Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

Jiang Haoran seemed to want to say something, but in the end he only mumbled something vaguely and leaned half of his body weight on Gao Qian's stiff supporting arm.

Under Zhou Mingyu's smiling gaze and the varied looks from others, Gao Qian helped the increasingly drunk Jiang Haoran toward the door of the private room.

She struggled to bear the weight of Jiang Haoran's body, feeling as if the contact points were branded with a hot iron. The smell of alcohol emanating from him mingled with the cold despair in her heart.

As the elevator descended, the mirror reflected her pale face and his bowed head, his expression unreadable. A feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and Gao Qian's heart sank into a bottomless darkness.

The car drove toward a well-known high-end hotel.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Haoran seemed to become even more "drunk," leaning back in his chair without uttering a word. Gao Qian sat stiffly beside him, watching the rapidly receding light outside the window, feeling that every second was torture.

On the top floor of the hotel, the suite door closed behind me, completely shutting out the last trace of outside noise.

Jiang Haoran seemed to finally succumb to the "drunkenness," releasing his hand from Gao Qian's arm and staggering slightly to the center of the living room.

With his back to her, he slowly raised his hand and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, revealing his neck. Then he casually tossed his coat onto the sofa.

This simple action, this silhouette, in Gao Qian's eyes, was nothing less than the final sound of the gavel.

The last shred of hope, a slim and unrealistic chance, was utterly shattered.

Overwhelmed by immense fear and chilling humiliation, she was instantly engulfed. Tears welled up unexpectedly, but she bit her lower lip tightly, daring not to utter a single sob, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She felt as if all her strength had been drained away, or as if she were bound by invisible ropes, leaving her standing stiffly in place, awaiting the inevitable fate that was about to befall her.

Then, as if to end this torment more quickly, or perhaps out of some twisted resignation, she began to act.

Her fingers were cold and numb, trembling as she reached for the buttons on the side of her dance costume, one by one, slowly and mechanically unbuttoning them.

The subtle sound of silk gliding against skin was jarringly clear in the deathly silent suite.

She no longer even looked at him, her gaze blankly fixed on the carpet beneath her feet, as if this body no longer belonged to her, and what was about to happen had nothing to do with her.

Just as she loosened all the buttons, her blouse slightly open, revealing a small patch of pale skin below her collarbone...

Jiang Haoran had turned around at some point and silently walked up to her.

Gao Qian froze in fright, her hand that was unbuttoning her clothes stopped, and she closed her eyes in despair, waiting for that hand to fall.

However, the expected rough handling did not occur.

Instead, a few cool and steady fingers gently supported her chin, lifting her lowered face slightly with a gentle yet irresistible force.

Gao Qian opened her eyes in surprise and met a pair of eyes that were inches away from hers.

The intoxication within had long since vanished, leaving only a clear and sharp light, like a bottomless, icy pool after a snowfall, reflecting all her current dishevelment and panic.

That's enough.

His voice rang out, not loud, but clear and cold, carrying a power that instantly pierced through all her chaotic thoughts.

"Put your clothes on." He released his grip, his fingertips barely lingering, his tone flat. "The task Zhou Mingyu assigned you ends here."

Gao Qian was completely stunned, her mind went blank, her hand that was unbuttoning her clothes remained frozen in place, she could only stare at him blankly, as if she couldn't understand the simplest sentence, let alone comprehend the development that was completely deviating from the pre-set script.

Jiang Haoran didn't look at her again. He went straight to the minibar, poured himself a glass of ice water, and then sat down on the single sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window. He took a sip of water and calmly gazed at the dazzling city lights outside the window.

"He...he asked me to come..." Gao Qian's voice was terribly hoarse, trying to understand, yet filled with disbelief and confusion.

"He sent you here as a 'gift,' and also as a 'test.'" Jiang Haoran didn't turn around; his voice was exceptionally clear and calm in the quiet suite. "He simply wants to see if his potential future collaborator will be swayed by beauty."

He knew perfectly well that Zhou Mingyu had deliberately chosen this "campus goddess" whom Jiang Haoran had once had a vague affection for but who was out of reach. It was like a "generous gift" that could precisely stir the heartstrings, and also a deeply buried probing pawn.

What he wanted to test was whether this "sharp blade" he was so eager to capture also harbored the restlessness of an ordinary man, easily controlled by desire.

A person who cannot see through or resist the allure of beauty, a person whose mind is clouded by lust, will have their flaws exposed when faced with real power struggles in the future. And this is precisely the "Achilles' heel" that a wealthy young master like Zhou Mingyu is best at capturing and firmly controlling.

"You cooperated with me in the second half of the performance, so it was only natural for me to take you away. We both achieved our respective goals. Your mission is complete." He put down his water glass and turned his gaze to her.

There was no anticipated desire in his eyes, no condescending charity, and not a trace of mockery, only a thorough, almost indifferent calmness, a detachment born from understanding all the rules and calculations.

"Now, you can choose to rest here until dawn, or leave immediately. The elevator is to the right after you exit."

"When you get back, tell Zhou Mingyu I'm completely drunk, or just don't say anything at all, it's up to you. After tonight, we're even, and we don't need to have anything to do with each other again."

The road twists and turns.

The enormous impact made Gao Qian's legs go weak, and she staggered back half a step before her back hit the cold wall and she barely managed to steady herself.

None of the horrible and disgusting scenes she had imagined occurred. Instead, she heard the man's words, which were both extremely cold and extremely clear, and a path to survival that she had never dared to hope for.

"Why...why?" Her voice was hoarse, filled with endless confusion and a trembling from surviving a near-death experience. "You could have...why..."

"Because it's unnecessary." Jiang Haoran interrupted her, answering crisply and decisively, without the slightest hesitation. "I don't need to prove anything by 'enjoying' a 'gift' that was forced upon me, nor do I need to accept this so-called 'test' filled with calculation and humiliation."

He walked to the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, and looked back at her one last time. His gaze was deep, as if it could see through all her suffering and struggles, and see the invisible hand behind her that controlled her destiny.

"What you saw and heard tonight, once you walk out this door, you'd better forget it all." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power.

"What Zhou Mingyu uses to control you is a problem you and he need to resolve. I don't care, and I have no interest in getting involved. However..."

He paused, his tone still calm, yet seemingly carrying a faint, almost nonexistent warmth: "Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself. No matter what happens, once you throw away your dignity, don't blame others for thinking... they can easily trample on it."

After saying that, he opened the door, and the light in the corridor outlined his tall and straight back. Then, the door was gently closed with a soft "click".

The suite fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Gao Qian's suppressed, intermittent sobs.

She slid down the wall and sat on the carpet, feeling utterly exhausted, tears streaming down her face.

This time, it was no longer pure fear and despair; it was mixed with too many indescribable things: shock, bewilderment, a hint of unreal warmth, and the sharp, piercing clarity brought by the phrase "rely on yourself."

She looked at the tightly closed door. The man hadn't played any role from beginning to end; he was calm, aloof, even somewhat cold-blooded, but he had torn away the veil of that glamorous yet cruel transaction in the most direct way.

It exposed the true nature of the chessboard to her, then gave her a chance to stand firm on the edge of a cliff and breathe again.

Outside the window, the city's neon lights gradually dimmed, and a sliver of white light appeared on the horizon.