Chapter Twenty-Eight: It's Over, Wife—I've Lost My Innocence

At this moment, Xue Tian’ai was strolling leisurely home, humming a tune to himself. He could never have known, nor imagined, that on his very first day back in China, he had already entangled himself with three women.

Right now, he felt utterly elated. This freedom without any restraint, this sense of relaxation that didn’t require living on the edge of a knife, made him feel as if he were dreaming. In his twenty-five years of life, he had never felt so utterly unburdened as he did today.

Arriving at the entrance of Hongyang Villa No. 3, he entered the new password that Qin Mengxue had set, pushed open the door, and walked in. He could not fathom why Qin Mengxue had changed the password, and to such a convoluted one—numbers, Chinese characters, and English, all mixed together. Wasn’t the old “Tian’ai Invincible Handsome” good enough? Easy to remember, and true to fact.

Twilight had already settled; the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the vast No. 3 villa was still empty. It seemed Qin Mengxue wasn’t back yet, Xue Tian’ai mused to himself.

But Qin Mengxue’s dedication to her work was remarkable. As the company president, she still hadn’t returned home this late; she truly gave her all. To shoulder such a heavy burden at twenty-three wasn’t easy.

As this thought passed, another figure surfaced in Xue Tian’ai’s mind—a beautiful girl, too. He wondered how she was doing, after all these years, having handed such a large responsibility over to her. It must have been tough; she was only a year older than Qin Mengxue.

Xue Tian’ai gave a wry smile, shook his head to dispel the thoughts, then slowly ascended the stairs. He entered the bathroom in Qin Mengxue’s bedroom, stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the washing machine, then switched on the heat lamp in the bath. His bare body was bathed in the warm, gentle light.

His fair skin gleamed beneath the bright illumination, reminiscent of the most exquisite silk and satin of Suzhou and Hangzhou, yet not the pallor of weakness. His athletic, explosive muscles—neck to ankles—were seamlessly melded together. His forearms tensed with the slightest effort, his pectorals were robust, and his six-pack abs were sharply defined. Xue Tian’ai’s physique seemed crafted by the strictest designer, a masterpiece.

Yet even the finest jade has its flaw. Xue Tian’ai bore a regret—a ten-centimeter scar on his chest, savage and somewhat terrifying.

Standing beneath the showerhead, he turned on the water. He didn’t choose to heat it, letting the cold stream pour over his skin. This was his habit; he avoided hot water, for when among the wolves, he was taught that hot water numbs the nerves, immerses one in comfort, and dulls vigilance.

So, growing up, Xue Tian’ai always bathed in cold water.

He gently traced the scar on his chest, and a violent aura instantly radiated from him.

Butterfly’s Tragedy—an agony he would never forget. That pain nearly destroyed him, and the entire Butterfly organization. He never imagined that a simple mission was actually a trap set by Europe’s three major mafia families.

The three mafia families of Europe: the Pano family, the Milterhong family, and the Pengbaofilia family. Two years ago, they orchestrated Butterfly’s Tragedy. If not for the undercover Butterfly member Bamboo Leaf Butterfly, who sent back crucial information, Xue Tian’ai would surely have died in that incident. Yet Butterfly’s Tragedy left him with an unforgettable mark.

Several missiles exploded, flames soaring into the sky, the roar of the blast, mushroom clouds rising, claiming the lives of Butterfly members one after another. Protecting Sigong Yanyue, Xue Tian’ai’s chest was badly wounded by shrapnel, leaving that savage scar.

Afterwards, Butterfly launched furious reprisals against the three mafia families, but it was as if they had vanished from the earth. After their defeat in Butterfly’s Tragedy, the mafia families went into hiding.

Xue Tian’ai had hoped to try his luck at this year’s Black Night Auction, to see if he could run into the leaders of those three mafia organizations—the ones Wes called “the three old dogs.”

But things didn’t go as Xue Tian’ai wished. The three old dogs still hid deeply, without a trace of activity, and he himself had returned to China to fulfill his marriage contract.

“Boss, run! You must survive!” “Butterfly can’t manage without you!”

Faces fading into the firelight flashed through his mind, and pain etched itself across Xue Tian’ai’s face. With a bang, his fist slammed against the wall, his eyes cold and murderous, his head bowed, wet hair hanging messily. A single tear traced his determined cheek, falling to the ground, scattering into tiny droplets.

“The three mafia families—don’t let me find you, or I’ll make you join my brothers in the grave!”

