Chapter 1: Lychee Whiskey

Jiangcheng’s spring nights were always damp and windy.

At dusk, the sky was shrouded in a dense, misty hue. When the breeze passed through, it was like an ink painting slowly unfolding.

Suddenly, the night wind pushed open the half-closed carved wooden window of the antique appraisal studio.

The gust lifted the edges of a brittle, faded parchment on the table—its texture so fragile it seemed like it would crumble to dust at any moment.

Luckily, Tan Zhuo pressed it down just in time to stop it from flying away.

Faint traces of writing could still be seen—

It was a marriage contract.

The coarse texture of the paper under her fingertips made Tan Zhuo exhale softly. Feeling the chill creep in, she slowly wrapped the milky white shawl tighter around herself. A few messy strands of black hair escaped from the edge, stubbornly slipping loose.

Her gaze locked onto the name on the left side—just where her finger had touched moments before.

Bride: Tan Zhuo.

That’s right, it was her own marriage contract.

But that wasn’t the shocking part.

What really mattered was the name of the groom, written right beside hers:

Chao Huai Du.

It was like her family had played some kind of twisted joke on her.

Earlier that day, when she found this contract in their now-empty house, Tan Zhuo had scoffed to herself. Classic Dad. Learned ancient text restoration from Grandpa for just a few days back in the day, and now forging marriage contracts? He treated forgery like child’s play.

But of all people to fake a match with, why him?

Their family might be bankrupt, sure—but they still wanted to live.

Trying to cling to that man? Were they tired of breathing?

She had originally planned to destroy this “fake contract” and get rid of the evidence. But for some inexplicable reason, she brought it to her antique appraisal studio today and decided to examine it closely—was this seemingly 20-year-old engagement document real or not?

Final appraisal result:

Authentic.

Not artificially aged or forged.

Well then…

This was… deeply confusing.

Tan Zhuo stared at the parchment, nearly boring a hole through it—

Her phone suddenly vibrated, breaking her focus. She looked down at the screen.

It was a video call from Jiang Qingci.

“Hello?”

As she answered, Tan Zhuo lazily leaned back into the wide armchair. Her eyes, weary from long hours of work, held a dazed, captivating allure.

Jiang Qingci was momentarily stunned by the unexpected beauty on the screen.

Noticing her surroundings through the video, she realized Tan Zhuo was in the studio.

She couldn’t help but tease her: “Other people go to pieces when they go bankrupt. You’re still calm, even in the mood to work?”

“What else should I do?”

Thinking back to the “work” she just did, Tan Zhuo didn’t bother denying it. “It’s been a week since the Tan family declared bankruptcy. I should’ve accepted reality by now.”

Sometimes life was just dramatic like that. A week ago, she was still the pampered heiress of the Tan family. Overnight, the family declared bankruptcy, and everyone quickly fled abroad—leaving only her behind.

Almost instantly, the people around her seemed to master the art of two-facedness.

As for her relationship with Jiang Qingci—they were in the same social circles. Not really friends, not enemies either. There was a kind of mutual understanding between them.

Compared to those plastic “besties” in the industry who used to flatter her endlessly, only to block and unfriend her the moment the bankruptcy news broke—

Jiang Qingci had stayed the same.

Jiang Qingci knew Tan Zhuo’s personality. She didn’t buy her act: “Like hell you’re someone who just accepts fate.”

Knock knock knock.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door behind Tan Zhuo. Her assistant’s voice followed through the half-open door: “Miss Tan, more flowers and gifts have arrived for you.”

Tan Zhuo rubbed her temples with her slender fingers.

Again…

Assistant: “Should I throw them out like usual?”

Tan Zhuo: “Yes.”

With her looks, Tan Zhuo had never lacked admirers. Back when the Tan family was powerful, those rich playboys wouldn’t dare to be too bold.

But now that she’d lost her family’s protection, this group had been flooding her studio with flowers and gifts every day—like a nonstop stream.

