Chapter 1: An Unpleasant Encounter

When Evan was very young, an old woman at the orphanage told him that his fortune was thin and his fate cursed. Yet, he never imagined that one day he would die in plain sight—sprawled on the roadside in women's clothing, blood pooling rapidly beneath his body.

Not far away, a speeding sports car cut its roaring engine. Passersby gathered around, their eyes filled with horror and morbid curiosity. Evan knew they were whispering and pointing, trying to catch a glimpse of the men’s underwear hidden beneath the torn red dress.

He lacked even the strength to speak. He parted his lips, but blood and froth poured continuously from his throat and nasal passages. An agonizing pain—as if he had been snapped in half—brought tears to the corners of his eyes. Weakly, his fingers clawed at the pavement, attempting to push up his broken body with the last vestiges of his strength. He failed. His fingertips left several bloody drag marks on the ground as all sensation bled away into numbness.

He could feel the crowd thickening. Before his consciousness faded, Evan strained to lift his head, but he couldn't spot the familiar figure in the crowd.

The wedding ceremony was happening at St. Mary’s Cathedral, less than a hundred meters away. But even for those hundred meters, that man wouldn't care.

That man was currently basking in triumph with his bride in his arms. Why would he care about a ruined, discarded plaything?

Perhaps he had suddenly let go of everything. Evan blinked his heavy eyelids and curved his lips into a faint smile toward the bustling crowd.

Consider it his final glance at this world.

Then, his body slumped heavily against the asphalt, his head limply falling as his awareness slowly sank into complete darkness.

---

When consciousness returned, Evan was greeted by a dizzying sense of weightlessness. Freezing water surged from all directions, wrapping tightly around his body. Almost immediately, his head was submerged in the salty, bitter liquid, and fluid rushed into his nose and mouth.

Snapping awake, Evan thrashed instinctively. His mind was a blank page; relying purely on survival instincts, he squeezed his eyes shut, forced his limbs to move, and struggled upward. Finally, just as his strength was nearly exhausted, his upper body broke through the surface.

Fresh air instantly flooded his lungs, accompanied by the sharp stench of alcohol blowing in with the breeze. The solid feeling beneath his feet left him temporarily disoriented.

"Yo! The kid actually made it out of the water!"

"He didn't drown? Talk about a tough life..."

"Damn... Should we pour another bottle down his throat?"

"Here, here—got the booze! Woah—"

With a loud *splash*, Evan's face was drenched once more by the spray of water from someone tumbling into the pool. Around him, bursts of mocking laughter and commotion echoed.

Evan knew this scene all too well. It was the night those lunatics had forced him into a dress, shoved several bottles of hard liquor down his throat, and lifted him up to toss him into the pool.

To those people who saw him as nothing more than a toy, his life meant nothing.

He remembered being rushed to the ICU later that night. But how...

Evan touched the wet back of his head and his waist, then brought his fingers to his eyes. Aside from water, there was nothing on them. Clean and untouched, as if none of the tragedy had ever occurred.

How could this be... Could it be... I've been reborn?!

The thought struck his mind like a bolt of lightning. A sharp shiver ran down his spine, and his breathing turned ragged. Panicked, he lifted his head, searching through the partying crowd on the deck for that familiar figure. But when his blurred vision reached the spot in his memory, a completely unfamiliar man was sitting there instead.

Sensing that the man was also watching him, Evan immediately snapped his gaze back. He lowered his head toward the shimmering water, his fingers tightening slowly. After taking a long moment to compose himself, he raised his head again to continue searching for his abuser.

Before Evan could look any further, a slender, long-fingered hand reached out in front of him. Following the hand upward, Evan's breathing hitched—it was the very man who had been staring at him!

He didn't know this man at all. Not in this lifetime, nor in the previous one.

The unexpected kindness and alteration in events made Evan tense up. Habitually, he knit his brows and pressed his lips into a thin line, uncertain whether he should accept the stranger's help.

Seconds ticked by. The guests attending the bachelor party at the poolside began dispersing in small groups, with only a few lingering in intimate chatter. Soaked through like a drowned rat, Evan tilted his head up at the man. Though he didn't speak, the guardedness and suspicion in his eyes were enough to create an awkward silence.

"Don't bother waiting. Julian and his fiancée left long ago."

