Chapter 1: A Little Fool

You are the obsession I hide behind the mist.

——He Lian & Jiang Yu——

Yangcheng was surrounded by mountains, and rain falls constantly in all four seasons.

The entire old mansion was wrapped in cold air and evening mist, the rooms were chilly, and the water droplets accumulating on the window glass suddenly fell at the sound of a shudder.

“Hand… don’t!”

He Lian gripped that slender wrist while his narrow eyes flickered, fierce and red with anger. The dry heat within him surged like an overwhelming tide.

He spoke through his gritted teeth: “Who the hell are you?!”

The girl lifted her head upon hearing his voice. She had pale cheeks that were half-hidden in the twilight and her eyes were dull. Her empty left hand mechanically pressed against the man’s heaving chest.

She then lowered her head to kiss the thin layer of sweat on his warm muscles.

“…Mmh.”

He Lian tilted his head back, his prominent Adam’s apple bobbing as his voice turned uncontrollably hoarse. He realized moments ago that this girl was not like a normal person and she didn’t seem to understand normal human speech. Her behavior was unintentionally intrusive, her instinct primitive.

“Are you a fool?”

The girl remained silent, though she stopped her movements.

He Lian pulled her closer to him. She is as light as a feather.

He pressed his forehead against hers while his thumb rubbed against her lip, using his last shred of reason to warn her of the consequences should they continue.

“Do you think I’ll take responsibility because you got into my bed?”

“…”

“Are you mute? Can you speak!”

The girl was frightened by his fierce tone. She trembled and a look of terror surfaced in her empty eyes.

Just as He Lian thought she would retrear, she opened her shapely arms and reached out to hook them around his neck.

“…Hug.”

That dull, nasal murmur reached his ears and completely shattered his soul.

Beneath the shadow lay a soft body, as if it had no bones.

He Lian raised his hand and his fingertips hooked the thin strap off her shoulder.

Thunder roared outside and the flash of white light, like the sharpest blade in the world, severed his final line of defense.

It’s the girl’s first time but he showed her no mercy. Their entanglement lasted all night long.

Jinzhou Border.

As the sun sets on the desert sands and yellow dust, a modified off-road vehicle sped across the boundless wilderness. A military base that stretched nearly a thousand meters appeared in view after awhile. This base looked like a lion sleeping under the sky from a distance, capable of swallowing everything. You can find a guard every five steps and a sentry every ten.

The heavy gates slowly swung open with an ear-splitting roar. Inside the courtyard, you can find countless shirtless, sturdy men who were conducting evening drills.

A guard stepped forward to open the car door: “Vice President Shen, the Chairman is waiting for you.”

Shen Jin stepped out of the vehicle, his leather shoes hitting the ground with sturdy steps. His formal suit looked completely out of place in this rugged, gritty land.

Shen Jin pushed open the door to the second-floor lounge when he arrived at the standalone barracks in the center when immediate cloud of cigarette smoke choked him. He fanned the air with a newspaper for a while until he finally saw the man inside.

He Lian was leaning back on a leather sofa, his broad arms outstretched. His grey-green field uniform hugged his narrow waist. failing to hide his unbridled wildness. He frowned as he took another puff of a cigar, and irritably blew out a ring of smoke.

Next to his sturdy thigh was a half kneeling a woman in a graceful cheongsam, massaging his leg dutifully without complaint.

Her slender fingertips pressed through the military trousers, not daring to use a single ounce of extra force.

She was the young miss of the Xie family. Shen Jin felt trouble coming looking at this scene.

He Lian was truly a lawless bastard. Making his rival’s sister serve him was a move designed to kill the heart.

Shen Jin cleared his throat and the woman stood up to leave. Her gaze lingered on He Lian’s nearly perfect face for a few seconds before picking up her handbag with her left hand and hooking her high heels with her right.

Shen Jin sat down and scrutinized He Lian.

“So you went to Yangcheng for a funeral and got ‘peach-blossomed’ by a fool ¹ got slept by ?”

He Lian’s hand froze. He threw the half-finished cigar into a stainless steel cup and glared at him. The sharp corners of his eyes hinting at a fury that has been accumulating since.

Shen Jin: “Oh, you were fooling around right by Old Man Song’s grave.”

He Lian: “…”

He should have known not to tell him this humiliation.

Shen Jin pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose unhurriedly: “Don’t you usually stay away from women? Or is that just a persona you use to act cool or cover up being impotent?”

He Lian: “You motherf—”

Shen Jin: “He Lian, what other surprises are you hiding from me?”

