Love is a superstition about the right time and place. It turns out that you are here too...

...----------------...

Lin Che got up from the bed in a daze.

Her mind was so cloudy that she did not quite feel like herself. The luxurious sheets touching her palm were not the usual ones that she had washed until they aged; the light above her head was also not the half-damaged, energy-saving lamp that she was accustomed to waking up to. Her body ached badly as if it had just been torn apart by something. When she lifted her wrist, the purplish-green marks on it were clear and obvious to the eye.

That was not a dream, right...

She covered her mouth to stop herself from making any noise and lifted the blanket. When she saw that her body was completely naked, she almost let out a scream.

Lin Che’s astute eyes rolled along the bottom of her eyelids twice. She decisively removed the blanket and got out of bed. After gathering her messy clothes, she carelessly put them on and prepared to leave without looking back.

Suddenly, someone grabbed the back of her neck...

“Ah... let go of me. Let go...” Lin Che struggled with her arms and legs.

The man’s large hand was pulling her neck and he yanked her back to the bed with seemingly no effort.

Despite being utterly confused by the way she was handled, Lin Che could not help but be dazzled by the man when she looked up at him. Her infatuated eyes fixed on his incomparably beautiful face, unable to look away.

What a handsome man...

His brooding eyes seemed to carry an aura of innate arrogance. His face was as cold as ice and his straight nose rested high on his clear, pale face. His white, jade-like skin made Lin Che who thought she had fairly good skin envious.

She knew that she had seen her fair share of men, but in front of this specimen, those labeled as male gods were immediately eclipsed by him.

Was this the same man who had tormented her yesterday until she was half-dead in the span of half a night?

“Who sent you here? How dare you drug me? After doing something like that, you think you can still leave here unharmed?” He looked at this blanked-out woman, anger flashing deep in his eyes.

This strange woman had skin as fair as snow, a pleasantly-small face, and a pair of big, expressive eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered like a deer in headlights, but she glared at him unyieldingly.

Gu Jingze’s gaze fixed on Lin Che as her eyes started to move quickly along with her head.

She was but a D-list celebrity. After going through many difficulties, she had found out today that A-list celebrity Gu Jingyu was here. Thus, she specifically bought some “condiments” that could make one lose consciousness and put them in his water, thinking that she could take advantage of him...

However, she had drugged the wrong person.

The person before her, though dizzyingly handsome, was evidently not the top celebrity Gu Jingyu.

He pulled roughly on her arm again, sending her to the ground. Embarrassingly, she even rolled over once before finding her bearings.

“You... What are you doing? Do you think I’d still be lying here if I drugged you? You must be mistaken. The person who is suffering the most right now is me.” Her butt hurt due to the fall, notwithstanding her hurt arm. Worst of all, the pain in her nether regions could not be ignored. Incensed with anger, she shouted directly, “The person I wanted to drug was someone else. It had nothing to do with you. You think you’re worth drugging? Yours truly does not lay her hands on just anyone. Return me my drug money!”

Drugged the wrong person? Gu Jingze’s face tensed and his brow furrowed which formed three vertical wrinkles. His jet-black pupils were like those of a crouching beast’s, ones that were staring at this woman in messy clothes. Half of her snow-white shoulder was exposed and the purplish-green bruises on it were all the more prominent like plum blossoms blooming on her tender, white skin.

The images of the previous night flashed through his mind a second time. His lower abdomen suddenly heated up again and he felt the obvious arousal surging through his body.

He shifted his gaze away from her.

This damned woman... How dare she drug him? And with such a potent drug.

His momentary loss of focus finally gave Lin Che an opportunity. In her desperation, she jumped off the bed and pushed the man away.

Not daring to look back, she quickly ran out.

Upon hearing him hiss, she shouted, “What are you looking at? Go look at yourself!”

“You...” Gu Jingze was just about to turn around and grab her when he felt a wave of discomfort. His lower area was once again standing tall and proud.

“Damn it,” he cursed loudly. He clenched his fist in an attempt to curb that damned desire.

A series of sounds traveled in from outside.

Qin Hao looked back as he was so astonished that his mouth could not close.

What was that earlier situation? Why did a woman in disheveled clothes—of all things—run out of Sir’s room?

