raced, eager to humiliate Xu Anan. Everyone saw her drinking with Jiang Li—they clearly knew each other, while Xu Anan was the outsider.

“If you want me to believe you, you’ll have to prove it,” the woman challenged.

Xu Anan calmly pulled out her phone and dialed Jiang Li’s private number. A moment later, his phone rang. But the contact name that appeared startled Xu Anan for several seconds: [Splendor].

It reminded her of a signature she’d used for years: “When I wake, all the world is silent—only you are a splash of splendor. Others are lost in mountain mists at dawn; I am lost in you.” Yet in that account, her friends list was always zero; it had been her private refuge, a place for her thoughts and ramblings. Xu Anan could only assume Jiang Li had made a mistake with the contact name.

Regaining her composure, she said, “I can reach his private number. What about you? How do you prove you’re his girlfriend?”

A bystander piped up, “Let her call too—let’s see what name he’s saved her under.”

But the woman hesitated, shrinking back.

Xu Anan’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Don’t tell me you don’t even have his private number? Some girlfriend you are.”

The crowd jeered, their ridicule sharp and merciless. The woman glared venomously at Xu Anan, shot a lingering, regretful look at Jiang Li, and finally, unable to save face, stormed off. She would settle this score with Xu Anan sooner or later.

It took all of Xu Anan’s strength to haul the drunken Jiang Li back to Mingyue Bay, his private residence.

She dumped him on the bed, then collapsed beside him, exhausted. After a brief rest, she got up to pull the covers over him. But as she looked at the man, her cheeks flushed involuntarily. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Jiang Li was feverish, his shirt unbuttoned to reveal a chiseled collarbone and tempting Adam’s apple. He was less cold and unfathomable than usual, replaced by a lazy, wicked charm—dangerously attractive.

What a toxic man, she thought as she tucked him in, preparing to leave.

But just as she was about to go, Jiang Li, who should have been fast asleep, suddenly woke. His deep, dark eyes cut straight through her, sharp as blades yet clouded slightly with intoxication. “Xu Anan…”

Startled, Xu Anan froze.

“Since you already…” he began, but before she could respond, he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. His large hand gripped her chin as he kissed her fiercely, claiming her lips with wild, possessive hunger.

His kiss was urgent, relentless, and inescapable, tasting of wine and desire, entangling her without end. Lost in his embrace, Xu Anan instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling his taut, powerful muscles burning with heat.

The room filled with the thick scent of passion, the air growing ever warmer. In the amber glow, two silhouettes intertwined.

A night of splendor.

The next morning, Xu Anan awoke aching all over. It wasn’t her first time with Jiang Li, but it seemed he was even more insatiable when drunk. She couldn’t help but wonder—had he really been drunk last night? Otherwise, how could he have such boundless energy?

Turning her head, she found herself face-to-face with a devastatingly handsome visage—so perfect it almost hurt to look at. There was no denying Jiang Li’s beauty: flawless, as though carved by the hands of God. His brows were sharp, his nose high and straight, his features exquisite.

As Jiang Li began to stir, Xu Anan quickly shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep, afraid he’d catch her watching.

“Stop pretending,” he said, his voice hoarse. From her uneven breathing, Jiang Li could tell she was faking, so he pinched her soft cheek. “You don’t have to pretend in front of me.”

She thought of how they’d already seen each other at their most vulnerable—there really was no need to hide. Besides, in his heart, she was probably someone base and depraved. Willingly fallen. The words still echoed in her mind.

Xu Anan opened her eyes, cold and indifferent, and slapped his hand away in annoyance.

“You helped me yesterday, and I helped you. Now we’re even.”

“What kind of help? You on top, me on the bottom? You in front, me behind?” Jiang Li sneered, his beautiful eyes glinting with mischief and devilish charm.

Xu Anan was speechless. She couldn’t be bothered to argue; they never saw eye to eye anyway.

She picked up her phone to check the time, only to discover that Jiang Yu had called her a dozen times the night before. She turned off silent mode, debating whether to call him back.

“Don’t bother,” Jiang Li said, grabbing her phone with his long, elegant fingers and tossing it aside. He rolled her beneath him with practiced ease, pressing her down and capturing her lips in another domineering kiss.

The clothes she had just put back on were once again stripped away.

Suddenly, the phone rang—a call from Jiang Yu.

Flushed and breathless, Xu Anan groped blindly for the phone, desperate to hang up. But Jiang Li, with a wicked smile, swiped to answer.

Jiang Yu’s furious voice immediately boomed from the other end. “Xu Anan, how dare you ignore my calls?”

At that moment, the man above her pressed harder, forcing a sweet moan from Xu Anan’s lips.

The line fell silent.