Chapter 21 The Electric Shock Neck Ring Has Been Removed

Xia Yuan had not left the Yunxiang Mansion for the past two days. She spent her time at home playing the piano, writing lyrics, and learning to bake cakes.

Qin Mohuai’s birthday was approaching, right after National Day.

In the tranquil night, Xia Yuan received a call from Zhou Maoer, who excitedly informed her that “Rainy Day” had topped the music charts as soon as it was released.

Zhou Maoer was overjoyed. “Yuan, can I ask you for a few more lyrics?”

Xia Yuan replied, “Of course! But love songs aren’t really my comfort zone, so I can’t guarantee the next one will be a hit.”

Zhou Maoer paused for three seconds.

That statement was quite pretentious!

“Yuan, as long as the lyrics are from you, I’ll sing them!”

After chatting a bit more, Zhou Maoer cautiously asked, “Are you all at home?”

She meant if Qin Mohuai was around.

Xia Yuan answered, “I’m not at the Sacred Sea Mansion. I’ve been busy and staying outside for the past couple of days. Do you need to find Qin Mohuai for something?”

Zhou Maoer hesitated. “No, no, it’s just…”

She wanted to be friends with Xia Yuan, not just maintain a transactional relationship. But even as friends, she didn’t want to directly report anything, as it could be seen as instigating trouble in their relationship.

After much hesitation, Zhou Maoer finally said, “Someone saw President Qin at a nightclub. Did you know he went to a nightclub?”

At that moment, a bodyguard entered with food, and Xia Yuan gestured for him to stay.

“Maoer, thank you for telling me this.”

After hanging up, Xia Yuan fixed her gaze on the bodyguard. Her eyes were clear and bright, as if no dirt could hide from her.

“Today is the anniversary of President Qin’s parents’ passing. He tends to change drastically during this time, going wild and losing touch with reality. This wildness is now expressed through partying at bars, right, Qin Qi?”

Qin Qi was the name of the bodyguard in front of her.

Qin Qi quickly shook his head. “President Qin’s situation varies each year. The year before last, he nearly crashed off a cliff while speeding; the year before that, he almost demolished the old house. The year before that, he disappeared for an entire night… While he seems to be having fun, he’s actually very sad and needs stimulating activities to distract him.”

Xia Yuan reluctantly accepted his explanation until she saw the short video Zhou Maoer sent.

In the video, the man was unmistakably Qin Mohuai, dressed in blue work pants and a white tank top, the damp patch clinging to his abs. His unruly gray-blue hair concealed his eyes, and he had something—whether a lollipop or a cigarette—between his lips. He had completely shed his usual elegant demeanor, sporting a devil-may-care smirk and a languid posture that made him look like a seasoned player in the romantic arena.

The ten-second video looped multiple times as Xia Yuan watched, and the bodyguard naturally caught a glimpse as well.

Xia Yuan set her tablet aside, expressionless as she continued to eat.

**System:** “The male lead’s love value hasn’t dropped, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. What are you planning to do?”

Xia Yuan chewed fiercely on her beef. “Honestly, I have no idea what to do.”

Qin Qi sensed trouble and stepped aside to make a call, but Qin Mohuai’s phone was unreachable.

He then called his buddies, and although the call connected, the noise at the nightclub was too loud for either of them to hear. Not daring to speak loudly, Qin Qi eventually hung up after a confused conversation.

Seeing Xia Yuan put down her chopsticks, Qin Qi mustered the courage to say, “Whatever happens tonight, please don’t go outside. Wait until morning, and President Qin will come to get you.”

Qin Qi: “Huh?”

He scratched his head, feeling that tonight wouldn’t be so uneventful.

After taking a shower, Xia Yuan opened “Fatal Woman” and watched the episode where Beth plans to kill her cheating husband.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Sitting at the bar, swaying her fair and straight legs, Xia Yuan looked towards the door with a calm expression.

