Chapter 1: Shen Zhihan, Beicheng's Greatest Beauty

A Rolls-Royce stood by the road outside Blue Sea Residential Complex. For a full hour, the car rocked violently.

…

Afterward, the warmth in the cabin slowly faded. Shen Zhihan lifted a hand and drew her fallen shoulder strap back into place. Her skin was pale, and the languid look had not yet entirely left her face.

Once her clothes were in order, she became the aloof, unapproachable CEO again.

“Get out. If you breathe a word about tonight, I promise you’ll die a horrible death.”

“I… I understand.”

Lin Mo snatched up his jacket and scrambled out. He hurried to the trunk, took out his electric scooter, and prepared to leave.

He worked as a designated driver and had been taking jobs that night as usual. He had never imagined that his first customer would be Shen Zhihan, the CEO hailed as Beicheng’s greatest beauty.

Then she had forced him to sleep with her. In the car, no less.

In all his twenty-four years, he had never experienced anything so shocking.

“I’m done for. I have to get out of here!”

He climbed onto the scooter and sped away without wasting another second. Countless men in Beicheng wanted Shen Zhihan. If they found out she had slept with a nobody like him, he might not even know what had killed him.

Shen Zhihan watched him leave, then looked down at the crimson stain on the seat. She touched it, her eyes cold.

“Chen Hai, did you think drugging me would get you what you wanted?”

“I’d sooner give myself to a designated driver than let you have your way.”

…

On the ride back to his rented apartment, Lin Mo agonized over whether to tell Xiaoman the truth.

He and his girlfriend Qin Xiaoman had been together for six years, and until tonight he had still been a virgin. Xiaoman was allergic to latex, which made protection difficult, and she wanted to save her first time for their wedding night. They had promised to give each other their first time then.

Now he had broken that promise.

It was six in the morning when he reached home. He stopped outside the door and took a deep breath.

“I’ll tell her the truth. She’ll understand.”

He had never lied to her in six years. They had agreed that a couple should keep no secrets from each other.

He unlocked the door and slipped inside, careful not to wake her. But as soon as he took off his work jacket, a toilet flushed in the bathroom.

“Xiaoman’s already up?”

His stomach tightened. He still hadn’t worked out how to tell her. Wouldn’t she be furious?

Before he could find the words, the bathroom door creaked open.

Qin Xiaoman walked out with her head lowered. She wore a thin purple lace nightdress and held a pregnancy test in her hand.

Lin Mo stared at it.

A pregnancy test? Why had she bought one?

“Ah!” Xiaoman walked straight into him and cried out. She looked up, startled. “Lin Mo? What are you doing back?”

She caught herself. “N-no, I mean, why are you only getting home now? I’ve been waiting all night.”

She put on the air of a devoted girlfriend, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing close. “I know you work so hard for our future. But it hurts me to see you struggle to make money.”

“First, tell me what that is.”

His eyes were fixed on the test. He snatched it from her hand. Two unmistakable red lines stared back at him.

His head rang. His world seemed to collapse.

“Hey!” Xiaoman grabbed the test back and hid it behind her. “Why are you taking my things? Keep that up and I’ll get angry!”

“Your things?” He looked at her innocent face, his voice shaking. “So you’re admitting it?”

He could hardly believe it. For six years he had never dared cross the line with her, respecting her claim that she was allergic to latex and wanted to wait until their wedding night. And now she was carrying another man’s child.

“I…” Xiaoman looked away, unable to answer. Her reaction told him everything.

He drew a deep breath, fighting to contain his rage. “Whose bastard are you carrying?”

“Bastard?”

A man’s voice came from the bedroom. Lin Mo turned to see someone opening the door, fastening his shirt as he emerged.

It was Zhao Zihao, a wealthy heir who had been in the same college class as both Lin Mo and Xiaoman.

“You dare call my kid a bastard, Lin Mo? Are you tired of living? I could cripple you right now.”

Zhao Zihao was tall and powerfully built, and his family had money and influence. Dealing with Lin Mo would be easy for him.

“You two…” Lin Mo looked from Zihao to Xiaoman, his mind blank.

While he was out driving at night, Xiaoman had been sleeping with another man in their home. And judging by the pregnancy test, this was far from the first time.

“You’re pathetic, Lin Mo.” Zihao slammed his shoulder into him, knocking him down, then went over and put an arm around Xiaoman’s waist. “Six years together, and she’d never even slept with you.”

He grinned. “You know how excited I was when I found out I was her first? Oh, right. I bet you’ve never even seen her naked. Get on your knees and call me Daddy, and I might be generous enough to send you something to show you how much she enjoyed herself with me.”

He ran a hand over Xiaoman. She didn’t pull away; instead, she edged closer.

Now that they had been caught, she dropped the act. Resting her head on Zihao’s shoulder, she said, “I told you this useless driver could come back at any time, but you insisted we do it here.”

Zihao laughed. “That’s what made it exciting! You enjoyed yourself last night, didn’t you?”

Xiaoman blushed, but her expression turned cold as she looked at Lin Mo. There was even disgust in her eyes.

“I can’t be bothered pretending anymore. I’m Zihao’s woman now. Don’t pester me again. I don’t want him getting upset.”

Lin Mo got to his feet. “Zihao this, Zihao that. You sound so close.” He glared at her. “Qin Xiaoman, how could you do this to me?”

“Who gave you the nerve to speak to Xiaoman like that?”

Zihao kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying backward. The back of Lin Mo’s head struck the wall. Blood poured from the wound and pooled on the floor.

Caught off guard, he slumped where he fell and coughed up blood. He couldn’t move. His vision grew dimmer and dimmer.

Just before darkness swallowed him, he heard Xiaoman and Zihao speaking.

“Zihao, there’s so much blood. Is he going to die?”

“He’s just a stray dog. Let him die.”