Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"How much longer are you going to dawdle? Get out already!"

So damn loud.

Fu Xie came to by the sink, his head heavy and his expression dazed as he glanced around.

A cramped single bathroom, decked out in gaudy luxury, with a high-end shower setup beside him. He barely managed to prop himself up on his elbows.

The mirror was fogged up, reflecting his appearance.

Wait—whose face was this in the mirror, sporting thick winged eyeliner, eyelids covered in glitter, and slathered in rainbow-colored makeup?

His hair was dyed a pale pink, like freshly bloomed cherry blossoms.

Fu Xie wiped his face with a wet hand in disbelief.

The makeup streaked, colors smudging into a clownish mess.

Fu Xie: [silent scream]

Outside, someone was still banging on the door loudly, probably desperate to use the toilet. He frowned and replied, "Almost done."

Through the door, he heard the person outside snap, annoyed, "Five more minutes!"

He grunted in response, still completely lost. He had originally been a sophomore in college, just finished with final exams and packing to go home—only to wake up here.

He raced through his thoughts for ten seconds. If he had to walk out looking like this, he’d undoubtedly become the biggest freak show in the crowd!

Absolutely not, he would be socially dead on the spot!

As someone with social anxiety, Fu Jing made a quick decision and spent a few minutes vigorously rubbing to remove the heavy makeup.

After some effort, he managed to wash off most of it, revealing his originally handsome features. He lifted his gaze for a glance, hmm, still the same face.

Having resolved the issue, he fell into deep thought. Could it be someone's prank?

But staying here indefinitely wasn't an option; he needed to check the situation.

The person waiting outside grew impatient and was about to kick open the bathroom door when Fu Jing stepped out.

Seeing the handsome and rugged man waiting at the door, Fu Jing was momentarily stunned.

Who is this? Here to use the restroom?

Suddenly encountering a stranger in an unfamiliar environment left Fu Jing unsure of how to react, standing there in a daze.

The man sized him up from head to toe, his eyes approving. "Finally decided to wash off that eye-searing makeup? Not bad, why always try to make yourself look so bizarre, like this is just fine."

Fu Jing: “?”

"Come on, don't dawdle. President Xi will be here soon, hurry up and get to the banquet." The man pulled him along.

"President Xi will be here soon?" Fu Jing repeated.

The man frowned. "Fu Jing, did you wash your brain away too? Whether our Yansheng company can get through this crisis depends on him, and you're still so out of it. You used to be the sharpest and most resourceful one, snap out of it!"

Fu Jing thought this guy must have mistaken him for someone else. Just as he was about to explain, a sudden realization hit him. "Wait, Yansheng company? You wouldn't happen to be Li Junyuan, right?"

The man was pulling him along, the noisy surroundings making it hard for him to catch Fu Xie's exact question. "Yelling my name won't help—move it!"

Fu Xie felt as if struck by lightning upon hearing the confirmation.

Li Junyuan—he remembered that name. It belonged to the Main Top in a trashy, over-the-top boys' love novel he had read long ago!

The shock left Fu Xie unable to think, forgetting even to shake off Li Junyuan's grip.

Because he recalled an even more unsettling truth.

The reason he still remembered this novel was that there was an unlucky character in it who shared his exact name!

The original owner was the Main Top's pathetic obsessive lapdog and a cannon-fodder tool used to antagonize the Main Bottom.

He had harbored an unrequited love for the Main Top for years. Hearing that Li Junyuan wanted to start an entertainment company, he volunteered to become an artist. Fortunately, his striking looks stood out even in entertainment circles, and his face alone brought the company substantial funding.

One could say that without Fu Xie, Yansheng wouldn’t have reached its current scale.

Li Junyuan had no real interest in him but, to keep him obedient and prevent him from leaving, mercilessly strung him along without ever giving a clear response, while constantly replacing his bed partners.

Everything changed at a gala. Facing financial difficulties, Li Junyuan tried to introduce Fu Xie to Xi Wenlun, the CEO of the Xi Group, only to be coldly rejected.

Furious, Li Junyuan dragged Fu Xie into a corner and screamed at him. Fu Xie knelt and begged, swearing he’d do anything. After the gala, he was delivered to the beds of a group of older men.

From then on, Fu Xie was forced to sexually service multiple men, becoming both a pawn in the protagonists' conflicts and a tool to suppress the Main Bottom.

His final fate was even more tragic—exposed by the Main Bottom, his reputation ruined, and burdened with massive debts he had been tricked into taking on for the company.

The original owner, crushed under debt, was forced into prostitution and eventually tortured to death during sex.

Had he transmigrated into this novel, reliving the original owner’s past?

Fu Xie gasped sharply, looking at Li Junyuan as if he were a demon.

Oh god! He didn’t want an ending where he died both socially and physically!

Li Junyuan suddenly noticed the slender wrist in his grip pulling back, as if trying to break free, and tightened his hold.

"Stop squirming, we’re out of time!"

Fu Xie was fighting back tears—his delicate build was no match for the burly Main Top! He wanted to call for help from passersby, but every time his eyes met a stranger’s, he instinctively looked away.

His crippling social anxiety made it impossible to muster the courage to speak to unfamiliar faces.

With no success in calling for help, Fu Xie was dragged all the way to the gala venue.

The event was held in the luxurious hotel, filled with lavishly dressed socialites mingling with glasses in hand. Fu Xie’s breath caught in his throat, feeling as if the air had frozen around him.

So... many... people.

Dizzy, disoriented, Fu Xie was helpless as Li Junyuan stubbornly pulled him toward the densest crowd.

At the center of the gala stood a chiseled, strikingly handsome man. He held a wineglass with effortless grace, the chandelier’s light accentuating his sharp, sculpted features, making him all the more dazzling.

