With that, Xia Xiwan pointed at Xia Xiaodie and looked at Lu Hanting. "She's the one who said it." Xia Xiaodie and Kong Zhen'er stared, stunned. Could this man really be the kept man Xia Xiwan was sponsoring? Oh my God. Xia Xiaodie felt a stinging slap across her face. Just then, the manager brought out a strawberry cake. Lu Hanting took it. "Let's go." "Okay." Xia Xiwan followed him out, glancing back to give Xia Xiaodie a little wave. "Bye-bye." Xia Xiaodie was completely bewildered. She never imagined that Xia Xiwan was actually keeping such a premium-grade boy toy. Kong Zhen'er murmured wistfully, "Xiaodie, I guess you really will have to call her 'Grand-auntie' now." Xia Xiaodie shot Kong Zhen'er a venomous glare. Kong Zhen'er quickly backpedaled with an awkward laugh. "Xiaodie, I just mean… that kept man of hers is so handsome. How much do you think it costs to sponsor him?" Lu Hanting hadn't spared her a single glance the entire time, acting as if she didn't even exist. For Xia Xiaodie, who had always prided herself on her beauty, the slight was infuriating. But Kong Zhen'er’s words sparked an idea. He was just a kept man, wasn't he? She could offer him several times what Xia Xiwan was paying and have him for herself. The thought sent a thrill through her. "Manager, can I have the cake I bought? We're leaving," Xia Xiaodie said, reaching for the box. The manager held it back. "I'm sorry, ladies. I'll refund your money—I'll even give you double back—but I can't let you have this cake." "Why not?" Xia Xiaodie and Kong Zhen'er were both taken aback. The manager smiled faintly. "Because I'm feeding this cake to my dog." What? Xia Xiaodie slammed her hands on the table and shot to her feet. "Manager, what's that supposed to mean? Are you insulting us?" "Was I not clear enough?" the manager replied. "You've offended someone important. This cake goes to the dogs before it goes to you." *** The luxury car pulled up to the Youlan Villa. Lu Hanting handed the black card with gold lettering to Xia Xiwan. "This is for you." Her long lashes trembled. Why was he giving her a card? "I don't want it," she refused. A smirk played on Lu Hanting's lips. "You certainly can't afford a kept man like me. But I can afford to keep you, my Mrs. Lu." *My Mrs. Lu…* When he uttered those words, his magnetic voice almost a whisper, Xia Xiwan's heart skipped, its rhythm thrown into chaos. She quickly opened the passenger door and got out. The man was a devil. Xia Xiwan carefully tucked the black card into her purse and entered the living room, where Old Mrs. Lu greeted her with a beaming smile. "Xiwan, you're back! Did everything go well with your family today?" "It went great, Grandma. Let's have some cake." Old Mrs. Lu's eyes lit up. She scurried into the living room, rubbing her hands together in glee. "Cake! Oh, I love cake." Lu Hanting walked in behind them. He didn't head for the living room but went straight for the stairs. He paused midway, his gaze falling on Old Mrs. Lu. "Grandma, you have high blood pressure. One bite of cake is enough." Shoveling her Nth bite of cake into her mouth, Old Mrs. Lu lied with a perfectly straight face. "I know my limits. I just had a little taste. So sweet." Xia Xiwan couldn't help but laugh at the old woman's antics. She looked up at the man on the stairs. "Do you want some cake?" Lu Hanting disliked sweets. "No, thanks." "Oh." "You have something… on your lip." His gaze fixed on her face. To eat the cake, she had lifted a corner of her veil, revealing her delicate jawline and her partially covered red lips. Her lips were beautiful, the color of cherries. She had the kind of lips that magazines voted most kissable. Right now, a small smudge of cream dotted the corner of her mouth. At his reminder, with a girlish instinct, she darted her tongue out and licked the cream away. When she looked up at him again, his eyes swept over her lips before he reached up and loosened the tie at his collar. His Adam's apple bobbed as he continued up the stairs and disappeared into the study. A blush crept up Xia Xiwan's ears. The way Lu Hanting loosened his tie was lethal. The look in his eyes had been positively indecent. She quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped her lips forcefully. Just then, the butler led an old man upstairs. Xia Xiwan asked, "Grandma, who is that?" "Oh, that's Mr. Nanyuan. He comes once a month." Xia Xiwan's heart gave a lurch. Mr. Nanyuan was a world-renowned master of hypnotherapy. Having studied medicine, she had naturally heard of him. He was here for Lu Hanting's sleep disorder, which meant it was even more severe than she had imagined. *** Uneasy, Xia Xiwan went to the study door. A sudden crash from inside startled her, and she pushed the door open without thinking. The study was in disarray. Papers from the desk were scattered across the carpet, and the clock in Mr. Nanyuan's hand lay shattered on the floor. Lu Hanting stood before his desk, both hands braced against its surface. The veins on the backs of his hands bulged, and his powerful chest heaved like a cornered beast. Hearing the door, Lu Hanting looked up. Xia Xiwan met his deep-set eyes, which were now shot with a terrifying red and filled with a grim, savage hostility. He was like a different person. But it was a person she was no longer unfamiliar with. She had met him just last night. Their eyes locked. Lu Hanting’s thin lips pressed into a bloodless, chilling line as he growled, "Get out!" Xia Xiwan didn't move. The butler picked up the broken clock and escorted Mr. Nanyuan out, closing the study door behind them. The door separated two different worlds. Xia Xiwan turned to Mr. Nanyuan. "Mr. Nanyuan, how is he?" He shook his head. "In the beginning, I was able to hypnotize Mr. Lu, allowing him one day of rest a month. But his mental state is deteriorating too quickly. He is extremely vigilant, and his mental defenses are terrifyingly strong. I can no longer put him under." Xia Xiwan wasn't surprised. Lu Hanting was a mature, reserved, and deeply private man who rarely showed his emotions. His calm and self-control were almost inhuman. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then reached for the doorknob, intending to go in. "Young Madam, you mustn't! It's dangerous for you to go in there now. Have you forgotten what happened last night?" Butler Fu quickly tried to stop her. Xia Xiwan looked at him, her eyes clear and bright. "Butler Fu, it's precisely because I haven't forgotten that I have to go in. Once a sleep disorder develops into a mental illness, he won't be able to control that dark, violent, pathological side of himself. He'll develop a second personality, and that personality will completely take over." The color drained from Butler Fu's face. Xia Xiwan pushed the door open and walked in. *** Inside the study, Lu Hanting watched her return, and the storm in his eyes darkened. "Out. Don't make me say it a third time." Xia Xiwan walked toward him, a bright, playful light dancing in her dark eyes. "Mr. Lu, I just want to see what happens when you say it a third time." Lu Hanting felt a wave of agony wash over him. The veins at his temples throbbed. He was losing control, and he didn't want to hurt her. His hand shot out, seizing her slender arm. A single word tore from his throat: "Get out!" He shoved her. Xia Xiwan lost her balance. As she fell to the carpet, her forehead struck the sharp corner of the coffee table. Blood immediately began to gush from the wound. She hissed in pain, clapping a hand to her forehead, but the bright red blood streamed through her fingers.