Even with daily cleanouts and an oversized trash bin, roses still overflowed every single day.

Tan Zhuo was beyond fed up.

It was even affecting others at work.

Once the assistant’s footsteps faded, Jiang Qingci finally laughed. “Our little heiress hasn’t lost her charm one bit.”

“Since your situation’s like this now, why not just pick one and settle down? At least these guys are rich and young.”

Tan Zhuo curled her lips with a faint, mocking smile: “My family went bankrupt, not my eyesight.”

Didn’t like them before. Still didn’t like them now.

She wasn’t one to settle.

Jiang Qingci thought: with a face like yours, it’s not like those guys are blind either.

She said, “If you’re not interested, then good luck fending them off.”

Tan Zhuo didn’t respond to the teasing.

Annoyed, she shut her eyes for a moment. “Enough, let’s change the topic.”

“Wait, don’t! I haven’t told you the important part yet!”

Jiang Qingci nearly forgot why she’d called in the first place. “Tomorrow is your nemesis Liang Chuwan’s birthday cruise party. It’s a big deal this time—every guest is from a top-tier family. More importantly… rumor has it her brother invited that big shot from the Chao family—the one who’s like a ghost, always unseen. No one knows if he’ll actually show.”

“But judging by how smug Liang Chuwan is acting, and how many big names are showing up just for a chance to meet him—it’s highly likely he will.”

The Chao family?

Tan Zhuo had zero interest in Liang Chuwan’s party—until she heard that name. Her expression finally shifted. “Chao Huai Du?”

She thoughtfully picked up the parchment with his name on it. Slowly, gently, she stroked its fragile edge.

“That’s right.”

“Are you going?”

A few seconds later.

Tan Zhuo suddenly smiled and said slowly, “Of course I’m going. Why wouldn’t I?”

“After all, a birthday cruise party like this… might be the last I’ll ever see.”

On the day of the birthday party, Tan Zhuo was perfectly punctual, arriving at the dock one minute before the event began.

As the cruise ship set sail, the ball was about to start.

Outside the banquet hall, it was dimly lit, but inside, the dazzling lights spilled out like flowing water.

Tan Zhuo stood precisely at the threshold, the sliced light and shadow casting across her vividly beautiful profile.

She was already considered a top-tier beauty—striking and bold. Every glance and smile carried a cold, captivating charm that could make hearts skip a beat.

The previously lively atmosphere quieted for a brief moment.

After all, the Tan family’s bankruptcy and the heiress’s fall from grace were the latest hot gossip among the upper class.

Most people probably hadn’t expected Tan Zhuo to have the nerve to show up here.

Tan Zhuo ignored the stares and whispers, calmly surveying the room.

She wasn’t even sure if Chao Huai Du was here tonight.

But she really wanted to figure out what was going on with that mysterious old marriage contract.

Otherwise, it would feel like some cursed band tied around her—what if dating someone in the future felt like “cheating”?

At that moment, Jiang Qingci approached with a glass of champagne. “Want one?”

Tan Zhuo finally pulled back her gaze and took the glass. “Thanks.”

Suddenly, the smooth background music shifted.

Jiang Qingci glanced at the stage and said like she was watching a drama, “Look, here comes the leading lady.”

A few seconds later, she leaned in and whispered, “Doesn’t her outfit look familiar? That’s right—Liang Chuwan got her hands early on the haute couture gown and jewelry you ordered from F for your own birthday.”

“She even publicly said: ‘You don’t deserve such luxurious fashion anymore. Only someone like her wearing it would justify its existence.’”

Back then, Tan Zhuo had been known as the undisputed top socialite in their circle. Anytime she debuted a new outfit or makeup look, the elite followed suit.

Liang Chuwan was the most excessive of them all. While others adapted styles to suit themselves, she copied Tan Zhuo’s look one-to-one—regardless of whether it suited her or not.

In Liang Chuwan’s mind, anything belonging to Tan Zhuo was good.

