Chapter 4

Who could even focus on the question he was asking?

The lean, well-proportioned muscles traced a pleasing silhouette, the V-line disappearing beneath the edge of his trousers.

If this hadn't been the first time we'd truly met, I would definitely have stripped off the rest of those pesky pants.

Under my hands, his cool, pale skin quickly flushed with red marks.

Especially…

Seductive.

My heart pounded. A wave of warmth spread from my palm straight to my brain.

He glanced at me. “Do you do this with other people, too?”

“Of course not. Don't overthink it. By the way, can I touch you again tomorrow?”

Shen Qi'an leaned close, coaxing me, his eyes carrying a hint of invitation.

“I'm fine with whatever you want. So… could you just have me? Only me?”

He really knew how to tempt people. That beautiful face filled my whole field of vision.

I nearly bit the bait, but managed to hold on to a shred of reason.

“No… not yet.”

We'd only just met, and he had to crook a finger for me to come running. Was I really that lacking in principles?

Yes.

But if I earned myself the title of hopelessly lovesick fool, wouldn't my brother laugh me into the ground?

Not only was I a woman without principles, I was also terribly vain.

Sigh…

I really was a morally bankrupt person.

Shen Qi'an seemed a little disappointed. He got dressed in a daze and left.

At the door, he turned back. “Xie Sinian—have you touched him like that?”

I blinked. “No. Why would I touch him?”

Shen Qi'an brightened right back up and practically skipped away.

That night, he posted on Weibo:

【Wednesday, playing the mistress. Being a mistress is so underrated. It's not just an act—it's a state of mind, a Mood in mind, a State of BEing. If you've never been a mistress, I feel sorry for you.】

Top comments:

【What language is that supposed to be?】

【Wait, weren't you Fifth? Did you get promoted?】

【So even mistresses have ranks? Does Fifth have to submit a calling card to Third?】

【Then aside from Xie Sinian and Shen Qi'an, who are the other two?】

After I survived a bombardment of calls from Sister Li, I discovered that Shen Qi'an had gone off the rails again.

A thousand-floor discussion thread had sprung up on Douban, trying to dig up the identities of the other two.

I nearly coughed up blood.

Stop digging! They'd even uncovered an elementary-school video of me with my face painted like a monkey's butt, singing onstage with a boy.

I privately fired more than a dozen bomb emojis at Shen Qi'an.

【Keep it down!! Is this something to be proud of?!】

He replied at once: 【I'm sorry.】

He deleted the post.

The trending topic only got hotter.

At midnight, Shen Qi'an suddenly messaged me again.

【Mianmian, who was that boy singing with you onstage?】

【…Get lost.】

【Crying puppy.jpg】

10

And so Shen Qi'an became an unpaid, unofficial cast member of the dating show *Heart-Fluttering Moments*.

He brought all the buzz and none of the paycheck.

In the morning, everyone gathered around the breakfast table.

Shen Qi'an smugly provoked Xie Sinian. “Do you have abs?”

“Are you sick?” Xie Sinian gave him a baffled look.

I nearly spat out my milk. “Ahem. Have you been working out lately? Haha, why are you so interested in muscles? Hahaha—”

I couldn't come up with anything else.

Awkward.

I secretly kicked Shen Qi'an under the table. He immediately deflated and sulkily gnawed on his bread.

Luckily, Xie Sinian only gave me a complicated look and said nothing.

After breakfast, I hurriedly found a chance to pull Shen Qi'an aside.

“Yesterday's business stays secret! Secret, understand? Do you want to ruin my reputation?”

Shen Qi'an pressed his lips together and murmured, “Am I not worth being seen?”

“That's not the point. The point is that Xie Sinian is my brother!”

“I know. He's your brother, and I'm the mistress who can't be seen.”

His pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at me.

“Do I really have to submit a calling card to him?”

“…You could give it a try.”

11

The show moved on to another interview segment.

This time, the question was:

“Tell us about your past, present, and future.”

The moment I saw the prompt, I sensed trouble.

I wrapped up my interview in a few quick sentences and dashed to the room where the male guests were being interviewed.

I arrived just in time to catch Shen Qi'an smiling as he answered.

“Right now, I'm in the middle of being a mistress.”

Xie Sinian, waiting beside him for his turn, rolled his eyes.

“You're crazy.”

“That's right, I'm crazy. A few days ago, I found out I'd somehow become Fifth. I can't accept it…”

“That's enough!”

I rushed over before Shen Qi'an could say anything else.

His eyes lit up at once. He pointed at Xie Sinian. “He insulted me. He's so uncivilized. Break up with him.”

I covered my face.

“Stop talking about this. Why don't you tell everyone about your dreams or something?”

Shen Qi'an smiled at the camera and declared, each word ringing with conviction: