Chapter 21: The True Face of the Crown Prince

Before her eyes stood a tall young man, surrounded by several men vying to serve him. Their deference was unmistakable, each of them bending over backward to please him.

With the light against him, his features were still obscured. As the group moved further into the banquet hall, she finally saw his face clearly—and it struck her like a bolt from the blue.

She stared in disbelief at the upright figure. That face was all too familiar.

The man she’d kept as her lover for three years—a wolfish young man she’d pampered—was none other than the crown prince of the capital’s elite circle.

At this moment, Li Jiuwei’s heart was in utter turmoil.

Shen Tang whispered, “Jiuwei, let’s find a chance to meet the prince.”

“There’s no need!” Li Jiuwei seized Shen Tang’s arm.

“Jiuwei?” Shen Tang looked at her, puzzled.

Li Jiuwei led Shen Tang away from the crowd, her mind in chaos. In front of Feng Su, the men bowed and scraped, their humility almost pitiful.

Feng Su, his hair slicked back, dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, radiated a cold, aloof nobility—his very presence warning strangers to keep away.

Li Jiuwei had never seen him like this before.

Her expression was odd, a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Shen Tang frowned. “Jiuwei, what’s going on?”

“He’s Feng Su.”

“I know, the crown prince’s name is Feng Su,” Shen Tang replied.

Li Jiuwei gave her a look that spoke volumes. She pressed her hand to her forehead, as if struck by a headache. “The little wolf I kept for three years—that’s him!”

Shen Tang was dumbfounded. Her gaze darted rapidly between the two, then she let out a low laugh, giving Li Jiuwei a thumbs-up. “Jiuwei, you’re incredible.” She’d not only slept with the infamous prince of the capital, she’d kept him as her lover for three years. Across all of Beijing, there was no one as formidable as her friend.

“Isn’t this better? For this collaboration, he’ll definitely agree.”

“I just broke up with him!” Li Jiuwei replied with a wry smile. With Feng Su’s vengeful nature, agreement was the least of her worries—she feared something far worse.

Shen Tang patted her shoulder in sympathy.

“My head hurts. I need to rest a bit.”

She turned away toward the lounge. Yet, for some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that a searing gaze was fixed on her. She glanced back—there was no one out of place.

She looked in Feng Su’s direction, but he seemed not to notice her.

Li Jiuwei returned to the lounge and sat on the sofa, her expression vacant.

Knock, knock, knock—

The sound of someone at the door.

“Come in,” she called.

But there was no answer—only persistent knocking.

Li Jiuwei opened the door, and upon seeing who it was, she tried to slam it shut. Feng Su forced it open, pulling her close with one arm and locking the door with the other.

“Feng Su, let me go. There’s nothing between us now.” She struggled, but the man behind her pressed her forcefully against the table.

His heated hand slid around her waist, gripping her firmly. Li Jiuwei glared at Feng Su in anger.

“I heard you have a favor to ask of me.”

“Who told you that?”

Feng Su only smiled, the look in his eyes one of utter confidence.

Li Jiuwei suddenly laughed. “You’re the illustrious crown prince. Whatever you want to know, you’ll find out. You’ve hidden yourself well, haven’t you?”

“Right back at you. I never thought you’d get engaged to another man.” His hand moved, making Li Jiuwei’s body shudder.

He seemed very pleased with her reaction.

Li Jiuwei looked at him—today, his face was more dangerously alluring than ever. She didn’t want to become his enemy; in all their three years together, she’d never treated him badly.

“We’re even now.”

“Even? You’re so naïve,” he scoffed.

Li Jiuwei watched him warily, her voice calm. “What do you want?”

“Be my woman.”

Before she could respond, he lowered his head and kissed her, almost desperately, as if he hadn’t tasted her in far too long.

Li Jiuwei bit his lip in defiance—a challenge that only stoked his desire. Feng Su deepened the kiss, his arms tightening until she melted in his embrace.

Only then did he reluctantly release her.

“Feng Su, you must be a dog,” she muttered. He’d bitten her too—hard enough to hurt, if not to draw blood.

“An eye for an eye,” he replied.

Retribution, pure and simple.

Feng Su pulled her onto his lap on the sofa, satisfaction in his eyes. “You want to host the Feng Group’s jewelry exhibition?”

“Yes.”

“Beg me, and perhaps I’ll agree.” There was a smile in his eyes, but no warmth.

Li Jiuwei wrapped her arms around his shoulders, smiling back. “I can just as easily give it up.”

“Tsk. You really can’t stand to lose anything, can you?”

But Feng Su’s tone shifted suddenly, his dark eyes boring into her. “Without the jewelry exhibition, you won’t become Jiang Group’s design director. You won’t build your own business empire. You have an appetite, but does Jiang Huaiting know your ambitions?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“We’ve been ‘in love’ for three years. How could I threaten you? I’m just reminding you—if you want something, offer yourself in exchange. For the sake of our past, I might consider it.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her lips, tender and lingering—anyone watching might have thought them a couple deeply in love.

But now that his identity was revealed, the man wanted to control her.

He had miscalculated.

Li Jiuwei slid from his embrace, her lips curling slightly. “Feng Su, you still don’t understand me. Goodbye.”

“Li Jiuwei!” Feng Su roared.

He lunged after her, grabbing her arm, his face thunderous.

But in the next second, Li Jiuwei shook him off and walked out, leaving him behind.

In the empty lounge, Feng Su smashed his fist into the wall.

“Li Jiuwei, can’t you ever just humor me—”

…

Back in the banquet hall, Li Jiuwei spotted Li Jingbai and Jiang Huaiting.

Jiang Huaiting made his way toward her, drawing the attention of everyone present.

No one had ever suspected they were engaged; both had hidden it well.

“How did you get in?” he asked.

An invitation to this exclusive soiree was nearly impossible to obtain without special connections. Even he and Li Jingbai had needed help to gain entrance.

“If you could get in, why couldn’t I?”

Before so many eyes, Jiang Huaiting maintained his composure, determined to shape public perception.

Li Jiuwei had never imagined Jiang Huaiting could stoop so low.

Feng Su appeared, his gaze icy as it fell on Li Jiuwei. The sight of the two of them together was jarring.

“Go home,” he ordered.

“No.”

“Li Jiuwei, if you offend someone important here, neither the Jiang nor the Li family can protect you. This isn’t a place for you. Leave at once.” He was here to network, after all.

With a fiancée embroiled in scandal, people would only associate them together.

Li Jiuwei walked past him, but Jiang Huaiting seized her wrist. “Come with me.”

Trying to force her out—just who did he think he was?

Arrogant man.

“Let go!” she snapped.

Feng Su’s voice rang out, drawing the eyes of everyone nearby.

“Prince, I’m just discussing something with my fiancée,” Jiang Huaiting said, not daring to offend Feng Su. In his presence, Jiang Huaiting couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Feng Su’s gaze fixed coldly on Li Jiuwei. He spoke again, his tone frigid. “Let her go.”