The night continued.
Some were joyful, others sorrowful.
Huo Tingshen returned to the Huo Residence. After soaking his feet, he lay in bed but couldn’t sleep.
Zhao Ziling was performing on stage tomorrow.
She was really going to perform.
So many people would see her dance!
How could that be allowed?
But there was nothing he could do about it now.
The divorce had already been finalized!
Tossing and turning, he sent Xu Zunlong a WeChat message:
[Get me a ticket for tomorrow night’s performance. I’ll owe you big.]
Xu Yali could definitely get tickets for Zhao Ziling’s performance.
Xu Zunlong replied quickly:
[How would I get one? My sister won’t even let me go. Ask Xie Guanyan—he has connections with that little girl Lin Mo.]
Huo Tingshen frowned deeply, exhaled sharply, and typed again:
[Where’s that beauty salon you mentioned?]
Xu Zunlong sent over a few addresses, then added:
[You don’t have a wife, but I do. I’m video-calling mine right now—don’t bother me at this hour!]
Huo Tingshen: "..."
He wanted to delete Xu Zunlong from his contacts!
Left with no choice, he had to turn to Xie Guanyan.
He got out of bed and went to the study.
He remembered that during the last incident at the Huo Residence, Xie Guanyan had left a business card on his desk.
The staff wouldn’t have thrown away something like that.
The study, which had been ransacked before, was now restored to order.
He walked to the desk and pulled open the drawer.
Then—
A dazzling, colorful rod-like object appeared before his eyes.
His stern eyes widened as he picked it up. "What the hell is this?"
After a closer look, his face turned ashen, then purple. He nearly staggered.
How could something like this appear in the Huo Residence? HOW?!
There was no need to guess—it had to be Zhao Ziling’s purchase, hidden somewhere in the study.
The staff must have found it while tidying up and placed it in his desk drawer.
The thought of the staff having seen this made Huo Tingshen feel blood rushing to his head.
Would they think he was… inadequate?
There were already rumors that he was incapable because he and Zhao Ziling had never had children after years of marriage.
He was perfectly capable!!
Gritting his teeth in fury, Huo Tingshen stormed downstairs with the colorful toy in hand.
He was going to chop it into pieces—utterly obliterate it!
The Huo Residence’s live-in butler was in the living room, pouring himself a glass of water, when he saw the young master holding a dazzling, rod-shaped object.
The butler: "..."
Upon closer inspection, the butler paled in horror. "Young Master, you mustn’t! With these things, there’s only zero times… or infinite times!!!"
Huo Tingshen was already fuming. When he realized what the butler meant, he nearly exploded. "What nonsense are you spouting?! I’m going to destroy this! Bring me the sharpest knife in the house!"
The butler looked as if he had seen the end of the world.
This was it—the young master had turned into a pervert after the divorce!
Even after reducing the toy to shreds, Huo Tingshen still wasn’t satisfied. He punched the wall several times in frustration.
Returning to the study, he felt the desk itself was tainted now.
But he still needed to find that business card.
He was going to see for himself what was so great about dancing.
And tomorrow, he would ask her—why the hell had she bought that thing?!
Finally, he found the card in the drawer.
Huo Tingshen took a sip of black goji berry tea to steady himself, then dialed the number on the card.
In the dead silence of the night, a phone suddenly rang.
Lin Mo was so startled her scalp went numb, and she jerked backward.
But the man’s slender, elegant fingers pressed down on her thigh, leaving faint indentations.
He lifted his head, his lips glistening and damp, his voice hoarse to the extreme. "Don’t move."
Lin Mo’s mind blanked out again.
It had already happened several times tonight.
When he begged her like that, she couldn’t refuse.
What could she do? She had to try!
But trying nearly killed her!
All she could hear was his ragged breathing and the slick, wet sounds between them.
Her vision flashed white, her fingers nearly clawing through the couch.
The phone kept ringing.
Lin Mo couldn’t take it anymore, her voice trembling. "Y-you… should see who’s calling!"
The man knelt on the carpet beside the sofa, his long, thick lashes damp.
He reached out with one hand and declined the call, then muted the phone.
Two seconds of silence.
Then it rang again—this time, vibrating violently.
The phone was on the sofa, and the vibrations sent tingles through Lin Mo’s entire body.
"It might be urgent business. You should answer it."
She needed a break. She was afraid she might pass out from pleasure.
A shadow of irritation flickered in Xie Guanyan’s lust-darkened eyes.
Who the hell had the audacity to call him in the middle of the night?!
Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and glanced at the screen.
An unknown number.
He looked at the girl, limp as melted wax on the sofa, and softened his voice. "I’ll take this. Wait for me."
"Hello."
His voice was rough as he answered.
"It’s me. Huo Tingshen."
Xie Guanyan’s brow furrowed. He hung up instantly—and turned off his phone.
Huo Tingshen didn’t even get to finish his sentence before the call disconnected.
Furious, he redialed—
"The number you have dialed is currently switched off..."
Huo Tingshen: "..."
Lin Mo leaned back on the sofa, her mind a chaotic mess, completely unable to think straight.
Xie Guanyan didn’t give her time to think, either.
He returned quickly.
Lin Mo’s dazed peach-blossom eyes gazed at the tall, elegant man, who stood like the bright moon.
She noticed he was holding a glass of water.
He tilted his head back and took a sip, his Adam’s apple bobbing enticingly.
Thirsty?
But Lin Mo soon realized—
He wasn’t thirsty.
Because it wasn’t just ordinary water. It was ice water.
Time flew by, and soon it was 7 p.m. the next evening.
The performance was set to begin at 7:30.
But early in the morning, Lin Mo had already packed up and headed to the theater.
She claimed it was to practice until she reached perfection.
In reality, she was too embarrassed to face Xie Guanyan at home.
Ahhh! Last night’s events were just too mortifying!
But so exhilarating!
This silly girl was living the dream.
She got to enjoy the perks before even officially dating him!
“Can we let the staff in to watch the performance now?”
Zhao Ziling came over to ask.
She was dressed in a cyan performance outfit, her waist cinched like a water snake’s, exuding an alluring charm.
Normally, audiences were allowed in half an hour early.
But today wasn’t a normal performance.
“Yes, but remember to collect everyone’s phones.”
Lin Mo’s makeup was already done—all that was left was changing into her costume.
Collecting phones had been agreed upon beforehand; only those who accepted the terms could attend.
She was terrified someone might record her confession.
It wasn’t the fear of rejection that embarrassed her—it was the possibility of Shen Sizhan stumbling upon the footage somewhere.
No video meant no evidence.
Even if he heard rumors, she’d still have room to deny it.
Zhao Ziling went out to inform the ticket checkers, then returned to ask, “Has Xie Guanyan arrived yet?”
Lin Mo blinked. “He should be on his way.”
Still uneasy, she sent him a WeChat message:
[Are you coming? It starts at 7:30.]
There was no immediate reply.
At first, Lin Mo didn’t think much of it.
Maybe he was on the road and hadn’t checked his phone.
But as time ticked by, it soon became 7:28.
Only two minutes until the performance began.
Lin Mo’s heart sank.
Had Xie Guanyan backed out?
She called him.
The line connected almost instantly.
“Xie Guanyan, are you here yet?” Lin Mo asked nervously.
A hoarse voice, crackling with static, answered, “I’m here.”
