Pampered Rose

Chapter 1 : Take off the Qipao

In the capital city, at one in the morning.

It had just rained during the night, leaving the ground damp and misty.

Tang Li was wearing a dark blue qipao, with a very slim waist and a figure that the qipao accentuated. Holding a transparent umbrella in her slender, pale hands, she stood quietly in front of the small flower bed at the entrance of the evening club.

The light rain was misty, and the sight of the woman in a qipao holding the umbrella looked like an ink wash painting.

Her phone vibrated slightly in her bag. Tang Li glanced down, and several messages popped up: 

“Remember to wear the qipao when you come.”

“Where are you? My contract girlfriend, you’re not going to stand me up, are you?”

“Where are you? My uncle is already here!”

The last message was sent a minute ago.

Tang Li’s eyelid twitched slightly. She sent her location and replied, “I’m by the flower bed. I can’t get into the club.” A reply came immediately, “Wait there.”

Five minutes later, Fu Qingyang, dressed in a burgundy suit, arrived with a cold expression on his face.

“How long have you been here?” Fu Qingyang’s expression was grim, but his gaze noticeably brightened when he saw Tang Li.

Tang Li’s had a calm expression and she answered truthfully, “I arrived ten minutes earlier than our agreed time.”

Fu Qingyang glanced at the transparent umbrella she was holding, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. He grabbed the umbrella and tossed it aside, pulling her under his own umbrella.

Tang Li frowned slightly and moved a little away from him.

Fu Qingyang scoffed, looked down at her with a cold gaze, and said, “Why are you acting so distant?”

A foster daughter driven out of the capital by the Tang family really thought she was still the little goddess who once danced in the capital.

Tang Li ignored him. Her expression remained gentle, but she said, “Mr. Fu, the contract states that you cannot touch me.”

The girl’s voice was soft and sweet, like the densest spring rain in the thick drizzle of Jiangnan, unforgettable to the ears.

Fu Qingyang gritted his teeth, stared at her and said coldly and sarcastically, “Tang Li, how many years has it been since you last came to the capital? Do you still think you’re the Tang family’s young lady? There are countless women who like me; why would I care about you?”

Tang Li didn’t respond. The raindrops fell on her black hair, her face maintaining a cool, distant beauty.

Fu Qingyang muttered a curse under his breath, threw the umbrella at her, and strode forward, saying, “When you meet my uncle later, be more clever with your words!”

“Remember, your task tonight is to make my uncle like you!”

Tang Li followed behind, pursed her lips, and softly replied with a simple “Mm.”

They walked through the corridor of the evening club and stopped at the entrance of a quaint, traditional-style private room.

Fu Qingyang stood at the door and straightened his clothes, then glanced awkwardly at Tang Li, frowning as he said, “My uncle is very cold-hearted and not easy to get along with. Please don’t talk nonsense later.”

Tang Li, held the a woven bag in her hand and nodded, “Okay, I understand.”

Fu Qingyang took a deep breath, forced a smile, and opened the door. “Uncle, I…”

As the door to the private room opened, a few men inside looked up with smiles at Fu Qingyang.

“Master Jiu hasn’t arrived yet.”

Fu Qingyang breathed a sigh of relief, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Tang Li to sit down.

Several people at the table, all from their social circle, squinted at Tang Li and joked, “Qingyang, is this your girlfriend? She’s quite pretty.”

One person chuckled, “I have to say, she looks oddly familiar, like I’ve seen her somewhere before.”

“Is she from our circle?”

Tang Li sat quietly to the side without speaking.

Fu Qingyang poured a glass of wine and told the nosy person beside him, “Get lost, don’t make fun of me.”

A noise came from behind the door, and the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

“Master Jiu.” A respectful voice came from outside the door.

The once noisy private room fell silent in an instant.

Tang Li was momentarily stunned, her pale fingers gripping tightly beneath the table, her heart pounding.

The room was eerily quiet, with only the cold light from the crystal chandelier above and the sound of leather shoes on the carpet.

The man took his seat at the head of the table, his arm casually resting on the table. The black sandalwood beads on his pale, slender wrist contrasted with the sharp, defined lines of his throat and jaw.

“Master Jiu.”

“Master Jiu.”

The people at the table spoke respectfully.

The man was wearing a black shirt, with a cold and tired expression. His prominent brow and narrow, sharp eyes gave him an intense, detached gaze. His dark pupils and overall demeanor projected a cold aura, like a snow-capped mountain that never melts.

The overall impression he gave was both ascetic and indulgent.

Tang Li clenched her fists, her gaze shifting away from the man’s face.

Fu Qingyang, sitting nearby, gave her a significant look and led her to the head of the table.

“Uncle,” Fu Qingyang said with an unusually serious and slightly fearful expression, speaking in a flattering tone, “This is my girlfriend, Tang Li.”

Tang Li stood to the side, her heartbeat steadying. She looked at the man in front of her with a clear, gentle gaze, slightly bending her eyes and softly saying, “Uncle.”

Under the light, the man played with a tea set in his hand, and the black cuffs reflected a cold light, which was a bit dazzling.

Hearing her, he lifted his eyes. His gaze fell on the girl in the dark blue qipao with her black hair dampened. His expression remained indifferent. After a few seconds, his eyes scanned Tang Li from head to toe. The slightly raised edge of his cold and sharp brows suggested a faint trace of curiosity, and his long, defined fingers tapped lightly on the table as he said nonchalantly, “Take off the qipao.”

[T/N: Mass release soon❤️]