"Leaving soon?"Jianyu's voice cut through the ballroom like a blade. Cold and mocking.Yuyan froze mid-step with Liang Shen's hand steady at the small of her back. She had almost made it to the exit, almost slipped into the safety of his shadow.Almost.But Jianyu was there blocking the golden doors. Black suit, darker eyes, and a smile like sin itself.Jianyu's voice cut through the air, smooth but edged with steel. "You forgot Shen. She's here because I invited her."The crowd didn't notice but she felt it. The air shifted like a current pulling her back to him.Liang Shen didn't flinch, didn't snarl the way she thought he would. Instead, he gave a low chuckle, velvet and dangerous. "Then take care of her, Jianyu. You always did have… reckless taste."His fingers brushed against hers light and fleeting. Not affection, a warning, and then he let go.Her stomach dropped, her throat burned. She wanted to scream, to run, to cling to something anything but Jianyu's hand closed around her waist firm and final. No chance of escape.The last thing she saw before the door shut behind her was Liang Shen's smile. Calm as if he had given her up on purpose. And that thought scared her most of all.The night air caught her lungs cold and sharp as she stumbled on the marble steps, heels slipping. Jianyu didn't slow or glance back he dragged her straight into the waiting dark. A black car waited at the curb sleek and silent. Its glass was tainted so deep that it looked like a mirror.He yanked the door open, pushed her inside, then slid in after her. The lock clicked shut before she could breathe. The driver didn't turn or speak. The car glided forward, smooth as silk.And then there was silence. It was just the two of them.Leather seats, the low hum of the engine, city lights slicing past the windows, flashing across Jianyu's face.He lounged in the corner like he owned the world. Elbow on the armrest, collar loose, showing a line of skin, and rings catching faint neon.His eyes never left her, heavy and unblinking. She pressed her knees tight together hands knotted in her lap as her pulse wouldn't be steady. "Still shaking?" His voice was soft, too soft and cruel. "Or is it heat?"She turned to the window. The city blurred by…. Red, gold, and blue. Anything but him. A mistake. His hand landed on her thigh, wide palm, fingers spread, heat burning through her dress.She jerked but his grip stayed firm. "Sit still," he murmured.The car jolted over a bump, his rings dragged higher, cold metal scraping her skin.Her breath hitched. "Stop," she hissed.He chuckled low. "Why? Shen already saw you tremble for me. Do you want me to pretend you didn't?"Shame burned her throat, she curled her nails into her palm."You're disgusting.""Mm." His thumb drew lazy circles inside her leg. Too close and knowing. "And you're mine."She turned on him, fury sparking. "I'm not…"The car swerved around a curve, and her body slammed into his. Chest to shoulder, his scent wrapped her whole like smoke and spice. Her lips parted in shock. And his smile cut sharp. "Careful, sweetheart. The city might think you're begging."Heat coiled low, ugly, and unwanted. It made her bones ache, her skin prickle. She shoved herself back against the door, breath ragged. His hand still stayed firm and claiming. A brand that wouldn't lift.The silence that pressed in wasn't calm, it was thick and heavy.Yuyan stared at the lights racing past, each one burned like a countdown.Breathe, focus, revenge. She repeated it in her head. Anything but him.But Jianyu leaned close, his lips brushing her ear."You're not walking into his bed tonight, sweetheart."Her chest seized as his rings dug harder into her skin."You're walking into mine."
