“An allure like fire, yet also like ice.” Lu Bochen stared at his glass, speaking in cryptic terms.

An icy-hot beauty. A hazy figure formed in Wei Xiang’s mind as he narrowed his eyes slightly. “What’s her name?”

“Li Xiangsi,” Lu Bochen murmured, not noticing the shock the name caused in his friend. “She’s Yin Fan Ya’s special assistant. She could even be his lover.”

“Yin Fan Ya? Isn’t that your wife’s brother?”

“Yes.”

“You’re falling for your brother-in-law’s woman?” Wei Xiang’s tone became strange.

“I said ‘could be.’ Fan Ya refuses to publicly acknowledge any relationship with Xiangsi.”

“Why?”

Lu Bochen shrugged. “Maybe they’re not actually in that kind of relationship. Or maybe Xiangsi is just playing games with me.”

“Is that so?” Wei Xiang mused. “Have you slept with her?”

“Not yet.”

“But you want to.” Wei Xiang quickly picked up on his friend’s unspoken thoughts.

“I do.” Lu Bochen laughed at himself with a mocking sneer, gesturing to the bartender for another drink. “Maybe sleeping with her is the only way I’ll be able to forget her.”

But the problem was, when they met, all they did was have dinner, chat, and take drives—like normal lovers, their dates were romantic yet innocent. Ironically, this only made him sink deeper into the trap of passion, unable to escape.

“You want to forget her?”

“I’m married, Wei Xiang. I love Tianyu. I don’t want to betray her.” Lu Bochen took the whiskey the bartender handed him and drained it in one go.

Even if he hadn’t married Tianyu for love, she was still his wife, and he should respect her. She had always treated him with kindness, and she absolutely deserved that respect.

But…

“You can’t forget Li Xiangsi.” Wei Xiang once again calmly exposed his inner struggle. “It seems this woman really troubles you.” He raised his glass and clinked it jokingly with Lu Bochen’s. “Long live pheromones!”

Lu Bochen shot his friend a melancholic glare, understanding that he was teasing him about his inability to resist Li Xiangsi’s charm.

Wei Xiang smiled slightly. “In my opinion, there’s only one solution—sleep with her.”

“What?!” Lu Bochen was shocked.

“If you want her that much, just sleep with her,” Wei Xiang suggested calmly. “Just don’t let your wife find out.”

Lu Bochen frowned. “Are you suggesting I keep a mistress on the side?”

“What I’m saying is to treat it as a casual fling, whether it’s a one-night stand or taking her on as a mistress. Just remember not to let her interfere with your marriage.”

What kind of ridiculous suggestion was that?

Lu Bochen stared at his friend in disbelief. “Do you think it’s that simple? If Tianyu finds out the truth, she’ll—”

“What can she do? Demand a divorce and turn it into a public scandal?” Wei Xiang sneered. “Don’t forget, she’s from the Yin family. They can’t withstand such a scandal.”

“…”

“I’d bet that as long as you keep quiet, your wife will pretend she doesn’t know.”

“Tianyu wouldn’t… she couldn’t pretend.”

“Of course she would. She’s a socialite, well-versed in the rules of the game. She won’t expose you, and as long as you don’t go too far, she’ll know how to turn a blind eye.”

Would she?

Lu Bochen was lost in thought.

Could Tianyu really pretend? Would she allow him to have flings as long as he returned to her in the end? Would she play this game of a marriage filled with unspoken truths?

Would she?

An unnamed anger slowly began to simmer in Lu Bochen’s chest. He didn’t even understand what he was angry about, only that the burning sensation was uncomfortable.

Perhaps he was angry at himself for being foolish enough to fall for a woman, for considering betting his future and marriage to get her…

Wei Xiang patted him on the shoulder. “Your phone is ringing.”

“Phone?” He blinked, turning his gaze to find the phone lying on the bar vibrating urgently. He answered the call, but the other party had already hung up, leaving a voicemail.

He checked the voicemail.

Wei Xiang watched as Lu Bochen’s expression grew serious. “Was that the woman?”

Lu Bochen nodded, silent for a few seconds. “She invited me to the hot springs tomorrow night.”

Wei Xiang let out a long whistle. “The game has begun, Bochen.” He looked at his friend with a meaningful expression. “If she really is Yin Fanya’s woman, this game just got even more interesting.”

“Why?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t have a man’s desire to conquer.” Wei Xiang smirked. “Don’t you want to test your own abilities? Your opponent is Yin Fanya, after all!”

Lu Bochen was momentarily taken aback, then after a moment, he forced himself to find his voice again. “I know you hate the Yin family, but there’s no need to—”

“This has nothing to do with that.” Wei Xiang interrupted him calmly. “I have no special feelings toward Yin Fanya. I’m just stating the facts objectively.”

Facts? Lu Bochen raised an eyebrow in doubt.

Wei Xiang smiled slightly, his gaze sharp as two keen swords. “As long as a man exists, there’s an inherent ambition to compete with another man. This is an unchanging law.”

_______

Indeed, as long as a man exists, he cannot escape the psychology of competition and the desire to conquer.

So he came, fully aware that this invitation to the hot springs was a trap she had carefully laid out, yet he could not resist going.

To prevent nosy reporters from sniffing out anything unusual, he deliberately drove a deep blue Mercedes, a car he rarely used, with tightly closed, tinted windows, and made his way to a five-star hot spring resort in Yangmingshan.

Li Xiangsi had booked a VIP hot spring suite there. The room was spacious, with a bedroom, a living room, and a balcony offering a beautiful outdoor view with a distinctly Japanese vibe.

He put on sunglasses and went directly into the room without stopping at the front desk.

Li Xiangsi was already waiting inside. She wore a white bathrobe, her hair slightly damp as if she had just soaked in the hot springs, her complexion glowing, with a rosy blush on her cheeks.

He paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling upon a glimpse of her chest, which was slightly revealed.

He wasn’t wrong; she had indeed set a seductive trap, waiting to catch him like a big fish.

The question was, should he be easily caught?

It seemed this would be an interesting game; she would be a worthy opponent.