But as Duanmu Yixin pushed away the man's supporting hand, she immediately felt an unbearable heat surging through her. Perhaps the central air conditioning in the club was turned up too high—she felt unbearably hot and parched. Eager to catch up with Wang Jiajia, she quickened her pace and stepped out of the bar.
The moment she exited, the night breeze did nothing to cool her down. Instead, the heat intensified, and an unbearable itch crawled over her skin, as if countless ants were skittering across her body.
Leaning against the wall to catch her breath, Duanmu Yixin was startled when the same man from earlier, the one who had been overly familiar inside, suddenly appeared beside her again.
"Need a ride home, sweetheart?"
Ignoring him, she gritted her teeth against the discomfort and tried to hail a taxi. But before she could reach the street corner, the man yanked her into a rough embrace.
"Sweetheart, I don’t think you realize the situation you’re in," he sneered, his hands wandering higher as his face loomed closer. "Without a man tonight, you won’t even know how you died."
"Get off me—!" Despite the feverish haze clouding her mind, the sight of his leering grin sent a surge of disgust through her. She slapped him hard across the face.
"Damn it! If it weren’t for the money, I’d return that slap twice over," he spat, rubbing his cheek. But even as anger flashed in his eyes, a twisted grin spread across his face at the thought of what was to come.
Duanmu Yixin fanned herself weakly, trying to put distance between them.
"Come on, sweetheart, stop fighting it. What you need right now is a man," he taunted, grabbing her wrist with a cruel laugh.
The fire in her mind burned hotter, her thoughts growing sluggish. The last shred of her rationality screamed one thing—she had been drugged.
"Let go—!"
"Someone… please help me!" She clung to the desperate hope that if she could just make it home, she’d be safe.
"Let her go!" A deep voice cut through the chaos as a tall, imposing figure emerged from the bar, his sharp glare fixed on the group.
"Buddy, I’d advise you to mind your own business," the man sneered, momentarily stunned that someone had actually stepped in. But seeing no backup behind the stranger, his confidence returned, his smirk widening.
A young face, chiseled with striking masculine beauty—sharp angles exuding an air of cool elegance. His deep, obsidian eyes shimmered with an irresistible allure, framed by thick brows, a straight nose, and lips sculpted to perfection, each feature radiating nobility and grace.
At that moment, beneath his seemingly nonchalant demeanor, a dazzling smile played on his lips.
"No—I don’t know him—please, help me!" Duanmu Yixin, clinging to the last shred of her rationality, instinctively leaned into the man. Something told her he was trustworthy. She gripped his arm desperately, like a drowning person clutching a lifeline, holding on so tightly she feared he might abandon her.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to trace that flawless face with her fingers, to touch those impossibly sensual lips—even to tear open his clothes…
She shook her head, horrified at her own thoughts. *Am I losing my mind?!*
"Fool." The man couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics.
Yet Yixin, driven purely by instinct, clung tighter to his arm. His scent was intoxicating—clean, masculine, utterly irresistible. She loved it.
The thug, seeing his prey slipping away, immediately switched to threats.
"Mind your own business, pal. This chick was sold to me—tonight, she’s mine!" He reached out to grab Yixin, but before his fingers could even brush her, he let out a sharp cry.
"Ah—let go—!" The bully’s bravado vanished as the "hero" effortlessly twisted his wrist.
"Get lost. Before I change my mind." The man’s lips, temptingly perfect, parted with the command. Yixin felt the air grow hotter, her grip tightening as if afraid he’d vanish.
"Fine, take her if you want her. We already got paid anyway." Nursing his nearly broken hand, the thug slunk off—but his resentful mutter gave away more than he intended.
Ye Qingcang’s brow arched. *There’s more to this.* Maybe he’d made a mistake—he should’ve called the cops first.
"Woman, what do you think you’re doing?" The man’s breathtakingly handsome face remained unreadable, but his dark, midnight eyes flickered with irritation at Yixin’s restless hands.
Duanyi Yixin timidly raised her head with a dazed smile.
"I'm so hot—you feel so cool—" She wasn't oblivious to the man's displeasure, but her head was spinning, her body aching unbearably.
Afraid of encountering another predator, she inexplicably trusted this man—his presence felt safe, reassuring. So she surrendered herself to him without hesitation.
"Stupid woman! Let go. Are you alone?"
Sure enough, the man took one look at Yixin's unnaturally flushed face, cursed under his breath, and hauled her into a blue sports car parked nearby instead of abandoning her on the street.
"Where do you live?" He shot an impatient glance at her in the passenger seat.
"Water... I need water—I'm so hot—" Yixin's mind was a foggy mess, her body burning as if thrown into a furnace. She whimpered incoherently, oblivious to his question.
"Stop it! I asked where you live!" Ye Qingcang's eyes darkened with restrained frustration as the streetlights cast an alluring glow over her feverish face.
"Aren't you hot?" Yixin turned to him with a loopy grin, studying his striking profile as he drove.
Ye Qingcang reached to stop her fidgeting, but she seized his hand and pressed it against her cheek.
"Have you no shame? Let go, you reckless fool!" he growled through clenched teeth, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
Yet Yixin only grew bolder, as if deliberately ignoring his warnings.
She clung to his hand, refusing to release it. Then, emboldened, she stretched her slender arms to caress his face, her touch growing more insistent, more intoxicating.
But even this couldn't quench the fire raging inside her. The heat grew unbearable, suffocating.
"Still too hot... I need water—" she gasped, her voice ragged.
Flames flickered in Yixin's eyes.
Her world had become an inferno—consuming her thoughts, leaving only white-hot desperation for relief.
