Volume One, Chapter 4: A Twisted Fate Arrives, Impossible to Ward Off

Fei Xun unceremoniously shook off Lin Yuxia.

Lin Yuxia stared at him, her expression full of skepticism. "You’re a friend of my brother’s? How come I don’t know you?"

"I don’t know you either," Fei Xun replied, frowning with a mocking smirk. "I’ve heard Shen Yan boast about his sister plenty of times. Heh, I suppose hearing about someone is never as good as meeting them."

Lin Yuxia retorted, "I’m sorry to have disappointed you."

Shen Yan was waiting for her to return; she didn't have time to bicker with this man. She needed to touch up her makeup. But after rummaging through her pockets, she realized she hadn't even brought a tissue. Her eyes drifted involuntarily toward the wet wipes in Fei Xun’s hand.

"Hey, aren't you going to give me a tissue?"

Fei Xun saw his opening. "Then apologize to me."

Lin Yuxia: "Why should I?"

"You rode in my car and were rude to me. Honestly, if it weren't for your brother’s sake, an apology wouldn't even be enough."

How could there be such a detestable person in this world? Lin Yuxia was rendered speechless by his audacity. She glanced at the white dress shirt Fei Xun was wearing and suddenly flashed a wicked smile.

The next second, the empty parking garage echoed with Fei Xun’s incoherent howling: "What are you doing? I’m warning you, stop... Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in? Ahhh!"

Fifteen minutes later.

Fei Xun walked in with a dark expression, while Lin Yuxia followed, her face flushed red. They entered the private dining room one after the other.

Lin Yuxia sat down next to Shen Yan.

"Why is your face so red?" Shen Yan asked.

Lin Yuxia wasn't about to tell her brother that she had wiped her lipstick onto Fei Xun’s shirt, and that he had stripped off the garment right in front of her, forcing her to see his eight-pack abs, which made her blush.

She brushed it off, saying, "I walked too fast, it’s just hot." She fanned her face with her hand to emphasize the point.

Shen Yan took her at her word and added, "You’ve met Fei Xun now, right? No need for me to introduce you?"

Lin Yuxia said loudly, "No, we haven't met." It was clearly meant for Fei Xun to hear.

Shen Yan replied, "Fair enough. It’s normal that you haven't. He grew up in Europe. When you went abroad, he had just returned to take over his family’s business. He’s the first among us to take the throne, so to speak."

Shen Yan peeled a shrimp and fed it to Lin Yuxia.

***

Lin Yuxia was just about to say thank you when she noticed the plate in front of the woman in red was piled high with peeled shrimp. Suddenly, the food tasted like sawdust to her.

Across the table, Fu Chenghe joked with Fei Xun, "Why did you arrive so late? You made Shen Yan send his precious sister to pick you up. Look around, who else here gets that kind of treatment?"

Fei Xun gave a dry laugh and squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Well, I’m just so grateful."

Before entering, he had torn his high-end shirt and tossed it into a trash can. Now, he only wore a suit jacket, and beneath the wide, open neckline, his firm chest muscles were vaguely visible.

Fu Chenghe glanced over. "No wonder the little sister is blushing. Fei, you really live up to your reputation as a walking hormone."

Fei Xun didn't respond, instead staring at Lin Yuxia with undisguised hostility.

Now that she had her brothers to back her up, Lin Yuxia wasn't intimidated. She provoked him, "Oh? Why is Mr. Fei suddenly over his germaphobia?"

Fu Chenghe was surprised. "You even know about Xun’s germaphobia?"

Fei Xun let out a cold hum. A waiter carefully placed a set of white-and-gold-rimmed tableware in front of him. A closer look revealed it was different from everyone else’s.

Fu Chenghe chuckled and explained to Lin Yuxia, "Don't be surprised. Your Brother Xun doesn't usually eat out, and the few places he does visit keep his personal tableware on hand."

Lin Yuxia couldn't believe it. "Doesn't that get exhausting?"

Fei Xun slanted a glance at her. "I’m sorry, but for the twenty-six years before I met you, I lived quite happily."

Stuck in the middle, Fu Chenghe looked left and right. "Didn't you two just meet today? Why are you bickering so much?"

Fei Xun curled his lip. "I don't bicker with kids, lest people say I’m bullying the younger generation."

As the dinner progressed, it turned into a drinking contest. Being a group of wealthy second-generation heirs, they inevitably had a few women brought in to pour drinks. Small groups were scattered around the room playing finger games.

Only Lin Yuxia, who wasn't allowed to drink, and Fei Xun, who didn't care for it, sat with glasses of fruit juice.

Someone lost a game, and the penalty was to kiss someone of the opposite sex present. The man immediately grabbed the beauty beside him and leaned in. Just as they were about to kiss, Shen Yan covered Lin Yuxia’s eyes with his large hand. "Don't look."

Lin Yuxia was stunned, then heard Fei Xun make a snide remark from the side: "Not suitable for children."

Lin Yuxia swiped her brother’s hand away and glared fiercely at Fei Xun.

A while later, the loser was Shen Yan, and the penalty remained the same. It was Shen Yan who had to accept the penalty, but it was Lin Yuxia who felt nervous and uneasy. In her heart, her brother was a god-like existence, and gods shouldn't have worldly desires. Kissing? That was a desecration of a deity!

***

She stubbornly hoped that Shen Yan would refuse the penalty on the spot.

However, Shen Yan turned his head toward the woman in red sitting next to him. The woman blushed and lowered her head with a smile.

The group began to jeer: "Kiss! Kiss!"

Lin Yuxia stared fixedly at Shen Yan. Without even realizing it, her fingers gripping the juice glass turned white from the pressure.

Fei Xun, however, noticed.

Amidst the jeering, Shen Yan leaned slowly toward the woman in red, his back to Lin Yuxia. Lin Yuxia watched without blinking, a form of self-torture.

Fei Xun, not knowing what he was aiming for, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Not suitable for children, you know."

Caught off guard, Lin Yuxia jumped, and the juice glass in her hand wobbled heavily, spilling all over Fei Xun’s suit trousers.

Fei Xun sprang from his seat. "Miss Lin, did I owe you something in my past life?"

He had only noticed her strange state and realized she seemed bothered by her brother being intimate with someone else. He had felt a moment of pity and wanted to distract her, only to bring another disaster upon himself.

Lin Yuxia looked innocent. "My surname is Lin, not Xia..."

Fei Xun: "Does that matter?"

What mattered was that this young lady—whether her name was Lin or Xia—had destroyed every piece of clothing he was wearing tonight, save for his underwear.

What kind of twisted fate was this?

The commotion was loud enough to draw the attention of the entire room. Shen Yan, abandoning the penalty, quickly stepped forward to ask, "What happened?"

The woman in red watched as Shen Yan left her side, her bashful expression instantly turning to one of disappointment.

This time, it was definitely Lin Yuxia’s fault. She didn't shirk responsibility, saying with great integrity, "I ruined your clothes, I’ll pay for them."

Shen Yan took off his own suit jacket and handed it over. "Fei Xun, why don't you wear mine for now?"

Fei Xun shook the droplets of juice off himself and declined.

"Since Miss Yuxia has already offered to pay for a new set, how could I refuse?"

He pulled out his car keys and gave Lin Yuxia a sinister smile. "Let’s go."

Lin Yuxia: "???"

Fei Xun: "We’re going clothes shopping."