President Mu Tian strode out of the hotel lobby with an air of indifference. His bold demeanour, handsome-chiselled features, and a tall, straight silhouette exuded a cold, murderous aura that made people fear breathing-in, let alone sharing the same s.p.a.ce with him. It was said, be it a man or a woman, one could only avoid crossing paths with this fine specimen of a man. However, not everybody was lucky enough to get on with their lives without provoking the big bad wolf and could only suffer in silence. (T/N: well you haven’t guessed it wrong, it is the female lead whose bad days our coming. Just take it as she’s virtually blind in perceiving trouble throughout the novel. In future, you might wanna punch her in the face.)

In front of the hotel, Old drive Liu waiting by the car, respectfully opened the door of the black Bentley. Xi Mu Tian gracefully slid into the backseat and the car made its way out. Mu tian gently pressed his long slender fingers against his creased forehead cursing inwardly for drinking a little to much.

Old Liu, a.s.sessing the scene through the rear-view mirror, humbly suggested, “Would you need a prescription for that headache/hangover?” President Xi grinningly answered, “No need. Open the windows, I want to feel the wind outside.”

As the windows rolled down, a burst of warm night breeze carrying tender pink petals swept across President Xi’s face. Mu Tian with his subtle frown could not help but admire the blooming cherry blossoms that beautifully adorned the road on both sides.

On one side, the cherry blossom petals drifted along the sparkling river in the dull iridescent night light painting an amazingly seductive picture. In Mu Tian’s eyes, the light coming from the lampposts over the meandering river made it look like a necklace of clear glistening pearls. It seemed otherworldly.

“Stop the car. I’m going to take a walk. You wait for me in the car.”

Old Liu in his surprise swept a glance at his boss and parked the car by the roadside. Opening the door, Mu Tian stepped out of the car and couldn’t help but steal a long deep- calming breath in this deep surreal night. 

While taking the steps along the path that lead to the riverside below, Mu Tian could see the willow trees on the sides sprouting new baby leaves as the winter breeze dissipated, carrying with it bold spring colours.

At the riverfront, Mu Tian took a few steps towards the benches meant for visitors to relax and enjoy the view. He sits down, leans his broad back on the bench and breathes in the tranquility that makes his headache almost disappear. However, as he began to feel at peace, a burst of wail-like singing, mixed with lewd curses entered his hears, which only got clearer and nearer by the second. (T/N: male lead be going like– WTF! Also, the song that is said to be sung here is just a made up song which is being vented out by the person in question. Please people who have had a heartbreak recently don’t ask me about the song later its fict.i.tious like the book itself.)

“Love is nothing but a game…. it’s nothing surprising…. hiccup!….. man is nothing but a toy….. hiccup!….. what is this L.O.V.E!!??…. hiccup!…. what is meant by love……. I do not give a d.a.m.n if the man I like is rich or poor…. hiccup!….. I do not miss a man…… No magic whatsoever… hiccup!… ZHOU HANG!

YOU MOTHERf.u.c.kER, YOU GO DIE! YOU CHEAP MAN… MAY YOUR MOTHER (referring to herself strangely)FIND A MAN 1000 TIMES BETTER THAN YOU, YOU CRAZY b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!…… hiccup!”

Moving his curious gaze towards the source of the wailing, Mu Tian could see that not far from where he sat a woman was trying to walk towards his direction. In her drunken stupor, the woman was staggering on her two feet, one foot stumbling, while the other barely holding her up. She was swaying like a leaf barely keeping herself of the ground. The scene made Mu Tian frown and tighten his lips thin in disgust. To see a woman wail and complain out of nowhere in the middle of the night while being completely hungover, for President Xi nothing could be more hateful. Especially when it ruined his rare time of peace.

As Xi Mu Tian stood up and picked up his pace to walk back, the woman ran unceremoniously towards his front causing a small collision between the two. Instinctively, Mu Tian held her arms being conscious of her drunken state while the woman in her attempt to find stable support slumped most of her weight on him.As  she wrapped herself on him like a koala bear, she began giggling,

“Hehehe (laugh-laugh)…..MEN!!… hiccup!…. You are ALSO a MAN…. Great Ah!!…… I tell you… hiccup!…. Men are b.a.s.t.a.r.ds… SIMPLY b.a.s.t.a.r.dS!

