In a blur, the other side of the bed seemed to sink down slightly.

During the swaying, Sheng Xi'an only felt her head becoming heavier.

"Mmm..." she believed it was another attempt to persuade her to drink more, furrowed her brows and stretched her hand out to push them away, "Really... I am not drinking anymore!"

The next moment, she sensed her neck being grabbed with precision.

"Eh?"

"Who gave you the guts to come in?!" The voice sounded pleasant, but it was filled with stormy anger.

Sheng Xi'an was struggling to breathe, her throat hurt badly. This voice had sobered her up quite a bit. She opened her eyes, but due to the dim lighting, she could only vaguely make out a black figure.

The air was getting thinner and her desperate bid for survival made her struggle fiercely. But she was intoxicated, with her neck being strangled, how could she fight back against a man?

"Click!"

The man swiftly turned on the light switch beside the bed. The room was instantly illuminated.

After seeing the woman beside him clearly, the originally anger-filled eyes showed a touch of surprise.

He slowly loosened his hold on her, "Sheng Xi'an?"

Sheng Xi'an finally found relief. She clutched her painful neck and started coughing violently.

It took quite a while for her to calm down. Only then did she notice a gaze that was impossible to ignore, firmly locked onto her face.

She timidly turned her head, trembled her eyelashes slightly. After a moment, her eyes widened in surprise, "Huo... Third Brother?"

The man's appearance was strikingly handsome, his face having the distinct features of well-chiseled sculpture. Underneath his thick eyebrows were deep-set eyes that resembled obsidian. Although his face was awe-inspiring, it was filled with iciness, indifference, and a hint of malicious insinuation. His sharp gaze was reminiscent of a hawk's – dark, grim, and furious. At that moment, his eyes narrowed subtly, emanating a chilling and oppressive aura.

Who else could this man be if not Huo Shaoting?

Huo Shaoting, the youngest son of the Huo family from City A, ranked third among his generation.

She often visited the Huo family and never missed an opportunity to affectionately call him "Third Brother".

However, instead of returning her affection, this time, Huo Shaoting lightly mocked: "Third Brother? When exactly did I happen to acquire a sister?"

"...," bit her lip, Sheng Xi'an hid her embarrassment. Just as she was about to stand up and leave, she noticed the man's smirk. His eyes scrutinized her in a teasing manner, finally resting on her shoulders. "Even if I did have a sister, she would not be the kind to gallivant in her birthday suit onto some other man's bed!"

Frowning, Sheng Xi'an followed his gaze and froze. Her once-dressed shoulder was now bare! She was certain she had worn a long form-fitting dress! To her consternation, her struggle earlier had caused the bedcover to slide a significant way down.

Instantly wide-eyed, she frantically pulled up the falling comforter.

Looking around the room, she realized from its decor that it was a hotel room...

No matter how composed and intelligent she usually was, she was completely disoriented now.

Nearly all the lights in the room were turned on with the heater running at full blast, but Sheng Xi'an still felt cold.

It was a chill that arose from the depths of her heart, inciting fear and panic.

Huo's mocking voice entered her ears, “Sheng Xi'an, is this the grand scheme of Sheng Shiqiang? Did he personally send you here? Oh, he’s really willing!"

"That's not what happened!" she protested.

"No?" The man hooks up a playful smile, his eyes filled with mockery. “So you're suggesting that you climbed into my bed all by yourself?”

Her face drained of color, embarrassment and panic caused her eyes to turn instantly red. "No! I don't know why this happened. I really don't. You have to believe me."

Her urgent plea echoed in the silence of the room, desperately hoping that he would believe her.

A low chuckle escaped his lips, though it failed to reach his eyes. “Believe you?” His tormenting gaze landed on her. “You climbed into my bed wearing nothing, and you want me to believe you? Sheng Xi'an, if it weren't for our past, do you think I would hesitate to kill you right now?”

She shuddered violently, striving to reason with him, "San Ge, I really don't know…" Before she could finish her sentence, she gathered the sheets around herself, ready to leave the dangerous territory of the bed.

However, before her feet could touch the ground, her wrist was abruptly caught; the next moment, she tumbled back onto the bed, dragged by him.

"Ah ——"

She let out a cry of surprise. Just as she tried to get up, her wrists were captured by his large hand and held above her head. He leaned in close to her, his gaze half-mocking, half-serious, not bothering to hide the dominating intent in his eyes.

Her struggle momentarily forgotten, she stared transfixed at the perfectly handsome face growing larger in her vision.

His firm jawline was clear-cut yet oddly gentle. Thick black eyebrows, straight nose, thin lips curved slightly – his black eyes were deep, seemingly able to see through everything.

Despite his good looks, it sent shivers down Sheng Xi'an’s spine. Only because, his beautiful black pupils that one would remember at a glance, were showing complete darkness at this moment.

"Thinking of running?"

"......"

"Sheng Xi'an, no matter who sent you here, from the moment you stepped in this room, everything is not up to you anymore, understand?"

Sheng Xi'an started trembling uncontrollably, her bright almond eyes filled with panic. Right now, she was like a frightened deer in headlights.

"What... what are you trying to do?"

"What do you think?" He squinted his eyes, "No matter who sent you, you took the pains to create all this. If I do nothing to you, wouldn't that be hard to justify?"

"Huo Shaoting, don't you dare!"

She started to struggle vehemently, but was she really a match for him?

He effortlessly controlled her with a lift of his leg, "Sheng Xi'an, you are the one who provoked me first."

His cold tones seemed to come straight from hell.

He tore the blanket off of her, "Since you've provoked me, you should think of the consequences!"

His hot breath kept hitting her face, although it was warm, she felt ice-cold to the core.

Terror made her feel like she was plummeting into an ice-cellar.

He looked at her and chuckled menacingly, eyeing her like prey he's set his sights on, "Are you ready to accept the punishment, woman?"

"No----"

Sheng Xi’an screamed out, her eyes wide open, drawing deep breaths.

She sat upright, her eyes sweeping over everything in the room, slowly coming out of her dream-like state.

She had been dreaming again…

This dream, ever since the day she appeared in Huo Shaoting's hotel room, she’d had no less than five times. Even though she was now married to Huo Shaoting. But every time, such a dream terrified her. Even though nothing really happened that day, the situation in the dream was so real that every time she woke up, it took her a long while to regain her senses.

She let out a bitter smile and a sigh, getting up to head to the bathroom to freshen up.

Just as she got out of bed, there was a knock on the door, "Madam, are you up yet?"

It was the housekeeper, Aunt Yu.

"I'm already up."

"Sir has returned, he is waiting for you in the living room downstairs."

Sheng Xi'an was taken aback, he's back?