Chapter 3 – The Room That Changed
Han Zixuan didn't even look up when Xueran's aunt pushed her forward.
"Not tonight," he said flatly, standing. "I have business."
The refusal struck like a slap. Her aunt's mouth opened to protest, but Zixuan's men glared and she fell silent.
He left, long coat brushing the marble, disappearing into the night.
But the mansion wasn't finished with her.
Hours later, another guest arrived — an old man with a golden cane, one of the syndicate's senior partners. His greedy eyes swept over Xueran.
"This one," he grinned. "Tonight. Send her to the Golden Orchid Hotel. A white dress will do."
Her aunt's hands tightened like talons on her shoulders. The bargain was made.
That night, Qiao Xueran sat in a car again, wrists loose in silk ties, a ghost in white. But in the shadows of the mansion, her cousin was plotting.
Xun Lanyue, dressed in satin, carried a vial of pale liquid.She whispered to her reflection in the mirror,
"If I cannot have Han Zixuan, no one will."
She poured the drug into a wine glass meant for him.
But fate doesn't move in straight lines.
When Xueran arrived at the Golden Orchid, the hotel corridors seemed to twist like a maze. Guards whispered, doors shifted. The room that should have been for the old man… was not.
Instead, when she was pushed inside, she found Han Zixuan waiting.
His eyes glinted. He held up the untouched glass of wine.
"Someone thinks I'm too easily fooled," he murmured. "But the rooms… have changed."
He set the glass down, untouched. His gaze sharpened on her.
"If you helped me tonight… if you prove you are not as foolish as they believe… I will repay you."
Qiao Xueran let her lips part, her eyes wide and vacant, the perfect fool's mask. Inside, her heart burned like fire.
This was the moment she had waited for.
"Yes," she whispered, voice trembling.Yes… I'll help you.
Not for him.Not for his power.But because if Han Zixuan trusted her, even for a moment — she could use him to destroy them all.