Volume 1, Chapter 19: A man who is three parts drunk can act until you are moved to tears.

Ling Dongyan’s warm fingertips traced slowly over her skin, leaving a trail of tremors in their wake that drew soft, involuntary whimpers from her lips.

"Yanyan..."

He murmured her name over and over, kissing her with every breath, as if trying to reassure himself, again and again, that she was truly there beside him. Mere kisses were no longer enough to satisfy him. Ling Dongyan buried his face in the crook of her neck, nipping and suckling at her skin as though determined to leave an indelible mark upon her.

Nie Xingyan felt a wave of numbness wash over her—a mix of itch and ache. She tried to push him away several times, but the weight of his upper body pinned her down. Every time she moved, his grip only tightened.

"Don't leave me."

Ling Dongyan whispered, his eyes suddenly fluttering open. His handsome eyes were damp, as if they had been soaked in water. At first glance, he looked like a homeless puppy caught in the rain—pitiful and forlorn. His usually cold, sharp features appeared fragile, as if he had truly been abandoned by someone.

"You're drunk," Nie Xingyan said, dismissing his words as the ramblings of intoxication.

He was unwilling to waste even a second of her sweet, fragrant presence. As soon as she finished speaking, his soft lips pressed firmly against hers once more. A sigh of satisfaction escaped Ling Dongyan’s lips.

Nie Xingyan felt dazed, completely swept away by him, stripped of any power to save herself. She wanted to hide, but her body felt weak and boneless. She wanted to flee, but Ling Dongyan pressed in closer with every move. He consumed her reason, his every action a clamor for possession.

Outside, thunder rolled, but the temperature in the living room continued to climb.

*Crack!* Another deafening bolt of lightning struck. Nie Xingyan looked toward the window in a haze. The massive floor-to-ceiling glass reflected the two of them entwined in a passionate embrace—her own expression of bewitching surrender, her body soft and yielding in a state of ecstasy. Seeing herself in the reflection, she was struck by a memory: that night five years ago seemed just like this.

Could this Ling Dongyan be the same one from before? Surely not. She, too, had long since been carved into something unrecognizable by the blade of vengeance. Yet, today, she had fallen for him all over again.

"No!"

She snapped back to reality, her senses rushing home in an instant. She shoved Ling Dongyan away with all her might. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her face flushed and glistening, radiating an even deeper, tender glow.

Ling Dongyan didn't seem surprised at all. He gave a bitter laugh and reached out to stroke her cheek, his voice dropping to a low, heavy register. "Yanyan, do you want to leave me again?"

He lowered his head, whispering to himself in self-mockery, "Right. You’ve always been like this. Every time I wake up, you’re gone..."

He sounded as if he were still talking in his sleep. "But today, I don't want to let you go."

He climbed over her once more. "My own dreams—I should be the one to decide them!"

Before she could react, Ling Dongyan pulled her back into his arms. This time, he didn't kiss her; he simply held her in a tight, desperate embrace. Nie Xingyan was certain he was drunk. Her rapid, frantic heartbeat slowly began to steady. Gradually, the sound of rhythmic, even breathing reached her ears. Ling Dongyan had actually fallen asleep while holding her.

Nie Xingyan called his name a few times, but there was no response. Even on a large sofa, it was a bit cramped for two adults to lie side by side. Seeing that he hadn't moved for a long time, she slowly lifted her head to look at him.

His sleeping face was peaceful. He had a broad forehead, thick and well-defined brows, and eyelashes longer than a woman’s. His nose was straight and elegant, and there was a small mole on the right side of his nostril. Had that mole always been there? She hadn't noticed it before.

Her hand moved of its own accord to trace the contour of his lips. Thinking of their uninhibited kissing moments ago, her face began to heat up again. *Will he forget this tomorrow?* she wondered. *How much can a person remember when they're blacked-out drunk? I should just treat this as a dream.*

But, she mused, how was he so skilled at kissing? She had been entirely at his mercy.

During the earlier struggle, several buttons on Ling Dongyan’s shirt had been pulled off, leaving it open to reveal his chest. Unlike the lean, thin frame he had five years ago, his muscles were now perfectly toned and felt solid to the touch.

Nie Xingyan felt like a predator, taking advantage of him while he slept. Being alone in the room with him made her throat feel parched; it felt as if her very mouth was filled with his scent and essence. She couldn't stay here any longer.

The temperature in the living room was comfortable, so she didn't have to worry about him catching a cold. She went to the kitchen and drank a glass of cold water in one gulp, finally feeling the heat in her chest subside slightly.

She walked quickly, stepping over his long legs to reach the stairs. In her hurry, her foot kicked something, and a sharp *rustle* echoed through the room. Assuming it was Ling Dongyan’s phone, she decided to pick it up. To her surprise, it was a document folder.

Privacy was a sensitive matter, and it could have been a business secret, so she initially intended to put it back exactly where it was. But then, something slid out of the folder.

The words "Huaibei Street" caught her eye. Nie Xingyan’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and she froze.

She glanced back at Ling Dongyan, who lay sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep. *What does Ling Dongyan have to do with Huaibei Street?*

In a flash of lightning, images of her causing a scene at the Ling family estate flooded her mind. Now that she thought about it, Ling Dongyan had arrived shortly after she did. Was it a coincidence, or was he involved from the start? Recalling what he had said at the club earlier, the situation felt increasingly wrong.

*Open it and see,* a voice in her head urged. *What harm could looking do?*

She carefully slid the document out and scanned the first page. Her blood ran cold in an instant. The bold heading, "Huaibei Street Acquisition Plan," felt like a dagger to her heart. Ignoring the risk of waking him, she flipped through the pages frantically until she reached the end, where the official red seal and Ling Dongyan’s signature were displayed.

The "Ling" was written in a sweeping, calligraphic style—the same one she had seen just moments ago. There was no mistake.

Her vision blurred, and she nearly collapsed. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to shake Ling Dongyan awake and ask him if it were true. Why was fate playing such a cruel joke on her? The person she believed to be the mastermind was merely a puppet, and the person she thought was her lifeline was the true architect of her downfall.

If she hadn't discovered this today, how else would he have toyed with her? He had been standing by her side all this time, watching her like a joke! It was even more laughable that she had been such a fool, moved to tears by his drunken ramblings.

*A man’s drunken words are nothing but a performance to make you cry.* She hadn't believed it before, but now that reality had slapped her in the face, she finally understood.

She trembled with rage, but felt utterly helpless. She took out her phone and photographed the entire plan, including the seal and signature at the end. Once finished, she tucked the documents back into the folder and replaced them exactly as she had found them, as if she had never seen a thing.

Nie Xingyan scrubbed her lips hard, as if she could wipe away the lingering feeling of their intimate, seductive encounter. She let out a disgusted scoff. To think she had offered him her kisses—she wanted to slap herself into oblivion.

She must have been out of her mind to be seduced by the sweet lies of a drunken dog! She had almost let things go too far.

She could not stay here any longer, lest she find herself unable to resist the urge to kill him.