Chapter 34: Deep Voice, Black Tank Top, Scumbag!

The sun shone through the glass and greenery of the long glasshouse in the mansion, casting dappled light. Though it wasn’t as grand as golden reflections on the water, it had a delicate beauty, with a faint fragrance lingering in the air. The manor often needed fresh flowers for decoration, and they were usually cut directly from here.

In a quiet, fragrant corner, Xia Yuan sat holding Yang Ying’s hand. They were so still that if they didn’t speak, no one would notice them.

“I’ve been thinking about getting into fitness lately!” Yang Ying’s eyes sparkled when she mentioned ‘fitness,’ looking like she was in love.

Xia Yuan grew more curious. The Yang family, though not as prestigious as the Qin or Pei families, was still a first-class family. As the eldest daughter of the Yang family, what kind of man had Yang Ying not seen?

Even if her life had been simple and free from unworthy suitors, she’d been surrounded by the likes of Qin Mohuai, Pei Jincheng, and Yang Yi all her life. Her standards should be sky-high by now.

Could Zhou Weiqi really be more attractive than these noble gentlemen?

Xia Yuan found it hard to believe.

Yang Ying continued, “There’s a Clark Gym on the second-highest floor of the KG Mall. I got a diamond membership, and they offer a discount if you refer someone. But I know you’re not short on money. If you’re interested, I can take you there for a trial session.”

Xia Yuan thought to herself, “Clark Gym, huh? Two ‘Clarks’? This gym is bound to jinx you!”

“Sure, I’d love to try it out tomorrow. I’ve been lazing around at home, eating and sleeping, and gained some flab. Qin Mohuai might be happy about it, but I had a hard time pulling on my denim shorts today. It was a little demoralizing.”

Her waist was slim, just the size of a palm, but her hips were soft and fair, clearly well taken care of.

Time to hit the gym and slim down those hips.

Maybe once she slimmed down, Qin Mohuai wouldn’t be so excited anymore.

Tsk.

She really was an ordinary genius.

Little did Xia Yuan know that her efforts to lose weight would unintentionally sculpt her body into the perfect peach shape, with quite the opposite effect on Qin Mohuai.

In the end, Qin Mohuai only managed to catch five people. The mansion was too large, and some even hid in the lake, surfacing occasionally for air—how could anyone find them like that?

After the punishment game ended, a bus left the mansion, but Pei Jincheng and Yang Yi didn’t leave until after dinner.

Qin Mohuai saw them off at the door, clearly eager to have some alone time with Xia Yuan.

But Pei Jincheng wasn’t going to make it easy for him, standing at the door, refusing to leave.

“Your mansion has your wife, the Qin family mansion has your fiancée—so, in the end, who are you going to marry?”

The young master’s temper flared up, and Pei Jincheng had a knack for making things unpleasant. His face, as delicate as a playboy’s, was matched by a petty and narrow heart.

Xia Yuan must have been tricked by Qin Mohuai. Maybe Qin had offered her mountains of gold and silver, forcing her to grudgingly stay by his side!

Pei Jincheng was like a pickled sour vegetable fermenting in a jar. Just looking at him made Yang Yi’s teeth ache.

“Of course, I’m marrying Xia Yuan,” Qin Mohuai scoffed lightly, as if it was a ridiculously obvious question.

“Get lost. If you keep babbling, I’ll dig those two pieces of cake out of your stomach.”

Pei Jincheng, tongue-tied, cursed under his breath as he sped off in his Pagani Huayra.

The night, glimmering with starlight, enveloped Qin Mohuai. His profile, lit up by the interplay of light and shadow, carved out a perfectly sensual and noble figure. His tall, upright frame gave Xia Yuan a sense of aloofness and distance.

He was like the deep ocean—sparkling on the surface, but utterly unfathomable.

Xia Yuan walked over, her sweet voice unusually soft. “You still have cake cream on your lips.”

She raised her slender, pale fingers and gently brushed across his lips—lips that were neither too thin nor too thick, yet irresistibly sexy. Qin Mohuai’s lips curved slightly.

