Chapter 4 – The Wrong Door
Xun Lanyue glided down the gilded hallway of the Golden Orchid Hotel, her heart racing.She had planned everything. Han Zixuan would drink the wine, his strength would falter, and she would finally have him — powerless, hers for the night.
She reached the door, silk hem brushing polished marble. The guards nodded and let her in.
But the room was dark.
Before she could light the lamp, a heavy hand seized her wrist. Another clamped her mouth. She struggled — panic slicing through her chest — but the grip was too strong, too old.
The smell of expensive tobacco filled her nose.The voice was not Han Zixuan's.
"Quiet, girl," the old man rasped, dragging her closer. "You came yourself. No need to resist."
Her muffled scream vanished against his hand. The night she had prepared for Han Zixuan… became her own nightmare.
The Next Morning
The sun slashed through the curtains. Xun Lanyue stumbled into the hallway, hair disheveled, dress torn, lips trembling.
And there he was.The old man with the golden cane, walking calmly from the opposite wing, adjusting his collar, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.
Her blood froze.
She backed away, hands clutching her chest, then bolted down the hall, her voice breaking into a shriek that echoed through the hotel:
"No… no, it can't be him…!"
Tears blurred her vision as she staggered out into the street, screaming,
"It means… it means that fool bastard is with Han Zixuan!"
Her sobs turned into laughter, wild and sharp at the edges. People on the street stopped to stare as she collapsed against a wall, clutching herself.
Xun Lanyue's obsession had twisted into something else now: hatred.Hatred for Qiao Xueran.Hatred for the man she once adored.
Because in her eyes, they had both betrayed her.