As she said this, her tiny hands clutched the tie and tucked him towards her. This sudden action made Mu Tian throw the woman directly into the river. Even if he could not throw her in the river, he simply wanted to throw her of himself. Since pitying a woman wasn’t a part of his etiquette, he could only pull her off him. 

Mu Tian suddenly clenched his hands around her wrists, one by one taking of her fingers of his tie in disgust. He then pushed her heavily making the drunk woman unsteady on her feet causing her to fall flat on the ground without the strength to getup.

Turning to leave, Mu tian takes two steps when he looks back at the woman lying motionlessly on the ground like a frozen corpse. He sighs and cursing inwardly walks towards the woman and bends down down to check on her. However, not a second later, the woman immediately clings onto Mu Tian while slyly giggling,

“Hehehe…. Caught you!… you are a dead man now…. cannot run anymore…. cannot run from me… hehe!!!!”

This was actually true. As the veins popped out on his forehead in annoyance, Mu Tian could not understand why he bothered with this woman when usually he remained indifferent and chose not to interfere in the matters of others. Today, he was acting bizarre enough to let a drunk woman cling onto him.

Weighing down what was wrong with him presently, a cold glint appeared in his eyes. Mu Tian resolved again on pus.h.i.+ng those clinging lean arms away from his squatting body. But the woman renewed her efforts to push herself relentlessly onto him unexpectedly landing beneath him on the ground. This scene unwittingly exposed her silky long black hair, lean white limbs and soft jade-like appearance under the night light.

Mu Tian froze in surprise and squinted his eyes towards her face. She had a very young face, probably about 20 yrs of age, gentle appearance with no makeup, not beautiful but somewhat alluring, unlike a woman who would walk on the streets drunk at midnight. 

Upon studying her closely, the woman gently opened her eyes revealing water-like eyes with a thin layer of mist reflecting an iridescent light that instantly lit her whole face revealing soft facial features that made her a delicate beauty.

In his bewilderment, Mu Tian didn’t notice when the woman gently snaked her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her body, raising her lips towards his, and slowly fixing hers on his. As the kiss ended, his frown deepened. He looked right at her without blinking his eyes, and without pus.h.i.+ng her away.

His gaze seemed aloof, distant. The woman wasn’t happy with his response and once again chose to fiercely hook her a arms around him pulling his whole body on her. She tried to pry his lips open by gently nibbling on his lower lip, biting seductively. At this moment, his eyes flashed a sultry gleam that in seconds vanished in the depths of his dark eyes.

Tempted by his desire, Mu Tian slipped his arms around her waist, holding her closer to the warmth of his body. He embraced her tightly so his body could feel hers. Slowly he opened his lips, pushed his cold tongue in the depth of her mouth, playing with her tongue, enjoying the faint taste of her drunken sweetness… until the woman became breathless and pushed him off. 

As he unwillingly let go of the woman, he mentally acknowledged that the woman tasted temptingly ‘delicious’.

The heat from pa.s.sionate kissing session and the alcohol in her body made Xia Xi Jin’s brain turn into mush. She felt extremely light-headed. The discomfort vaguely reminded her that today was simply the worst day of her life because today was the day when her ‘beloved’ boyfriend got happily married to somebody who wasn’t her. For her, only people with dog-blood bad luck faced such situations and now she hated that she had such luck.

She and Zhou Hang got acquainted in their soph.o.m.ore year in college. Zhou Hang was a tall, good-looking man, with a respectable family background that reflected in his pleasant and cheerful nature. This inevitably made him popular at their prestigious university, causing Xi Jin to receive much envy and scorn for her romantic relations.h.i.+p with him later.

Although her relations.h.i.+p with Zhou Hang had a few b.u.mps along the way, they had  managed to keep their relations.h.i.+p afloat. But after entering the society as working adults, Zhou Hang’s success in securing a position in a sizeable publis.h.i.+ng house in the city had put him at odds with Xi Jin who enjoyed writing web novels in the peace of her home which also barely made her any money to lead a decent life. And so, he would often criticise Xi Jin for lacking ambition and argue with her endlessly. 

Simply put, Xia Xi Jin could never understand why Zhou Hang wouldn’t count writing web novels as a full-time career. (T/N: My family doesn’t either. If they knew I was translating a romance c-novel, they’d probably shovel me in the yard. And mind you, I’m 25) She did not steal, relied on the fruits of her labour and made an honest living so she could afford the rice and fish she ate. How could then one call her ‘ambition-less’.

