Immorality / The Second Male Lead Takes the Lead
Cool and aloof dance-theater director & powerful man who takes what he wants
Three years ago, at the graduation gala of Nan University, Tan Zhuo's nephew asked him to drive a friend to the airport. Her surname was Li.
Tan Zhuo saw the flushed face reflected in the car window. Raindrops slid down the glass, meeting her brows and eyes.
His heart grew restless. Without thinking, he picked up a tissue, intending to wipe the corner of her eye. The moment he turned toward her, a pair of shining eyes met his.
A slender cigarette was caught between her lips. Her voice was still choked with emotion as she asked, "Uncle, do you have a light?"
Tan Zhuo took the old lighter from his pocket and leaned closer. The clean, bitter scent of pomelo after a shower mingled with the humid warmth in the air.
In the quiet space, Tan Zhuo cupped his hand around the flame to light her cigarette.
-
Later, at a banquet at the Tan family home,
Li Xiang sat quietly in a corner in a plain-colored long dress. Her posture was proper, her expression calm, and she seemed completely out of place amid all the glittering extravagance.
An elder at the table teased, "A Shuo has such good taste. His girlfriend is elegant and well-known in our circles. They're a perfect match."
Everyone laughed and agreed.
"A perfect match."
A low chuckle came from the seat of honor. Tan Zhuo's voice was not loud, yet the table fell silent at once.
"Who gave you that idea?"
He toyed with the teacup in his hand, his fingers long and his knuckles sharply defined.
Everyone fell quiet.
Li Xiang looked up. Through the shifting silhouettes, her gaze met his icy eyes, then followed his line of sight to his fingertips. Her eyes trembled slightly. The place those fingers had touched still burned with warmth.
He was her elder, the head of the Tan family, while she was nothing more than the least important adornment at the table, soon to be his nephew's wife.
Tan Zhuo was born a wasteland. At first, he only meant to watch from the other side.
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Theme: Leave your old self behind
