The ugly duckling transformed into a swan could never forget its once dulled memories, with those who've harmed it appearing time and time again in its life for their selfish gains. Luckily, there is him. He is the only one she could trust. Yet, she doesn't even know his origin, seeing him as a "pretty boy". She had long discovered that he's no simple man, but she didn't know that being with him meant confronting more danger. When life is threatened, and the memories she least wants to recall are unearthed repeatedly; when the things she strived to protect actually do not exist; when the person she thought she could trust turns out to be the biggest lie; when past beliefs are betrayed and deceived... What path should she take then? Fortunately, whatever happens, he stays by her side unfailingly. But when she finally dropped her guard, exposing her inner self in front of him in this world, he unexpectedly, contemptuously, and heartlessly abandoned her?...
"Are you comfortable?" At the woman's light moan, the man ceased movement.
"What can we do, it's not enough..." The woman seductively chuckled, wrapping her arms around the man's neck...
The wind outside suddenly turned into a tempest, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling.
I'm not sure how long it was before I emerged from our moment of passion. When was the last time I acted so uninhibitedly? I looked over at the man next to me. At this moment, he's giving me a faint smile - neither here nor there.
He's a perfect man. Irresistibly charming with a flawless face, stellar in bed and not the least bit clingy. As a bedmate, you couldn't find fault with him.
Except for one thing - his eyes.
His eyes were so beautiful, yet they were the things I disliked the most.
Like a mirror, every time I gazed into his eyes even for a mere second, it felt like he could see straight into the darkest depths of my soul.
Nobody has been capable of seeing through me, and I would not give anyone the chance.
"Here's five million, you were great tonight," I said, turning my face away from his, doing my best to avoid meeting his eyes. From the drawer of the night-stand, I took out a pre-prepared check and tossed it onto his body.
Yet he didn't spare a glance at the check, his gaze never leaving me.
I despised the feeling of being so openly analyzed. Hence, I wordlessly got out of the bed, naked, stepped over the clothes scattered on the floor that I had put on in the afternoon, and slipped into a bathrobe from the adjacent closet. Then, I put on the sheepskin slippers, a limited edition from France, and walked towards the living room.
"Madam, your medication."
The housemaid brought over my "after-action" concoction. Without a second thought, I tossed it back. After my husband had passed, I thought I'd lost interest in things like this, but unexpectedly, I met him.
His name is Jiang Jue. Jue, a choice piece of jade. Just going by looks alone, he certainly deserved his name. However, in reality, he was far from it.
He's with me just for the money. After all, that's the only thing I have.
I leaned on the couch, with the thunderstorm raging outside the window. For some reason, I suddenly recalled the first time I met Jiang Jue, which was also in such a stormy weather…
That day, I had just returned from a design exhibition. Everything was fine, but suddenly, there was a thunderstorm on the way. I originally thought of braving it and heading straight home, but then I faced an unexpected mishap. The windshield wipers of the car seemed to have malfunctioned. Maybe because my vision was too blurred, I drove into an unfamiliar alley, and it seemed that the car's navigation system had also broken…
I was feeling like troubles were piling up when I looked out the car window and noticed an odd red color in the puddle by the roadside. I followed the water flow and saw a person lying not far away.
I am not the kind of person who meddles in other people's affairs, and as a top domestic designer, time is precious to me.
But, I accidentally took a glance at his face, a face that could be distracting. Despite the pallor due to heavy blood loss, it didn't diminish his alluring ability.
Because of this “fleeting glimpse”, I took him to the hospital despite the risk of getting soaked in the rain. Since then, he's been clinging to me.
He told me his name was Jiang Jue, an orphan with no money since childhood, but he didn't disclose the origin of his injuries. He wouldn’t talk, and I didn’t ask. After his injuries healed, he asked me to take him in.
I initially wanted to refuse. No one wants a person with an unknown background around as they could turn into a ticking time bomb at any moment. Especially someone like me with a special status, I dread trouble. But his face, made me compromise.
Admittedly, Jiang Jue possessed a certain allure that stirred one’s heart to desire a story with him.
I took him home. He wasn't idle either, tidying the house inside out, even helping me with laundry. By that point, he was more clever than my maid,
Understanding which items needed dry cleaning, which could only be hand-washed, and some that shouldn’t be washed at all... He knew this without me having to remind him, not like my maid...
And some things, just naturally occurred while we were living together.
Being a man and a woman alone, sparks were bound to fly.
Though it was accidental, surprisingly, I found myself addicted to it.
If it happens once, it's bound to occur again. I don't want to cause trouble, so I always give him a considerable sum of money after each transaction, settling in cash and goods. This is utterly fair.
I know he's no ordinary man. To be able to articulate each step of some of the world's rarest care methods clearly, he's clearly no average Joe. Yet, I have zero interest in his background.
Ultimately, our relationship is merely an exchange of needs.
Of course, everything I described applies only as long as he doesn't try to intrude into my personal world.
Recently, however, his behavior started to feel odd.
His gaze filled with probing curiosity, a look I detest.
Instead of stating that I dislike his gaze, it would be more accurate to say that I despise his presumptuous attempts to figure me out.
Yes, he is, thus far, the only man in the world who could freely enter and exit my house. He even treats me well, being responsive to all my requests and obediently follows my every wish. In his presence, anything I can or cannot think of, he could accomplish.
So what? How he treats me has nothing to do with the so-called love.
Is he attempting to see through me because he seeks to achieve something beyond money from me?
"The couch is cold, come here so I could warm you up."
In the midst of my thinking, Jiang Jue leisurely approached, wrapping his lower half with a bath towel.
One couldn't deny that a man like him certainly possesses a lethal charm to any woman.
He took a seat next to me, and I smoothly laid down in his embrace, tracing his lips with the tip of my fingers. He pretends to taste my fingers, his dark yet lucid eyes still staring fixedly at me.
"Jiang Jue," I said his name aloud.
"Hmm?" He tilts his head to look at me.
"Who exactly are you?" This the first time I've ever been deeply interested in a man. I want to know who he really is, I want to know everything about him.
"Who do you hope I am?" He releases my hand, his voice dangerously seductive. Just as I'm about to ask more, he gently silences me with a kiss.
His big hand slips into my bathrobe, his fingers stroke my soft skin.
"I am yours, the only man for you, Jiang Jue." As he speaks, he unties my loosely bound robe, pulls off his own towel from his waist, revealing his throbbing desire. With a forward thrust, he penetrates me again.