"There's no time..." Before Li Shaoting could finish his sentence, he could no longer help tearing away the obstructive clothes on Jian An'an, and then...
"Ah... It hurts..." Jian An'an's face turned ashen with pain.
Li Shaoting's handsome brows knitted tightly together... Only then did he realize that the little woman beneath him was a virgin.
Seeing Jian An'an's enduring expression, a surge of pity welled up inside Li Shaoting.
"Get away from me..." Jian An'an sobbed as tears fell from her eyes.
"It'll be over soon. Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for you." As soon as Li Shaoting finished speaking, he...
He knew not how much time had passed... Finally, it was over!
Jian An'an was so sore all over that she was nearly numb, her eyes fixed entirely on the eagle tattoo around the man's waist...
"Woman, what's your name? I said I'd take responsibility for you, so we'll go get our marriage certificate tomorrow." Li Shaoting held the blushing Jian An'an in his arms and said gently.
Then, he reached out, wanting to remove the mask covering Jian An'an's eyes so he could see what his future Madam Li looked like.
After resting for a moment and regaining some of her strength, Jian An'an saw Li Shaoting approaching, shoved him away in a flash, picked up the clothes scattered across the floor, hurriedly threw them on, and cursed angrily, "Jerk, I don't want your responsibility!"
With that, she turned and bolted.
"Woman, you stay right where you are!" Li Shaoting immediately shouted.
Fearing that Li Shaoting would chase her, Jian An'an hurriedly picked up his clothes as well, hugged them to her chest, and fled from the room.
Li Shaoting chased her to the doorway and watched helplessly as the seductive little woman's retreating figure moved farther and farther away. He immediately called out in a loud voice, "Woman, remember my name—I am Li Shaoting. You can come find me anytime."
Jian An'an was too panicked; intent only on escaping, she hadn't paid any attention to what Li Shaoting had actually said.
Li Shaoting withdrew his gaze and suddenly caught sight of a peach-blossom-shaped necklace on the floor.
He quickly picked it up, a flash of realization crossing his eyes. He didn't own such an item, so it must have been left behind by that little woman... Humph, woman, you can't escape me!
After fleeing all the way out of the hotel, Jian An'an hurriedly tossed the mask from her eyes and Li Shaoting's clothes straight into a trash can. Only then did she notice that the sky outside had grown completely dark, and Su Zixuan and Lu Hanyang's engagement ceremony had already concluded.
Jian An'an felt utterly heartbroken. Glancing back casually, her eyes suddenly caught a hotel poster nearby, which clearly bore four bold characters: Masquerade Ball.
Jian An'an could no longer hold it in. She squatted down, wrapped her arms around herself, and wept bitterly.
Gone...
She had nothing left...
No father, no mother, no Lu Hanyang, and even her first time had been taken away by a man whose face she didn't even know!...
Five years later.
The June sun was blazing like fire, and the film set was a hive of activity. Having shed her halo as the young miss of the Jian family, Jian An'an was wearing a cheap extra's costume and working as an extra on the crew.
She was burying her head in a messy pile of props.
Just then, a sudden burst of cheers erupted among the extras not far away—it seemed the lead actress had arrived.
Jian An'an had been hired by the crew only yesterday and didn't yet know who the star was. Curious, she stood up to look, and at a single glance, she recognized the actress surrounded and escorted down from a car in grand style.
It was actually Su Zixuan!!!
Seeing Su Zixuan instantly brought back memories of everything from five years ago, and hatred surged in her heart.
After her mother died, her father married Mother Su, and Su Zixuan transformed overnight from the daughter of a mistress into the young lady of the Jian family.
She had even entered the entertainment industry, becoming a leading lady with a bright future ahead of her.
And what was she? Just a background extra doing odd jobs for the crew!
Right now, it was best for her not to cross paths with Su Zixuan.
Jian An'an turned to walk in the opposite direction. No sooner had she taken a step than her ankle was tripped by a microphone cable. She let out a cry of surprise and pitched forward.
Just as she thought she was about to fall, her waist was suddenly gripped tightly. When she came to her senses, she found herself caught in a wide, warm embrace.
"Are you alright?"
The soft, familiar voice from above made Jian An'an freeze. She raised her head and stared blankly at the man so close to her.
It was Lu Hanyang!
Saving her had simply been an effortless gesture for Lu Hanyang, but after holding Jian An'an, the lingering, familiar fragrance on her made his heart skip a beat.
This scent was so familiar, as if he had smelled it somewhere before, yet he couldn't quite remember where...
Lu Hanyang helped Jian An'an stand steady. Meeting her gaze, which was filled with astonishment and sorrow, he spoke on an inexplicable impulse, "Be careful."
Seeing Lu Hanyang's expression, a sourness rose in Jian An'an's nose. He was looking at her as if she were a complete stranger; even after five years, he still hadn't remembered her.
Jian An'an caught sight of the engagement ring on his finger, and a sharp pain stabbed through her heart. Before she could even utter words of gratitude, Su Zixuan's voice came from behind them: "Hanyang, what are you two doing?"
Her voice was clear and sharp, drawing the surrounding people to look over.
Lu Hanyang calmly released his grip and walked over to Su Zixuan, his tone very gentle: "An extra almost tripped, so I gave her a hand."
How dare she covet her Hanyang! Seething with anger, Su Zixuan linked her arm through Lu Hanyang's and delivered a warning to both the grime-covered Jian An'an and all the other women on the crew: "Keep your wits about you when you're acting as extras! If any of these props get scratched or dented, can you afford to pay for them with the meager pennies you earn?"
Lu Hanyang gave a helpless smile. "Alright, the makeup artist has been waiting for you for a long time. Let's go over."
"Mm, I listen to you." Su Zixuan nodded like a dependent little bird, then cast a vicious glare at Jian An'an out of everyone else's sight.
Yet right after that glance, she suddenly found that this extra's figure looked somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before...
However, Jian An'an quickly lowered her head and went back to moving props. Suspicious as she was, Su Zixuan wasn't about to lower her status to ask an extra for her name.
Seeing Su Zixuan leave, Jian An'an finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed her makeup today hadn't been done in vain; Su Zixuan didn't seem to recognize her. Otherwise, given Su Zixuan's vicious personality, she wouldn't have let her off so easily! After a flurry of activity, filming was about to begin.
In this Republic-era drama, Su Zixuan played a lowly songstress who fell in love with a wealthy young master. This scene was set after her character was humiliated by the young master's family, running crying into a heavy downpour.
Artificial rain was about to start, and Jian An'an was busy preparing towels for everyone in advance.
Right at that moment, she suddenly felt an extremely uncomfortable gaze upon her. The second she raised her head, her eyes met Su Zixuan's!
A sudden, ominous premonition welled up in Jian An'an's heart...