The story of how Miss Mei rose to power claims that she won Master Li Jiu’s favor at first sight because of her unique name, unlike the delicate ones like “Mimi” or “Lily.” She then impressed him with her exceptional skills in bed, her gentle nature, her excellent cooking, and more. Ultimately, Miss Mei stood out from all the other women around Master Li Jiu and became the first to enter his private mansion, Xuyuan.

Mei Xiaoran’s fiancé had been her classmate for ten years, from high school to university. Both hailed from the top political and legal university in southern China and were considered a perfect couple, as inseparable as a phoenix and a dragon. However, that young man named Chen, after finishing his internship, took on his first case and got involved with the wrong people from the underworld. He was smart, righteous, and steadfast, never regretting his decision, even when facing death. Driven by his belief in justice, he ultimately died, stabbed twenty-seven times in a quiet, deserted alley.

The murderer was known to almost everyone, and Mei Xiaoran, her heart full of rage and sorrow, clenched her teeth, vowing to seek justice for him as his fiancée. She went everywhere, gaining the support of the university, and a professor who valued talent used connections to push the matter up to the provincial department. However, during the long investigation and struggle to get the case formally filed, the deceased’s blood had already cooled. His elderly parents were worn down, and the brief attention the case had received slowly faded away. After all, everyone was busy, and an ordinary murder case eventually turned into a forgotten file among a pile of unsolved cases.

But Mei Xiaoran never gave up. He was her one true love, the only companion she could never forget.

This fragile woman, who had received more than a decade of formal education and was well-versed in the most professional legal texts, searched every corner of the bright world for a path to justice but found none. In the end, she had no choice but to transform herself into a blazing fire. She would rather die with her enemy than let them escape without paying the price. She found the one person who had every reason to strike the fatal blow to Huo Louhu—Li Jiu.

Li Jiu sat back on the wide sofa, listening to her finish her story. His face was hidden in the half-light, calm and unmoving as he said not a word. Mei Xiaoran stood, but for some reason, she felt as though Li Jiu’s gaze was heavy and imposing. She slowly lowered her eyes, first to the tips of his shoes, then to the carpet beneath them.

After the suffocating silence lingered, Li Jiu spoke the first words.

“Take your clothes off.”

Mei Xiaoran’s breath faltered for a moment, but soon, she started unbuttoning her clothes, one by one, as Li Jiu simply watched.

The dress slid down her graceful calves, pooling at her feet on the carpet. Meii Xiaoran’s fingers trembled as she reached behind to unclasp her bra, the metal hook clicking open with a slight shake of her hand. Her smooth, ivory skin gradually became exposed, yet Li Jiu remained completely expressionless, offering not the slightest reaction. A wave of helplessness washed over her, but she had no choice but to continue.

Finally, she stood before him, fully exposed, her chest rising and falling with each shaky breath, her heart pounding in a mix of shame, fear, and vulnerability. She locked eyes with Li Jiu, trying to steady herself under his unblinking gaze.

Li Jiu slowly stood up, his tall, imposing figure casting a shadow over her slender body. One hand rested on her shoulder. Mei Xiaoran stood straight and proud, her posture perfect, her beauty undeniable.

The hand slid from her shoulder down her spine. Mei Xiaoran shuddered slightly, perhaps from the cold, as goosebumps rose on her smooth, fair skin. But there was no turning back. Behind her, there was nothing but suffocating emptiness.

Li Jiu spoke for the first time since Mei Xiaoran stood before him in her naked vulnerability.

“I can’t guarantee success, nor can I guarantee you’ll survive afterward.”

Mei Xiaoran nodded, her voice tight, barely a whisper.

“Death without regret.”

Two months later, Huo Louhu’s two sons were indicted on multiple charges, including massive smuggling, illegal possession of firearms, and incitement to murder. They were each sentenced to life imprisonment and 25 years in prison, respectively. The daughter and her husband, who had fled with the money, were involved in a car accident on the highway out of town—one dead, one injured.

