Chapter 30: The Best Touch

Dai Ning checked the time; she couldn’t stay on the second floor much longer. Soon, Zhao Yu and the remnants of the Shen family would clash, and if Leopard arrived, her cover could be blown.

With light steps, she headed down, planning to meet up with Uncle Qian.

Qingtuan reminded her, “Wait! Lan Lingyun’s still locked up. Let him out, will you?”

Dai Ning considered it. Lan Lingyun was actually quite useful; tell him to “fight the dog,” and he wouldn’t catch the chicken. Since it was convenient, she might as well free him—who knew when he might come in handy again?

Downstairs, Zhao Yu and his group were locked in a fierce battle. No one was minding her, and she slipped through unnoticed, finding Lan Lingyun’s room guarded by two men outside.

With a ready lie, she said, “Leopard’s here. Tie up Lan Lingyun and hand him over to me.”

The two men recognized her from earlier and knew her as “Brother Leopard’s woman,” so they followed her orders, binding Lan Lingyun and handing him over with his mouth gagged.

Dai Ning took hold of the rope and, with a few twists and turns, led Lan Lingyun toward the exit.

Lan Lingyun was completely baffled. His dream girl had invited him out tonight, making him so excited he could hardly think straight. Finally calming down, he found himself locked in a room, shouting for help that never came. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind in frustration. Were these people holding him back so they could do something bad to Ning Ning?

He’d almost started banging on the door when Ning Ning suddenly appeared, leading him by a rope as they slipped out of Nevernight City.

Outside, she untied him.

Lan Lingyun grabbed her shoulders, anxiously checking her over. “Are you okay, Ning Ning?”

Qingtuan couldn’t hold back the snark. What an idiot. Does Miss Dai look like she’s been through anything? She just handed you over as a gift to the bad guys.

Dai Ning played along, pretending to be frightened. “They scared me! Manager Liu wanted to bully me, but luckily something happened in Nevernight City, and they started fighting.”

Lan Lingyun’s heart ached with rage, and he felt an urge to confront that ugly brute, Liu Tiangang, himself.

He opened his arms to hug her for comfort, but she kicked his knee. “Hmph, you didn’t come save me earlier, so stay away now.”

Lan Lingyun could only vow to take better care of her next time.

Dai Ning said, “I don’t need you; you can go back. My family is coming to get me.”

Following her gaze, Lan Lingyun spotted a well-dressed middle-aged gentleman approaching with a team of ten bodyguards. Still under his sister’s delusions, he had assumed his dream girl was poor. Now he realized she was a true heiress.

Dai Ning skipped over to Uncle Qian, beaming sweetly. “Uncle Qian! I missed you so much!”

He smiled wryly. “My dear Miss, please behave yourself a little.”

The message she’d sent him, saying she was around Nevernight City, had almost given him a heart attack. If anything happened to her, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing his young mistress unharmed, Uncle Qian finally relaxed.

“Why are you dressed like this?”

Looking innocent, she threw the blame. “Lan Lingyun said he wanted to go out and insisted I dress this way.”

Uncle Qian clutched his chest, outraged. “Miss, let’s stay away from that scoundrel in the future!”

Dai Ning nodded. “Yes, no more contact with him!”

“Let’s hurry back now.”

“Wait.” Dai Ning heard police sirens. She turned back to see officers storming into Nevernight City, joined by Lan Rongrong, who looked like she’d love nothing more than to seize family assets single-handedly.

With her pale fingers, Dai Ning pointed at Nevernight City. “Zhao Yu’s in there. Let’s take a look, shall we?”

She needed to be sure Zhao Yu and Lan Rongrong were together before she could rest easy.

Uncle Qian hesitated. He thought highly of Zhao Yu and knew he had looked after Dai Ning well in the past, so he nodded.

In a soft voice, Dai Ning whispered to Uncle Qian, “He’s about to do something big. Let’s find a spot to watch quietly.”

Uncle Qian agreed.

They settled into the car. The September night held a slight chill, and Uncle Qian had someone bring a coat to wrap around her as she watched from the window.

With things so chaotic, she wondered if Zhao Yu had been injured. By now, the effects of his “medicine” should be kicking in.

Thunder rumbled as dark clouds gathered, and it seemed about to rain.

Before long, officers led the remaining Shen gang members out in cuffs. Everything was going according to the story: Zhao Yu, the Lan family, and the local police had successfully rounded up the criminals.

The only deviation… Dai Ning’s gaze shifted toward the entrance of Nevernight City.

There they were.

Luckily, as one of fate’s chosen, Zhao Yu had emerged unscathed. Lan Rongrong supported him as they walked out of the club.

His face was flushed, his lips redder than usual. He was trembling all over, and only Dai Ning knew how intense the drug’s effects were.

