Chapter Two: A Photograph Together

Du Zhiye grabbed her bag and said goodbye to her girlfriends, then followed Jiang Yingnan to the hotel.

Once inside the room, Jiang Yingnan embraced her with practiced ease, as though he were a seasoned expert. The two quickly shed their reservations and revealed themselves to each other. When he encountered an unexpected obstacle, Jiang Yingnan paused, raising his brows ever so slightly—a look of surprise, tinged with a hint of excitement that was hard to discern.

Afterwards, Jiang Yingnan dressed and prepared to leave, but Du Zhiye called out to stop him.

“Second Young Master.”

Jiang Yingnan turned back, his gaze cool and indifferent as he looked at Du Zhiye.

She curled her lips into a smile, stood up, slipped into a bathrobe, and walked over to him, waving her phone. “Let’s take a photo together.”

Jiang Yingnan frowned, and before he could protest, Du Zhiye tilted her head toward him. With a click, she took a photo. The woman, cloaked in a bathrobe, smiled radiantly, while the man, dressed impeccably in a suit, frowned ever so slightly toward her—elegant and distinguished.

Du Zhiye tucked away her phone, waved goodbye, her smile bright and carefree. “Second Young Master, take care.”

Jiang Yingnan didn’t move. He looked at her for a few seconds, his brows knit, and his voice was icy. “Delete it.”

Du Zhiye blinked, a flicker of panic beneath her calm, yet she kept up her teasing bravado. “Why? Are you afraid I’ll show it to someone else?”

In this photo, he was composed and cold, while she was disheveled, revealing traces of intimacy on her neck. If exposed, the one harmed would only be her.

Jiang Yingnan said nothing, simply stared her down, his stance uncompromising.

In his social circles, Jiang Yingnan’s reputation was impeccable, never touched by the slightest hint of scandal.

So this photo—he could not allow Du Zhiye to keep it.

Her fingers tightened around the phone as she instinctively took a step back. Her expression remained composed, but the retreat betrayed her unease.

“I just wanted a keepsake…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Yingnan cut her off, his voice forceful and domineering. “I said delete it.”

He brooked no resistance.

Of course, Du Zhiye would not delete it. She had gone to such lengths for just this one photo. But Jiang Yingnan’s resolve was equally clear. They stood at an impasse for half a minute before Jiang Yingnan suddenly advanced. Du Zhiye instantly understood his intent and tried to retreat, but the room was only so large; there was nowhere else to go.

Her eyes flickered, and she flipped onto the bed, pressing her phone tightly to her chest. She turned her head to look at Jiang Yingnan, who stood at the bedside with a darkened expression, and raised one hand in a gesture of oath. “I swear, I’ll delete the photo after tonight. No one will ever see it. I promise I won’t cause you any trouble.”

That number 39… surely didn’t count as a person!

Jiang Yingnan stared at her, coldly uttering two words: “No.”

He didn’t bother asking for an explanation. After those two words, he seized her wrist, yanked her upright, and though Du Zhiye resisted, they quickly became entangled. The disparity in strength between man and woman was too great; within minutes Jiang Yingnan snatched the phone from her grasp and, without hesitation, swiftly deleted the photo.

Du Zhiye leapt up, rushing to snatch the phone back, but she was a step too late.

After deleting the picture, Jiang Yingnan tossed the phone onto her body, fixed her with a deep look, then left the hotel in silence.

When the door closed, Du Zhiye grabbed her phone and flipped to her photo album. It was empty except for a few snapshots with her best friend, Feng Bing.

She shouted in anger, hurling a pillow at the door and cursing, “Bastard!”

…

Jiang Yingnan went downstairs, where Chen Yang had already pulled up the car outside the hotel.

He walked to the car, glanced at Chen Yang, who was opening the door, but didn’t get in. Instead, he asked thoughtfully, “The Miss Du that Madam Huang mentioned…”

Madam Huang was Jiang Yingnan’s mother. The relationship between mother and son was distant; in private, he always referred to her as Madam Huang.

He didn’t finish the question, but Chen Yang understood immediately.

Jiang Yingnan was no longer young, and lately Madam Huang had been busy introducing him to suitable young ladies. Miss Du of the Du family was among them.

“Rest assured, it’s not this Miss Du.”

Jiang Yingnan nodded and got into the car.

Of course it wouldn’t be this Miss Du—she had just gotten engaged.

Thinking of that barrier, Jiang Yingnan’s gaze deepened. He unconsciously ran his tongue along his back teeth.