Chapter 1: Why Is It You?

"Shi Yun, who am I?"

The man's voice was hoarse, forced from his throat with difficulty.

Shi Yun's hair was disheveled, the corners of her eyes tinged with red. Dazed and barely conscious, she struggled to open her eyes and, seeing the figure before her, let out a faint murmur but said nothing.

The man's narrow eyes narrowed dangerously, a low chuckle escaping his lips. The next moment, he suddenly lowered his head and bit her exposed shoulder, his teeth pressing down just enough to sting. His voice was deep, "Who am I, hmm?"

Shi Yun winced in pain, instinctively raising her hand to slap his face, her gesture half-playful, half-resentful. Yet the man was unfazed. His tongue slowly traced his lips as he released her from his grip.

She let out a soft whimper, calling out in a voice sweet and tender, "Fu Siyu…"

A satisfied smile curled at Fu Siyu's lips as his thumb gently stroked her lower lip, coaxing it open with a touch of pressure. "Good girl. You deserve a reward."

Then, with an almost reverent tenderness, he lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers.

His kiss grew deeper, his tongue slipping in to entwine with hers. Under his overwhelming assault, Shi Yun gasped and whimpered, her hands instinctively clinging to his shoulders.

In an instant, her feet left the ground. He lifted her by the waist and tossed her onto the soft bed.

Their fingers entwined tightly, and the man coaxed her, again and again, to call his name.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, responding with broken, breathless murmurs…

Sunlight spilled into the room through a gap in the curtains. Shi Yun slowly woke.

Her head throbbed, as if struck by a heavy hammer. Unconsciously, she rubbed her temples gently.

Before she could fully regain her senses, a raspy voice tinged with mischief sounded in her ears, "Awake?"

Shi Yun's body stiffened instantly. She turned her head slowly.

Fu Siyu stepped out of the bathroom, steam still clinging to him. A towel hung loosely around his waist, droplets of water tracing the hard lines of his neck, sliding over his chest, disappearing beneath the ridges of his abdomen.

Shi Yun's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

It was Fu Siyu.

Her lifelong enemy since childhood.

Noticing her gaze, the man strode over with a swagger, leaned down, and in a cool, enticing tone asked, "Do you like what you see?"

Shi Yun snapped back to herself, her cheeks burning. She turned her head away in a hurry, her ears flushing red. "Why are you here…"

"Who else would it be?" Fu Siyu watched her reaction, a trace of a smirk on his lips. He reached out, pinching her chin lightly. "Last night, it was you who threw yourself into my arms…"

Their faces were inches apart, his warm breath caressing her skin.

Shi Yun bit her lip and remained silent.

Yesterday, she had learned that the parents she'd called her own for twenty-two years were not her biological family. She was merely a misplaced daughter, a counterfeit heiress.

Everyone in the family knew—except her.

At her engagement ceremony, her fiancé publicly humiliated her, tossing aside their engagement ring.

Last night, she wandered the streets, abandoned by the world, a lonely, drifting soul. She stumbled into a bar to drown her pain in alcohol.

One drink after another, trying to numb her despair with liquor.

What happened after that, she could no longer recall…

Shi Yun clutched the quilt, her voice timid and uneasy. "Last night… I was drunk. Just pretend nothing happened."

The man’s voice, heavy with unspoken emotion, traced down from her earlobe. "Nothing happened? It was my first time, you know."

For a moment, Shi Yun was at a loss for words.

Seeing her fall silent, Fu Siyu's dark, narrow eyes narrowed further. His fingers, hanging at his side, twitched slightly as if restraining turbulent emotions.

After a pause, his Adam's apple bobbed. He spoke slowly, "Miss Shi, my reputation matters to me."

Shi Yun forced herself to stay calm and took out her phone.

A robotic voice soon sounded in the room, "You have received 25,000 yuan."

Shi Yun looked up in a panic, her gaze skittering away from his. "Let this be compensation for you."

With that, she hurried to get dressed.

Fu Siyu’s long lashes fluttered as he scoffed softly, his gaze never leaving her figure.

As she bent to pick up her dress, his eyes slid down from the nape of her neck, unconsciously drawn to the red marks scattered across her back—striking and raw against her fair, delicate skin.

He frowned slightly, a flicker of tenderness crossing his eyes.

He thought to himself, perhaps he had been too rough last night.

Shi Yun, her back to him, fumbled clumsily with the frog buttons at the collar of her qipao, her smooth, pale shoulders trembling slightly.

Her long black hair cascaded over the cheongsam like a waterfall, a few strands sticking to her flushed cheek.

A jade bracelet slid slowly along her slender wrist as she moved.

Fu Siyu watched her back, and almost unconsciously, he drew closer, trapping her in the narrow space.

He lowered his head, their noses nearly touching, his eyes half-closed. "Did you think you could just walk away like nothing happened?"

Shi Yun caught the woody scent and masculine undertones on him, her heart racing uncontrollably.

She instinctively leaned back, only to be stopped by the wall behind her.

Nervously, she swallowed, her eyes rimmed red, her beautiful gaze darting restlessly over his face.

Just then, the sudden ringing of her phone became her lifeline.

She answered at once, not waiting for the other person to speak. "Hello? What! Your house is on fire? Don’t panic, I’ll be right there!"

As she spoke, she ducked under his arm, slipping quickly toward the door.

The slit of her qipao fluttered, revealing a glimpse of her fair calf before her figure vanished through the door.

Fu Siyu watched her flee in haste, making no move to follow. The amused curve of his lips lingered for a long time.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Jiang Zhiyu was thoroughly confused. "Yun Yun, what fire? My house isn’t on fire!"

Shi Yun glanced back to see that Fu Siyu wasn’t pursuing her and breathed a sigh of relief. "It’s nothing, really. What’s up? Why are you calling me so early?"

Jiang Zhiyu was Shi Yun’s best friend, always the most concerned about her. Her loud, anxious voice blared through the phone, "I’ve called you so many times! Why didn’t you answer? Do you know how worried I was?"

Shi Yun, ears ringing from the volume, instinctively held the phone away. "I’m fine. I just drank too much last night and didn’t check my phone."

After finishing her call with Jiang Zhiyu, Shi Yun took a cab back to the Shi family home.