In the vast bedroom of a deep blue hue in the suburban villa, a scene of explicit intimacy unfolded, filling the entire room with a warm, intoxicating atmosphere.

Shen Ningxuan had just returned from a business trip and, stepping out of the airport, casually hailed a taxi.

As she sat in the car, gazing at the scenery outside the window, a smile graced her face. Her heart was surging with excitement—there was only one person she wanted to see right now, the man she had loved deeply all along.

From her bag, Shen Ningxuan retrieved the spare key Ye Yanbin had once given her and unlocked the villa’s front door.

The moment she stepped inside, a strange sound reached her ears—feminine murmurs. Pushing the door open, what greeted her was a shocking sight: her sister, Shen Yujin, lying completely naked in Ye Yanbin’s arms.

What the hell?! Her boyfriend was in bed with her own sister?

Frozen in the doorway, Shen Ningxuan’s fury finally erupted. She screamed at the two naked figures on the bed, "Ye Yanbin, Shen Yujin!"

Her voice shattered the moment.

Ye Yanbin’s expression turned tense the instant he saw her iconic, adorable face twisted in rage. His heart pounded wildly as he scrambled to pick up his clothes from the floor and hurriedly dressed.

Shen Yujin, meanwhile, grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself, silently cursing Shen Ningxuan in her mind—this damn jinx had to ruin everything!

Still clad in his clothes, Ye Yanbin rushed to Shen Ningxuan, frantically trying to explain, "Ning’er, you misunderstand, it’s not—"

Before he could finish, Shen Ningxuan’s slap slammed across his face with a sharp crack.

"Ye Yanbin, if you won’t touch me, you go find someone else? Listen well—we’re over," she declared coldly before turning and walking away, forcing herself not to cry. The humiliation, the pain—it still lacerated her heart.

Watching her retreating figure, Ye Yanbin felt his heart bleed. All because he had momentarily succumbed to temptation, he had lost the woman he loved most.

---

In the midnight glow of a neon-lit bar, Shen Ningxuan sat at the counter, downing the liquor her friend Xia Lingwei had sent her in one gulp.

Xia Lingwei watched her drunken friend, her heart aching but unsure of what to say. Back in university, that pure-hearted senior would have knelt on one knee just to confess his love for Shen Ningxuan. But now, after years of soaking in the cynicism of society, had his values really changed? And Shen Yujin—her jealousy had consumed her, her hatred for Shen Ningxuan never fading.

Shen Ningxuan, drunk and glassy-eyed, stared into the dregs of red wine in her elegant glass and murmured to Xia Lingwei, "Lingwei, do you think I owe this world something? Why was it Shen Yujin who ended up with Ye Yanbin and not me? Why?"

Xia Lingwei opened her mouth, but no words came out.

"Heh," Shen Ningxuan let out a bitter laugh, her eyes filled with pain, hatred, and resignation. "Ye Yanbin, you bastard. Shen Yujin, I hate you."

With that, she chugged the rest of her wine.

As dawn approached, Xia Lingwei looked at Shen Ningxuan, now slumped drunkenly over the bar counter, and considered taking her to the hotel across the street to rest. But since she had to work the night shift, she could only book a room and ask a colleague to help escort Shen Ningxuan there.

When Shen Ningxuan arrived at the hotel, she insisted on finding her room herself, waving her key card with drunken stubbornness and shooing away Xia Lingwei’s colleague.

Exiting the elevator, she staggered toward Room 522, as indicated on her key card. But when she reached the door of Room 521 and saw it slightly ajar, her alcohol-addled brain processed it as, "Must be them—guess the hotel staff even opened the door for me."

With that, she pushed the door open and stumbled inside.

Passing through the living room, she spotted a large bed in the bedroom, its white sheets and comforter exuding an inviting comfort.

Exhaustion hit her immediately. Without a second thought, she ignored the sound of running water from the bathroom and collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes as she drifted into unconsciousness.

The man in the bathroom had a powerful, well-defined chest, his bronze skin betraying years of professional training. Water cascaded down his flawless features, each drop tracing the sharp lines of his sculpted face, which remained perpetually cold and unreadable.

Chu Haoxuan turned off the shower, the sound ceasing abruptly. He grabbed a towel, roughly dried his short hair, wrapped the oversized towel around his waist, and stepped out.

Just as he was about to climb into bed, he froze.

Since when was there a woman in his room? Did the five-star hotel upgrade him to VIP status and gift him a companion?

He didn’t retreat. Instead, he approached the bed step by step, taking in the faint scent of alcohol on the woman’s skin. Her bare face, free of makeup, looked refreshingly natural, her disheveled hair only accentuating her effortless beauty. Her features weren’t stunning, but they were undeniably pleasing.

Chu Haoxuan’s gaze lingered on her slender figure—not overly curvaceous, but her natural grace drew him in. name surfaced unbidden in his mind—the girl from years ago, her innocence, her sweet smile, her adorable face. She had been the object of his longing for over a decade.

pang of melancholy flickered in his eyes. Where are you now? Are you happy?

When his eyes returned to the woman on the bed, an inexplicable ache settled in his chest. Damn it—this is the first time in years I’ve felt this way about anyone but her.

His rational mind told him this woman had none of the allure or seduction of the one he couldn’t forget. Yet his body betrayed him, and before he knew it, he was crossing the line into madness.