This wasn’t just any drug—it was the one infamous in high society for transforming even the most reserved men into bundles of hyperenergy, laced with a slight sedative effect to make anyone surrender.

Lan Rongrong was a clever woman and must have sensed something was off by now.

After watching Zhao Yu take over the Shen assets, Lan Rongrong was practically in awe of him. Now, given the chance, she wasn’t about to miss it.

Zhao Yu’s knees weakened, nearly causing him to fall. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

Lan Rongrong asked, “Are you okay?”

She reached out to support him, taking in his odd state. A place like Nevernight City wasn’t exactly wholesome; getting drugged was hardly unusual.

Her hand, cool to the touch, rested on him as she knelt down to help him into the car. Zhao Yu’s voice was hoarse and strained. “Stay back.”

Dai Ning, observing from the car, watched him closely.

More specifically, she watched Zhao Yu himself.

His pupils were dilated, his jaw clenched tight. He was straining, resisting. Dai Ning couldn’t understand—what was he resisting?

Lan Rongrong wasn’t bad; she had the right family and looks, and she clearly liked him. Why was he so intent on rejecting her? What was the point in making himself suffer?

Dai Ning was confused, while Uncle Qian coughed, embarrassed, tempted to shield his pure young lady’s innocent eyes.

For once, Dai Ning decided to be patient. Just wait. Zhao Yu would give in.

In a low voice, Lan Rongrong whispered near Zhao Yu’s ear, “You’re in pain, aren’t you? I can help you.”

Dai Ning saw Zhao Yu’s arm, supported by Lan Rongrong, shaking uncontrollably.

The pain, the embarrassment, the longing, the woman beside him, and the impending thunderstorm—all seemed to push him forward.

At last, Zhao Yu reached out, as if to embrace her.

Dai Ning smiled.

But then, in the next moment, Zhao Yu shoved Lan Rongrong away, saying coldly, “Don’t come near me.” He staggered, retreating into a nearby alleyway.

Dai Ning was stunned.

“That’s it?” She groaned. “Is he even a man?”

In her head, Qingtuan murmured, “I told you not to mess with someone blessed by fate. If he doesn’t want something, he won’t do it, even if it kills him.” The spirit was trembling. “What if the heavens find out I helped the villainess mess with fate’s favourite? I’ll be struck to ashes!”

Dai Ning waited for quite a while, but Zhao Yu still didn’t come out.

Qingtuan was in a panic. “What if Zhao Yu’s dead? If he dies, we’re done for too! Please, Dai Ning, let’s go check on him!”

Dai Ning touched her chest. “It doesn’t hurt, so I haven’t been punished. That means he’s not dead yet.”

Qingtuan kept whining, “But what if he dies the next second?”

Even Dai Ning began to feel a bit uneasy. Zhao Yu, as tough as he was, shouldn’t be done in by a low-grade drug, right?

Lightning slashed across the sky as rain finally began to fall.

Finally, she said, “Uncle Qian, get me an umbrella.”

—

Dai Ning opened her umbrella and walked into the alley behind Nevernight City building. As lively as the front was, this alley was equally cold and desolate.

Her shoes got a little wet as she walked down the empty alley, but Zhao Yu was nowhere in sight.

She looked around, puzzled. Was he playing hide-and-seek?

Qingtuan said, “Look around that corner.”

Dai Ning went over, and sure enough, there was Zhao Yu, slumped weakly against the wall. His face was an unnatural, sickly pale, while his lips were still flushed red and dry.

At the sound of footsteps, Zhao Yu raised his eyes.

They locked eyes.

In that moment, Zhao Yu was convinced he was hallucinating. How could… Ji Dai Ning be here?

Through the curtain of rain, with the glow of distant building lights behind her, the girl’s figure seemed surreal.

She was dressed in a striking shade of blue, with a shimmering line accentuating her waist. Her skirt pooled elegantly in the rain, and her fair waist was exposed.

She spun the umbrella in her hand, visibly annoyed that her skirt was getting muddy.

Zhao Yu clenched his fists and looked away, his breath heavy with heat.

Dai Ning crouched down in front of him and poked him with the umbrella. “Still alive? Are you okay?”

Seeing his unfocused gaze, Dai Ning reached out to help him up.

“I’ll take you to the doctor…”

The next moment, Qingtuan’s view went black, as its mind flooded with censoring values. It was dazed, confused. What happened?

Dai Ning found herself pulled into Zhao Yu’s embrace, his hand tilting her chin as he lowered his head to kiss her.

His whole body was burning hot, and even his lips felt like searing lava.

Dai Ning tasted a faint hint of blood from Zhao Yu’s mouth; he’d endured this much.

