Chapter 4: The Original Male Protagonist

“Does it matter that it’s the middle of the night? Even if I told her to come here naked, she’d do it without hesitation.”

The familiar voice was cold and indifferent. The man sitting across from him teased, “Gu Lingyi is a celebrity, after all.”

Huo Qi sneered, “Celebrity? Ha, she’s nothing but a dog.”

It was as if her blood had frozen. Gu Lingyi felt her body plunge into an ice cellar, her heart squeezed painfully, suffocating.

Her legs went weak uncontrollably, and she staggered into the private room.

Several gazes landed on her; Gu Lingyi’s dazed expression and awkward posture drew a round of mocking laughter.

“Is she putting on a show for us, little starlet?”

“Little starlet” was the role Gu Lingyi had played in her first film, “Love in Nanshan.”

“Hey! Still wearing slippers? She must have come running as soon as she got the call!”

“Look, is that pajamas underneath?” someone jeered. “Young Master Huo! Tell her to take off her coat…”

The noisy jeering filled her ears, but Gu Lingyi’s eyes fixed unwaveringly on the single sofa by the poker table.

Under the light, Huo Qi’s sculpted features cast a few inches of shadow.

Gu Lingyi sluggishly straightened up, as if waiting for a final sentence of judgment.

After a moment, the man’s magnetic voice sliced through the air like a sharp blade: “What are you standing there for? Take it off already.”

Huo Qi’s gaze was icy and piercing. In that instant, Gu Lingyi felt a faint wisp of her soul detach from her body, dissolving into nothingness.

The private room fell into an inexplicable silence for a second.

Her heart no longer throbbed painfully; tears faded from her eyes. Light and shadow flickered as the last shred of the original owner’s consciousness vanished completely under Huo Qi’s cold stare.

Gu Lingyi regained control of her body. Her gaze swept across the room.

The vast space was distinctly divided: a poker table, a billiard table, a foosball machine, and behind the sofa lounge area, a wall of liquor cabinets.

“Gu Little Star! Take it off!” Qin Xiao raised a glass from the sofa, tilting his head toward the slender figure standing in the center of the room. “Stop wasting time!”

He had said it—the bold, radiant Gu Lingyi from the day was just an act. Now, Huo Qi’s sycophantic dog remained pitifully submissive.

Huo Qi tossed cards with one hand and flicked ash from his cigarette with the other, his voice oppressive: “Take it off, don’t ruin the mood.”

Gu Lingyi lowered her eyes, ignoring him, and turned to twist the doorknob. Suddenly, the room burst into raucous laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha…”

***

“Does she think she can run away? How stupid.”

The door beeped repeatedly. Qin Yue dealt cards, suppressing a laugh: “No way to open it. The electronic lock needs a password to get in or out.”

Tsk. Gu Lingyi glanced down at the slippers on her feet, wondering what this door must have cost.

The original owner had left little behind, less than six figures, yet this private room, built with money, was priceless—even the door alone cost a fortune.

She couldn’t afford to pay for a violent break-in.

Resigned, Gu Lingyi sighed softly and walked to the poker table, looking down at the man who had trapped her here—the architect of her misery.

As the male lead in a novel, Huo Qi was undeniably handsome—strong bone structure, swordlike brows, starry eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips—a look that seemed cold and heartless.

And indeed, he was cold and heartless to the original owner.

Gu Lingyi’s gaze darkened.

When the original self first entered university, she had accidentally learned that Huo Qi’s racing team was hiring an assistant. Despite a packed schedule and tight finances, she had taken the job for a monthly salary of two thousand.

The team only needed her for events, but she stubbornly woke up every day at five to cook porridge for this adult with stomach problems—and she did so for two years.

In those two years, she was always on call, handling every trivial matter for the team. Even the racers would boss her around whenever Huo Qi’s name came up.

Now, all those efforts seemed like a joke.

“Huo Qi.” Gu Lingyi’s voice was indifferent, devoid of emotion.

Huo Qi looked up. For the first time, he saw Gu Lingyi from this angle. Before, she always lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze.

But now, he met a pair of cold, detached amber eyes. The owner of those eyes gave a light laugh: “You’ll regret this.”

“Ha ha ha, I thought she was going to say something else!”

The sofa was a certain distance from the poker table. Earlier, everyone held their breath, expecting Gu Lingyi to make some earth-shattering move—only for her to utter a cold threat.

No, it wasn’t even a threat.

“So embarrassing…”

“Is she a primary schooler?”

Yu Liang, who had been sitting cross-legged on the carpet playing games, spoke coolly: “Even a kid is tougher than her.”

At his words, laughter grew even louder.

“Alright, alright!” Qin Yue tapped the cards lightly, calling out to the sofa with disinterest, “Qin Xiao, take her over to play on the side.”

“Wha—”

The word “why” stuck in Qin Xiao’s throat. He met his elder brother’s icy gaze and reluctantly got up.

He almost forgot that Huo Qi had come today to discuss business with their brother, and Gu Lingyi was only a nuisance.

Qin Xiao took a few steps but caught sight of the cruelty in Huo Qi’s eyes, followed by a reckless sneer: “Let’s bet on her next round.”

“Oh?” Qin Yue raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “How do we bet?”

“Simple. You win, it’s yours. If I win…” Huo Qi cast a contemptuous glance at the woman leaning against the table, then sneered coldly: “She’s just a dog. Bet whatever you want.”

The implication was clear—she was worthless; anything was more valuable than her.

Qin Yue understood and pulled a metal lighter from his pocket, tossing it onto the table.

It was from the H Family’s Iron Tower series—an embossed lighter, retailing for 180,000 yuan. The cheapest thing Qin Yue had on him.

The bet began. Huo Qi exhaled smoke meaningfully: “I’m doing her a favor.”

When someone you care about belittles you again and again, anyone would break down, right? Qin Xiao instinctively looked at the slender figure by the poker table, expecting to see her upset, fragile, and broken.

Unexpectedly, she was yawning.

Gu Lingyi was already sleepy. It was three in the morning—what kind of zombie would be wandering outside at this hour?

As the number of cards on the table grew, Gu Lingyi felt increasingly drowsy. Bored, she turned away, passed Qin Xiao, and calmly walked toward the sofa.

It was summer; the lounge lights were bright and warm. Gu Lingyi casually removed her outer jacket as she walked, her movements unhurried and natural.

For a moment, the room fell utterly silent.

Those who had just been teasing her to strip now averted their eyes, unwilling to look.

The smooth fabric of her nightgown shimmered silkily under the lights. The hem covered her calves, the fitted waist emphasized her figure, and the three-finger-wide straps with a lightly padded front made it wearable as everyday attire.

Though modest in style, paired with Gu Lingyi’s flawless pale skin and exquisitely beautiful face, the effect was striking.

No one dared to look. No one dared.

“Damn!” Qin Xiao, standing less than two steps behind Gu Lingyi, felt heat rush to his ears and quickly averted his gaze.

How could this woman...