C9 Chapter 9

Nuochu had only caught a glimpse, in her panic, of Ni’an’s phone mentioning this room number. She was afraid the number she’d made up on the fly didn’t even exist at the hotel—or that some cold, indifferent guest checking in would tip off those two men.

And the other room address Ni’an had left behind, looking meek and compliant, would buy time. With Ni’an’s phone still on her, her arrival would definitely be delayed.

But Nuochu hadn’t expected the man in Ni’an’s room to be him.

“I... I’ll leave right now!” Nuochu blurted, instantly changing her mind.

The way he was looking at her felt even more dangerous than facing Boss Tong.

She grabbed the doorknob behind her, fingers trembling as she tried to pull the door open. But the moment she undid the lock, a scorching, solid chest pressed up against her from behind.

Nuochu’s already hypersensitive body shuddered uncontrollably, like a startled deer about to bolt.

Whether it was the drug taking effect or the addictive feel of her skin, the instant Lijue wrapped her in his arms, every cell in his body screamed for her. And every soft, boneless struggle Nuochu made—each time she managed to push him even an inch away—only stoked Lijue’s temper.

“What are you hiding from?” Lijue’s voice, low and restrained, sounded above her head. “All that effort—twice—wasn’t it just to get into my bed?”

“I didn’t!” Nuochu thrashed helplessly in his arms like a fish out of water, but her weak strength couldn’t shake his hold. If anything, the more she struggled, the more her already-disheveled clothes slipped, exposing a wide stretch of pale skin.

“I don’t have the patience to watch you play hard to get.” Lijue’s harsh murmur cut through the air. Staring at her exposed skin, a terrifying red rose in his eyes, like he could swallow her whole.

“Not an act!” Bai Nuochu suddenly stopped struggling. Her breathing was still ragged, but she forced herself to steady it. “I’m not putting on a show, and I’m not playing hard to get. Even if Gu Lijue were standing right in front of me, I wouldn’t have even the slightest… intention of climbing into his bed!”

“Gu Lijue?” Gu Lijue repeated his own name, dangerous and slow, unsure what game this woman thought she was playing.

But Nuochu had only grabbed onto the name in her panic. She knew Ni’an had spent the last two years trying to become the Gu family’s young madam, scheming day and night for it. Nuochu just wanted to make it clear that even if the man in front of her were Gu Lijue, she had never been the kind of woman who tried to latch onto a man for status.

“Yes—Gu Lijue!” Seeing his reaction to the name, Nuochu rushed to make her stance unmistakable. “Even if he’s untouchably noble, even if he holds power in the palm of his hand, even if he’s the peak every woman looks up to—I’ve never once thought about using a man to get what I want.”

“Because…” Nuochu’s breath came fast, yet there was a cleanness in her eyes that couldn’t be erased.

Because no matter how bitter life got, there was still a lotus blooming in her heart—something no one was allowed to stain.

Jian Tangye…

“Is that so?” The next second, her damp chin was jerked up hard.

Nuochu’s unfocused gaze snapped tight—but it was already too late.

Her already-disheveled clothes were torn open in one brutal motion, fragile buttons scattering across the floor.

“You—” Nuochu didn’t even have time to shove Gu Lijue away before her slender wrists were pinned above her head.

Gu Lijue held her arms down with one hand while, with the other, he undid his own buttons one by one. He lowered his head and looked down at her. The loose hair at his forehead shadowed eyes as deep as an abyss, leaving only the hard, perfectly carved line of his jaw—like an arrogant, wicked god reigning in the dark.

“I just realized… you’re so damn clean. Makes me want to dirty you up—bad.”

“Stop—mm…” But Bai Nuochu’s broken words didn’t make it out before a rough kiss swallowed them whole.

Gu Lijue didn’t even bother figuring out why he couldn’t stop himself from pulling this woman into his arms. Maybe it was because she’d shown that pure, unguarded look for someone else—something that would only make it easier for him to avoid trouble from her later.

Or maybe it was because he hated seeing her look like that for another man, and it made him want to ruin it.

Or maybe she was the same kind of trap as Gu Zongyue’s tricks—an addiction he wouldn’t be able to quit tonight…