Zhao Yu was no longer shaking, instead he kissed her feverishly.

Dai Ning was furious. She grabbed his hair and yanked it back. “Are you crazy? Lan Rongrong was all yours, and now you’re biting me?”

He held her tightly, mumbling something in his delirium.

Even as she tried to push him away, Dai Ning was curious enough to listen carefully.

Through his gasping, he muttered softly, “Da… Dai Ning.”

The effects of the potent drug hadn’t worn off.

Dai Ning was stunned, almost fearing he might actually cross a line. She slapped him hard and scrambled out of his grip.

Her lavish dress was soaked and filthy. The once-proud “little phoenix” had never looked so disheveled. As Zhao Yu reached for her weakly, she batted his hand away with the umbrella handle, leaving him powerless and slumped.

She stepped on his shoulder. “Zhao Yu, are you insane? Don’t touch me!”

He didn’t resist, merely groaning, his dull gaze still fixated on her.

His dark eyes were clouded, lacking their usual sharpness. Only her image was vividly clear in them.

The rain continued to fall, beating down on his flushed face.

For the first time, Dai Ning understood that people actually cared about their “partner” for this sort of thing.

She glanced at him briefly, then turned to leave.

—

Later, Zhao Yu was brought back by Uncle Qian, having already passed out.

Dai Ning wore a sullen expression, visibly unhappy with everyone. Uncle Qian shook his head as he tended to Zhao Yu.

Being a doctor, Uncle Qian knew exactly what drug Zhao Yu had taken.

Fortunately, Dai Ning had only asked him for money without mentioning the drug, so Uncle Qian didn’t connect her to this mess.

“Miss, let me tend to him. It’s inconvenient for you to be here. You should go change out of your wet clothes to avoid catching a cold.”

Since her dress was soaked, Dai Ning went off to shower, leaving Zhao Yu in Uncle Qian’s hands.

What could Uncle Qian do? All he could do was feed Zhao Yu some medicine to alleviate his symptoms. After all, no “performance-enhancing” drug was lethal, and he’d survive after enduring it a bit.

Uncle Qian, being a good man, had the bodyguards help Zhao Yu with a soak and a change of clothes. It’d make him feel better; hospitals would only do as much anyway.

Uncle Qian looked at Zhao Yu’s “tent”^[1]“tent” is a euphemism for a male erection, describing an awkward physical situation., which was still erected high, and coughed. Although they were all men, this situation was inevitably embarrassing.

Uncle Qian closed the door after leaving Zhao Yu’s room.

After her shower, Dai Ning felt irritated as the hot water ran over her shoulders and chest. She angrily checked herself in the mirror and found faint bite marks. After dressing, she grabbed her stuffed mallet plush and went into Zhao Yu’s room.

Jumping onto the bed, she began whacking him with her plush toy.

“That’s what you get for biting me, you jerk!”

After a satisfying round of whacking, a new problem arose—she’d woken Zhao Yu again. His gaze fell on her, and Dai Ning glanced from his pants back to his face before bolting out of the room.

Leaning against the door, Dai Ning felt more cheated than ever.

Despite her carefully planned scheme, Zhao Yu hadn’t ended up with Lan Rongrong after all.

It was a tough pill for the her to swallow. She thought for a moment and came up with an even better idea. Since Zhao Yu’s mind was clearly on her, she might as well make good on that. Zhao Yu, being so serious and proper, wouldn’t dare hurt her if they were involved.

He was weak now, still under the effects of that drug. It was the perfect opportunity!

Dai Ning opened the door, and sure enough, Zhao Yu was still in a daze. She shoved her plush into his arms.

“There, pretend it’s me! Bite it, kiss it—do whatever you want. Don’t hold back, enjoy yourself.”

With that, she ran back out, satisfied.

Dai Ning set a 5:00 a.m. alarm and fell asleep.

When it went off, she groggily rubbed her eyes and went to Zhao Yu’s room. The plush lay on the floor—apparently, Zhao Yu hadn’t taken a liking to it.

She rolled into his arms, then quickly tugged at his clothes and her own.

Qingtuan watched her impressive “framing” technique in awe. It still felt like Dai Ning was forgetting something, but couldn’t figure out what.

Half-asleep, Dai Ning muttered, “Right, I need some blood.”

After searching for a while, she reluctantly pricked her finger, smeared some blood on the bed, and settled back down.

Qingtuan whispered, “Will Zhao Yu believe this?”

Dai Ning thought about it. “He’s inexperienced, and that drug nearly scrambled his brain yesterday. He should buy it, right?”

With her plan complete, she curled up in his arms and drifted back to sleep.

Qingtuan felt both anxious and excited, wondering how Zhao Yu would react in the morning when he “discovered” he’d spent the night with the “miss.”