The words cut through the night breeze into Evan's ears. His body trembled slightly. The heavy, soaked wig felt as though it was dragging his head down, so he ripped it off in one motion, exposing his short hair, which clashed starkly with the light-colored dress he was wearing.

"Heh..."

Evan heard a cold laugh escape his own lips. A chill rose from the bottom of the pool, creeping all the way to the crown of his head.

"So what? Are you here to laugh at me too?"

"No, I..."

"Forget it," Evan cut him off with a soft sigh, falling smoothly into his accustomed habit of apologizing. "I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault. I shouldn't have embarrassed you in public."

Apologizing was what Evan was best at. He still remembered a past banquet where he accidentally spilled red wine on the clothes of Julian's lover. Julian had forced him to bow ninety degrees in front of everyone and apologize with complete humility.

From that day on, Evan knew he was far beneath even a lover. A lover might receive a passing moment of tenderness from Julian, whereas in all the years spent by Julian's side, Evan had received nothing but harm.

Even basic dignity had become a luxury.

That was why he had to run. He couldn't sit by and wait like he did in his previous life, nor could he foolishly wait until Julian's wedding day to flee in humiliation. He had to leave right now—the further, the better.

Strengthened by the resolve to escape, Evan's eyes shone with newfound resilience when he looked up again.

Ignoring the stranger's reaction, he pulled himself up from the pool with all his strength, hastily wrung out the water from his dress, and ran barefoot into the villa.

By the pool, the man withdrew his hand, turning to gaze thoughtfully at the direction where Evan had vanished. His eyes held a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

Knowing that Julian and his fiancée were gone, Evan reached the servant's quarters where he stayed without hindrance. He pulled a dusty old suitcase down from the top of the wardrobe, wiped it clean briefly, and began packing.

He threw open the wardrobe doors first, only for the burst of colors inside to suffocate him. Simply because he was intersex, Julian had bought him countless dresses, filling the entire closet.

Evan despised these things to his core. Rummaging through, he pulled out normal undergarments and a plain, clean dress to change into, then slammed the wardrobe door shut. Next, he retrieved his identification documents from the drawer, leaving everything else behind.

He made his way back to the poolside. The perimeter wall there was easy to scale. Checking to ensure no one was around, he tossed the suitcase over first. Hearing the dull thud of the case hitting the ground outside, Evan felt a wave of relief.

The world outside was filled with unknown temptations and trials, but he could only face them once he climbed over this wall.

Calming his mind, he leaped upward, his hands gripping the top edge of the wall firmly. Taking one last look back at the brightly lit villa, he vaulted over the wall with practiced agility.

The instant his feet were about to hit the solid ground, he fell straight into a warm embrace.

Nearby headlights suddenly flicked on. Unable to see the person's face clearly, Evan's heart dropped, and his face turned pale instantly.

Then, a warm, amused voice whispered right beside his ear:

"I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I'm Christian. Julian has already handed you over to me."

Chapter 2: A Proposal?!

"Let go of me!" Evan shoved Christian without hesitation, but the grip on his waist only tightened. The faint smile on the man's face dimmed, and his sharp, captivating almond eyes sent a chill down Evan's spine.

Seeing that struggling was futile, Evan raised his arms to shield his chest, desperately leaning back to distance himself from the stranger's touch.

"I don't know you! You can't just take me away!" Unsure of what this man truly wanted, a thought suddenly crossed Evan's mind, and he blurted out, "Where's Julian? I want to see him..."

"Listen," Christian cut in, putting an end to his thrashing. He pinned both of Evan's wrists together in a single grip. Gazing down at the fair, delicate skin, the depth of his dark eyes intensified. "Julian's fiancée is searching for you everywhere. She won't let you off easily."

*Julian's fiancée...* An icy wave of dread surged through Evan's body. He knew that woman—a capable, ruthless powerhouse—and in his past life, he had suffered firsthand from her cruel methods.

Splashing hot coffee or throwing snakes into his bedroom were trivial compared to the rest. Under the guise of treat them equally, Julian had taken both of them hiking before their wedding, and Evan had nearly been shoved off a cliff by her more than once.

Evan knew all too well that whether he fell into Julian's hands or hers, no good end awaited him.

"So... you're going to help me?"

Evan lifted his head, cold sweat dripping down his neck into his clothes. His big, doe-like eyes were filled with sheer desperation and helplessness.

He was begging for a lifeline.

Christian's Adam's apple bobbed subtly. Releasing the trembling young man, he averted his gaze.

