Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In truth, before I transmigrated, I had a boyfriend.

His name was Chen Mo, and he was my fellow student. He wore thin-rimmed glasses, had clean features, and possessed a temperament as gentle as morning mist in the mountains.

We were both PhDs in Science, soulmates who resonated on the same frequency.

I once thought we would walk side-by-side down the path of academia, living a stable life together forever.

Until a rich heir named Wang Ziyu appeared.

He was like a shark scenting blood, pursuing me with a frantic obsession.

After being rejected repeatedly, he turned his sights on Chen Mo.

First, he tried to use money to force him away. When that failed, he hired thugs to beat Chen Mo so badly he was hospitalized.

His methods were clean; even when we called the police, nothing could be traced back to him.

He even had the audacity to declare:

“What I can’t have, no one else will. Next time, it won’t just be a leg that gets broken!”

To keep Chen Mo from being dragged down further, I steeled my heart and broke up with him.

No matter how he pleaded for me to stay, I never looked back.

Thinking the obstacle had been removed, Wang Ziyu approached me triumphantly.

All he received in return was my cold indifference.

He lost control completely, his face twisting as he shrieked:

“Shen Mudong! You’re doing this the hard way! I will destroy you!”

I only found him pathetic and laughable; even a single word in response felt like a waste.

I had planned to wait until his interest faded and then go back to find Chen Mo.

But fate is never in our hands.

Before that day could come, a ridiculous twist of transmigration robbed me of everything.

***

Word got out that the auction for my first night was imminent.

The sisters at the Drunken Spring Pavilion crowded around me, every word revolving around my “future.”

“Fudong, this ‘opening night’ is of the utmost importance! If the price is too low, you’ll be stuck taking random walk-ins from now on. But if a nobleman pushes the price to the heavens, your worth will naturally skyrocket!”

“That’s right! If you can catch the eye of some young master and be redeemed as a respectable mistress, that would be the blessing of a lifetime!”

They enthusiastically tried to teach me singing and dancing, hoping I would make a stunning debut.

It seemed everyone was fretting over my first night.

Everyone except me. My heart was as cold as ash.

In the end, I simply recited a poem on stage with no particular effort.

Yet, after I stepped down, the Bawd rushed toward me, her face beaming with joy.

“Oh, my dear daughter! What incredible luck! Do you know who picked your tablet?”

She leaned in close to my ear, her breath heavy with the scent of thick powder.

“It’s the Young Marquis of Jing’an! He is a man of immense power in the imperial court; even the ladies in the palace have to yield to him! To think you’ve caught his eye! This is a blessing earned over several lifetimes!”

She led me to the most magnificent private room on the third floor.

Through the curtain, she said in a fawning voice:

“Young Marquis, I have brought the person you requested! Fudong, hurry inside and serve him well.”

I walked in with trepidation.

Inside, incense curled in the air, and red candles flickered.

A figure dressed in a brocade robe with dark patterns stood by the window, his back to me.

Hearing the sound, he slowly turned around.

The candlelight illuminated his face inch by inch…

My pupils constricted, and the blood in my veins froze instantly!

This face-

It was the exact same as the rich heir from the modern world who had sworn to destroy me!