People used to joke, calling her the “copycat queen” in an attempt to flatter Tan Zhuo.

Following Jiang Qingci’s gaze, Tan Zhuo looked over.

Sure enough.

Liang Chuwan was wearing a floor-length feathered gown with intricate bead embroidery, paired with a full set of diamond-studded jewelry. It was exactly the set Tan Zhuo had ordered.

Watching Liang Chuwan get swarmed with compliments the moment she appeared, Jiang Qingci said dryly, “At this rate, she might become the new queen of high society.”

After all, the Liang family was on the rise.

Especially since they’d gotten close to that man.

Tan Zhuo made no comment.

“That’s your only reaction?”

“What else should I do—congratulate her?”

Jiang Qingci: “…”

Up on stage, Liang Chuwan was basking in flattery—until her eyes accidentally landed on Tan Zhuo.

Tan Zhuo wore a minimalist backless satin gown in deep forest green. The flowing hem swayed with her every step, her slim heels clicking softly.

She simply stood there, effortlessly drawing every eye in the room.

No need for dazzling jewelry—her beauty alone stole the spotlight with ease.

It was as if her very presence declared:

Nobility isn’t granted by jewels or designer clothes. It’s innate.

In her mind, Liang Chuwan had rehearsed countless times how she’d use her radiance to highlight Tan Zhuo’s downfall—to make her the joke of the night, to kick her while she was down.

And with just one look, all that planning collapsed.

What made it worse…

When Tan Zhuo met Liang Chuwan’s gaze—

She slowly raised her glass.

Her peach blossom eyes curved slightly in mischief, shamelessly mocking.

Liang Chuwan’s expression froze instantly.

Tan Zhuo found her reaction amusing.

Since when did heiress battles involve wearing your entire strategy on your face?

Too lazy to waste more thought on Liang Chuwan, Tan Zhuo was just about to ask Jiang Qingci—the walking gossip machine—whether Chao Huai Du had really come tonight.

Before she could open her mouth—

Jiang Qingci asked first, concerned about Tan Zhuo’s current situation:

“By the way, your parents ran off abroad like that… didn’t they leave you anything to get by?”

Something to get by?

Out of nowhere, Tan Zhuo thought of that brittle silk parchment. She paused for half a second, then answered, “Oh, they left me something.”

Jiang Qingci: “How much?”

Before the last syllable even dropped—

Tan Zhuo exhaled four slow words from her red lips: “A marriage contract.”

Before Jiang Qingci could react, she added, “With Chao Huai Du.”

“Pfft—”

The name hit Jiang Qingci like a bomb. She nearly lost all her noble lady composure and sprayed the champagne everywhere.

Who?!

Chao Huai Du?!

The Chao family was true aristocracy, with a legacy steeped in history. Even before the Tan family’s downfall, though they were among the top tier of elite families, compared to the Chaos, they were nothing more than nouveau riche.

And Chao Huai Du—

At a young age, he had already become the unchallenged leader of the Chao family. While his peers were still lost in partying and indulgence, he was a cold-blooded strategist with an iron grip on power.

The name “Chao Huai Du” represented unmatched status and supremacy.

So, forget about bankrupt heiress Tan Zhuo—even back when she was the adored golden daughter, marriage with someone like him would have been out of the question.

But looking at Tan Zhuo’s calm expression, Jiang Qingci didn’t think she was joking.

Stammering, she asked, “W-What kind of insane joke is this?”

“Which Chao? Which Huai? Which Du?”

“That Chao. That Huai. That Du.”

Tan Zhuo replied calmly, “So, did he come tonight?”

Jiang Qingci’s brain was practically overheating. “Wait—Chao Huai Du is really your fiancé?!”

The two of them were so caught up in conversation, they didn’t notice what was happening behind them.

Liang Chuwan and her friends had originally come over to add insult to injury. After all, the Tan family’s bankruptcy was a hot topic they were eager to gossip about. But unexpectedly, they overheard Jiang Qingci’s words.

