Arc 3: Chapter 1

"Feng gege, p—please let me go~"

Aria was startled awake by a coquettish voice, and what she saw in front of her almost made her back raise like a frightened cat.

Under her was a woman in her early twenties, with barely any makeup on but still looking drop-dead gorgeous. She was under her!

Aria was tightly gripping the woman's slender wrists and pushing her down onto a bed. She had nowhere to go as Aria had locked her legs with her own.

Aria's heart almost leapt out of her chest.

If her Yan gege, or her Adounis, saw her like this, she'd be dead!

Aria: 'Lily! Quick! Give me a rundown of what's going on!!'

Lily: 'Ye—Yes! Right away!'

The woman under her was called Lai Wei, and the original soul had introduced herself as Feng Huang. They had met in a bar earlier and instantly clicked. While Feng Huang escorted Lai Wei back to the bar after going to the bathroom, Feng Huang pulled Lai Wei into an empty room and pushed her down onto the bed.

And the rest of it was what Aria had to deal with.

Aria: *exasperated* 'The original's personality?'

Lily: ... *scared*

Feng Huang was simply... a free soul. She loved who she loved, and hated who she hated. Liked what she liked, and would rarely ever change her mind.

This was especially true when it came to romance. She had no boundaries in terms of age, gender, or race. If you were human, you'd get on her radar—actually, scratch that. Even if you weren't human, as long as she liked you, she would definitely flirt with you. As such, she was both famous and infamous in her circle as the ultimate playgirl.

Aria was in a serious dilemma.

How was she going to escape this situation without breaking out of character??

Feng Huang was definitely planning to do the deed after going this far!!

Lily: 'Actually...'

Aria: 'What?!'

Lily: *sweats* 'Master I'm not done~' *cries*

Feng Huang was truly the epitome of a playgirl. But she never crossed the line. It was secretly known in the circle that to get Feng Huang to do the deed, you had to seriously date her.

Lily: 'That's why, master... fighting! You can do it!'

Aria: *sighs heavily*

Their long conversation had only lasted a split second, thanks to the fact that their souls were one. But that meant Aria was still locked in an ambiguous position with Lai Wei. Troubled, she stared at the blushing woman's drunken gaze and paused.

'Drunk?' She suddenly had a good idea. 'Oh, I could use that line~'

While Lai Wei was mesmerized by Aria's stare, she felt the other's warm fingers caressing her cheeks. She blushed harder.

Aria lightly sighed. "A pity~" Her eyes emitted a sad light.

Lai Wei was startled and confused. "Pity?" she murmured, wondering if it was the booze muddling her thoughts. For some reason, she couldn't quite understand.

Aria leaned closer to Lai Wei's ear. "A pity that you're drunk. I'm still a gentleman, after all." Then, as if to seal the moment, Aria placed a butterfly kiss on Lai Wei's forehead, shocking the girl silly.

Finally, Aria freed Lai Wei from her grip and stood up from the bed. She gently pulled the still-dazed Lai Wei to her feet and even took the time to fix her clothes. Moving close to Lai Wei's ear again, Aria whispered, "Next time, don't be so easy. What would you do if I had really eaten you?"

Lai Wei's face turned a brilliant shade of red, spreading from her cheeks down to her neck. Embarrassment flooded her, but deep inside, she realized she didn't mind at all. In fact, she felt a tiny pang of disappointment that Aria hadn't gone through with it.

Apparently, Aria was a gentleman. In Lai Wei's heart, her impression of Aria shot up through the roof. She's a gentleman, ah! What to do? Her heart was actually beating crazily for a woman. But Feng gege is too androgynously beautiful! She sighed internally, exasperated, and seriously began questioning her preferences.

Aria escorted her properly this time back to the bar.

Meanwhile, every ten seconds, she would check her wrist. The red string was not there, but Aria was calmer as she knew it had only gone invisible.

She escorted Lai Wei to the bar but kept half of her attention to her wrist. Then, she went into the secluded corner of the counter to drink. Since Lai Wei was with her friends, Aria didn't have to stay with her.

Only when the burning taste of alcohol hit her tongue did Aria finally relax a little.

Aria: 'Lily~ Give me the full information~'

Lily: 'Good Job Aria~! As expected of Master, the lady killer!'

Aria almost spurted her drink. That title... she didn't want it!

Aria: '... The information ...'

Lily: 'Oh! Ok~'

Feng Huang wasn't the original soul's real name. Her real name was Qin Huang, the youngest sibling and only sister in a mafia family ruled by four powerful brothers.

As for why she had two names... Feng Huang was the name she used when meeting with girls, while Qin Huang was the name she used when dealing with boys.

Aria was absolutely speechless. The original was, without a doubt, versatile.

Qin Huang had been raised by her four brothers, each with their own distinct mindset. Because of this, she became a mold shaped by all four personalities. Her childhood was anything but ordinary—her brothers had already taught her how to wield a gun by the age of five. She had even taken part in some of their business dealings, though she mostly just observed curiously and had never lifted a finger.

Her four brothers also had a tendency to be overly protective, which only made Qin Huang—the "free" soul—constantly break the rules. Adding to the chaos was her strange love for defying those very rules.

If you told her to go south—no, she wouldn't go north. She'd go west or east instead, just to make things worse.

Because of this, she always got into trouble. Yet trouble could never truly bind this troublemaker. She had a knack for slipping away and escaping in the nick of time.