A hoarse growl escaped his lips, as memories flickered like black-and-white slides in his mind.

While Xue Tian’ai was bathing, Qin Mengxue returned home after a long day, parked her car, and entered. Seeing the man’s shoes by the door, she nodded in faint satisfaction. At least her “cheap fiancé” hadn’t gone missing again—he was at home.

For some reason, compared to being alone, Qin Mengxue felt a touch of security and relaxation in her heart.

She didn’t go looking for Xue Tian’ai. Instead, she made herself a cup of Pu’er tea, pulled out her portable office computer, and sank onto the sofa.

She hadn’t expected so many matters to await her after two days’ rest. Moreover, her capable aides, Gan Bingning and Su Jiaqi, hadn’t come to work today due to other affairs. The complex and numerous tasks all fell upon Qin Mengxue’s shoulders.

She massaged her aching temples, sipped her tea, and tried to compose herself. She began reviewing the list that Yu Xiaoxiao had compiled, detailing the corporate groups likely to participate in the Yangda bid.

Seeing the dense list on her computer’s WPS interface, Qin Mengxue felt a headache rising. She hadn’t expected the Yangda bid to attract so many competitors, each formidable in their own right.

Among these companies, several particularly caught her attention—for example, the Li Group, a local industry in Beiyang City, led by CEO Li Hongtu. Years ago, he had fiercely attacked her father Qin Wanlan’s Menghua Group. But after Qin Mengxue became president, the attacks stopped, and now Li Group was participating in the Yangda bid.

There was also Harbor Group from Bolian City. Though just a seafood company, both their financial resources and the cunning of their boss Tian Cangming were not to be underestimated.

Of course, there was Ye Hairuo’s Tianming Group. Ye Hairuo had approached her for an alliance this time, which perhaps lessened the pressure.

Qin Mengxue kept reading. When she saw the name of Guangming Group from the capital, her beautiful eyes widened instantly. She understood why Ye Hairuo had sought her out to discuss cooperation.

Guangming Group—one of China’s top corporations, even an international commercial titan, with immense financial and strategic power. Its leader, You Tianle, frequently appeared on the front pages of major financial papers.

Although Qin Mengxue didn’t believe Guangming Group’s headquarters would attend the Yangda bid, nor that You Tianle would care about a provincial tender, the Northeast branch might well participate.

Even just the Northeast branch of Guangming Group was enough to give Qin Mengxue a run for her money. Ye Hairuo must have learned this and thus proposed an alliance.

Not easy at all! Qin Mengxue kicked off her slippers, held her forehead in one hand, and collapsed languidly onto the sofa, wanting to rest her eyes.

Xue Tian’ai had finished his shower. The cold water had washed away his violent aura. He looked in the mirror, tugged his lips into a playful smile, and returned to his usual carefree, frivolous self.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Xue Tian’ai left Qin Mengxue’s bedroom, glanced downstairs, and saw she had returned.

He looked at her delicate figure sprawled on the sofa and smiled slightly—Qin Mengxue truly was a hardworking girl.

He tiptoed down the stairs, quietly approached the sofa, and gazed silently at Qin Mengxue.

She wasn’t asleep, and sensed the movement in the air around her. She slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Xue Tian’ai smiling at her, froze for a moment—then let out a shrill scream.

“Ah…!”

The scream, as if she’d seen a ghost, startled Xue Tian’ai. What was that for? Why scream for no reason? It’s not as if she hadn’t seen him before.

“What’s wrong with you? Just a few hours apart and you don’t recognize me? Can you stop screaming every time you open your eyes and see me?” Xue Tian’ai reached out, intending to tap her head.

“Stay back!” Qin Mengxue, a little dazed, eyed his outstretched hand, covered her face, sat up, and shrank into a corner of the sofa, her cheeks flushing bright red.

Xue Tian’ai was confused. What’s with this woman? Why was she suddenly acting so strange? And why was her face turning red?

“Hey, I’m your fiancé! Why are you making such a fuss?” Xue Tian’ai complained.

“You shameless thing! You’re not even dressed! How long are you going to parade around naked in front of me?” Qin Mengxue kept her hands covering her face, but her eyes peeked curiously through her fingers at his body. This was the first time she’d seen such a boldly exposed male physique, and it was a shock to her.

“Ah!…” Xue Tian’ai, hearing this, looked down, then covered his face and shouted.

“It’s over, wife, I’m no longer pure!”