With practiced ease, he politely evaded the men and women vying for his attention, his cold phoenix eyes sweeping indifferently over the crowd—until they abruptly locked onto one person.

Fu Xie was violently yanked forward, his neat little tailcoat now disheveled, the bowtie slightly undone. The tailored fabric outlined his slender, graceful waist and the sensual hourglass silhouette of his lower half, the rounded swell of his backside lifting the tails of his coat into a tantalizing arc.

His exposed skin was smooth and fair, softer than fine jade. His misty peach-blossom eyes brimmed with confusion, still dusted with stray flecks of glitter, making him look heartbreakingly vulnerable.

The crowd's eyes lit up, soft gasps rippling through them.

Xi Wenlun’s throat instinctively tightened. He lowered his eyelids.

What a shame.

Fu Xie, the one they called “Little Beauty,” who was being admired by everyone as a delicate work of art, felt anything but beautiful in that moment. His hands and feet shook uncontrollably, and Li Junyuan’s booming voice, once a steady stream of introduction, twisted into incomprehensible noise in his ears.

Fu Xie couldn’t make out a word. Suddenly, he was shoved forward by Li Junyuan until he stood directly in front of Xi Wenlun. Gathering his nerve, he bent down to collect himself—figuratively speaking—and lifted his gaze to steal a glance at President Xi.

His expression was cold and distant, his long lashes casting a delicate shadow across his face.

So—so terrifying!

Fu Xie flinched, shoulders hunching as he instinctively tried to retreat, but Li Junyuan’s hand pressed firmly against his back, pinning him in place.

“Lost your voice?” Li Junyuan hissed under his breath, menace lacing every syllable.

But at that moment, Fu Xie’s social anxiety spiked. His mind went completely blank. How was he supposed to speak?

Oh god! Was he really going to be publicly humiliated, dragged off to some dark room, and have his life destroyed? No way!

His eyes welled slightly. Like a man walking to the gallows, he squeezed his eyes shut, steeled himself, and blurted out, “President Xi, just surrender—you’ve got no choice!”

The words had barely left his mouth when he froze.

Holy shit! What the hell did he just say?! And in front of all these people! He wanted to vanish into thin air on the spot!

The entire room fell silent, then exploded into roaring laughter.

Li Junyuan gritted his teeth. “You really know how to talk, don’t you?”

Fu Xie wished he could disappear. He stood there stiffly, fists clenched, his nose red like a cornered rabbit, helpless and embarrassed.

The high-society crowd still snickered behind their hands. At first, they had been annoyed when Li Junyuan barged in with an unknown guest, acting like he belonged.

None of them, despite their status, had managed to get close to President Xi—so who was this nobody to suddenly appear and claim attention?

And worse, Xi Wenlun despised sleazy advances. This pretty boy had not only dared to approach him but had also made a scandalous demand in public. His future was surely ruined.

But what did they care? The more malicious among them eagerly awaited Xi Wenlun’s fury so they could laugh at Fu Xie’s downfall.

No one noticed, however, the flicker of warmth that softened Xi Wenlun’s otherwise icy phoenix eyes, or the faint upward curve of his lips.

“All right.”

Two simple syllables hit the crowd like a bombshell.

What?! Xi Wenlun—the man known for rejecting admirers—was breaking his own rule? Was he seriously considering claiming this nobody?

His assistant hesitated. “President Xi, you’re not serious, are you?”

Xi Wenlun nodded, his gaze locked steadily on Fu Xie.

The guests gawked at Xi Wenlun, then turned their stares toward Fu Xie, as if trying to decipher whether he had bewitched the man somehow.

Still dazed, Fu Xie looked up at the tall, imposing figure before him. Xi Wenlun remained composed, his regal, icy demeanor unchanged.

Earlier nerves had kept him from truly seeing him, but now, he noticed the sharpness in those dark brows and eyes—clear and cold as moonlight, yet edged with a commanding, dangerous authority forged from years at the top.

Fu Xie’s awareness slowly came back, and he suddenly caught a faint whiff of woody fragrance from the person before him—like a phoenix tree caressed by the night breeze in the deep darkness.

So handsome.

The thought surfaced at the worst moment. A soft pink flush spread across his pale cheeks.

But he didn’t dare look any longer. As someone with social anxiety, speaking in front of so many people had completely drained his social battery.

Yet it was strange… Why had Xi Wenlun accepted? Shouldn’t he have outright rejected him?

At any rate, he had dodged whatever twisted fate awaited him. The knot in his chest loosened.

Though he had no idea what would happen next, he’d just have to take things one step at a time.

Xi Wenlun soon left the party, and the onlookers scattered, bored.

The only one truly pleased was probably Li Junyuan, who gave Fu Xie a few rough shoulder claps, making him wince in pain, before whispering, “Didn’t think you had it in you. Don’t forget what I asked of you.”

Asked what? Fu Xie remained confused.

It probably had something to do with his current mess, though the details weren’t clear in the text—in fact, Fu Xie couldn’t remember at all.

But then again, he had no obligation to help the jerk of a protagonist now.

Fu Xie decided to set the matter aside for the time being. However, before he could even take a step out of the venue, the black-suited assistant who had been with Xi Wenlun earlier approached and steered him out, bundling him into a car that sped off to a high-end villa.

After the assistant left, Fu Xie was temporarily settled in a bedroom.

Alone in the room, his thoughts finally settled.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, Fu Xie wanted to rest for a while and sat down on the edge of the bed—a king-size one, impossibly plush.

He could actually sit and rest on such a luxurious bed…

His heart skipped a beat as sudden wariness struck him.

He had been taken home by a man. Was he in for something… weird?