131: Bewitchment

The morning sun filtered through the gaps in the heavy curtains of the presidential suite,

casting several long, narrow bands of light onto the carpet.

The bedroom was in disarray.

The expensive sheets were crumpled into a ball, the bedding half-dragged onto the floor.

The air was still thick with the lingering scent of intimacy.

Miss Yang was the first to struggle awake from the chaotic dream. The moment her consciousness returned,

her eyes snapped open.

Horrified, she discovered she was lying sprawled on the chest of a strange man.

"Ah—!"

She let out a short, sharp cry.

Shame, indignation, and panic instantly overwhelmed her...

Without a second thought, she raised her hand and slapped the sharply defined face of the man beneath her with all her might!

"Smack—"

A crisp slap rang out, startlingly loud in the quiet bedroom.

Li Zhan was jolted awake from his sleep by the fiery pain on his cheek.

He opened his eyes blearily.

Stunned, he looked at the exquisitely beautiful woman on top of him, her face streaked with tears of shame and fury.

For a moment, he was utterly bewildered, feeling a wave of speechlessness—

What the hell was this?

"You... you bastard!

Who are you?!

How did I get here?!"

Miss Yang was frantic and furious, her voice choked with sobs as she struggled to get away.

But the slightest movement... only made her feel even more weak and sore.

Li Zhan was so angered by her turning the tables on him that he almost laughed.

His cheek still stung fiercely.

His body, as if playing a mischievous prank, gave a faint, almost imperceptible twitch.

"..."

Miss Yang was caught completely off guard.

She couldn't help but cry out... and immediately felt even more ashamed and angry.

"Don't...

You pervert!"

"Me, a pervert?"

Li Zhan raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with a mix of teasing and feigned innocence.

"Miss, be reasonable, will you?

Last night, it was you who threw yourself into my arms like a frightened little rabbit, begging me to take you away.

I kindly saved you, and even...

helped you 'detoxify,' toiling away for half the night until my back ached.

And you, as soon as you wake up, you give me a slap?"

Watching her expression freeze in an instant,

he continued slowly, as if he had suffered a grievous injustice,

"Let me tell you, don't even think about framing me. My room has...

well, a way to record time. Even if you argue until you're blue in the face, I'm the victim here, okay?

What you did was...

repaying kindness with enmity, plus physical assault!"

Miss Yang was so infuriated by his warped logic that she was left speechless.

But her body, under the stimulation of his... words,

betrayed her will, gradually growing warm and pliant.

Having spent many years alone in an empty bed,

her body, thoroughly awakened last night by the drugs and the man before her, had become exceptionally sensitive.

Li Zhan keenly detected the change in her.

Seeing her flushed cheeks and increasingly dazed eyes,

he knew that while her mouth was tough, her body was already aroused.

He said no more, simply tightened his arms with force...

...

After who knows how long,

the two of them collapsed onto the messy bed, locked in an embrace,

their sweat mingling together...

...the accelerated blood flow also helped to further dissipate the lingering effects of the drug.

The chaos in Miss Yang's mind gradually cleared, and fragmented memories from last night began to piece themselves together—

the wine pushed towards her by Young Master Liu, her burning throat,

her increasingly blurry consciousness, her desperate run to the restroom, and finally throwing herself at a man who looked like trouble...

She looked with complex emotions at the man beside her, a stranger yet now intimately familiar.

Through a strange twist of fate,

she had preserved her chastity, preventing Young Master Liu from succeeding.

Yet, years of steadfastness had also been lost in such an absurd manner, ended by the hands of this strange man.

She silently sat up,

beginning to search around for her clothes, which had been torn to shreds.

Li Zhan also sat up.

Watching her silent back as she picked up her clothes,

the smooth curve of her spine and the line of her waist and hips were breathtakingly beautiful in the morning light.

He ran a hand through his hair, his tone softening a bit.

"Hey, what's done is done.

You were clearly drugged. Going out now might still mean trouble.

Go take a shower first to calm down, then think about what to do."

Before Miss Yang could react,

he scooped her up by the waist. With a cry of surprise, she found herself carried into the spacious jacuzzi tub.

The warm water washed over her body, slightly easing the awkwardness and tension.

Half an hour later,

Miss Yang, now wearing a fresh bathrobe provided by the hotel,

sat on the soft sofa in the suite's living room, still looking somewhat dazed.

Li Zhan had already called room service to bring an exquisite lunch.

The aroma of food filled the air...

—

The atmosphere during lunch was somewhat stiff.

Miss Yang mechanically took a few bites of the food.

It tasted like sawdust. Her eyes still held a vacant look,

and she occasionally stole glances at the man opposite her and the opulent presidential suite.

Being able to stay here meant this man's status was clearly not simple.

This added a thread of complicated consideration to her chaotic thoughts.

Li Zhan put down his chopsticks, took out a cigarette case,

placed one between his own lips, and then very naturally offered the case to the woman sitting across from him, who was still somewhat stunned.

The woman was taken aback. Looking at the offered cigarette, she hesitated for a moment,

but still reached out a slender finger and took one.

It had been many years since she had touched one of these.

Li Zhan leaned over and, with a "click," lit it for her.

She took an unpracticed drag. The harsh smoke instantly hit her throat,

causing a violent coughing fit that brought tears to her eyes.

But after a few puffs,

the familiar, slightly dizzying effect of the nicotine slowly smoothed over some of the inner turmoil,

allowing her tightly wound nerves to relax a little.

Squinting through the smoke, Li Zhan studied the mature beauty before him, her eyes rimmed red and possessing a unique allure.

"My name is Li Zhan. People close to me call me A-Zhan.

And you? What should I call you?"

The woman was silent for a moment. She took another drag before answering softly,

her voice still a bit hoarse. "Yang Yuying..."

"Miss Yang,"

Li Zhan nodded, his tone flat but certain.

"I'm guessing... you probably have some history with that Young Master Liu, right?"

Yang Yuying's head jerked up, a flash of suspicion and wariness in her eyes.

"How do you know?"

"The bodyguards chasing you last night...

I saw them during the day. They're Young Master Liu's men."

Li Zhan flicked the ash from his cigarette, giving her a sidelong glance.

"Don't worry, I'm not on the same side as Young Master Liu either. In fact, you could say... we're enemies.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have meddled last night."

Hearing the word "enemies," the tension in Yang Yuying's body visibly eased a little.

At the very least...

this man in front of her wasn't in cahoots with that scoundrel.

This reduced the subconscious hostility and fear within her by a large margin.

Li Zhan took in her reaction, a playful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice to a seductive, conspiratorial tone.

"Do you want... to get back at that bastard?"

"Get back at him?"

Yang Yuying's eyes instantly lit up.

Her body unconsciously straightened as she pressed, "How?"

Li Zhan revealed an inscrutable smile. Without answering directly, he simply stubbed out his cigarette.

"Just follow my lead later.

I guarantee you'll...

get to vent your anger..."