Being inspired by Cao Xueqin[1] who spent a decade working on the Cla.s.sic Dream of Red Chamber in abstract poverty, Xi Jin felt that if Xueqin had not dedicated his life to his writings without giving a d.a.m.n about the world then he wouldn’t be recognised for his immortal piece of work. However not everybody felt so, especially Zhou Hang who would mockingly ask her, “Xia Xi Jin, do you think you are Cao Xueqin? Even if you aspire to be him, do you know how he suffered in his death?” Without waiting for her reply, he would reply, “I’ll tell you. he died miserably, starved to death. Even the porridge he bought was on credit. Are you ready to await such a life and death? Sorry Xi Jin, I can’t follow such a path.”

Unfortunately, this had also been the last argument she had with him before he broke all contact with her and did not appear again until a fortnight later when he brought her his precious wedding invite.

Initially, she had felt that he required s.p.a.ce and would’t bother him, and later he would come back like the many times he had done before. But seeing the bright red wedding invitation with his name on it as the groom but not hers as his bride gave her a huge setback, especially when she found out that the bride to-be was none other than a fellow cla.s.smate from the university who also happened to be Zhou Hang’s boss’s niece, Zhao Jia Qi.

At one point in time, Xi Jin had felt that Qi Qi was the stupidest girl in campus. She had always felt a sense of hostility from this naive girl. This girl would telepathically send her the daggers while being super-friendly with Zhou Hang. Now, Xi Jin could clearly understand the reason, it was love rivalry. b.i.a.t.c.hhh..!!!!

Bringing her attention back to the man who had professed his love for Xi Jin countless times before, she heard Zhou Hang hurriedly explain, “Qi Qi is pregnant…. Soo…… Xi Jin, I’m sorry…. But then.. Qi Qi said you must come to the wedding…. you know.. we were all cla.s.smates. Right!?” (T/N: somebody punch this fictional b.a.s.t.a.r.d between his fictional pair of nuts)

After hearing this, Xia Xi Jin’s anger shot through the roof, she felt like screaming her lungs out. She could barely get over the fact that the woman who wanted to be his closest confidante not long ago was now going to be his b.l.o.o.d.y bride. No wonder people said Red next to yellow kills a fellow. (T/N: I have no idea what this literally means but i’m guessing being close to poisonous people would kill you and in this case red is Qi Qi and yellow is that a.s.shole Zhou Hang and together they’ve f.u.c.ked our MC over. Am i right??? please share your thoughts)

Xia Xi Jin clearly understood what Zhao Jia Qi wanted was to publicly humiliate her. Inviting the ex-gf to the wedding was Qi Qi’s way of starting a psychological warfare with Xi Jin so she could place the crown of glory on herself while feigning innocence. Xi Jin thought this was hilariously ridiculous. 

At this moment, Zhou Hang hesitated to open his mouth and said, “if it……is.. too difficult then…” However, before he could finish what he wanted to say, Xi Jin had already made up her mind to attend the wedding. She may have lacked ambition and looked easy-going but she had remembered her foster mother’s life lessons– One might not get what one desired or dreamed of and so may give up but one must always stand up for one’s pride and dignity, so one could face people head on. 

So, Xi Jin at the wedding venue bravely faced the ridicule and the pity in people eyes and resolved to persevere till the very end. But she could not help but feel miserable and especially a huge failure looking at the happy couple, and thus she hurriedly escaped the ceremony. 

Later Xi Jin had resorted to drinking to ease the pain.

It was actually Xi Jin’s first time drinking at a bar. Later, when walking out of the bar towards the riverside, Xia Xi Jin had never expected that she would cross paths with Xi Mu Tian. Earlier, Mu Tian had been drinking at the same hotel bar as her. She had observed him closely at that time and had sensed that Mu Tian was a far superior specimen than anyone she had met, even her ex, Zhou Hang.

Now, weighing in the current situation, Xi Jin had no longer felt like a timid mouse like she did a few moments ago, instead she felt like a lioness ready to pounce. Whether it was because of the liquid courage that gave her a deep sense of thrill, or simply the superior quality of man in her arms, Xia Xi Jin finally took a few deep breaths and tugged his tie towards her body, seductively muttering’

“Let’s do it!”

[1] Cao Xueqin was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty. He is best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Cla.s.sical Novels of Chinese literature. Cao achieved posthumous fame through his life’s work.