Chapter 1 Nightmares Revisited

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The moment the dormitory door opened, a pungent scent of cheap perfume assaulted Yan Luoxi's nostrils. Suppressing her urge to sneeze, she looked expectantly at He Yufan as he bounced into the room like a spring-loaded cannon.

He Yufan ignored Yan Luoxi’s intense gaze and rushed straight to the wardrobe, rummaging through it without regard for his appearance. She didn’t care if Yan Luoxi would ridicule her with her most hated phrase: “digging up one's tail!”

After a while, He Yufan finally pulled out several colorful dresses from the wardrobe and started changing clothes brazenly under Yan Luoxi’s naked gaze.

"The curtains aren't drawn!" Yan Luoxi reminded her kindly.

"Haha, let them see! I'm about to fly up high and become a phoenix!" He Yufan waved a pale yellow bra at the boys' dormitory across from them in arrogance.

"A phoenix shouldn't set a bad example either!" Yan Luoxi glared at her and stretched out her arm to close the curtains.

Ignoring Yan Luoxi’s indignation, He Yufan, dressed in a tight pink off-the-shoulder lace dress, posed gracefully. She raised one eyebrow with an air of mystery: "How do I look"

Yan Luoxi wasn’t surprised by her sudden flirtatious behavior; she asked calmly, “Have you encountered your true love again”

"Yes! My soulmate has finally appeared!" He Yufan clasped her hands together and closed her eyes in rapture. "You have no idea how handsome he is, how charming…"

“I don’t want to know.” Yan Luoxi, unable to endure any longer, snapped He Yufan out of her reverie with a slap of her hand, “All I care about is whether we’ve been accepted by Anrui International”

"We have! We all three have been hired." He Yufan answered succinctly, as if delivering an anticlimactic answer to the life-changing news that had kept them awake at night for days. She continued her daydreaming with a deep sigh: "He is the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, with black hair like ink and skin as pale as snow... his features are delicate like lotus flowers blooming on a snowy mountain..."

Yan Luoxi knew that when He Yufan was trying to embellish someone's looks, she could even describe Zhu Bajie as an immortal. She decided not to pay attention and picked up her phone to share this good news with Ziyuxin who had returned home after attending a day school.

The three of them were in their senior year, and they only had three months left until graduation. They had officially entered the internship stage, similar to many other students who had started looking for employment early on.

Fortunately, Anrui International, one of the city’s new enterprises, came to recruit from their university because one of its shareholders was an alumnus. The company's large-scale recruitment at their alma mater was seen as a way of giving back to it.

Over the past few years, Anyuan International has become too famous for its grand and splendid commercial empire, attracting countless people who are eager to work there, especially those with starry-eyed dreams like them.

The thrilled Yan Luoxi and Ye Zixing chatted on the phone for a long time. After hanging up, she saw He Yufan looking at her with an unsavory expression. "I know you're jealous because I got to meet Mr. Anyuan International before you did, that stunningly handsome guy."

Yan Luoxi suddenly understood; what had captured He Yufan's interest was the Young Master of the Ming family, whom she had seen at her adoptive home, the Li family years ago. They truly inherited their parents' good genes and were堪稱極品 (extremely excellent). It was no wonder that He Yufan was enchanted.

The next day on the way to Anyuan International, the strikingly dressed He Yufan was still under the spell of the handsome men but didn't forget to ridicule Ye Zixing and Yan Luoxi for their indifferent expressions. "You two don’t need to pretend to be high-minded; you just haven’t seen him yet. If you did, you’d go crazy too. And if my dream guy were a woman, you two would only be half-finished products."

He Yufan was very pretty and always believed that she was prettier than Yan Luoxi and Ye Zixing.

The so-called "half-finished products" had long gotten used to He Yufan's way of speaking, considering it a favor that she didn’t call them raw materials.

Anyuan International’s building was in an excellent location with superior facilities; one could have a fantastic view without even going to the topmost floor. The three of them, like many new employees reporting for work, were seated excitedly in the large conference room listening to the company's personnel department head giving them a welcoming speech.

Yan Luoxi was stirred up by the passionate speech of the department head and was about to join everyone else in applauding when she heard thunderous applause: "Please welcome Mr. Li An, president of Anyuan International..."

The sound had left her ears ringing, but she still couldn’t believe what she saw—despite many people entering together, she immediately spotted him amidst the crowd, and instantly felt a chill.

Li An walked to the stage with ease; his eyes sparkled as he nodded politely at everyone below—graceful and elegant.

The conference room was filled with applause and exclamations of admiration. Lin Yufan beside Yan Luoxi was especially excited, clapping and looking like she might cry from joy. Even the calm Ye Zixing looked towards Li An on stage with a look of yearning.

Ye Zixing was known as an ice princess in their school who seemed immune to the charms of handsome guys but couldn’t help showing her admiration when faced with Li An, no matter how much she tried to restrain herself.

This man always had this ability: he could be radiant and attract everyone's attention without doing anything!

