Chapter 35 Freedom of Trade

Nighttime, tranquil yet madly intense.

“Listen, don’t just stand there daydreaming. Is your only ambition to be a pretty face?” Lu Huaining’s voice sliced through the air. Romance updates faster than a rocket—dare you not believe it?

Zhang Qikun smiled. “Young Master Lu intends to make Miss Xue the next goddess of the entertainment world, achieving both career and beauty?”

Lu Huaining replied coolly, “A pretty face is far too dull.”

Zhang Qikun raised his glass to Xue Zuining. “Congratulations. With Young Master Lu paving the way, Miss Xue’s future knows no bounds.”

The look in his eyes chilled her to the bone. She managed a strained smile.

Zhang Qikun didn’t pursue the topic further. Instead, he said, “Miss Xue, you don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Huaining turned, and Xue Zuining’s pale complexion caught his eye. His heart sank, but his expression remained calm. “What’s wrong?”

Xue Zuining clutched her stomach, her voice weak and soft. “Perhaps I had too many cold things earlier. I…”

Lu Huaining’s gaze lingered, half amused, half serious. He turned to Zhang Qikun. “I’ll take her to rest for a bit. Apologies.”

Lu Huaining’s hand was searingly hot, burning where their skin touched. Xue Zuining’s heartbeat and footsteps were equally chaotic as he led her from the hall. Once inside the lounge, he locked the door. She hadn’t yet spoken when he demanded, “Xue Zuining, have you forgotten your promise?”

Lu Huaining lifted her chin. “Did you really touch up your makeup just now?”

She shuddered. His hand tightened suddenly, his voice icy. “Who promised to behave? What exactly is in that head of yours? I doubt you put anything like integrity or shame in there.”

“Lu Huaining, let me go!”

“Very good. Now you dare glare at me. Go on, test my patience again.” Lu Huaining actually smiled. In the darkness, his cold smile replaced her anger with creeping fear.

He watched as her defiance faded before him. Finally, he leaned in, feigning intimacy, but his words were frigid, “Who are you mourning for with that face? Smile. Now.”

She stared at him, incredulous. The contempt and disdain in the professor’s gaze earlier had made her wish she could vanish into thin air, yet she couldn’t escape. Every word from Lu Huaining broadcast her lowly position to the world. In such agony, this man demanded she smile!

“I have no patience for tears, Xue Zuining. Dry your eyes and smile. Don’t make me repeat myself a third time.”

Her face was wet with tears, lips trembling as she forced them upward. Lu Huaining watched her, satisfied that she smiled stiffly. At last, he said, “From the moment you knelt before me, your pride and dignity were crushed beneath your feet. Remember who you are. Forget what needs forgetting, sever what needs severing. You are nothing but my possession. Don’t act out in front of me. Serve me well, understand?”

He patted her cheek and strode back to the hall. Xue Zuining’s legs buckled as she collapsed onto the sofa, clutching her small purse so tightly the metal ornaments dug into her hand. The pain grew sharper, but if not for this self-inflicted torment to distract her, she wondered if she could endure such overwhelming suffering and humiliation.

It was a long time before the torrents of emotion subsided. Mechanically, she wiped away her ruined makeup and repainted her face, masking herself behind powders. She pushed herself up from the vanity, her nails scraping the tabletop with a harsh sound. She clenched her jaws, dragging her nails across the hard wood again and again. She hated him—hated the beast who had ruined her body, destroyed her spirit, and shattered her future.

Leaving the lounge, she found herself in a long corridor lined with mirrors. She stared at her reflection: hair as green as clouds, features delicate and refined, clothes resplendent. Yet in her eyes lingered a chilling, shadowy hatred.

“Miss Xue, are you feeling better now?”

Zhang Qikun’s voice came from behind. She turned, composed herself for a few seconds, then replied, “Much better. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhang. Why…”

She noticed he was escorting a lady on his arm, coat slung over his hand, clearly preparing to leave.

“I have an early flight tomorrow, so I’ll take my leave. Hope you enjoy the party, Miss Xue.” He paused, gave his companion a signal to walk ahead, then strolled over to her and murmured, “Miss Xue, you’ve been wronged again? Why endure these torments day after day? Freedom—and seeing that man frustrated—wouldn’t that make you happier?”

He nodded slightly, smiling as he departed. Xue Zuining was too inexperienced; when she looked back at him, her hatred showed before she could hide it. Such hatred would only benefit him.

Xue Zuining stood rooted, her heart pounding like a drum, her thirst for vengeance boiling in her blood.

She couldn’t recall how she returned to the hall, nor which people Lu Huaining introduced her to, nor how many words were exchanged. Her mind was consumed by thoughts of freedom and revenge, her cheeks burning, hands cold as ice. Not until Lu Huaining brought her back to the villa and commented blandly, “Your face is frozen. Hardly a change in expression all night. What were you thinking?” did she snap out of it.

She looked up, meeting his pitch-black eyes. His gaze was clear and calm, as though a mirror reflecting the darkest secrets of her soul, making her uneasy. She lowered her lashes and whispered, “I’m tired.”

Lu Huaining smiled. “You slept all afternoon, and now you’re tired?”

His stare made her entire body tingle, but she couldn’t bring herself to flatter him. Her face flushed deep red. After a moment, she blurted, “Lu Huaining, I really am tired!”

“Tired?”