He is Lovestruck in the Revenge

The ball was lively, and many people came, most of them were tourists. Before coming, Wen Changling had done her research: Lileitu's Sleepless City also had another name—the City of Romantic Encounters.

From the moment Xie Shang entered, countless eyes were on him. Even in a foreign country where hair color and skin tones were completely different, even though he wore a half-faced fox mask, he was still absolutely a sight to behold. He had the height and the build for it, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a natural on a suit hanger.

It must be his first time traveling with a companion because he wasn't quite used to it, always forgetting about Wen Changling, to the point where she often saw his back. He walked in front of her, weaving through a crowd wearing various animal masks. Occasionally he would suddenly remember he had brought a "tail" along, and then he would turn around abruptly. His eyes, blurred by the lights, would slowly focus with an intent look to find Wen Changling, his "tail," to see if she had kept up. If she hadn't, he would stop to wait but never rush her. At these moments, Wen Changling would pick up her skirt and run after him.

Amid the crowded throngs, the beer and fireworks, ladies' swaying skirts, and the occasional intentional and unintentional physical contact within the crowd, there was an invisible pulling force, a surging, a color of desire amongst adults.

No wonder this place was called the City of Romantic Encounters.

At seven o'clock sharp, dance music sounded, fireworks filled the sky, and men and women cheered and leapt as the masquerade ball officially began.

Wen Changling adjusted the glasses on her nose that were very conspicuous and didn't match her dress or mask at all, and bowed her head, not wanting to attract attention.

"Sir, may I have this dance with you?"

This was already the fourth lady who had invited Xie Shang to dance.

He politely declined, "Sorry, I already have a dance partner."

While Wen Changling was snacking, she sneakily glanced at Xie Shang turning down the ladies. The ladies who were rejected looked disappointed and reluctant to leave. Sometimes Wen Changling thought that it would be better if Xie Shang were a playboy who welcomed all comers, becoming a shared resource and a social welfare of its own kind.

"Are you here to eat?"

The cake Wen Changling was halfway through almost fell from her mouth, and she licked her lips in embarrassment. She did eat a bit too much, but the food at the masquerade ball was really delicious, with an exotic flavor she had never tasted, each piece made very small.

"Won't you try some? They're really tasty."

Wen Changling picked up another piece of savory cake.

Xie Shang sat down not far from her, took a glass of wine, tasted only a sip, then put it down and sat there listlessly, doing nothing. Still, his mannerisms exuded a refined air of the scholarly gentry. However, his facial expressions were far from proper—elegant, at ease, graceful, casual, yet these could not hide the madness that always seemed bubbling beneath the surface, as if rebellion was imminent, as if wrongdoing was his norm.

When Wen Changling finished her sixth piece and took a sip of her drink, looking for a place to sit, Xie Shang stood up, walked up to her, and asked, "Shall we dance?"

He had been waiting for her to finish eating.

"I can't dance," she said.

"That's okay. No one knows us here; you can dance wrong."

Xie Shang's left hand behind his back, he bowed slightly and extended his right hand, a gentleman's polite invitation, "Miss Wen, may I have this dance with you?"

Wen Changling hesitated for a moment before timidly extending her hand.

Xie Shang took it and led her onto the dance floor. He was very aware of the boundaries between men and women, handling the distance with great care. The hand he placed on her waist didn't actually touch her, maintaining a comfortable space.

His upbringing must have been very good.

Perhaps his mother had taught him never to offend a lady uninvited.

"Are you bored?"

Wen Changling looked up, "Hm?"

He wore a mask, a purple half-faced fox one, which suited him well and matched his cufflinks. Because the mask obscured most of his facial features, when she looked at him, her attention was easily drawn to his eyes—very beautiful, beyond comparison, so beautiful it might leave one at a loss for words. His family might have mixed heritage, his pupil color was quite different from ordinary people, the more so under bright light, the sense of heterochromia more pronounced. Although using the word "enticing" might be inappropriate for describing a man, it truly was enticing.

"You're zoning out."

Yes, she couldn't immerse herself, "The scent on you smells really nice." Without much thought, she blurted out, "Is it the Daydream Fragrance?"

Because that was the only fragrance she knew, and she had heard of it from him, called Chinese honeycomb.

"No, it's another type of agarwood known as Youdu Wood," Xie Shang spoke very slowly, patiently enlightening her, "Its fragrance is hard to produce; it's called hard-strip agarwood and requires burning to release the scent. However, the aroma is very dominant and takes a long time to dissipate completely."

Brewing incense and tea is a rarity among hobbies nowadays.

"Do you really like agarwood?"

"Yes, I have an uncle who loves fragrances, and his dream is to become a Fragrance Master."

Wen Changling felt his grip on her hand tighten.

She did not continue the topic.

"Sorry."

This was the fifth time Wen Changling stepped on Xie Shang's foot.

"It's alright."

He brushed it off with a smile, teaching her over and over again. Even though she still couldn't dance well, he never showed impatience, his mood remained stable.

After the dance party, Wen Changling still hadn't learned how to dance, but she had eaten her fill. After removing her mask, she carefully packed it into her bag, planning to take it home.

Just as they got into the car, Xie Shang asked, "Not far from here is a Red Wine Estate. How about we go steal some wine to drink?"

"Ah?"

She blankly complied, "Oh, okay."

Although she couldn't even count Xie Shang as a friend, she inexplicably trusted that he would be able to steal the wine and not get caught by the local police.

The Red Wine Estate was less than a thirty-minute drive from Sleepless City.

The estate was vast, brilliantly lit, but oddly, there wasn't a single guard in sight, not even a guard dog. Weren't they afraid of wine theft?

Xie Shang led Wen Changling to the wine cellar as if he knew his way around, and picked out a bottle of very vibrant red wine, the color very much like the dress she was wearing.

In the open-air western restaurant, aside from them, there was no one else. The owner of the estate must be a person of good taste and romance, for even the wind guards on the fragranced candles were carved with delicate and beautiful patterns.

"Have a taste," he said.

Xie Shang only took one glass and poured the wine.

The mask and tie were carelessly placed on the chair, and his neat and well-fitted suit jacket was now unbuttoned, casually and lazily open.

"Aren't you drinking?"

With her hair tied up, Wen Changling's face appeared even smaller, and her thick, cumbersome glasses lent her a kind of blurred dullness.

Her eyes always averted, rarely making direct eye contact, Xie Shang thought she resembled an unfinished fairy tale book.

She was like a little deer from the book, stumbling into a castle, approaching the unknown and mystical palace, knocking on its door, as if seeking help or coming to assassinate.

"I have drunk this before," Xie Shang explained. "Lileitu is not that safe; one of us needs to stay sober."