City A, Country S.
The night was lashed by a raging storm.
Unlike the usual lively scene, the bar was eerily deserted tonight.
Curled up on the sofa, Gu Lili clutched a bottle of liquor, more than half of it already drained.
She had waited here, as promised, for two whole hours. Yet her fiancé, Gu Xichen, was nowhere to be seen.
Unable to wait any longer, Gu Lili dialed his number.
"Are you coming or not?"
"It's raining too hard. Just find a hotel for the night—I'll pick you up first thing tomorrow."
His casual response made irritation rise in her chest. "So if I hadn't called, would you have just left me here waiting in vain?"
"No, I was just about to call you. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."
"I have something important to say. I must see you. If you can't come, I'll find you myself. Where are you?"
Before she could even finish her sentence, another voice drifted from the other end of the line—a woman's soft, flirtatious murmur: "Darling, I'm going to take a shower."
Gu Lili's hand clenched around her phone, her voice trembling in disbelief. "Gu Xichen! You… have another woman?!"
There was a brief silence before he answered, his voice cold and detached. "And why shouldn't I? Lili, take a good look in the mirror. Are you even still a woman? Even the old ladies on the street dress better than you. Do you not realize the immense gap between us—in education, in ideals, in social standing?"
"If you've found someone else, just say it. Don't waste time with all this nonsense…"
Before she could finish, he cut her off sharply. "Watch your mouth, Gu Lili. Who are you calling a filthy mistress? You're not even worthy of licking her boots! Meiwei still feels guilty about you—what a joke. I'm breaking off our engagement. Right now."
"You…"
The words caught in her throat. Her tears broke free, her voice quivering. "Fine. Call it off, then. Just as you wish! From this moment on, you are no longer worthy of being my fiancé!"
She ended the call.
It felt as if her entire world collapsed.
Her mentor was gone. Her fiancé had betrayed her.
She was truly, completely alone now.
All she had left in this world… was herself.
She lifted the bottle and drained the last of the liquor in a single gulp, then tossed it onto the sofa.
Curling into herself, Gu Lili buried her face against her knees and wept.
But after just a minute of crying, she stood up, settled the bill, and staggered toward the exit.
The alcohol hit her full force as she stepped outside. Her vision blurred, and in the distance, she spotted a red car. Mistaking it for a taxi, she ran toward it and opened the door without hesitation.
Inside, a man was quietly reading a document—until the uninvited guest startled him.
"Driver… take me to the nearest hotel," she slurred.
"This isn't a taxi. Get out," he replied coldly, with no room for argument.
Long Yubei had always despised drunkards—especially drunken women.
Gu Lili ignored his words, mumbling incoherently, "Hotel… I need a hotel…"
Just then, his subordinate Tang Qingli returned. Climbing into the front seat, he was surprised to find a woman in the car.
"Throw this lunatic out," Long Yubei ordered.
"Yes, Young Master."
Tang Qingli stepped back into the rain without bothering to open an umbrella. He yanked open the rear door and bent down to drag her out.
Sensing someone trying to pull her, Gu Lili panicked. She latched onto the nearest thigh, hugging it tightly with no intention of letting go.
Long Yubei reached out to pry her fingers loose, but she only clung to him tighter—then, without warning, kicked Tang Qingli in the nose and wriggled into the space between Long Yubei's legs.
He set his document aside and opened his door, ready to throw her out himself.
But just as he reached out, her face pressed against his most sensitive spot.
What was soft and still only moments ago… suddenly surged to life with heat.
In mere seconds, he—he had a physical reaction to a drunken stranger.
Long Yubei looked down at this brazen, uninvited woman. Then, without a word, he changed his mind.
He shut the car door. "Drive to a hotel."
Outside, Tang Qingli quickly closed the other door and slipped back inside. As he towel-dried his soaked hair, he asked, "Young Master, you're not kicking her out?"
"She's clearly out of her mind. Since she insists on going to a hotel, we'll take her."
"Understood."
The car fell into silence again. Gu Lili, face pressed against something unusually firm, reached out groggily to touch it.
"Huh… What is this? It's so hard…"