Crushed by the rejection from the pretty boy she fancied and the humiliation from Xia Xiwan, Xia Xiaodie stormed out of the bar, her heart seething with resentment. Just then, a few thugs swaggered over and surrounded her. They leered at her, their eyes roaming over her body. "Well, look what we have here. All alone, little lady? How about we keep you company?" As the cherished daughter of the Xia family, Xia Xiaodie had been sheltered her entire life and had never faced such danger. Her face went white with fear. "Who are you? I don't need any company! Get away from me! Help!" Xia Xiaodie's driver, seeing her in trouble from a distance, rushed over. "Let the Second Miss go!" But two of the thugs quickly took the driver down, kicking him several times for good measure. Xia Xiaodie's breath caught in her throat. "Help! Help me—mmph!" A hand clamped over her mouth, and she was dragged into a dimly lit corner. One of the thugs reached out and stroked her cheek. "So smooth. Bet the rest of you is even smoother. We'll have some fun with you, maybe take a few pictures as a souvenir. That way, we can give you a call whenever we miss you, hahaha." The thugs erupted in vile laughter. With her mouth covered, Xia Xiaodie couldn't scream. She had always despised men of such low standing; she was destined to marry into one of Haicheng's four great families. Filthy men like them weren't even worthy of touching her. Now, as their hands grazed her face, a chill shot through her to the bone. She trembled in terror, whimpering and pleading with her eyes. "Nice short skirt you've got on, little lady. Came to the bar looking to hook up with a man, didn't you? How about we just take it off for you right now?" Xia Xiaodie had indeed dressed up meticulously, all for Lu Hanting. Now, feeling hands grabbing at her dress, she began to struggle wildly, tears streaming down her face in an instant. *No!* *Please, no!* Suddenly, a cool, pleasant voice cut through the air. "Let her go." The thugs’ hands loosened, and Xia Xiaodie slumped to the ground, her legs giving out. Through a blur of tears, she looked up, her heart still pounding with fear. A handsome figure stood before her. It was… it was Huo Xize! Xia Xiaodie's pupils constricted. She knew who he was—the heir of the Huo family, Haicheng's infamous young tyrant. Everyone knew his name. Huo Xize, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, walked over and looked down at her. "Second Miss Xia," he said, his voice dripping with condescension, "consider this a small warning. Don't covet people you have no right to. It's… unbecoming." With that, he flicked his cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with the toe of his shoe. "Let's go." And just like that, they were all gone. Xia Xiaodie sat in a disheveled heap on the ground, gasping for air, the feeling of a narrow escape washing over her. She had no idea how she had offended a tyrant like Huo Xize. Just then, a luxury car sped past on the street. Xia Xiaodie looked up and saw the driver's side window glide down, revealing a face so chiseled and handsome it seemed divine. It was… Lu Hanting. It was him. … Back at Youlan Villa, Xia Xiwan went into her room and pulled out her phone. She sent a voice message on WeChat. *Lingling, thank you so much for this time.* Li Yulan was a veteran actress in the entertainment industry, with extensive connections and a powerful PR team. Normally, any scandal would be squashed before it even saw the light of day. But this time, the story of her and Mr. Wang had shot to the top of Weibo’s trending list and exploded online, all thanks to one person. That person was Xia Xiwan's best friend, Ye Ling. They had been inseparable since kindergarten, two girls who told each other everything. Later, when Old Master Xia had his accident, Ye Ling was the only one who had stood by her, who had believed her. When she was sent to the countryside at the age of nine, Ye Ling had cried her eyes out seeing her off. Over the years, Ye Ling would use every holiday as an excuse to crash at her place, shamelessly mooching off her. A reply came quickly. Xia Xiwan tapped it, and Ye Ling's sweet, melodic voice filled the air. *Wanwan, do we really need to be so formal? Don't worry, I had my best agent handle it personally. Xia Zhenguo won't find a thing.* Ye Ling's voice was intoxicating, the kind that could make a man's bones melt. Of course, her looks were a perfect match for her voice. As the reigning beauty of the capital, Ye Ling had debuted in the entertainment world two years ago and was now one of the four most popular young actresses in the country. With Ye Ling pulling the strings, Xia Zhenguo would find no trace of involvement. Even if Li Yulan had her suspicions, Xia Zhenguo would never believe that the daughter he'd banished to the countryside could have the power to manipulate the entertainment industry. Xia Xiwan was touched. *Lingling, when are you coming back to Haicheng?* On the other end, Ye Ling's tone became playful and teasing. *What, you miss me? I heard you've got a new flame. How could you possibly have time to think of your old love?* *New flame?* Xia Xiwan replied instantly. *I don't.* Ye Ling: *You're flustered! You're flustered! You're flustered!* Xia Xiwan didn't know how to respond. But Ye Ling's next voice message followed immediately. *Come on, spill it. Tell me all about that little toy boy you're keeping.* Of course. Ye Ling was talking about Lu Hanting… As Haicheng's number one beauty, Ye Ling might exude the aura of a goddess who outshone everyone on the red carpet, but in private, she loved to gossip. Someone must have already fed her the juicy details. Just then, the bedroom door swung open and a tall, imposing figure walked in. Lu Hanting was back from the study. Perhaps out of guilt, Xia Xiwan, who had been lounging on the bed, shot up into a sitting position. Lu Hanting walked into the room, his long fingers undoing the top two buttons of his black shirt, revealing his well-defined collarbones. He turned his head to look at the girl on the bed, and Xia Xiwan, unable to look away in time, found her gaze locked with his narrow, intense eyes. As their eyes met, a smirk played on Lu Hanting's lips. "Something on your mind?" "No… nothing," Xia Xiwan stammered, looking away. At that moment, her phone chimed twice with new WeChat notifications. Lu Hanting's gaze fell on her phone. "Aren't you going to check your messages?" "Right now." Xia Xiwan tapped open the voice message from Ye Ling. *Wanwan, I trust your taste. This toy boy you've taken in—is he handsome, well-built, with a great presence? And most importantly, does he have a stallion's build?* Hearing Ye Ling draw out the last few words in an incredibly suggestive tone, Xia Xiwan’s face instantly flushed crimson. She almost threw her phone across the room. In her haste, the next message began to play automatically. *A stallion's build, Wanwan! You know what I'm talking about! Remember when we used to sneak-watch those kung fu movies? We promised we'd only find men with bodies like that. Great stamina~~* The room fell dead silent. Xia Xiwan shoved her phone under the covers, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into and disappear. It was one thing for best friends to discuss things like this in private, but for the subject of the conversation to overhear it… the embarrassment was unbearable. "Uh… Mr. Lu, I'm just going to… take a shower…" Xia Xiwan scrambled into the bathroom. She stood at the vanity, reaching for a towel, feeling the heat radiating from her fingertips. Just then, she saw Lu Hanting's reflection in the gleaming mirror. He had followed her, and was now leaning casually against the doorframe, his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants.