Volume One, Chapter Five: Too Beautiful to Ignore

“By the way, Chaowu,” Jin Yao’s handsome face was grave, revealing the real reason why he’d asked Shen Chaowu out for dinner. “Did your second brother hit you? What happened?”

In Haicheng’s circle of the elite, he and Shen Hanchuan were of similar age and so close they could share a pair of trousers. He knew Shen Hanchuan was not someone who resorted to violence without cause—especially not toward Shen Chaowu. The thought was simply… beyond belief. Shen Hanchuan’s mouth was harder than steel; no matter how many times Jin Yao asked, he refused to say a word.

Shen Chaowu set down her chopsticks and cast a meaningful glance at Jiang Yao, her bright and alluring red lips curved into an inscrutable smile. “My eldest brother’s company has been through some fierce stock turbulence lately. The shareholders are furious. Tell me, which of Haicheng’s prominent families would dare make a move against my brother’s company?”

The Shen and Jin families had been allied for generations, a powerful partnership. Others scrambled to curry favor—who would dare openly target Shen Yanzhou?

The soft white light cast a glow on the girl’s delicate and striking features. Her eyelids drooped, and the sapphire silk gown she wore made her skin seem even more creamy and flawless, radiant and captivating. The faint outline of a slap on her cheek was harsh, yet somehow enticing—like a flawless work of art marred by a single crack, making her all the more intriguing.

A strange emotion flickered in Jin Yao’s heart. He felt nothing romantic for Shen Chaowu, only the camaraderie of friendship. Yet now… perhaps it was simply that her beauty was too dazzling. But it wasn’t as if today was the first time Jin Yao had noticed her looks. Among the socialites of Haicheng, Shen Chaowu could be outshone in many ways, but when it came to her face—there was no dispute. She was unassailable.

He pressed his thin lips together, suppressing a faint emotion, his deep voice as sharp as a curved blade, full of edge. “You mean the elite families in the capital are targeting Shen Yanzhou?”

“That’s only the beginning,” Shen Chaowu replied with a faint smile. “They’re coming after the entire Shen family. And of course, I’m the first in their sights.”

Jiang Yao’s body trembled.

Jin Yao nodded slightly, his handsome, chiseled features veiled in shadow, his entire demeanor radiating the air of a master strategist and king—enough to make Jiang Yao’s heart pound wildly. “The Zhou family?” he guessed, almost as an afterthought. How could the Shen family possibly have provoked such a top-tier power? Who could have made such a colossal blunder? Jin Yao dismissed the idea immediately.

To his surprise, Shen Chaowu nodded in affirmation, her voice as gentle as if she were praising a child. “You’re so clever. It’s the Zhou family, yes indeed.”

He chuckled, shaking his head, “Chaowu, your personality has become more lively.” Rather adorable, actually. Now she even knew how to joke with him.

Jin Yao thought it was a good thing. Shen Chaowu had always been beautiful, but her every smile and frown used to be so stiff. He much preferred his fiancée as she was now.

After eating her fill, Shen Chaowu picked up a handkerchief and dabbed at her lips. “I’m not joking with you. Didn’t I attend Old Master Zhou’s birthday banquet a few days ago? Ah, and Miss Jiang was there as well.”

She smiled faintly, “Miss Jiang accidentally wandered into the Zhou heir’s study.”

“And she accidentally broke the painting belonging to the Zhou heir.”

“Yes, the very painting rumored to be dearest to the prince’s heart.”

“…”

“Miss Jiang was caught red-handed.”

“But don’t worry—” The twists and turns of the story made even Jin Yao, who was no stranger to storms, feel his heart race. Was there still room for maneuver? He listened intently.

He watched Shen Chaowu elegantly twist open her lipstick, leisurely reapplying her makeup. Only after refreshing her lips did she speak, slow and unhurried, “The Zhou family mistook Miss Jiang for me.”

“…”

Jiang Yao was stunned that Shen Chaowu had so ruthlessly torn away her cover, showing no mercy—especially in front of Jin Yao! She was trembling with rage, seized for the first time in her life by the urge to slap someone. Tears welled in her eyes. She bit her lip, bowing her head, not daring to look at the man’s expression.

Shen Chaowu’s gaze was cold. In her previous life, when she’d been cast into the Zhou family, Jin Yao had likely been kept in the dark from beginning to end. But then, she had never mattered—Jin Yao never even asked. By the time she returned to the Shen family, Jin Yao’s heart and mind were already occupied by Jiang Yao.

Jin Yao was known for his impatience with foolishness. It was no secret.

As expected, after hearing everything, Jin Yao’s face darkened, his god-like features turning stormy. “So Shen Hanchuan hit you because of this?”

He was always calm—even when dealing with contracts worth billions, he could remain unruffled. Yet seeing the slap mark on Shen Chaowu’s cheek, a wildfire of anger surged inside him, almost impossible to restrain. Before today, he could have remained indifferent.

He didn’t realize it, but this was a man’s possessiveness for a woman—the kind that brooks no infringement.

Shen Chaowu kept her head lowered. Her hair, thick and lustrous, framed her snow-white face. She was so beautiful as to seem unreal—a siren capable of stealing souls, yet so pure one would hesitate to profane her.

Her clear, seductive eyes shimmered, damp and lost. She said nothing, but the tears rolling down her cheeks spoke volumes of her grievance. What had she done wrong? From start to finish, all she’d been was a pitiful scapegoat.

In that moment, Jin Yao’s urge to protect her soared to its peak.

“Damn bastard!” Jin Yao was a man who rarely showed emotion—his joy and anger were never on display. When he strode away, slamming the door behind him in a fury, even Shen Chaowu was surprised. She had overplayed her hand a bit.

Shen Chaowu slowly wiped away her tears, a sly smile playing on her lips like that of a clever little fox. Jiang Yao stared at her, dumbstruck, at last understanding Shen Chaowu’s intentions. “You… you were pretending?!”

“How could you be so scheming, pushing Brother Jin Yao to stand up for you…” Jiang Yao bit her lip, her mind in turmoil, uncertain if she felt more shocked or more jealous. “Brother Jin Yao isn’t that irrational, Sister Chaochao, just wait—you’ll only be disappointed.”

Shen Chaowu was unbothered. She stood, her height of one meter sixty-nine giving her a full head’s advantage over Jiang Yao, her presence overwhelming, her gaze sharp as a blade. “Disappointed? I’ve been disappointed so many times before—what’s one more?”

Besides, who’s to say Jin Yao would disappoint her this time?

Jiang Yao blanched in fear.

But Shen Chaowu had no intention of doing anything to her. She tossed out a casual “I’m leaving,” grabbed her limited edition Lady Dior bag, and strode away.

The pink Cullinan roared down the street, the city’s myriad lights fading behind them. Shen Chaowu was in the mood for a show, speeding so fast that Jiang Yao clung desperately to her seatbelt, her usual soft voice rising in shrill screams. “Ah… Help! Help!”

Back at the Shen family estate, Shen Chaowu climbed out of the car with practiced ease, leaving the shaken Jiang Yao behind. The moment she stepped inside, a glass shattered at her feet.

“Shen Hanchuan, are you out of your mind, hitting your own sister? Who do you think you are?” Before anyone could appear, Jin Yao landed a solid punch on Shen Hanchuan’s face.

“You’re the one who’s crazy!”

“…”

Shen Hanchuan was stunned, then leapt to his feet, veins bulging on his forehead. “How I discipline my sister is none of your business, outsider!”

Was this guy insane? Seeing who it was, Shen Hanchuan froze—was that really… Jin Yao?!