The hickey was deep—more than one, in fact. No amount of concealer could hide them. Hastily, she yanked the collar of her jacket up and pulled it forward.

Humiliation burned in her chest, hot tears welling up and splashing down her cheeks.

But objectively speaking, she couldn’t entirely blame him. Who asked her to be so forward? It had happened. They were both adults now—she’d have to face the consequences of her own mistake.

First things first—back to school. Her graduation thesis wasn’t going to write itself.

Just as she turned to leave, her eyes landed on the card the bastard had left behind. She’d scoffed at it earlier, but if she just walked away and someone else found it, things could get messy.

She approached the front desk. "Excuse me, the gentleman from Room 1818 seems to have left his bank card behind. Could you help contact him?"

The staff member smiled professionally, tapping away at the computer. "Sorry, miss, but there’s no record of a guest in Room 1818 in our system."

"What?" She’d never heard of anyone checking into a hotel without registration. This bastard really was scum.

"Then… could you hold onto the card for me?"

"Sorry, miss, but we don’t store valuables. If it goes missing, we wouldn’t be able to take responsibility."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Here’s what we can do—you take the card with you, but leave your phone number. If the gentleman comes looking for it, we’ll contact you."

She’d sooner die than see that vile bastard again, but she had no choice.

...

Jiangcheng University buzzed with youthful energy.

For the seniors, graduation was just two months away. Some had already started internships, and she’d be leaving campus soon after finishing her thesis.

This place—soon, it wouldn’t be hers anymore. The thought left Lin Xiaonuan feeling hollow.

She made her way to the computer lab on the third floor, slipping into her usual spot at the back. She was the only one in her class without a laptop, so she always came here to work on her thesis.

The moment she booted up the computer, a sharp pain twisted in her stomach.

Had she eaten something bad last night? Clutching her abdomen, she bolted for the restroom.

The moment she stepped inside, a familiar voice reached her ears—her cousin, Lin Xuanxuan, was on a video call.

The man’s voice on the other end was crystal clear too.

"Brother Lu, what are you up to? I miss you so much~" Lin Xuanxuan’s voice was sickeningly sweet.

Lu Yuan chuckled from the other end. "Miss you too, baby. I’m at the office right now. Let’s meet at our usual spot after work—be sure to shower first, alright?"

"You’re such a tease."

"Men aren’t charming if they’re not a little bad. Don’t you love it when I’m naughty, you little vixen?"

They fell into a flurry of flirtatious banter…

Lin Xiaonuan’s blood ran cold. Lu Yuan was cheating on her—with her own cousin? And from the sound of it, this wasn’t some one-time thing.

Her fists clenched tightly, anger simmering beneath the surface, but she forced herself to stay silent.

"Did you finish your thesis?" Lu Yuan asked.

"My dad’s the chairman of Lin Real Estate Group. Even the school principal has to give him face. If I feel like writing it, I write it. If I don’t, no one dares to pressure me."

"Yes, yes, we all know how powerful your dad is. By the way, has Lin Xiaonuan come back to school?" Lu Yuan asked.

Lin Xuanxuan’s tone soured. "Why are you still thinking about that wretch?"

Lu Yuan quickly clarified, "Baby, my heart belongs to you. I was just worried last night’s plan might’ve gone wrong."

"She hasn’t come back yet. That idiot Lin Xiaonuan probably got eaten alive by that old pervert by now—she’s probably still at the hotel, basking in his ‘attention,’" Lin Xuanxuan sneered. "Let’s see her keep up her act in front of me now."

"Your idea was perfect. Getting her to come to the dinner party last night—our boss Zhu is a notorious lecher. He must’ve pounced on her the moment she stepped into the room."

"My little sister may not have any real talents, but she sure knows how to play the innocent saint while secretly being a heartless seductress. Ugh, the hypocrisy—"

"Oh, did you put the stuff I gave you in her drink? You didn’t forget, did you?" Lin Xuanxuan pressed.

"Do you even have to ask? She started acting weird within minutes. I took the opportunity to get her upstairs, and then Boss Zhu went in after her. He promised me a promotion to department head after this."

"Thank god for that pill. Otherwise, would she have gone along with it so easily? Normally, she wouldn’t even let me kiss her, but look at how she serviced Boss Zhu—she’s still not back yet."

The thought of Lin Xiaonuan’s perfect figure—something he’d never even touched—being enjoyed by that old man left Lu Yuan seething with envy.

"What’s that tone? Jealous?" Lin Xuanxuan snapped.

"Of course not. That poor little thing? She’s not even fit to be your maid. My heart belongs to you. If she were handed to me on a silver platter, I wouldn’t want her."

Lu Yuan groveled like a whipped dog to keep Lin Xuanxuan happy.

Back then, he’d assumed Lin Xiaonuan was wealthy because she visited a villa every weekend and was stunningly beautiful—so he’d pursued her.

But once he discovered she was just a country girl while Lin Xuanxuan was the real heiress, he’d swiftly switched allegiances.

He hadn’t broken things off with Lin Xiaonuan not because he loved her, but because he’d been biding his time, lusting after her body.

And now, she’d been stolen by that old man. The regret burned in his chest—not because he’d lost her, but because he hadn’t even gotten a taste of her himself…

"Brother Lu, why don’t I talk to my dad and get you a job at our company? I’ll ask him to put you in charge of a whole department."

Lu Yuan’s heart soared, but he forced a refusal. "No way. That’d be like living off your family’s money. I want to earn everything myself so I can give you the life you deserve."

...

Lin Xiaonuan listened to their nauseating sweet talk, her rage boiling over until her stomachache vanished completely.

She’d thought last night’s bastard was just some drunk who’d wandered into the wrong room. But no—that "old man" was Boss Zhu, Lu Yuan’s boss.

She’d been played.

Fury gave her strength. With a kick, she flung open the stall door.

"Lin Xuanxuan, are you two even human? Disgusting—"

Lin Xuanxuan, mid-squat on the toilet, yelped in shock. Lu Yuan, hearing the commotion, immediately hung up and went radio silent.

Lin Xuanxuan knew exactly how to handle Lin Xiaonuan—she wasn’t afraid in the slightest.

Her eyes flicked to the hickey on Lin Xiaonuan’s neck, then to the torn hem of her skirt. A wicked smile spread across her face.

"Look at you, all prim and proper on the outside, but you’re actually a little wildcat, huh? Did you enjoy last night?"

Lin Xiaonuan seized her cousin’s wrist. "Why did you do this to me?"

"Ow, let go or I’ll have my dad ruin your life. No graduation diploma for you, and no more medical bills for your mom either."

Lin Xiaonuan froze. Slowly, she released her grip. She couldn’t afford to act impulsively—her diploma wasn’t worth risking her mother’s treatment.

She smirked coldly. "Don’t worry, I won’t hit you."

"Lu Yuan sold me out just as easily as he’ll sell you out one day. Don’t get too smug."

"You—you—Brother Lu would never do that to me. I can give him money and love. What can you give him?"

Lin Xiaonuan didn’t even flare up. "That loser’s all yours now. You two deserve each other."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Lin Xuanxuan shivered despite herself as she watched Lin Xiaonuan’s retreating back.

Four years ago, when this country cousin had first arrived in Jiangcheng, Lin Xuanxuan had despised her with every fiber of her being, subjecting her to endless torment.

But Lin Xiaonuan—damn her—was like a cockroach, impossible to crush, annoyingly resilient…