As for Huo Louhu himself, on the same night that his children were targeted by both the state and death itself, he was strongly recommended a graduate student prostitute, said to be both skilled and beautiful, at a high-end, private club he frequented.

Mei Xiaoran had planned to go down with Huo Louhu. Hidden in her garter was a razor-sharp blade, but things went awry. She was slashed in several places, and in a fury, the old man pinned her down, choking her with brutal strength. Her vision began to darken, the world around her growing distant. The blood from Huo Louhu’s neck, his enemy’s blood, spilled onto her face and lips. It was hot, salty, tainting everything.

In that moment, as everything faded, a single thought lingered in her mind, both desperate and proud:

I gave my everything for you.

In the final moment before she lost consciousness, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind Huo Louhu and landed a heavy blow to the back of his neck with a swift strike.

Days later, Mei Xiaoran stood before Li Jiu again. He sat as usual, calm and still. She walked towards him and knelt at his feet.

She then lowered her hands, her knees, and her forehead to the ground, offering herself fully in a gesture of gratitude so profound, it felt as though her very soul bowed to him.

Li Jiu accepted her gesture with indifference.

Mei Xiaoran sought nothing but justice, and Li Jiu had delivered it with a complete and utter downfall for Huo Louhu. The once powerful man was now paralyzed, his sons imprisoned, and his daughter dead, all brought about by a destruction that consumed them entirely.

Mei Xiaoran remained with her back straight, silently kneeling at Li Jiu’s feet. She had no hesitation, no second thoughts, even if it meant her body would be shattered.

Li Jiu’s voice broke the silence, slow and deliberate.

“You died once. Now, I am the one giving you life.”

Mei Xiaoran remained still, not a hair out of place.

“I need you to do something. Whether you succeed or fail, it could cost you your life once more. Will you accept?”

Mei Xiaoran lifted her head, her soft black hair falling from her forehead, revealing her smooth, jade-like face. Her brows were calm, and her eyes serene. She gazed at Li Jiu and spoke softly, “You may speak.”

Li Jiu suddenly smiled. Mei Xiaoran’s heart skipped a beat; she hadn’t expected such a smile from a man who seemed as fearsome as a god of death. In that moment, he seemed to soften, as if the whole world had changed with his smile. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but a sense of unease crept into her gaze.

Li Jiu looked at her steadily. “I want you to stay by my side and be my woman.”

“I will arrange your accommodation and daily life,” Li Jiu continued. “If you have any personal interests, you may pursue them within reasonable limits. You will be accompanied by bodyguards. The price you pay for this is the loss of your right to marry, and the constant possibility of dying unexpectedly.”

As Mei Xiaoran sat in the back of a Bentley, heading for Xuyuan for the first time, these words echoed in her mind.

After hearing them, she thought for only a few seconds, before hesitating slightly and looking at Li Jiu. His gaze gave her the courage to speak.

“Do you… have someone you wish to protect?” she asked.

Li Jiu’s smile seemed to deepen, and Mei Xiaoran knew she had guessed correctly. She lowered her eyelids, a genuine smile spreading across her face as she softly said,

“That’s wonderful. She must be very happy.”

Then, lifting her head, she looked at Li Jiu and said, “I am at your service.”

Six months later, she was granted permission to enter Xuyuan.

Xuyuan was a legend in the underworld.

There were many rumors about Xuyuan. Some said Li Jiu used the place to train assassins and warriors, because his men were far more loyal and fierce than ordinary gangsters. Others claimed Xuyuan was a place of luxury and excess, with a constant stream of men and women coming and going, suggesting Li Jiu was a man who never stayed with one, except for the past six months, when Miss Mei had become his favorite. Then, there were those who said that Li Jiu had hidden his vast fortune in Xuyuan, turning it into his personal vault.

The truth was hard to know, because few had ever entered. Only the trusted old brothers who had fought alongside Li Jiu in the past had ever been allowed inside. No one else, no matter how charming, could ever gain access.

