As expected, she saw traces of infatuation in the man’s eyes.
This man had taken the bait. She felt a surge of triumph, though her expression remained pitifully delicate.
"My boyfriend betrayed me. Why? Am I not good enough?"
"No, you’re perfect. Don’t belittle yourself. To me, you’re the most beautiful woman..."
The man lifted one of her hands and lowered his head to place a soft kiss on the back of it.
That kiss was as light as a feather, tender to the extreme, yet Mei Qingdai’s heart was suddenly engulfed as if by an avalanche, utterly shattered.
In the man’s gentle and lingering gaze, she allowed herself to lose control, willingly sinking deeper into indulgence.
Meanwhile, on the other side of things, Yu Fuce was indulging himself in the grandest pleasure den of Siland.
By day, he dominated the casinos; by night, beauties surrounded him. It was as though he were so carefree, so lost in revelry, that he’d forgotten what day it was.
Huacai City truly felt like paradise. He was even starting to entertain thoughts of never returning.
Seven days straight, he wandered here and there, completely forgetting why he had come to Siland in the first place.
On this particular noon, Yu Fuce woke up groggily. The two beauties who had accompanied him the night before were nowhere to be seen, and the sealed room was steeped in the sordid stench of excessive indulgence.
Yu Fuce felt a sharp headache. Reflecting on last night’s absurdity, he almost felt as though he’d regained a sliver of his former manhood. Siland truly seemed to be his land of fortune.
Grabbing his phone, he remembered that Mei Qingdai had called him several times the previous day. Irritated, he’d turned his phone off without a second thought.
The moment he powered it back on, a call from his sister-in-law came through.
"Ace, your grandmother is ill."
Yu Fuce bolted upright: "Grandmother is sick? Is it serious?"
The one person from the Yu family who doted on him the most was his grandmother. If she were gone, his older brother would tighten the reins on him, and he’d never get to enjoy the same carefree life he had before.
"It’s not looking great. You and your wife should hurry back."
Yu Fuce had just found such a wonderful place, and he hadn’t had his fill of fun yet—it was the last thing he wanted to do to return so soon.
"Alright, Qing Dai and I will get back as soon as we can. In the meantime, I’ll have to count on you to take care of Grandmother for a couple of days."
He agreed verbally, but in reality, he had no intention of returning just yet. His sister-in-law wouldn’t be able to say much even if he failed to show up right away. Besides, who’s to say Grandmother’s illness wouldn’t improve in a few days?
"We’re family; there’s no need for formality. By the way, what’s your wife been up to? I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer, and later her phone was switched off entirely."
Wei Zhuhua sounded utterly exasperated. At critical moments, this couple seemed equally unreliable.
Yu Fuce blinked and paused. "Her? She doesn’t check her phone often. Maybe it ran out of battery. She went to take a bath. I’ll tell her once she’s out."
Wei Zhuhua’s tone carried a shade of doubt: "Are you two even together right now?"
Yu Fuce chuckled. "Sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, never mind. You’re supposed to be abroad on your honeymoon, rekindling the romance of your youth. Who knows, perhaps you’ll come back with a little one."
After hanging up, Yu Fuce tossed the phone aside and headed into the bathroom to shower, putting Mei Qingdai firmly out of his mind.
When he emerged later, three missed calls had appeared on his phone.
As he looked at the name displayed, a rare softness flickered across his gaze. He called back immediately.
The person on the other end seemed to have been holding onto their phone, as they picked up right away. A sweet, coquettish voice floated through the receiver: "Ace, what were you doing? I called you all night, and you didn’t pick up. Do you have another woman?"
"You’re my only woman."
"How annoying. Then tell me, where are you right now? Can I come find you tonight?"
Yu Fuce pulled open the curtains, letting the sunlight flood the room. He instinctively squinted his eyes.
"I’m in Siland."
The voice on the other end immediately grew tense: "What are you doing in Siland?"
"It’s a business trip. What, did you think I was lazing around aimlessly all day?"
"Of course not. I’m just worried Siland has too many beautiful women. If you get blinded by them, you might stop loving me."
With a gentle tone, the man coaxed, "I’ll love you forever."
The woman on the phone savored the words, her voice growing sugary sweet: "Ace, I have some great news for you."
Yu Fuce narrowed his eyes. "What’s the news?"
"It’s something that I guarantee will make you really, really happy. But I’m keeping it a secret for now. Oh, by the way, Han Ying’s new movie is casting for the female lead, right? Can you pull some strings for me? If I could land the female lead role in Han Ying’s new movie, it’d make my path in the industry so much smoother. Please? Let’s call it your special gift to me."
Getting someone the lead role in a movie was a mere trifle for Yu Fuce—as simple as saying a few words. "I’ll do it. Now tell me, what’s the good news?"