Sunlight crept quietly into the room, slipping past the curtains and landing across the bed.
Song Yue let out a low groan as she stirred. Her head throbbed painfully, as if someone had been hammering it all night. Her mouth felt dry, her limbs heavy, and everything about her body felt wrong.
She slowly opened her eyes.
The ceiling above her was unfamiliar.
The bed beneath her wasn't hers either.
Her heart skipped. She turned her head—and froze.
There was a man lying beside her.
"Aah—!" Song Yue screamed, grabbing the nearest pillow and swinging it with all her strength.
Li Meiran reacted instantly. He caught the pillow midair and sat up sharply, his expression dark. "Are you insane?"
Song Yue scrambled upright, fury and panic flooding her at once. She grabbed his collar with one hand, shaking slightly. "What did you do to me?!"
He leaned closer instead of pulling away, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Why don't you guess?"
"You—!" Her voice trembled with anger. "You bullied me!"
Li Meiran laughed softly, low and dangerous. "Wrong," he said. "If anyone was bullied last night, it was me."
He tugged his robe aside slightly.
Red marks stood out clearly against his pale skin.
"Look closely," he said calmly.
Song Yue's breath caught. She stared at his chest, disbelief written all over her face.
"Did I really do that?"
"I'm asking you again, where's my wallet?" Li Meiran's voice dropped into a cold, dangerous hush. "If you don't hand it over, I'll tell everyone exactly what happened today, adding with my own fiction. Let's see how your clean reputation really would become."
Any ordinary girl might have panicked at those words.
Howeve,r Song Yue didn't.
Her lips pressed into a thin line, anger simmering just beneath the surface. This shameless bastard had cornered her, humiliated her, and now he wanted to blackmail her too?
"You want your wallet?" she said coolly, turning her face away. "Fine. But you promise you won't say a single word about today. Not to anyone."
Li Meiran's eyes narrowed slightly. "I never go back on my word."
She lifted her hand toward him.
Instinctively, he leaned back, nose wrinkling. Even now, the faint smell of alcohol lingered around her.
"Don't touch me."
"There's something in your hair," Song Yue said calmly.
He froze. "What?"
Before he could react, her fingers brushed past his ear.
The next second, his diamond earring was gone.
Li Meiran's pupils shrank. "You—!"
Song Yue stretched her arm as far away as possible, dangling the earring between her fingers. "If you dare spread rumors," she said evenly, "you'll never get this back."
Rage flashed across his face. His hand shot out, clamping around her throat.
"Stupid girl," he snarled. "You're playing with fire."
Pain flared, her breath hitching—but he released her almost immediately. Disgust flickered across his eyes, as if touching her for even a second offended him.
Song Yue staggered back, not wasting the chance. She jumped off the bed at once. "I don't have your wallet with me. It's at my house. I'll go get it."
Li Meiran stared at her, chest rising and falling.
Wallet stolen.
Earring stolen.
This girl was provoking him again and again.
But he needed his things back.
"Fine," he said coldly. "Get dressed. We're leaving."
Song Yue grabbed the dress from the sofa and rushed into the bathroom. Her heart pounded as her thoughts raced. When she came out a few minutes later, the suite was empty.
She hurried into the corridor and spotted Li Meiran already walking ahead, calm and composed, not sparing her a single glance.
Typical.
Without hesitation, she bolted past him.
"Hey!" he barked. "Where do you think you're going?"
"My wallet is at home!" she shouted over her shoulder. "Come to school tomorrow if you want it!"
Tomorrow?
Li Meiran's expression darkened. He lunged after her.
Song Yue sprinted straight toward the VIP lounge and shoved the door open.
She stopped short.
Lan Xia and Sikong Jue were sprawled on the sofa, fast asleep, clothes messy, and their posture seemed far too close that it was obvious that they made out.
"Oh hell no," Song Yue hissed.
"Lan Xia! Wake up!" She shook her friend hard.
Lan Xia jolted awake. Sikong Jue stirred as well.
Their eyes met.
Both of them recoiled instantly, as if burned.
"Ah—!" Lan Xia slapped him without hesitation.
Sikong Jue snapped fully awake, his face darkening. "What are you doing? You were the one who..."
Lan Xia didn't listen. She grabbed Song Yue's hand and dragged her toward the door.
Once outside, Song Yue whispered urgently, "What happened?"
"What do you think?" Lan Xia's voice trembled. "I don't want him. I never wanted him."
Before Song Yue could respond, footsteps approached.
Li Meiran strode into the lounge.
Sikong Jue glanced up lazily. "So? Did you finally punish that little vixen?"
Li Meiran's jaw tightened. "I'm a Duke," he said flatly. "What do you think?"
He turned and walked away without another word.
Sikong Jue stood where he was and watched Li Meiran disappear down the corridor. The corner of his mouth lifted slowly, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.
Mission accomplished.
He took out his phone and dialed an overseas number. The line connected quickly.
"Auntie," he said lightly, his tone relaxed, "Meiran has found a woman."
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"The Song family's daughter." He added.
A sharp intake of breath came through the phone, followed by delighted laughter. "The Song family?" the woman exclaimed. "Oh my. Fate really does have a sense of humor."
She didn't hesitate. "Good boy. I'll catch the next flight. We'll go propose immediately."
"All right," Sikong Jue drawled into the phone a moment later, leaning against his car and lazily spinning the keys around his finger. "Should I pick you up at the airport?"
"No need," the woman replied briskly. "Just keep an eye on Meiran. I'll pack now."
The call ended cleanly.
Sikong Jue lowered his phone slowly. A strange mix of relief and unease settled in his chest. The old Madam's task was finally done. He had found Li Meiran a woman. On paper, it was a perfect success.
Yet something didn't sit right.
The old Madam was moving far too fast. Proposing marriage the moment she landed? Even he found that extreme.
Did Li Meiran even want to get married?
The thought sent a faint chill through him.
But then he remembered the reward she had promised. His fingers curled slightly.
Whatever happened next… wasn't his problem anymore.
Song Yue and Lan Xia returned to the classroom to grab their schoolbags. The sun was already sinking, casting long orange shadows across the windows. Classes had ended long ago. The school felt unusually quiet.
Lan Xia glanced at Song Yue and frowned. "You look terrible," she said bluntly. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about that Duke."
"I'm fine," Song Yue muttered, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Worst case, I'll just treat it like using a gigolo for free of charge."
Lan Xia froze mid-step.
"Wow," she said slowly. "That's ruthless."
Song Yue blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," Lan Xia replied. "Just… impressive mental gymnastics." She paused, then frowned again. "Actually, now that I think about it, Sikong Jue and that Duke are both really weird."
Song Yue stopped walking. "Weird how?"
"Think about it," Lan Xia said seriously. "When Sikong Jue was acting like a gigolo, he had a man. When he wasn't, he suddenly wanted women. Doesn't that sound complicated?"
Song Yue's face went blank for a second.
Then she nodded slowly. "So… he swings both ways?"
"Exactly." Lan Xia clapped her hands together. "Mystery solved."
They walked a few more steps in silence.
Then Lan Xia suddenly stopped. "Wait. I figured it out."
"Figured out what now?"
"No wonder the Duke sticks so close to Sikong Jue," Lan Xia whispered dramatically. "It's because his… equipment doesn't work."
She leaned closer. "Too small to use."
Song Yue stared at her. "You're serious?"
"Completely," Lan Xia said solemnly. "Sikong Jue is clearly the tragic one. Forced by money. Forced by life."
They looked at each other.
Then, as if reaching the same conclusion at the same time, they nodded in perfect agreement.
Somewhere far away, Sikong Jue sneezed hard for no reason at all.
Inside the car, Li Meiran adjusted his cuffs, his expression cold and distant.
"You're not going to look for her again?" Sikong Jue asked casually from the passenger seat.
"There's no need," Li Meiran replied calmly. "We'll go straight to the Song family mansion."
That girl wasn't clever enough to disappear forever. She would go home.
"She really ditched you right after—"
"Get out of the car."
The words were sharp and final.
Before Sikong Jue could react, the door was flung open and he was unceremoniously shoved onto the pavement.
"Bastard!" Sikong Jue shouted as the sports car roared away. "Even if you did do it, you wouldn't last for a minute either way!"
The taillights vanished into the distance, leaving him alone on the roadside, laughing and swearing at the same time.