“S-Sir, Second Young Master called to ask if the room was satisfactory, but you fell asleep immediately after you came back yesterday night, so the subordinates did not disturb you. The assistant has informed the President of your schedule; he is waiting for you in the Presidential Residence. Also... the lady I saw earlier...”

“Shut up.” Gu Jingze lifted his sharp eyes, his pupils flashing. Qin Hao immediately swallowed all the doubts that he should not have been having.

In the bathroom, Gu Jingze continuously scrubbed his body until his skin became sore. Only then did he look into the mirror and swear loudly, “****.”

“Sir, Madam is here,” Qin Hao reminded him softly from outside, nervousness lacing his voice.

Gu Jingze froze. His mother coming over at the moment could not be good news.

When he opened the bathroom door, the glamorous lady standing outside was looking at the messy bed in shock.

The scattered sheets that were not arranged indicated to anyone of exactly what had happened the night before.

Gu Jingze’s eyes darkened. He grabbed the bathrobe and draped it over his honey-colored shoulders. “I know what you want to ask, but Mother, I’m very busy today.”

How could Mu Wanqing not ask? She could hardly hide the excitement on her face. Looking at Gu Jingze, she pointed to the bed and said, “Jingze, I already know. You slept with a girl.”

Gu Jingze pushed the door open and said coldly to Mu Wanqing, “Can you keep your hands off of this matter?”

“How can I not care? Jingze, you must marry this girl; you must be responsible for what you did to her.”

He knew she would say so...

“Mother, I will not marry her. I’m not crazy. She’s just a stranger. I don’t even know her name.”

“Her name is Lin Che. She’s 23 years old. She’s the illegitimate daughter of the Lin Group’s Lin family and has two elder sisters and one younger brother. Her mother died when she was young and her father does not seem to care about her. She lives in the Lin residence, but she doesn’t get any financial support from the Lin family...”

“Mother!” Gu Jingze stood rooted to the ground. Upon remembering the woman, he became even more frustrated.

“Are you still thinking about that Mo Huiling? I’m telling you. It’s impossible between you and her. You’ve been with her for so many years, but you still couldn’t even touch her. You two are not destined to be together!” Mu Wanqing said rudely.

“Mother, enough!” Gu Jingze cut her off.

However, Mu Wanqing was too agitated. “Jingze, you know that you can’t satisfy a woman at all because of your illness! The family has almost finished making preparations for artificial insemination so that you can have a child. However, you touched a woman today. It must mean that she’s the one most suited for you!”

... ...

“Mother, she used an unorthodox method. It has nothing to do with my illness getting better!” Gu Jingze said, his eyes darkening.

Mu Wanqing looked at him and said, “You think I’ve never tried that on you? It never worked. Each time, we could only call for the doctor to handle it time and time again. But you touched her. Furthermore, your subordinates said that you were very satisfied with her and did it more than once the entire night.”

“...” Gu Jingze pressed his clenched fist on the tempered-glass table and said, “Maybe the drug this time was different. In any case, I won’t marry this crazy woman who doesn’t have an ounce of morality. Mother, you should give up on this idea.”

——

As Lin Che walked on the streets and looked at the mess all over her body, she cursed silently in frustration. That damned drug-seller. She had felt that something was wrong with him when she bought the drug. All she had said was that she needed a drug to make someone fall asleep, but she had never said that she wanted such a drug. Now, look at what the man did to her after consuming it. She could still feel the pain throughout her body when she recalled what had happened.

The excruciating pain in her nether regions brought to mind the events of the previous night. That darned man had tormented her many times to the point that she fainted and could not remember anything else.

The only thing she remembered from before...

“Lin Che, look at yourself. You still want to be a celebrity? It’s better to listen properly to your stepmother. I’ll find you a good family to marry into. An illegitimate child is just an illegitimate child. You will always be second-rate.”

“Lin Che, Stepmother is doing this for your own good. Your eldest sister, Lin Li, is now a top celebrity; your second sister is also a top producer. After so many years, you’re still just a D-list celebrity. You have no prospects.”

“Little Che, the company has already allocated the role to someone else this time. We think that your image does not suit the role.”

