Chapter 1 : A Stormy Encounter

Many times, adults don’t need to say, “One, two, three, go!”
A phone pinged with a message notification.
Shen Mengke instinctively looked for it, but her chin was grabbed, forcing her head back.
Her flimsy spaghetti-strap dress was easily slipped off.
Her pale shoulders gleamed under the lamplight.
A bite landed on her neck, followed by a low warning: “Focus.”

Rain started falling outside.
Beneath the hum of the air conditioner, Shen Mengke caught faint sounds—perhaps thunder.
Wind drove the rain against the glass, adding a unique rhythm to the room’s sultry atmosphere.
It was August, the hottest time of year, sweltering and golden.
Despite the air conditioning, Shen Mengke was drenched in sweat, feeling as if she were the one drugged.

Pinned to the bed, a passionate kiss landed between her brows.
The act wasn’t rough, but far from gentle.
Her back ached from the pressure.
Sweat slid into her eyes, flushed out by tears.
In a haze, she opened her eyes, gazing at the beautiful woman before her.
Dark hair fell across Shen Mengke’s face, brushing her brows, tracing, caressing.

A hand grazed her cheek, settling on her collarbone, igniting her entire body.
Soft moans filled the air.
Shen Mengke wrapped her arms around the woman’s neck, pulling her closer, seeking a kiss.
But in the heat of the moment, the woman dodged her lips, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek instead.

Her heart trembled.
Shen Mengke closed her eyes, burying her face in the woman’s embrace, feeling her wild intensity.

The phone rang again, its soft music mingling with the rain, indistinguishable from the storm outside.
It was the third time that night.
Shen Mengke frowned, reaching to silence it, but a hand beat her to it.
That hand—slender, pale, with distinct knuckles—glistened with some unidentifiable liquid.
It hung up the call for her.
The room fell briefly silent.
Shen Mengke thought she heard cicadas outside, their noise tangled with the chaotic rain, clouding her mind.

For a moment, the storm’s roar broke through, intruding on their space.
Shen Mengke frowned.
She hated others making decisions for her, but now wasn’t the time to argue.
That hand brushed her lips, moistening them, stirring her desire once more.

Shen Mengke didn’t know this woman.
She’d had a few drinks that humid night, walked into the wrong room, and stumbled into a cliché drama: a drugged CEO fending off a scheming girl trying to climb into her bed.
Only, this CEO couldn’t resist Shen Mengke’s allure.
Shen Mengke was stunning, with a figure to match—her acting often overshadowed by her looks in the entertainment world.
They were like beasts in heat, lost in kisses, bites, and touches, doing everything possible on that bed.
It all happened too fast for regrets.

Desire was a cruel master, and reason always surrendered.

The night passed with moans, slipping away like any other stormy night, giving way to a calm dawn.
A jarring ringtone shattered the morning’s quiet.
Shen Mengke frowned, eyes still closed, fumbling to silence the phone.
The woman beside her stirred, sitting up.
Just as Shen Mengke tried to sleep again, the phone rang once more.
Her hand reached out, groping blindly, only to be caught by another.
Her eyes snapped open, meeting the woman leaning over her.
She was naked, her body marked with last night’s traces.
Shen Mengke’s gaze lingered on her collarbone, then lower, where a red handprint stood out starkly.
Her heart flared.
She licked her lips, hungry.

The woman didn’t notice, calmly releasing Shen Mengke’s hand and picking up the ringing phone.
“It’s been going off all night,” she said.
“If you don’t answer, they’ll keep calling.”
Shen Mengke frowned, shoving her aside and snatching the phone.
Her vision was blurry from sleep.
She squinted, saw it was an unknown number from Yuncheng, and hung up, blocking it.
The world went quiet.
The woman said nothing, grabbing her clothes and heading to the bathroom.

Shen Mengke tapped her phone absently, irritation clear in her expression.
Another unknown text from Yuncheng popped up.
She deleted and blocked it without reading.

The sound of the shower drew her attention.
Leaning against the headboard, Shen Mengke stared at the bathroom door, lost in thought.
Last night, she was sober enough—those drinks hadn’t clouded her mind completely.
One-night stands were nothing new to her.
Life was for living, and she had no interest in empty beds or monogamy.
But her partner might not feel the same.
Her gaze snapped back as the woman emerged.

Shen Mengke was surprised.
Last night’s dim lighting and heated passion had only shown her the woman’s beauty, not her style.
Now, dressed in a white linen shirt and matching loose pants, sleeves rolled up, she looked clean, almost innocent—like a college student, if not for her piercing, predatory eyes.
She stood by the bed, picking up scattered accessories.
A black beaded bracelet wrapped around her wrist, a tassel dangling—prayer beads, maybe?
A simple white magnolia brooch adorned her left chest, elegant and refined.
Shen Mengke squinted, staring at the brooch.
It was the one auctioned at Chengxi last year for 790,000 yuan.
She’d been there, thinking it looked ordinary, yet it fetched such a price.

Chen Yanxing adjusted her clothes, looking down at Shen Mengke.
“About last night,” she said.
“I can offer compensation.
Name your price—money, anything.
Just one condition: don’t talk about it.”
She sounded like a novice criminal, clumsily cleaning up her “crime scene.”
Shen Mengke laughed.
“What, hush money?”
“Compensation.”
Shen Mengke nodded.
Fair enough—straightforward, no need for her to overthink.
“No need for compensation,” she said.
“I was willing, and you’re good-looking with solid skills.
I’m not losing out.”
Caught off guard by her bluntness, Chen Yanxing paused, then turned to leave.
Shen Mengke watched her back, tsking lightly.
After a night of passion, how could she be so cold?

A Weibo notification popped up on her phone.
Shen Mengke glanced at it, then frowned.
“Wait!
Don’t go out…”
Chen Yanxing’s hand was on the doorknob.
She paused, looking back.
“There are… paparazzi outside.”
Shen Mengke turned her phone to show her.
Chen Yanxing stepped closer, peering at the screen.
Weibo was ablaze:

[Shen Mengke spotted with unknown woman at hotel]
[Shen Mengke lesbian rumors]
[Shen Mengke hunting for a new sugar mommy]
[Shen Mengke’s messy private life]
[Shen Mengke meeting sponsor during filming break]
[Shen Mengke…]

Chen Yanxing scanned the trending tags, all exploding with Shen Mengke’s name.
She looked up.
“Shen Mengke?”
Shen Mengke grinned, taking back her phone and refreshing it.
Her studio was already handling the PR.
She set the phone down.
“Let me introduce myself,” she said.
“Shen Mengke, the one who’s always trending on Weibo.”
Chen Yanxing just nodded.
Truth was, she didn’t use Weibo and had no idea who Shen Mengke was.

Shen Mengke was an actress—famous, but not for her roles.
She was a magnet for scandals, always trending yet never truly breaking through, as if someone was suppressing her rise.
But every time she hit the hot search, it was for career-damaging gossip.
Another day, another headline—she was used to it.
She tilted her head, eyeing Chen Yanxing.
“Out of courtesy, shouldn’t you introduce yourself too?”
“Chen Yanxing.”
Her reply was curt, but it stunned Shen Mengke.
“The Chen family’s second daughter?
The one who became a nun?!”