After Teasing the Villain and Running Away - Chapter 1

The last rays of twilight were swallowed by the encroaching darkness as the sky deepened into night. The city’s neon lights flickered to life, forming a sea of illumination as bright as day.

A low, muffled roar suddenly echoed along the wide, dimly lit road, followed by the sleek black silhouette of a motorcycle speeding past like a falcon darting through the shifting lights ahead.

The rush of wind left in its wake was restless and turbulent.

Jiang Ruosheng wore a helmet, her long, wavy hair fluttering wildly in the wind. The tight leather jacket and pants accentuated her alluring, sensual curves.

Leaning into the bike, she accelerated again, the pure black machine cutting through the night.

The wind howled in her ears, the thrill of speed offering a brief respite from the turmoil in her heart.

“Lemon End,” the bar she owned, was located on the fringes of the city center. As the boss, Jiang Ruosheng didn’t visit every day. On the rare occasions she did, she would sit quietly in a corner, listening to a song or two before leaving.

Today, however, was an exception.

The motorcycle roared all the way to the bar, coming to a stop right beside the over-a-meter-tall money tree at the entrance.

Pulling out the key and removing her helmet, she revealed a face with striking, deep-set features—full lips pressed into a thin line, and piercing gray eyes brimming with defiance and sharpness.

Her presence was domineering and effortlessly cool.

Standing nearly six feet tall, her long legs encased in leather pants drew frequent glances from passersby.

Pushing open the bar’s door, Jiang Ruosheng was met with a wave of warm, stuffy air. The dimly lit space was bathed in cool-toned light from the rotating disco ball overhead, except for the stage, which stood out brightly.

A sweet, melodious voice drifted from the speakers. The omega holding the microphone seemed to notice the newcomer at the door and waved with a smile.

She was the bar’s new resident singer—charming, adorable, and with a voice that captivated. In just a week, she had gained immense popularity, earning the playful title of “the bar’s treasure.”

Her gesture made several patrons turn their heads, curious to see who the lucky recipient was.

But Jiang Ruosheng’s reaction was indifferent. She gave a slight nod before settling onto a barstool.

Chen Lin, already expecting her arrival, expertly mixed a low-alcohol lime soda and slid it over.

Teasing, she said, “Qiuqiu studies at Jing University—technically your junior. Interested in—”

“Not interested.” Jiang Ruosheng’s expression remained impassive as she sipped her drink, as if even speaking an extra word was too much effort.

The rejection was expected. Chen Lin sighed as she glanced at the stage.

A top student from a prestigious university, a stunning omega—surely there were better part-time jobs than singing late nights in a bar. Who she was here for was obvious.

Chen Lin studied Jiang Ruosheng’s face, half-hidden in shadow, her flawless profile accentuated by a sharp jawline. Her glassy, iridescent eyes shimmered with shifting hues.

The faint melancholy in her gaze now exuded an irresistible allure.

“Instead of celebrating your birthday properly, you come here to drown your sorrows. Every year, the same thing—do you have some kind of trauma about birthdays?” Chen Lin asked.

Jiang Ruosheng stiffened. Today was her birthday. She had skipped the family banquet, coming here specifically to drink away her thoughts.

The bitter tang of lime lingered on her lips, stirring distant memories wrapped in a familiar scent—hazy, like mist, just out of reach.

She didn’t answer, merely pushing her empty glass forward.

Her tolerance for alcohol was poor. After just a few glasses of low-alcohol sparkling wine, Jiang Ruosheng’s gaze began to waver. Propping her head up with her arm, everything around her seemed to spin, and the distant singing in her ears grew fainter.

In this hazy, swaying world, all the colors seemed to blend together chaotically, the background a blur—except for one silhouette that grew increasingly clear.

Jiang Ruosheng thought she must be dreaming.

Delicate, enchanting features, slightly elongated phoenix eyes tilted upward, shimmering with a faint red glow. Her soft, gentle face appeared harmless and tender.

The woman wore a lake-blue spaghetti-strap dress, her low-heeled sandals clicking unhurriedly against the floor. The glimpse of her elegant collarbones as she walked left others staring in awe.

At the circular bar, the woman leaned casually against the counter, her curves on full display. She didn’t sit down, her gaze lazily sweeping across the room as if searching for someone—yet with an air of indifference.

Her innocent, radiant aura was like a fawn lost in an enchanted forest, stirring restless desires in many.

Jiang Ruosheng narrowed her eyes as more and more people crowded around the woman. Their attempts at conversation, their barely concealed advances, filled her with an inexplicable irritation. Her grip on the glass tightened unconsciously.