She smiled bitterly... if they had not pushed her into a corner, she would not have come up with such a sinister plot. All she wanted was to continue living, but now ...

Lin Che rushed to the company; regardless of what had happened, she did not forget that she had an audition today.

Upon seeing her arrive, Yu Minmin’s face darkened as she glared at Lin Che and said, “So you still came. I thought you didn’t care about this audition!”

“Sorry Sister Yu, I came late.”

Lin Che quickly covered up the mess on her clothes.

With one look, Yu Minmin saw the marks on her neck. She lowered her head and inspected Lin Che’s clothes. Pulling on Lin Che’s collar, she said, “We’re meeting the director soon. I don’t care about your personal life. However, if you still want this role, you better freshen up so you don’t look like a prostitute!”

Lin Che looked down at herself. Only then did she discover the marks that left little to the imagination. They were too obvious and too embarrassing.

That stupid man. He was a total beast!

Lin Che immediately bowed and apologized. Pulling on her clothes, she ran to the bathroom, thinking to herself, It was all that man’s fault. He had basically put an end to her life or whatever future she had!

All of a sudden, her phone started ringing.

Lin Che picked up the phone in exasperation.

“Hello?”

“Lin Che, where were you last night?” Lin Youcai sounded angry through the phone.

Lin Youcai seldom called her unless something was up. For many years, he was dispensable as a father, but Lin Che could not treat him as a completely non-existent person. After all, she still needed to live in the Lin household.

Lin Che thought about what had happened last night. Feeling guilty, she said, “I-I had something on last night.”

“I don’t care what you were busy with. Your sister, Lin Li, wants to discuss her engagement with the family today. How dare you stay out all night?” Lin Youcai reprimanded fiercely.

Yes, Lin Li was getting engaged, but that was none of her business. Lin Che listened calmly to her father’s angry tirade without a sliver of sadness in her heart. After so many years, she had already become accustomed to his scoldings.

“I don’t care what you have going on. You must come back now. If I discover that you’re not back, I’ll dig out her ashes from the Lin family grave and throw it into the sea so you’ll never see any part of your mother for the rest of your life.”

When he finished speaking, Lin Youcai hung up the phone.

The Lin Household.

Han Caiying watched as Lin Youcai put down the phone. She eagerly asked, “Is she coming back?”

Lin Youcai replied, “She’s coming back.”

Han Caiying stretched out a hand to caress Lin Youcai’s chest in an attempt to appease him. “Old Master, you must have a talk with her so that she agrees to this marriage proposal. I was really shocked when the Cheng family suddenly proposed marriage. Lin Yu is an outstanding girl; she’s beautiful and sensible, so how could I let her marry that retard? I even heard that he’s incontinent. They just want Lin Yu to marry into their family so that they would have a maid. As for Lin Che, she’s an illegitimate child anyway. Who should go if not her?”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Youcai said, “I can’t bear to let Lin Yu suffer either. But Lin Che is also my daughter...”

“Great, so you mean that you’d make Lin Yu clean up someone else’s feces and urine instead of Lin Che? If that’s the case, Lin Youcai, you really don’t have a conscience. Back when you had this daughter with another woman, I let her stay in the Lin household and brought her up. Now that she’s grown up, you wouldn’t even let her help me out a little. Given her standard, letting her marry into the Cheng family to enjoy their wealth is an honor for her.”

“Alright, alright.” Seeing as Han Caiying had begun bringing up the past and was nagging incessantly, Lin Youcai quickly stopped her and said, “I’ll make her go. She’ll go.”

Lin Youcai had indeed hesitated, but upon ruminating, there was no one else to choose besides Lin Che.

They could not afford to offend the Cheng family. Although their son was a retard, they were, at least, rolling in money. Marrying Lin Che into their family could be considered quite a fair treatment towards her.

Then, the housekeeper called from outside, “Old Master, Madam, Third Miss is back.”

The housekeeper said to Lin Che, “Old Master and Madam are waiting for you inside. First Miss is discussing her engagement today, so your brother-in-law is here too.”

Lin Che looked at the housekeeper in astonishment, “Qin Qing is here?”

The housekeeper said, “Yes, he went in right before you.”