Qin Qi had been gone for a while, and he usually knocked on the door instead of ringing the bell. If it wasn’t Qin Qi, who could it be at this hour?

It might be a neighbor, she thought. She hadn’t seen any neighbors during her two stays at the Yunxiang Mansion.

However, not in the mood to greet the neighbors due to her bad mood, she returned her gaze to the tablet.

The knocking on the TV coincided with the knocking in reality.

The neighbor kept persistently knocking on the door, prompting Xia Yuan to pause the TV show and walk to the entrance to check the surveillance.

As if aware that someone was watching the surveillance, Qin Mohuai standing at the door looked at the camera and gently smiled, “Wife, please open the door.”

How did he come here?

Xia Yuan furrowed her eyebrows.

Qin Qi had told her to sleep early and not open the door for Qin Mohuai, but now Qin Mohuai was here, dressed in a suit, looking presentable. He didn’t seem like the person going crazy at the nightclub.

Tsk.

Pretending to be asleep, Xia Yuan didn’t open the door for Qin Mohuai. His expression and tone were off, and she wasn’t sure if he was having an episode.

System: “Aren’t you trying to redeem the male lead when he’s having an episode?”

Xia Yuan shivered, “He’s acting too strange now, I can’t help him at all.”

System: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Take a risk for a big reward! Opening the door and letting him in might increase the love value.”

Xia Yuan was already peacefully lying in bed.

System: “…”

Lazy girl!

But Xia Yuan didn’t sleep soundly. She dreamt of Qin Mohuai cheating on her at one moment, and heard knocking at the door the next. With a dry throat, she groggily got out of bed to drink water. Normally, all she needed to do was tap Qin Mohuai’s chest, and he would pick up a bottle to feed her water without her needing to.

—

She needed to wake up and get out of bed, her sleep quality shouldn’t be too good.

But now, with Qin Mohuai going crazy outside the door, Xia Yuan had no choice but to get up for some water. As she lifted the blanket, she seemed to see Qin Mohuai sitting at the edge of her bed. This had to be a nightmare brought to life—only she knew the door’s code, so there was no way Qin Mohuai could have gotten in.

Just as Xia Yuan finished drinking the water, Qin Mohuai hugged her from behind. His hand, veins bulging, clamped around her delicate, pale neck. Xia Yuan let out a sharp, brief scream, still groggy.

By the dim orange glow of the bedside lamp, Xia Yuan finally saw Qin Mohuai’s sinister, smiling eyes. His arms wrapped around her upper body like iron chains. As he kissed her, his gray-blue hair slipped into her nightgown, tickling the softest part of her skin.

Xia Yuan was startled, frightened, and itching all at once. Her smooth, white legs struggled to escape, but instead ended up rubbing against his black dress pants, further provoking him.

Qin Mohuai caressed her smooth calf and pulled it up around his waist, his voice hoarse and heated. “Why didn’t you open the door for me?”

“Why didn’t I open the door for you? You know exactly what you did!”

Xia Yuan had always been spoiled by Qin Mohuai. Even though she knew the mission was important, she just couldn’t swallow her anger.

Qin Mohuai pressed his forehead against hers, his violent temper subdued as he lowered his tone in a pleading voice. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not in a good state of mind right now. I’m not even sure what I did. Let’s not fight, okay? Just stay with me…”

Xia Yuan clearly enunciated two words: “No. Way.”

Curious, she touched the black collar around Qin Mohuai’s neck. What was this thing?

With the correct fingerprint, the shock collar unlocked.

Qin Qi and his men approached the villa, noticing the front door was slightly ajar. Something felt off.

President Qin must have found a way to crack the door code, but it didn’t matter—he had the shock collar on, so Miss Xia shouldn’t be in any danger.

The moment Qin Qi shut the door, he heard Xia Yuan scream.

Oh no!

Could it be that President Qin had taken off the shock collar?!