Sweat formed on Yan Luoxi’s palms, the tension making her lips tremble even from a distance.

Li An clearly was accustomed to causing such commotion; amidst the fervent gazes, he maintained his calm and graceful demeanor. His steady voice projected through the microphone effortlessly controlled everyone's emotions and pace, like an emperor standing at the center of a crowd of people.

His speech was well-paced, and every expression and gesture was perfectly timed, radiating charisma that filled the audience with admiration. He earned applause after applause.

Lǐ n’s speech wasn’t long; compared to the Human Resources Department personnel's enthusiastic greeting, his manner might seem slightly arrogant, but everyone knew that he was a young man of great wealth and high status. Even if he were somewhat arrogant, it seemed justified.

After Lǐ Total left the stage for quite some time, the two star-struck beauties next to Yán Luòxī finally came back to their senses. Watching the still excited crowd around them, Yè Zǐxīn couldn’t help but softly exclaim: "This isn't a speech from a CEO of a top company; it's like the arrival of an idol! A young and wealthy man being so dazzling is almost a sin!"

"How about that Didn’t I get it right" Lín Yǔfán proudly looked at Yán Luòxī, who hadn't moved for quite some time. To his surprise, he exclaimed: "Luòxī! What’s wrong with you Your face is so pale!"

"I… I don’t feel well," Yán Luòxī sat there with cold limbs, unable even to force a smile.

“Let me take you to the hospital!” Zǐxīn grabbed her arm and was about to lead her away for medical attention.

"I’m fine. I just seem to have caught a chill. A good night’s sleep will do me good. It's my first day reporting, so you two must not leave." Yán Luòxī convinced the two friends determined to take her to the hospital to ask for leave on her behalf before leaving the Anrui International building unsteadily.

How could she be so foolish!

Yán Luòxī cursed herself as she walked, knowing full well of the close relationship between the Lì family and the Míng family. She knew that Lǐ n had been on good terms with the two young masters from the Míng household since childhood and heard that one of the Míng family’s sons was a shareholder in Anrui International, yet she failed to consider that the Lì family would also invest in it!

Moreover, how could the name "Anrui International" not have raised any suspicion

The carefree and easy five years had truly numbed her senses.

Yán Luòxī returned to school via subway; the sun in May was bright but not scorching, with lush tree shadows lining the campus paths. Birds chirped as well, signaling the imminent arrival of summer, yet there was no trace of heat, making this Yán Luòxī's favorite season.

But today wasn't a day for her to enjoy such pleasant times.

She walked heavily back to the dormitory and lay down on the bed without changing clothes. She couldn’t shake the image of Lǐ n’s face that was wreaking havoc with her composure, feeling she must be ill as her head felt like it might explode in pain.

After tossing and turning for a long time, she finally fell into an unconscious sleep.

The dream version of herself returned to Li’s luxurious mansion, akin to a paradise. She found herself in a pink princess bedroom that was like a fairy tale, trembling all over as she watched him unhurriedly unfasten his zipper and part her legs...

Violated, tormented, pleading ceaselessly while drenched in sweat from the pain...

In such an embarrassing position, completely naked and curled up, while he was only slightly disheveled...

She frowned tightly, biting her lip as her hand gripped his shirt corner, turning pale. Painful, burning... He still didn’t let go...

… Please...

… Spare me… please, spare me...

...

"Lu Xi! What’s wrong Lu Xi, wake up!" Leafy and Hey Ruifan's voices sounded anxiously.

Where was she now Yan Luxi suddenly sat up in alarm. Looking at her two friends beside her, she still panted heavily as her heart pounded fiercely like a drum being beaten.

"Lu Xi, did you have another nightmare How come Haven’t you been free from nightmares recently" Hey Ruifan gently stroked Yan Luxi’s back in pity. Cold sweat had already soaked through Yan Luxi's clothes; she and Yan Luxi shared a room for four years. During the first two years of college, Yan Luxi would have nightmares every few days, waking up drenched in cold sweat. In recent years, things had improved somewhat, and it seemed like she hadn’t had another nightmare for a long time.

Leafy quickly brought Yan Luxi a glass of water.

Yan Luxi saw that her clothes were properly on and the buttons were neatly fastened. She nodded uneasily to them, accepting the glass of water from Leafy and taking a sip.

Over these years, she thought she had forgotten those things, but the evil spirits hidden in her heart for so many years were the source of her nightmares, gnawing at her like maggots. With Li An’s appearance, everything was once again vividly rekindled.

Yan Luxi took a few sips of water to calm herself down, went to wash her face in the bathroom, changed into fresh clothes, and then ate with Hey Ruifan and Leafy at the canteen.

Friendly reminder: If you like this story, please check out its prequel "The Cold Falcon's Contract Lover," which complements it beautifully. Hehe!em, her limbs turning cold after a mere glance.The man on screen, if not Li An, could be who elseYan Luoxi stood there stunned, watching Li An giving an interview calmly and confidently. He appeared t...