Pleasantly surprised, Lin Che ran into the house only to stop a moment later.

Inside, Qin Qing and Lin Li were standing together in the hallway.

They were leaning close together, their lips almost touching. It was a bad time to disturb them.

Lin Che stood there rooted, forgetting to even move away.

When she finally attempted to turn around, she felt a slap on her face which nearly sent her to the ground. As her cheek burned, Han Caiying grabbed her and pulled her into a room.

After shutting the door, Han Caiying turned around to glare at Lin Che. She pointed accusingly at Lin Che and said, “You shameless whore. Don’t think I didn’t see what you were up to. That is your brother-in-law. How shameless can you be to dare attempt at seducing him?”

Lin Che stood rooted to the ground. Holding her burning cheek, Lin Che smirked at Han Caiying and said, “Stepmother, if I really wanted to seduce him, I wouldn’t be just standing there and watching.”

... ...

“You...” Han Caiying’s lungs were about to explode with anger. As Lin Che was about to leave, Han Caiying yanked her by the shoulder and sent her directly to the ground. “Have you not looked at yourself? We’ve been looking after you for so long with a Bodhisattva’s heart. How dare you talk back to me when we saved you from dying on the streets with your crazy mother? So what if I hit you?”

However, the obvious marks on Lin Che’s neck appeared before her as clear as day. It was offensive to the eye.

As if she had made some grand discovery, Han Caiying said as if she was crazy, “Well, well, Lin Che. I knew you had bad intentions towards our Lin family. You’re just like your mother, only knowing how to go around seducing people. Go somewhere else if you want to seduce someone. Don’t embarrass yourself in our house. Qin Qing is the successor of the Qin family. Do you think that a whore like you is good enough for him? He won’t even spare you a glance.”

Han Caiying’s slap did not make Lin Che sad at all. However, this simple sentence was enough to cut through Lin Che’s heart.

Despite so, Lin Che started laughing. She snorted as she pulled up her clothes to cover her shoulders and patted her clothes nonchalantly as she said, “If you think I’m not good enough for him, so much so that he won’t even look at me, why are you so anxious?”

Han Caiying heard some noise coming from outside; Qin Qing was chatting with Lin Li. Their conversation and laughter made her nervous. Afraid of being discovered, Han Caiying lowered her voice and moved closer to Lin Che. She said threateningly, “Don’t play any tricks.” After thinking for a bit, she spoke again. “People from the Cheng family are coming later with their second son, Cheng Tianyu. Don’t say that I don’t care about you. I’ll let you meet him later. The Cheng family has a good reputation and background in our country. If you marry into their family, you will enjoy endless fortunes.”

Lin Che’s gaze wavered.

Of course, she knew who the second son of the Cheng family was.

“Stepmother, you want me to marry a retard?” And she even claimed that it was out of concern for her? Lin Che let out a shout of protest.

“What, you don’t want to?”

“Marry him yourself if you want to. I’m not a puppet that you can manipulate!” Lin Che quickly yanked open the door.

Seeing this, Han Caiying held her back with all her strength.

Lin Che tossed all concerns aside at that moment. She turned around and pushed Han Caiying aside.

Sprawled out on the ground, Han Caiying said angrily, “Lin Che, if you dare to leave, I will make sure your father throws out your mother’s ashes.”

Lin Che ran out in desperation.

Meanwhile...

Gu Jingze was soon called back to the Gu family mansion.

Naturally, the incident had been quickly reported to his grandfather, Gu Xiande, who was also the head of the family.

Gu Jingze remained unwavering in his stance. He looked at Gu Xiande before him and said, “Grandfather, Mother does not understand the situation at all. That woman and I did not sleep together of our own accord. It was just an accident.”

“Jingze, why must you be so stubborn? Think about it. Would it really be unbearable for you to marry her? You have already touched her. Don’t you miss that feeling even a little bit?”

“Not at all!” Gu Jingze replied.

“Jingze, I’m extremely disappointed in you.” The calm and old Gu Xiande looked coldly at Gu Jingze with his imposing aura.

Gu Jingze glared at Mu Wanqing who was behind him.

However, Mu Wanqing bore a self-righteous expression.

