Translator: Paperplane Editor: DarkGem

  Lu Jinnian came out the shower and changed into a clean set of clothes. He turned around to see Qiao Anhao in bed.

  She lay curled up. Her white, bouncy skin had patches of blue and purple, and the bite marks had hardened into scabs. He had given her those a few days ago. Perhaps because of the pain, her body still trembled.

  Seeing Qiao Anhao like this, Lu Jinnian felt the urge to go over and hug her in his arms. But in the end, he only balled up his fists and forcefully pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

  As he made his way to the bedroom door, he stopped and stood there for a while before turning to the bedside.

  Qiao Anhao felt Lu Jinnian nearing closer and held her breath.

  Lu Jinnian reached his hand to touch Qiao Anhao’s face. Her face seemed to be in pain, revealing a mild paleness in color.

  Lu Jinnian pushed down the pain in his heart and enunciated every word in an abnormally frightening tone, "Qiao Anhao, I warn you. The deal that we have between us, I say when we start and when we end. It’s not up to you to decide!" He forcibly pursed his lips and continued, "And don’t you worry about spending your whole life with me. Once I’m done playing with you, I won’t let you stay even if you beg me. When that happens, you’ll have to rely on yourself to work in the entertainment industry!"

  Qiao Anhao’s eyes were pitch black. The light in her eyes had darkened and her complexion grew pale, as though she had been drained of blood.

  Lu Jinnian glared straight at her lifeless face, then turned to leave with a look of indifference.

  Qiao Anhao didn’t stay in Lu Jinnian’s room for long. Ten minutes after he left, she pushed herself off the bed and went back to her room, enduring the aching pain in her body.

  Zhao Meng hadn’t gone to sleep yet. She sat in bed playing games. Seeing that Qiao Anhao came back, she excitedly dropped her phone, but then, she fell silent. When she saw how roughed up her friend looked, her smile disappeared.

  After a long while, she asked, "Lu Jinnian, that b*stard. Did he hit you again?"

  Exhausted, Qiao Anhao laid down in the bed. Her pale white expression stared up at the ceiling for a long while. Then, she broke into a smile and intentionally said in a chilling tone, "Zhao Meng, did you know…… I got the leading female role in Huan Ying Entertainment’s upcoming historical drama. Leading-female-role! I’m going to be a star!"

  Zhao Meng didn’t say anything. She only gazed at Qiao Anhao. Under her gaze, Qiao Anhao finally stopped laughing. She slowly turned around, facing away from Zhao Meng, and closed her eyes.

  The room stayed silent for quite a while until Zhao Meng said, "Qiao Qiao, half a year ago, when you suddenly made such a fuss about joining the entertainment industry, as the daughter of an influential family, what was your real reason for getting in the entertainment industry?"