He Lian’s lips turned down, enduring his friend’s sarcastic remark. He thought back to that night when it happened half a month ago: “I was set up.”

Although he wasn’t sure which item in the room was the problem, he was certain that someone had made him smell a strange scent that caused him to lose control. But he didn’t expect a fool would snatch this golden opportunity!

“It makes sense,” Shen Jin said. “Your father was just nominated as a candidate for the Mayor of Jinggang last month. If his son gets caught in a sex scandal at this critical juncture… actually, it’s fine. Everyone knows you, He Lian, are a goddamn scoundrel anyway. You deserved to be set up.”

“But, do you know who the person who slept with you actually is?”

He Lian raised a suspicious eyebrow: “Did you find out?”

Shen Jin: “I’m asking you!”

He Lian: “How the hell should I know!”

He had someone check after he woke up, but the guest rooms in the Song family’s old mansion had no surveillance. Furthermore, it was the day of Old Man Song’s funeral so the occasion was solemn and the house was full of servants. No matter how high his status was, he couldn’t just conduct a massive investigation so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Shen Jin: “I’ve overestimated you all these years. To think a fool would ‘use’ you for free.”

He Lian ground his teeth and kicked the sand table, causing the little flags and model pieces on it to collapse with a clatter.

“Don’t get worked up yet because you aren’t the only one in trouble,” Shen Jin unfolded the newspaper. “Your nephew, Duan Jingyue, was caught by paparazzi in Wancheng in a ‘1v7’ situation ² orgy? . It’s already in the news.”

“Really, like uncle, like nephew. How much more trouble are you two going to cause me?”

“On his deathbed, Old Man Song entrusted his granddaughter to him. They’ve only been engaged for less than two months, and now, Duan Jingyue pulls a scandal like this. Isn’t that reason enough to make the old man flip his coffin lid?”

He Lian’s temple throbbed, his voice rising eight octaves.

“1v WHAT???”

A few hours later, the guards dragged Duan Jingyue in.

The young man immediately knelt in front of He Lian, clutching his trousers and wailing: “Uncle! It’s a frame-up! You can’t believe those reports! They’re experts at making up stories!”

He Lian looked up from the newspaper with a casual, mocking sneer: “One little dwarf and seven Snow Whites? Did they write a fairy tale?”

The wailing Duan Jingyue: “…”

Shen Jin: “Jingyue, it’s one thing that you were too lazy to attend Old Man Song’s funeral, but you’re already engaged to Jiang Yu. Can’t you give your kidneys a rest?”

Duan Jingyue gulped and sat on the floor despondently: “But the engagement happened without my consent! I don’t want to marry a lunatic! Everyone knows that Jiang Yu was mentally challenged, so why should I waste my best years on her? Besides, what if she looks like ‘Ru Hua’ ³ The name Ru Hua (literally “Like a Flower”) is a famous comedic archetype created by Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow. In his movies, Ru Hua is typically played by a man in drag with exaggerated, smeared makeup, often seen picking his nose. ? My life would be over!”

His eyes darted around as he thought of something, and he frantically pulled at He Lian’s leg: “Uncle! Let’s break the engagement! I’m willing to lose face if we can use this scandal to call it off! What do you think!”

He finished speaking and looked at the two men in the room with eyes full of hope.

Shen Jin was dazed for a moment, he pressed Duan Jingyue: “What did you just say? Jiang Yu is a lunatic?”

Duan Jingyue nodded vigorously: “Yeah! They told me when we got engaged! You guys didn’t know?”

Shen Jin: “…”

He turned his head to stare at He Lian.

There’s no change in the man’s expression at all. His lips looked as though they were dipped in poison, he was still immersed in the joy of indiscriminately attacking his nephew, seemingly unaware of the severity of the problem.

Shen Jin felt a weight in his chest.

He tested the waters: “He Lian?”

He Lian was in the middle of a good rant and glanced over in confusion: “What?”

Shen Jin gave a fake smile.

He Lian, oh He Lian.

Did that fool sleep you into stupidity?

He slammed the newspaper onto the table.

This animal.

He couldn’t have possibly slept with his own nephew’s fiancée, could he?!

Notes:

• [All regions and organizations in this text are fictional]
• [A “white-lotus” little liar sets a trap & a fierce prince-type lead rushes to take the bait]
• [A short-to-mid length sweet redemption story, hope you enjoy it]

Sansukini: Well, I watched several versions of this on vertical dramas but I haven’t read this novel so I’m simultaneously reading this while I translate. Please bookmark this and let’s finish this one together.