“Our Gu family will definitely take responsibility for what we’ve done. Furthermore, she’s not just crucial for you to have a normal married life. She’s also the key to curing your illness. You should be more rational. In any case, you slept with the girl. You can’t just take advantage of her and then forget about everything,” Gu Xiande said.

Gu Jingze looked at his aged grandfather and said, “But I do not know her at all. Grandfather, how can I agree to marrying a total stranger?”

“What if I tell you that if you don’t get married, I will make your little lover... what’s her name? Mo Huiling, right. I will make her lose her career, so that she feels like it’s better to be dead than alive?” Gu Xiande’s eyes were strikingly similar to Gu Jingze’s. When he made a threat, his gaze was calm, but his eyes projected a hidden current of cold ruthlessness.

Gu Jingze said, “You know that I won’t let you get away with it.”

Gu Xiande said, “I know that your wings have hardened and I can no longer control you. All three of you have become rebellious, one by one. One became a president, another became a celebrity, and you. You have always been mature, but rebellious. But even if I can’t do anything to you, I definitely have my ways of tormenting a little girl. You can try me.”

Disgust flashed in Gu Jingze’s eyes but they darkened into a slight glint.

*

Lin Che only ran a few steps before she saw several cars driving over noisily.

People from the Lin family...

Lin Che wanted to leave, but it was apparent that the Lin family took this very seriously. Nearly all of them had been mobilized and they soon surrounded Lin Che.

“Lass, I’m doing this for your own good. Still, you dare run away. Go and bring her back for me.”

Lin Che stared at Han Caiying, resisting the urge to rush up and slap her.

However, she was ultimately alone and could not prevail over these people who had strength in numbers.

With her hands tied behind her back, Lin Che was brought back to the Lin household.

The makeup artist came to freshen Lin Che up while Han Caiying stared at her murderously. She reprimanded her arrogantly, “To think that someone like you is attempting to escape me? In a while, you better be dressed up to meet Cheng Tianyu.”

Lin Che clenched her teeth and struggled a little, but it was all futile.

As Han Caiying looked at Lin Che after she had been freshened up, she thought to herself, This lass looks very beautiful when she’s dressed up; her delicate face is enough to keep her on any man’s mind.

She thought to herself, She has to be married into the Cheng family as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would always be around Qin Qing. If Qin Qing really falls in love with her, then Lin Li’s position would be compromised.

Someone outside announced Cheng Tianyu’s arrival.

Under Han Caiying’s command, Lin Che was immediately released from her binds and pushed to the front. Through the door, she could hear the Cheng family’s spirited voices.

“We all know that the Third Miss is just an illegitimate daughter. She’s not really worthy of our Tianyu, but she does look quite good in photographs. After marrying into our family, as long as she helps continue the Cheng family’s bloodline, she will benefit greatly in the future.”

Give birth?

Lin Che sneered and thought. Was she being treated as a tool for procreation?

Lin Che saw a man standing there with a small stature of 1.6 meters. He was convulsing, shaking his head constantly as he looked around. Like a sloppy child, he was chewing on his fingers.

Han Caiying smiled and said, “You see, Lin Che. This is your future husband. Your golden days are coming soon.”

Of course, Lin Che could hear the arrogance and mockery in Han Caiying’s words.

Then, Cheng Tianyu suddenly went into a fit of madness. Wailing loudly, he launched himself at the people to the side.

The people inside were plunged into great confusion and chaos; people from the Cheng family and the Lin family surrounded the retard completely.

Han Caiying was shocked. The way that the retard looked as he barged about was so disgusting to her that she almost vomited.

In her heart, she was relieved. Fortunately, it was now Lin Che who had to marry him, not Lin Yu. Otherwise, she would have really died from anger.

She then turned around and discovered that there was no one beside her...

“Lin Che, where did Lin Che go? Go after her! Give her a good beating when you catch her!” The look in Han Caiying’s eyes changed as her face scrunched up.

Lin Che did not know how she had escaped. She only knew that when she was finally alone, her lungs were about to explode from running.

But right at that moment, she saw a car parked casually to the side.

Lin Che’s head stopped moving. Behind the car window, Gu Jingze’s disdainful face appeared before her eyes.

... ...