Chapter 2 (1/2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

On the surface, Tang Qiu was calm, but her palms were sticky with sweat. She had never been this close to a man before, and now she would have to be the one to lean in, to press her lips to his; someone who was essentially a stranger…

Best get it over with quickly.

Summoning her will, Tang Qiu shut her eyes and planted a kiss on his thin lips, before pulling his mask back in place and getting to her feet.

Jiang Shaocheng was startled by her brisk, businesslike actions. His gaze narrowed, simmering with unreadable depths. Had this woman really just kissed him so boldly?

As Tang Qiu rose, her veil swept off his head, but her scent, faint though it was, lingered. He let his eyes slide down. On the inside, however, he was filled with a new, burning certainty.

This woman was not Feng Lu.

Jiang Shaocheng was in poor health, and no activities followed the wedding ceremony. His butler, Uncle Wang, helped push his wheelchair to bring him home to his mansion.

Tang Qiu and Jiang Shaocheng sat together in the backseat of his car. The sun streamed through the windows, illuminating the side of Jiang Shaocheng’s face. His eyelashes were long and thick, and the slope of his nose was high and straight. The burns had ruined half his features, but from where they now sat shrouded in the shadows, the unmarked half of his face was flawless–a work of perfection, gilded by the sun’s rays.

It was as though he were half an angel, and half a demon.

Without warning, her husband turned his head to her. Tang Qiu didn’t have time to avert her gaze. Their eyes met, and she felt a twinge of embarrassment at having been caught staring.

Jiang Shaocheng reached out a hand and grazed the spotless white fabric of her veil. “Aren’t you going to take this off?” he reminded her, chuckling.

There had been rumors that Jiang Shaocheng’s wounds had made him irritable, with an erratic temper. It seemed they weren’t true after all.

Tilting her head towards him, Tang Qiu asked tentatively, “Will you help me?”

She had only been half-expecting him to agree, but, with a hint of playfulness, he brushed the veil back from her face, then lingered to tuck her slightly ruffled locks of hair behind her ear. Despite the cold sensation of his touch, Tang Qiu noted how gentle his actions were. His temper is much better than I imagined, she mused. Maybe being his wife won’t be so bad after all.

“What’s your name?” he asked unexpectedly.

“Me?” Tang Qiu laughed, trying to cover up her surprise. “I’m Feng Lu, you know that.”