While her social mischiefs made her thoroughly infamous, exposing her to the darker side of society, there was one part of her life where she experienced the sweetness of being a maiden in love.

From the information Lily had shared earlier, Qin Huang never truly crossed the line. The only person she had ever entered a relationship with was a man named Cai De. They had met during her high school drama days and started dating after graduation. But their relationship didn't even last a year before Cai De broke up with her.

Aria suddenly made Lily stop. 'He was the one who asked her out, and he was also the one who broke up with her?!'

Lily: 'Yes.'

Aria: *exasperated* '... Continue.'

Qin Huang was devastated. She had just fallen in love with Cai De, only to have to let him go so soon. This heartbreak transformed her from a simple troublemaker into a suicidal, brokenhearted lover... well, for a year.

Thankfully, through the meticulous efforts of her four brothers, Qin Huang gradually began to forget Cai De.

But why, just when she was starting to move on, did he always seem to reappear in her life?!

And the worst part? Cai De was now officially engaged to a woman named Xia Xinyi.

Qin Huang was utterly shattered. She was no longer suicidal, but she had stopped caring about her life. This indifference fueled her rule-breaking tendencies further. She sought solace in the adrenaline rush she felt during her mischief, using it as an escape from the pain.

But it wasn't trouble that ultimately claimed the life of this lovelorn woman.

It happened on a rooftop one winter night, where Qin Huang stood facing the married Cai De and Xia Xinyi. Behind her was the breathtaking view of the bustling city from the edge of a twenty-story building.

"Qin Huang, wake up. I have never loved you—not even once." Cai De's cold voice was almost drowned out by the noise of the city below, but Qin Huang heard him clearly. She couldn't comprehend his words, though. By this time, she had already moved on from her unrequited love, as the man she once adored was now married.

Xia Xinyi's expression twisted into one of disgust, a far cry from the magnanimous image she displayed to the public. She stepped forward, stopping just a pace away from Qin Huang.

A wide smile spread across Xia Xinyi's face, her eyes curved with sinister intent, before she reached out and lightly pushed Qin Huang back.

To Cai De, it looked like Qin Huang had simply slipped on the snow.

Aria closed her eyes as the image of a rapidly nearing cobblestone flashed in her mind. Her drink lightly shook in her hand. When she opened her eyes again, her calm had returned, but indignation burned in her heart.

'Qin Huang was simply a hopeless romantic disguised as a troublemaker! She didn't even do anything to them! Did they really have to make her suffer like that?'

She clenched her fist, itching to vent her frustrations by beating someone up.

In the end, however, she downed her drink in one go and motioned for the bartender to bring her another.

Taking a few deep breaths, she steadied herself before successfully merging with the original soul.

Aria—now Qin Huang—shifted her aura entirely.

The calm exterior melted away, replaced by a wild, magnetic energy with a hint of sexiness. Mischief flickered in her eyes like sparks. Since she sat in a secluded corner of the counter, no one noticed the subtle yet striking transformation.

Qin Huang took her new drink from the bartender and flashed him a playful smile.

The bartender nearly dropped the glass in his hands, flustered. With his ears reddening, he hurriedly escaped to the back room. Qin Huang even saw him patting his chest in a frantic attempt to calm himself.

His ruffled actions piqued her curiosity about her appearance, but she didn't linger on it. Instead, she turned her attention to the original soul's three main wishes.

Marry someone you truly love.

Severe ties with Cai De.

Help my brothers' business.

The first wish was the easiest. Once she found her Adounis, Qin Huang could simply use her own personality to lure him in. It probably wouldn't take more than a year before they'd end up rolling in the sheets! Qin Huang felt a thrill at the thought.

After all, the original's charms were no joke. She truly embodied the title of a playgirl!

'M—Master, about that... we have a problem.' Lily said cautiously while backing away to the corner of Qin Huang's mind.

Qin Huang saw her timid behaviour and couldn't help but feel that she must have missed something. Her mouth twitched a little. 'What is it?'

'Um... At this time, Qin Huang had just broken up with Cai De... And Qing Huang is—' Lily abruptly stopped when she saw her master fall into the pits depression.

That's right, the timeline was just after Cai De broke up with Qin Huang. It was also one of the reasons why she was fooling around in the bar. She was actually drowning her sorrow with alcohol! And distracted herself with Lai Wei in the meantime...

Qin Huang was depressed.

All of this only meant that she couldn't straightforwardly profess her love to her Adounis because by this time, Qin Huang was expected to court death, in any way possible, for a span of a year! Even if she found her Adounis, she'll have to act as if she couldn't take no but didn't dare to fight for her love.

Because although the original soul's character was a troublemaker, her honesty made her unable to scheme and hurt those she loved.

Qin Huang downed her glass again. If she didn't get drunk tonight, she'd basically be committing OOC.

"Bartender gege~ One more please~"

Qin Huang's voice slurred as she called out to the hiding bartender. She had no idea what had happened to him, but she was certain she heard the sound of plates crashing. Her smile twisted into a grin, and with her narrowed peach blossom eyes, the people watching her couldn't help but gulp.

Their throats went dry, and they quickly took a mouthful of their drinks.

One man eyed Qin Huang intently, a glint of desire flashing in his eyes. As he watched the attractive girl drink glass after glass of strong alcohol, his lust grew more and more apparent.

Qin Huang felt she had drunk enough, so she hopped off the tall stool, pretending to be tipsy. She didn't seem to notice the predatory eyes following her every move as she staggered out of the bar, drunk.