"Come with me."

Those three simple words made Evan's heart skip a beat. Quickly assessing his current predicament, he realized that this stranger was his only temporary thread of hope.

The orphanage couldn't back him up, and after years of house arrest under Julian, his social circle was virtually non-existent. Only this man had extended a hand.

"I'll go with you," Evan said, raising his head and biting his lip. "Help me get away from Julian."

Christian gave Evan a deep, lingering look before turning around and snapping his fingers. "Get in the car."

---

It was only after settling into the backseat that Evan had the chance to study the man closely.

Christian had charming, curved eyes that pooled with warmth when relaxed, giving him a gentle air. Yet, his perceptive, sharp gaze allowed the overly sensitive Evan to read his shifts in mood with crystal clarity.

Under the passing neon lights, Evan's gaze was caught in the rearview mirror as Christian glanced up. Blinking rapidly, Evan hastily averted his eyes, pretending to look at the passing scenery.

The car soon pulled up in front of a hotel. Evan followed behind Christian, and once the room was checked in, the two walked into the elevator, one after the other.

"Take a shower first. We'll talk afterward."

This time, Evan didn't back down. Recalling the conclusion he had reached in the car, he lifted his head to meet the man's eyes. "How about we make a deal?"

"A deal?" The man clearly found the idea intriguing. He raised an eyebrow, prompting Evan to continue.

However, Evan pressed his lips together and remained silent.

The words had reached the tip of his tongue, only for him to realize how foolish it sounded. Although the main family behind Christian had business rivalries with Julian's, this man would never go out of his way to cross Julian over someone like him.

Evan was well aware of his own worth—or lack thereof.

"I... I'll go take a shower," he stammered, gritting his teeth before turning and rushing into the bathroom.

Watching Evan's hasty retreat, the corner of Christian's mouth tugged into a slight curve.

---

Only after locking the bathroom door did Evan let out a long breath of relief. He patted his chest, berating himself for the awkwardness, completely unaware that his entire reaction had been seen by Christian outside. The bathroom featured a smart glass wall, and driven by curiosity, Christian had flipped the switch to "transparent."

Of course, when Evan turned around to undress, Christian "thoughtfully" switched the glass wall back to frosted.

The hot water in the shower was plentiful. Evan stripped off the tacky pink dress and threw it into the trash can without a second thought.

As the crumpled dress landed heavily in the bin, a sudden weight lifted from Evan's chest, his shoulders slumping in sheer relief.

He hated those dresses to his core. They were painful reminders of his humiliating past, his delicate condition, and how he had been trampled and toyed with.

Before meeting Julian, Evan had always considered himself a normal boy. But Julian had acted like a magnifying glass, suddenly highlighting and magnifying every flaw, using it to torment him publicly over and over again.

He was done enduring such inhumane humiliation.

Deprived of all strength, Evan leaned against the cold tile wall. His eyes burned red with a mixture of raw emotion and hatred. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. Shivering all over, a sudden resolve took hold of him. His tight lips loosened slightly, and his gaze hardened with newfound determination as he looked through the glass toward the man outside.

---

After drying himself off, Evan pulled on a plush bathrobe, loosely tying the belt at his waist.

Opening the bathroom door, Evan's eyes met Christian's. His eyelashes fluttered—even after spending a considerable amount of time together, he still struggled to look the man directly in the eye.

Yet, no matter how difficult, he had to take this step. Barefoot, Evan walked slowly over to Christian.

"Mr. Christian," Evan called out softly. Placing his hands on the man's shoulders with practiced ease, his fingers toyed gently with the crisp collar of Christian's dress shirt. "Since Julian gave me to you, why don't you try me out tonight... After all, you'll find out sooner or later."

Christian showed no immediate reaction to Evan's words. He looked down at the fragile, delicate beauty clinging to his chest, then subtly tilted his head away.

Seeing that he wasn't being rejected, Evan let his fingers slide down the collar, tracing past each button down toward Christian's belt.

He wasn't adept at undoing belts. Most of the time, Julian didn't touch him physically, preferring instead to watch him suffer in women's clothing.

If Evan could have unbuckled it smoothly, it might have worked, but his rising panic caused his fingers to tremble violently, testing Christian's patience. The next instant, Christian scooped Evan up in a bridal carry and tossed him onto the soft bed.

