Lu Shen found himself leaning against the blue wisteria tree outside of Wang Yong's villa, nursing a bottle of whiskey.

He had a high alcohol tolerance, so the red wine wasn't capable of getting him drunk. He looked down at the bottle in his hand, feeling wry.

"This was what...they would probably call...as drinking your sorrows."

His low and soft chuckle drifted into the night, sounding lonely.

In the end, where did that girl go?

He had only sent a brief text to his assistant about the name of that girl, Dandan, for Yan to investigate her background. When he looked up once more, she was already gone.

Lu Shen thought that she might be somewhere around the party, taking a breather. So he patiently waited outside, since sooner or later, that girl would still need to go home. She would have to walk past him, because the other entrance was blocked with reporters.

He took another swig of whiskey, closing his eyes. He must have lost track of time, because more stars had appeared on the night sky than before. He straightened his posture and looked towards the back entrance, where a slender silhouette had appeared.

"Brother Shen."

Ah. Not her.

Lu Shen closed his eyes again. Nian Zhen was the only close female friend he had, but at this moment, her face only brought him disappointment.

Nian Zhen gazed at Lu Shen, her heart racing inside her chest.

Right now, the man in front of her...looked vulnerable.

His tie was loose, his cuffs were unbuttoned, and his suit jacket was slung over one arm, rejected. Contrary to his usual impeccable look, Lu Shen's unrestrained appearance...was irresistibly seductive.

He had always looked so regal to her, so lofty...that he appeared untouchable, like an existence that one could only see, but not touch.

It was what made him so attractive to Nian Zhen. A man that could only be hers, causing envy and jealousy from the women who equally adored him...if she could have that, then she would have truly reached the pinnacle of life.

Nian Zhen's breath quickened.

Without being aware of what she was doing, Nian Zhen had already leaned forward.

She pressed her lips against his, feeling as if a wave of turbulent emotions had cascaded upon her at that moment...

Her wrist was suddenly twisted backwards, and the pain caused Nian Zhen to cry out.

"OW!"

Lu Shen shoved her away, his intoxication from the whiskey disappearing as clarity splashed down on him like cold water.

"Nian Zhen, who do you think you are?"

His voice was cold and hard, his face a mask of anger. He was still painfully gripping her wrist, and fear flooded Nian Zhen's entire body.

Her voice becoming shrill, she pleaded, "Brother Shen...please..."

Tears fell from her eyes, blurring her vision.

She really didn't know why he was acting like this. It was only a kiss! Despite the grape juice that had stained her dress, she was still a beautiful woman.

Although Lu Shen acted indifferent with everyone, wasn't she special to him?

Shouldn't he be happy that they kissed instead?

Lu Shen flung her wrist away. In front of her red-rimmed eyes, he swallowed a gulp of whiskey, swished it inside his mouth, and spat it out like an antiseptic mouthwash.

His lips curled into a sneer.

"So disgusting."

Nian Zhen recoiled, feeling as if her heart had been stabbed by a thousand needles. Her knees weakened, and her body collapsed to the ground.

She looked up at him, her eyes dull, not accepting the reality that this heartless man was her Brother Shen.

No, Brother Shen would never be that cruel to me...

Her Brother Shen was always cordial to her, since they were close childhood friends that had grown up together. His family liked her, Brother Shen liked her, and they would always be together.

She was the only one who understood him, who saw the hard work that he put in beneath his insouciant mask. He was important to her, so she must be important to him.

This man was not her Brother Shen...

As Nian Zhen deluded herself from this reality, Lu Shen had already walked past her.

Not too far away, without the knowledge of these two people, a short-haired female wearing Fue-Vue eyeglasses lowered her camera, and quietly skulked away.