After a long journey, Mei Xiaoran finally reached Xuyuan. As she stepped out of the car, she was greeted by a tranquil landscape and an elegant courtyard.

The house and the garden were beautifully designed, but not as extravagant or imposing as the rumors suggested. Mei Xiaoran came from a decent family and had seen a fair share of the world. To her, Xuyuan wasn’t as luxurious or grand as the stories had made it sound; it was simply comfortable.

Even she, who had entered with a heavy heart, found herself unknowingly relaxing the moment she stepped into this forbidden place.

A vague intuition began to form within her. Perhaps the person Li Jiu cherished and kept hidden here was someone gentle and reserved.

A kind-faced servant approached and greeted her as “Miss Mei.” She nodded politely, and the servant informed her that Master Jiu was waiting for her in the sunroom.

The servant led her down a path lined with lush flowers, before signaling for her to continue on her own. As the servant stepped away, Mei Xiaoran walked slowly, her thoughts heavy. Aside from a few social events where she had accompanied Li Jiu, she rarely saw him, and perhaps that was for the best. She couldn’t help but feel a certain fear toward him. After all, in this region of South China, who wouldn’t fear the man who had wiped out the entire Huo family in one night?

Lost in thought, Mei Xiaoran walked along the path. As she rounded a corner, her gaze caught a brilliant azalea in full bloom, but before she could appreciate it, she suddenly found herself facing Li Jiu.

Li Jiu was lying down, his head resting on someone’s lap, a fruit fork in his hand. When Mei Xiaoran first heard about the notorious Li Jiu, she was told of his flawless aim. Some even claimed he was a born sharpshooter. Now, in front of her very eyes, that same precision was being applied to picking fruit.

Without even glancing at the fruit plate beside him, he casually reached out, spearing one lychee after another and feeding them to the person whose lap his head rested on. That person, absorbed in reading, would open their mouth and spit out the seeds into Li Jiu’s other hand. It continued this way until Li Jiu deliberately speared a seedless red grape. Mei Xiaoran noticed the intentional pause as his fork lingered on the lychees before he chose the grape instead.

He fed the red grape into the person’s mouth. After taking a bite, the person noticed something was off, finally putting down the book and leaning down to kiss Li Jiu.

Shi Anzhi had only intended to force the unwanted grape into Li Jiu’s mouth, but it backfired. Li Jiu quickly cupped the back of his head, and the sweet and sour taste of the grape rolled between their lips and tongues. In the end, Shi Anzhi was forced to swallow most of the crushed fruit. Feeling irritated, he grabbed a book and hit Li Jiu on the head after the kiss. 

Li Jiu let out a “hey” but didn’t dodge, rolling over to tickle him under the ribs.

Mei Xiaoran didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt her face grow warm. It wasn’t until Li Jiu glanced her way that she froze in shock.

Had she really been standing there, watching for so long?

Li Jiu’s gaze felt strangely different as he looked at her. It took her a few seconds to realize it—there was something in his eyes, something warm.

For the first time, she felt like Li Jiu saw her as a living person, not just an object, not just a decoration.

The person next to Li Jiu noticed Mei Xiaoran as well. It was in that moment, amid the warmth and harmony she had just witnessed, that she suddenly realized something.

The person Li Jiu was holding so gently in his hands was a man.

——–

Small theatre

Let’s talk about the jealousy issue…

Xiao Jiu is the only one who gets jealous. For instance, if Xiao Shi is too friendly with Bian Yiqiu, Xiao Jiu will sulk and say, “Are you remembering the old days when you only loved my youthful beauty? But I’m not old yet! I can still switch between eight positions without a problem… blablabla.”

Then Xiao Shi, blushing slightly, will grab a book and smack Xiao Jiu on the head.

Xiao Jiu ran off.

Xiao Shi shouted, “Stop right there!”

Xiao Jiu stopped and winked at Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi’s face turned even redder. “Didn’t you say eight positions?”

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Jiu turned into a hungry wolf.

And he turned off the light with a hum.