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The elevator doors slid shut. No music, no voices, just the hum of the lift and her heartbeat pounding in her ears.Jianyu stood too close leaning like it was nothing. Hands in his pockets as if her lungs weren't fighting for air. Floor forty, forty-five, fifty.She pressed herself into a corner mask still covering her half face but his eyes never moved, not once."Still hiding?" His voice was low, smooth, too amused. The elevator chimed, and the doors opened. His world spread wide, not a home a cage. Glass walls from floor to ceiling. The whole city burned beneath them. Darkness pressed outside the windows like it wanted in.Marble floors, sharp and cold a space too clean too perfect like walking into the edge of a blade.She barely had time to breathe before he reached.With one flick of his fingers, the silk tie snapped loose. Her mask dropped her porcelain hit the floor and rolled away. Gone. Her face bare, her secret gone with it."Say it," Jianyu's thumb brushed her cheek, too soft. Too cruel. "Your real name."Her lips burned, her throat tightened, she spat the work like venom. "Yuyan."His smile was victory. "Good girl."Heat rushed to her cheeks. Anger, shame, and something worse.She shoved his chest, nails digging through the fabric.He caught her wrist and pinned them high above her head. Step by step, dragging her back until the glass froze her spine. The city's neon glared behind him, painting his shoulders with fire.Then his mouth crashed onto hers. Not tender, not gentle, or a kiss. A theft.Her curse broke into his mouth but he laughed into her lips. Her rage snapped as she clawed at his shirt, buttons flying, fabric tearing under her nails. The sound was rough, desperate, louder than her breath. He pushed harder turning every struggle into fire and every fight he swallowed whole."Keep going," Jianyu breathed, his chest hot against hers. "Scratch me. Bite me. Just don't fool yourself into thinking that you're winning."Her dress strap slipped under his knuckle as he dragged it down, silk sliding. One shoulder bare than the other. Cold air kisses her skin, his hand followed… palm rough, rings scraping her soft flesh.Her throat closed she hated it. She hated how it lit every nerve, how her knees bent instead of standing firm."I hate you," she spat, voice shaking. His mouth curved dark. "Then prove it."Her nails sank deep, his shirt ripped wider baring his chest, skin hot and unyielding. She should've frozen but her body betrayed her heat, tremor, and a hunger she refused to name.Her chest rose too fast as his mouth dropped lower. Curses slipped into gasps into broken sounds that weren't words at all. He pressed closer, his weight locking her against the glass as her reflection stared back… face raw and undone. His voice coiled against her throat. "This is where it ends, Yuyan."His lips brushed her jaw, his teeth grazed her throat. "Revenge won't save you here."His breath scorched her ear, dragging a shudder down through her body. "It ends on your knees."Her heart stopped. "… with my name on your tongue."The city burned below, her pulse burned hotter.She couldn't tell anymore… was she trapped? Or was she already falling?
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The glass burned cold against her back as his breath burned hotter. Her dress clung halfway down, silk clinging to her skin, the rest sliding loose like a question left unanswered. The city lights bled through the glass painting her red and gold like she was caught between a dream and reality.His lips brushed along her jaw slow and rough. The scrap of his ring left faint trails across her shoulder. Every breath and sound between cracked the air open."You think anger can hide you?" His voice was low and steady. Her pulse skipped. "It's all I have left."He smiled against her throat. "Then let me take that too."The words hit harder than his touch ever did and she hated him for it. She hated herself more for the way her body trembled for him.His hand slid to her back pressing her close until her breath caught against his chest and the space between them disappeared.Every move was like a question and every sound an answer she couldn't form. She turned, half a push, half a plea but his laugh brushed against her mouth rough and quiet. "Look at me," he said. She didn't answer. She couldn't because looking at him would mean surrender. He caught her chin, forcing her gaze up. The city fractured in the glass behind him splitting her reflection into two. The woman she showed the world and the woman breaking under his touch.Her breath hitched as a small sound escaped her throat, soft and real.He caught it and answered with a sound of his own. Low, dark, and a vibration that sank into her bones.The room became heat and heartbeat as everything else disappeared.She tried to speak but her voice cracked. "You think this makes you win?"He leaned closer as his breath burned her skin. "Sweetheart, this isn't about winning."His voice dropped to a whisper. "This is about how far you'll fall before you stop pretending you don't want to."Her hands shook, she could feel his heartbeat under her palms steady and merciless.Outside, the city lights kept flashing… sirens, lights, noise like the world was warning her.She didn't move.His lips brushed her ear. "Say my name."She stayed silent."Say it," he whispered again, rougher this time.A pause, then barely a breath. "Jianyu."Something changed in his eyes as the smirk fell away. And for a heartbeat, he looked human, but then it was gone replaced by the same cold dark edge."Good girl," he murmured.Her pulse spiked. Her knees weakened, she hated herself for the heat crawling up her neck, and for the way her breath came uneven.He traced her face slowly, almost tender. "Now you know," he said, his voice quieter. "You can't fight fire without getting burned."The world tilted. And for a second, she couldn't tell who was burning anymore.Then his tone shifted again, smooth and sharp. "Don't forget, sweetheart."He stepped back leaving her trembling as her reflection still shook in the glass. "This is only round one."Her breath hitched. He smiled slow and dangerous. "Tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere that no one can save you."The elevator chimed behind him. He turned, stepped inside, and was gone. The doors closed, the city lights blinked below.And she stood there, and wondered. Was she already falling?