"Now, let us invite the bride and groom to exchange their engagement rings, committing to a lifetime of love and devotion..."
Just as Jian An'an stepped into the hotel's engagement banquet hall, the master of ceremonies' words rang in her ears. She jerked her head up to look at the couple on the elevated stage, who looked like a match made in heaven, and an overwhelming sense of despair washed over her.
The bride was Su Zixuan, and the groom was Lu Hanyang.
She was very familiar with both of them. The three of them had grown up together in the same residential compound, but Su Zixuan had a particular fondness for snatching things away from her and had targeted her in various ways back in school, so the two of them had never gotten along.
And Lu Hanyang...
At the thought of him, a sharp pain stabbed at Jian An'an's heart. He was her boyfriend! Yet now, he was engaged to Su Zixuan, having become Su Zixuan's fiancé! Because Lu Hanyang had been in a car accident and remained in a coma for a period of time, once he recovered, he had completely forgotten about her. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, Su Zixuan had swooped in and stolen him away.
She had gone to look for Lu Hanyang, but he had said, "Jian An'an, I never imagined you could be so vicious-minded, spinning such a lie just to try and tear me away from Zixuan. You disgust me!"
At this recollection, Jian An'an's heart ached even more. Looking at Lu Hanyang on the stage, her chest felt as though it were blocked by something, a fishbone stuck in her throat.
Su Zixuan's face had originally worn a blissful smile, but when she glanced down at the audience, she caught sight of Jian An'an. Her expression shifted abruptly. She cast a panicked look at Lu Hanyang, and seeing that he remained completely unaware and had noticed nothing, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
Su Zixuan shot a vicious glare at Jian An'an and signaled to her mother down in the crowd.
Following Su Zixuan's line of sight, Mother Su spotted Jian An'an and was instantly horrified. Fearing that she would ruin her daughter's engagement banquet, she grabbed Jian Hongye, who was standing nearby, and marched straight forward. Blocking Jian An'an's path as she tried to step forward, Mother Su demanded, "What are you doing here?"
Jian An'an found the whole thing absurd. She glanced at Jian Hongye standing beside Mother Su and let out a cold laugh. "My father is hosting a banquet here. Why shouldn't I be allowed to come?"
That was right. Jian Hongye was her biological father. The situation was laughable when one thought about it: Su Zixuan had stolen her boyfriend, while Su Zixuan's mother had simultaneously stolen her father, Jian Hongye.
Hearing Jian An'an's words, Mother Su's face turned extremely ugly as she glared at Jian Hongye beside her.
Jian Hongye rubbed his nose before speaking up, "An'an, today is Zixuan's engagement banquet. Stop making a scene!"
"Making a scene?" Jian An'an sneered, lifting her head to glare at Jian Hongye. "Because of your infidelity, Mom was so enraged she suffered a heart attack and died! Yet before her seventh-day memorial service had even passed, you brazenly flaunted your relationship with this mistress and are even hosting an engagement banquet for her daughter!Jian Hongye's expression shifted instantly, changing from embarrassment to flying into a rage out of humiliation. "Your Su Auntie and I are truly in love; she is no mistress! And today is Zixuan's engagement banquet—if you don't know how to speak properly, get out of here! I don't want to see you!"
Jian An'an couldn't help but scoff, glancing sidelong at Mother Su. "Jian Hongye, if she isn't a mistress, then what was my mother—your lawful wife, who was so angered she died of a heart attack?"
"You..." Jian Hongye was so enraged he ground his teeth.
Being pointedly called a mistress to her face, Mother Su could hardly keep up her composure. She hurriedly beckoned to the security guards nearby, shouting, "What are the hotel's security guards good for? This person is trying to cause trouble—hurry up and drag her out!"
Hearing the command, several security guards immediately stepped forward, grabbed Jian An'an by the arms, and prepared to drag her out."Ah, let go... Mph, mph..." Jian An'an was just about to struggle and fight back when Mother Su swiftly shoved a handkerchief into her mouth, blocking her words.
Gritting her teeth with hatred, Jian An'an could only watch helplessly as Lu Hanyang stood on the high platform, alongside her father, who looked at her with utter indifference.
Unreconciled and burning with indignation, Jian An'an seized a moment when the guards were not paying attention, bit down hard on the guard holding her, broke free with all her might, and fled.
"Catch her! Don't let her get away!" Seeing this, Mother Su panicked and hurriedly ordered several guards to give chase.
Jian An'an fled all the way with the guards hot on her heels.
Catching sight of an elevator arriving not far away, she darted into it with quick reflexes and frantically hammered the close-door button.
The elevator ascended, and she was safe for the moment.
Jian An'an let out a breath. Just then, the elevator reached a certain floor, and before she could even react, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps and voices searching for someone nearby.
It had to be Mother Su's people! Daring not to linger, Jian An'an quickly hurried out of the elevator and began running through the hotel corridors.
"Make sure you find her!"
The footsteps of the searching guards grew closer and closer. Out of the corner of her eye, Jian An'an spotted a discarded mask lying on the corridor floor.
Snatching it up, she saw it was a fox mask. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she immediately put the mask on over her eyes.
Right at that moment, Jian An'an heard a loud crash come from a room nearby.
There must be people in that room—she could go to them for help.
Thinking this, she rushed over. But just as she reached the door and before she could react, a large hand hauled her into the room...
And the next second, she was pinned against the wall by a man...The man wore a silver mask over his eyes, revealing a pair of sharp, deep eyes like those of a falcon.
Though the mask concealed half of his face, these glimpses were more than enough to prove that he was exceptionally handsome.
"What are you doi— Mmh..." Before Jian An'an could finish, her lips were covered by a pair of cool, soft lips.
Jian An'an was instantly shocked. "You pervert, let me go..."
Taking advantage of her open mouth, the man forced apart her teeth and kissed her wildly.
He kissed her until she was nearly suffocated.
"Stop..." Jian An'an pressed her hands against Li Shaoting's chest, trying to push him away, but his strength was immense. His body felt like a wall of bronze and iron, and she couldn't budge him at all.
The next moment, she felt herself lifted into the air as Li Shaoting picked her up and threw her onto the large bed behind her."Ah..." Jian An'an let out a frightened scream. Just as she was about to scramble off the bed and escape, Li Shaoting leaned over and pinned her down again.
"I've been drugged. Cooperate with me, and I won't treat you unfairly." The man's voice was low, but his breathing grew heavier and heavier.
Li Shaoting never expected that anyone would actually have the nerve to plot against him.
He had originally intended to tough it out on his own, but he hadn't foreseen that this little woman wearing a fox mask would burst in.
He decided he was going to have this little woman!
Sensing the danger, Jian An'an trembled all over. All she wanted right now was to get out of here. "You need a woman? I'll go find one for you right this second, just let me go first..."
Damn it! The desperate struggling of the little woman beneath him made it even harder for Li Shaoting to keep his control.
"It's too late..."