He was very pleased.

“Darling, I have a gift for you too.”

“Today’s your birthday, why are you giving me a gift?”

“Because you’re my treasure.”

The pink diamond was so large that she was too lazy to wear it, so Qin Mohuai had bought a pair of simple rings suitable for everyday wear.

Xia Yuan didn’t really care about what she wore—after all, none of it would matter once she left. She couldn’t help but wonder how the crazy male lead would react after losing his wife…

Feeling soft-hearted, she let Qin Mohuai coax her into wearing a bunny girl costume. All the fabric together wasn’t even as big as her fist. She couldn’t believe this man’s ridiculous taste.

Lost in thought, Xia Yuan couldn’t really get in the mood, while Qin Mohuai’s eyes had turned red with desire. He took out a small black bottle for her to sniff. She had thrown this thing away, so how did he still have it? Just how many had he stockpiled?

The mist had almost no scent, packaged like perfume but actually a nefarious substance.

Xia Yuan refused to sniff it, calling him a pervert. She grabbed her waistband and made to leave for the guest room, but Qin Mohuai pulled her into a tight embrace, covering her mouth and forcing her to inhale a few breaths.

What happened next quickly spiraled out of control.

Xia Yuan might appear delicate, but she was a rose with thorns—she had her own temper and boundaries.

Qin Mohuai, with his high status and power, wasn’t used to being defied. Yet, for some reason, he adored Xia Yuan’s fiery little temper. Even when she scolded him, he secretly enjoyed it. Now, with a teasing grin, he whispered in her ear, “Baby, you won’t be able to protect yourself. I’m going to ruin you.”

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Yang Ying pulled up in her pink Porsche 911 to pick up Xia Yuan.

Xia Yuan had just finished discussing her thesis with her professor, Li Zhiyuan. He told her that the thesis was almost ready and informed her of the time and place for a group dinner two days later. It was obvious that Professor Li hadn’t faced much hardship in life—he still loved organizing social gatherings.

After getting into the car, Xia Yuan’s soft, sweet voice was tired as she pleaded with Yang Ying to close the convertible roof. Her pale, glowing skin couldn’t handle the harsh sun.

Yang Ying perked up, closed the roof, and couldn’t help but sigh, “No wonder Third Brother dotes on you so much. Even I can’t resist that sweet voice of yours, let alone any man. If my voice were this lovely, I bet my love life would go much smoother.”

Xia Yuan grew even more curious about Zhou Weiqi. What kind of magic did he have to make Yang Ying so infatuated?

At the KG Mall, inside the Clark Gym.

Since it was a workday and during business hours, there weren’t many members inside—only about five or six.

“Ying, did you bring a friend over?”

Xia Yuan looked in the direction of the voice. He must be Zhou Weiqi.

He spoke in an intentionally deep voice, wore a black tank top, and had solid muscles on his shoulders. He wasn’t particularly handsome, but he had an upright appearance and a sunny, genuine smile.

Like a golden retriever with muscles.

If Yang Ying had never flirted with men before, she certainly wouldn’t be a match for Zhou Weiqi, who disguised himself as a cheerful, sunny guy. After all, who doesn’t love a golden retriever? Even if it’s a golden retriever with bulging muscles…

Yang Ying blushed, “Coach Zhou, my friend wants to try out the gym. If she’s satisfied, she’ll sign up.”

Zhou Weiqi laughed heartily. “Great! We even have female trainers here.”

He called out to Hedy and asked her to give Xia Yuan a tour.

Xia Yuan glanced at Zhou Weiqi meaningfully. She didn’t believe that a man who would cheat and abandon his wife and kids after marriage could be a good man beforehand.

Zhou Weiqi frowned and leaned close to Yang Ying, whispering his loyalty, “Is your friend single? She just gave me a flirty look.”

He enjoyed the feeling of women competing over him, and this time, he didn’t even need to stir things up. It was all falling into his lap.

But instead of taking the bait, Yang Ying shot back at her crush, “Are you alright?”