Liang Chuwan was in disbelief: A fiancé? What fiancé?!

How could someone like that have his name casually tainted by Tan Zhuo?!

Liang Chuwan steadied her emotions and said in a veiled tone, “Such delusional fantasies. Has Miss Tan still not come to terms with her situation? Finding a fiancé isn’t that hard—you’ve got the young masters from the Jiang and Huo families showing interest. Why not…”

They weren’t even trying to hide that they were eavesdropping.

Tan Zhuo, clearly annoyed, replied, “Not interested.”

Liang Chuwan scoffed. “Your Tan family is bankrupt and drowning in debt. With your current status, even getting those young masters would be reaching too high.”

The girls beside her all chimed in agreement.

Reaching too high?

Tan Zhuo thought of the ever-changing pile of roses dumped daily into her trash can. Jiangs, Huos—she didn’t care for a single one of them.

She honestly wished they’d all just stay far away.

Jiang Qingci didn’t fully believe it either, but she wasn’t about to let Tan Zhuo get bullied in front of her. She was just about to step forward—

But Tan Zhuo stopped her.

She couldn’t even find the person she wanted to confront, and now the situation had devolved into a “public lie.”

She was growing tired of this farce.

Since the topic was already exposed, Tan Zhuo figured she might as well borrow his name for now.

After all, the marriage contract was real. Calling him her “fiancé” wasn’t exactly wrong.

Having thought it through—

Tan Zhuo’s long, thick lashes lowered slightly. She glanced down at Liang Chuwan from above, her tone drawn out and unhurried. “Oh really? That’s such a shame—”

“Because my fiancé is Chao Huai Du.”

Everyone: Did she… just admit it?!

Not only was the ballroom stunned by those words, but the VIP lounge on the second floor also fell into eerie silence.

Chao Huai Du was famously elusive—just getting a glimpse of him was near impossible.

Tonight, he had lowered himself to attend.

Naturally, whether high-born or not, everyone was eager to try and get close to him.

As the host, Liang Song had heard about the ruckus downstairs and couldn’t help but doubt Tan Zhuo’s claim. He couldn’t resist glancing toward the man seated in the single armchair.

Chao Huai Du’s handsome face held little expression. He was leisurely peeling a lychee, revealing the snow-white fruit beneath the crimson skin.

His fingers were long and refined, his movements elegant and composed, not a single drop of juice spilled—every gesture oozing with aristocratic precision and cool detachment.

As for the noise downstairs?

It didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.

Just as Liang Song was struggling to decide what to do—

Suddenly, the lychee dropped into his glass.

The ice clinked gently against the white fruit in the whiskey glass.

A soft sound echoed.

Tiny bubbles burst and fused together—again and again—pricking at the nerves like a slow, deliberate warning.

The man calmly wiped his already-clean fingers with a napkin.

Even though Chao Huai Du hadn’t said a word—

Just watching him was enough to make Liang Song break into a cold sweat.

And suddenly, he understood—

Whether it was true or not, disturbing this man’s peace was a mistake.

It had taken great effort to invite him tonight, and Liang Song wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it.

He quickly stood up. “I’ll go take a look.”

As the door closed behind him—

A voice sounded inside the room, not too loud, not too soft.

“Huai Du, since when did you start hiding a beauty away?”

Now that there were no outsiders around, media mogul Shen Sibai leaned back into his chair, teasing casually.

He knew a thing or two about Chao Huai Du’s personality.

Even before the Tan family went bankrupt, Tan Zhuo was known in their circle for her arrogance and fiery temper. She had to be spoiled and coddled from a young age—anything less and she’d throw a fit. Clearly, she didn’t fit the mold for this man’s idea of the “perfect partner.”

Just as Shen Sibai assumed Chao Huai Du would ignore the joke—

The next moment.

To everyone’s surprise—

Chao Huai Du handed the lychee whiskey glass to his assistant.

Then he turned slightly, as if offhandedly, and replied:

“Today.”