Without giving Evan time to process the shock, Christian leaned over, pinning him down. His fingers easily untied the knot at Evan's waist, letting the robe slip down over cool, pale skin. Evan gasped, quickly clutching the robe shut to keep his secret hidden.

Everything had happened too fast. Before Evan could voice any protest against his bold actions, his body was completely pinned underneath the man.

"You're the one who asked me to inspect the goods right now," Christian whispered against his ear, his warm breath fanning across Evan's neck, sending an uncontrollable shiver through him.

Evan didn't lose himself in this fleeting illusion of tenderness; clarity lingered in his eyes.

Composing himself, Evan slowly raised his arms to wrap them around Christian's neck. Nearing bit by bit, he finally pressed his pale lips against the corner of Christian's mouth.

He could clearly hear Christian's steady breathing and feel his own subtle trembling.

"Mr. Christian... if you inspect the goods, will you agree to my requests?"

Evan heard Christian let out a low chuckle. Immediately after, a large hand forcefully lifted his waist, pressing their bodies tightly together in a sudden wave of intense heat. Evan's heart skipped a beat, his entire body freezing in place.

"Sure, I agree," Christian whispered, his tone laced with amusement. "So, in exchange... how about marrying me?"

Chapter 3: Nothing More Than a Transaction

Marriage?

Evan felt that these wealthy heirs all had something deeply wrong with their heads. Julian had used the pretense of "dating" to trick him into willingly enduring years of house arrest; now this high-and-mighty Christian was even worse, jumping straight to an utterly unrealistic proposal of marriage.

Setting aside whether Christian's family would rip Evan to pieces once they found out about his condition, Christian himself would become the laughingstock of high society—marrying a discarded plaything that Julian had grown tired of and tossed away.

What would become of him then? Evan saw his future with crystal clarity.

"Mr. Christian, I think... you might be acting a bit too rashly..." Evan shifted his body backward, doing his best to avoid physical contact with Christian. He had no idea where this man's bottom line lay; if Christian turned out to be a sick pervert with twisted tendencies just like Julian, wouldn't he be leaping from the frying pan into the fire?

Fortunately, Christian didn't press closer. Instead, he leaned down, brushing the tip of his nose against the side of Evan's face, leaving behind a light, casual remark: "Evan, you don't realize that I've actually been paying attention to you for a long time."

Evan's nerves snapped taut in an instant. "What do you mean?"

Christian's fingers playfully kneaded Evan's wrist, while his other hand glided deep inside the open bathrobe, idly tracing the smooth, delicate skin beneath.

"I mean, Julian shared photos of you in a WeChat group long ago. Not just me—plenty of people have seen them."

With just those few words, Christian plunged a bloody dagger straight into Evan's heart. The body that had finally caught a bit of warmth from the hot shower plummeted back into an abyss of absolute ice.

"He... he..."

Evan stammered the word out over and over, unable to form a single coherent sentence. It was as though he had lost all ability to speak; his mind completely paralyzed.

After knowing each other for over a decade, this was the first time Evan realized that Julian truly meant to drive him to total destruction.

No wonder those decadent friends of Julian always looked at him as if they couldn't wait to strip him bare and display him on a table for everyone to inspect.

No wonder every time he was dragged to those high-society gatherings, he was surrounded by filthy jokes and degrading banter.

No wonder Julian always carried a subtle smile whenever he brought Evan up in front of others—it was a smile of pure irony, mockery, and humiliating contempt!

The light in Evan's eyes gradually extinguished. Despair swallowed him whole; ever since his rebirth, his heart had become a pile of silent, dead ashes.

Christian kept that characteristic smile on his face, though there wasn't a trace of warmth in his eyes. His naturally upturned lips gave his cold indifference and cruelty a mocking edge. Facing a face like this, the suffocating grief in Evan's chest clogged his throat, finally turning into silent, hot tears.

Evan understood Christian's unspoken implication—he wanted to see just how cheap and shameless Evan could be to cling to Julian for so long, refusing to leave even after being treated like garbage.

Now he had seen it. He should be thoroughly satisfied.

Evan closed his eyes, forced a faint smile onto his lips, and let his body go entirely limp. "Since you've seen it all, Mr. Christian, then you know what kind of person I am."

Nothing special—boring, even.