Yet the woman at the center of the crowd seemed oblivious to the thinly veiled flattery. Her soft, tempting lips parted as she spoke, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. Her unadorned neck was so pale it almost gleamed.

With an absentminded gesture, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear—an act both innocent and alluring.

Chen Lin noticed the sudden darkening in Jiang Ruosheng’s expression and followed her gaze to the strikingly beautiful omega.

Frowning slightly, Chen Lin sensed the subtle but unmistakable pheromones of several alphas weaving through the air, circling the omega like predators.

Finally, one alpha couldn’t resist any longer and reached out to drape an arm around the woman’s shoulders.

Chen Lin opened her mouth to shout, “Hey—”

BANG!

A deafening crash—tables and chairs toppling over.

The commotion drew everyone’s attention. The music onstage stopped abruptly, and the bar fell into an uneasy silence.

The alpha’s hand froze mid-air. Annoyed, he looked up—only to see a glass hurtling straight toward his face.

He barely had time to flinch before it struck his nose with a dull thud, shattering on the floor.

“Fvck! What the hell?!” The alpha clutched his throbbing nose, bl00d seeping between his fingers as he glared at the woman still seated calmly across from him.

Jiang Ruosheng’s icy gaze swept over the scene, her frigid aura sending several onlookers stumbling back.

Only the omega at the heart of the storm remained unfazed, a playful smirk curling her lips as she watched with detached amusement.

“If you can’t control your pheromones, get the hell out of here. You reek.” Jiang Ruosheng’s voice was sharp, laced with frost. Her raised brow dripped with disdain.

“None of your damn business! You looking for a fight?” The alpha snarled, humiliation fueling his rage. He wasn’t about to back down after being humiliated in front of his prey.

Chen Lin’s expression darkened as she rapped her knuckles on the table, her tone unyielding. “Your behavior just now constitutes sexual harassment. The patrolling officers are nearby—shall I call them over?”

The alpha’s face flushed crimson. He’d had too much to drink tonight, and the pain from the glass striking his nose bridge had only just sobered him slightly. “We were just talking. Which eye of yours saw me—”

Before he could finish, Chen Lin pointed at the surveillance camera mounted on the opposite wall.

That shut him up completely.

“As for the injury on your nose, our boss will cover the medical expenses.” Chen Lin casually tossed a business card onto the table in front of the alpha.

The others, seeing that neither Chen Lin nor Jiang Ruosheng was someone to trifle with, had already scattered like startled birds.

The alpha awkwardly picked up the card, shot Jiang Ruosheng a glare, and spat out a threat. “Once I recover, I’ll beat you until you’re picking your teeth off the floor.”

Staggering unsteadily, he turned to leave—only to trip suddenly, losing his balance and crashing face-first onto the black marble tiles.

No one knew exactly what he hit, but bl00d gushed from his mouth.

The other patrons, who had been silently watching the drama unfold, couldn’t hold back their laughter at the absurd sight.

Ears burning with humiliation, the alpha scrambled to his feet and fled the bar.

The farce was over, but beneath the surface, emotions simmered.

The woman who had vanished seven years ago had reappeared without warning, leaning casually against the table, her lips curling into a lazy, seductive smile—radiant and alluring.

It was as if a scorching summer wind had swept through, carrying with it the familiar, melodious laughter that had once filled Jiang Ruosheng’s ears.

Memories long buried erupted violently, dragged into the light by the storm.

Jiang Ruosheng’s throat tightened. The moment her eyes met Ruan Xin’s, she understood the unspoken words in that gaze.

—Ah-Sheng, come here.

She had heard that phrase countless times seven years ago—teasing, angry, sighing—until it became a curse that haunted her sleepless nights, relentless and inescapable.

The smartest thing Jiang Ruosheng could do now was turn and run.

Put as much distance between herself and this woman as possible.

But when she met those deep, smiling eyes, she still, inevitably, made the foolish choice.

Her body moved of its own accord, drawing her closer.

As her fingers brushed against warm skin, Jiang Ruosheng’s hands trembled, her throat parched as if choked with dust.

Ruan Xin’s lips curved into that familiar smirk—mischievous and utterly confident. She looped her arms around Jiang Ruosheng’s shoulders, pulling her down gently.

Jiang Ruosheng lowered her head, watching as her own curled locks spilled over Ruan Xin’s shoulder, tangling intimately with the other woman’s hair.

Warm breath brushed against her ear, and Jiang Ruosheng’s breath hitched as she heard the first words spoken between them after all these years.

“Still up for a date, Jiang-xué?