Christian didn't care about his self-abandonment. Instead, he tapped the tip of Evan's nose with playful interest, a hint of intimacy lingering between his fingers. He leaned back down, pressing forward. As the bathrobe slipped down completely, a snow-white, flawless body was exposed against the dark bedsheets. The striking visual impact caused Christian's movements to freeze for a fraction of a second, his pupils tightening slightly.

One kiss after another fell across Evan's neck, his collarbone, his chest, and even lower. The man didn't seem to mind this unfamiliar body at all, his movements practiced and smooth. His warm, dry hands repeatedly teased Evan's tense frame, igniting a pale flush that bloomed into deep crimson wherever he touched.

Evan knew every sensitive spot on his body all too well. His physical reactions were already taking over; the innocent, pitiful doe-like eyes were brimming with unshed tears, yet he gritted his teeth, desperately suppressing his gasps and soft whimpers.

"Evan, your body is so stiff... Do you dislike being touched like this?"

The deliberate mockery in Christian's voice was glaringly obvious. Feeling the man release his hold, Evan's entire body slowly relaxed.

"No..." Evan raised an arm over his face to hide his expression. For some reason, tears continued to spill uncontrollably down his cheeks.

He couldn't help but mock himself—just hearing Julian's absurd atrocities repeated through someone else's mouth was enough to reduce him to such a pathetic mess. Wasn't he being far too spineless?

Seeing how thoroughly he had broken the young man, Christian lost his appetite to tease him any further. He propped himself up on his arms and pulled away from Evan's side.

The sharp click of a lighter disrupted Evan's chaotic thoughts. He bit his lip and turned his head to look at Christian, who had already restored his usual indifferent demeanor.

Amidst the swirling curls of smoke, the piercing chill that penetrated his body made Evan curl up slightly.

"I know what you want—make this deal with me, or I send you right back to Julian's side so his fiancée can torture you to death. Take your pick."

Christian turned around without expression, his back to the floor-to-ceiling window where the city's neon lights flickered brightly. Evan's intuition told him that this man was in an utterly foul mood. Christian had never intended to sleep with him from the very beginning; dragging him to this hotel "out of kindness" was either a moment of humanitarian pity or a calculated step to finalize this transaction.

Evan forced himself to sit up, reaching out to pull the wide-open collar of his bathrobe shut. "What do you need me to do, Mr. Christian?"

"It's very simple." The bitter stench of tobacco smoke blew directly into Evan's face. When Christian looked at him, his cold eyes resembled someone evaluating a lifeless commodity. "Tell me everything you know about the Julian family. I'll help you bring them down. All you have to do is stay in your place and play the role of my wife."

"Wife"—a term reserved exclusively for women sounded starkly out of place when applied to Evan. The moment he agreed to it, his life would be no different from his shameful past.

But if he refused...

A suffocating weight settled in Evan's chest, leaving him at a loss for words. In the end, he forced a rigid curve onto his lips. "Mr. Christian, you think too highly of me. To the Julian family, I was nothing more than a plaything... you know that."

He truly couldn't fathom what wire had crossed in Christian's brain to make him so persistent about having Evan play this role.

"The reason I chose you is very simple," Christian replied, raising his head to lock eyes with Evan, his tone slow and deliberate. "You'll come to understand it in time."

Evan opened his mouth to speak, but Christian cut him off.

"There's no need to answer me right away. I'll give you a few days to think it over." Christian glided his eyes over his wristwatch. "Julian is taking his fiancée to the Azalea Mountain Resort tomorrow. He won't be looking for you anytime soon, so take all the time you need."

This seemingly "thoughtful" suggestion was actually laced with hidden venom. Christian was reminding Evan over and over again what a cold-blooded, treacherous bastard Julian truly was.

And he had succeeded. Evan thought to himself: *I really do hate Julian to the absolute marrow of my bones. I hate him so much I want to kill him with my own hands.*

"Here is my phone number. When you've made up your mind, remember to call me."

Christian glanced at his watch once more, as if he had urgent business to attend to. After hurriedly scribbling a line of digits on a notepad, he stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and walked out.

The air in the room fell into complete silence with the thud of the closing door. Evan stared quietly in the direction where Christian had left, his shoulders slumping as he let out a long, heavy breath.

Then, gritting his teeth, he forced his trembling legs to support his weight. Barefoot, he walked over to the small table opposite the bed and picked up his phone.

The screen lit up. Evan tapped the "Stop" button, and a complete audio recording was saved cleanly into his device's storage.