Chapter One: Brother, I'll Be Waiting for You at the Hotel

"Brother, I’ve put on my lingerie. Do you like this style? Waiting for you!" After sending this message via Planet M, Xu Miao slipped into a tight-fitting camisole, paired with an easy-to-remove skirt, and hailed a cab to the hotel.

Once she arrived, she sent another selfie. "Brother, I’m already waiting for you at the YS Hotel, room 1908."

Ten minutes later, Xu Miao sat on the large bed in YS Hotel, her fingers unconsciously caressing the selfie she’d just sent. The room’s lavish décor and soft lighting created a suggestive, intimate atmosphere. Yet, a vague, insidious anxiety began to grow within her.

Last night, in a moment of impulse, she’d registered on Planet M, and on a reckless whim, agreed to meet up with a man whose profile picture embodied her ideal type. Now that she’d calmed down, reason began to take hold.

She started doubting—would someone this handsome really look for hookups on an app like this? Would he actually show up? Was this a trap? What if he was nothing like his photo, or worse, had more sinister motives? What if he forced himself on her?

Xu Miao gripped the bedsheet tightly, regret welling up inside. The only reason she’d done something so reckless was because her stepfather, Xu Zhong, had called again to finalize her engagement.

"The Fan family can’t wait any longer. Once you finish your senior year, the wedding will be arranged. Third Master Fan said he won’t shortchange us on the ceremony or the bride price. The sooner you enter the family and serve him, the better. Your junior year internship can be half-hearted—don’t let it interfere with the real business! Leave time next week, I’ll arrange for you to meet him. Be prepared!"

He called it a meeting, but Xu Miao knew clearly what it meant: Third Master Fan wanted to claim her as soon as possible. He was divorced, nearly fifty, greasy and lecherous. Her despicable stepfather would sell her out just to save his near-bankrupt business.

If it weren’t for her mother, she’d have run away long ago. But her mother was still bedridden, comatose. Xu Miao wanted to arrange proton therapy for her mother’s brain cancer, but without the Xu family, she couldn’t possibly afford such expensive treatment.

If she could cure her mother, then she could consider divorce later.

She’d planned to delay the wedding as long as possible, but hadn’t expected her father to force her hand like this. The thought of giving her first time to an oily old man filled her with bitter resentment.

Her first time, at the very least, should be with someone she actually liked, shouldn’t it? With no suitable candidate around her, she’d pinned her hopes on Planet M out of a desperate gamble.

To her surprise, she’d actually found someone whose profile picture perfectly matched her tastes—cool and distant in demeanor, yet strikingly handsome, with an air of refined nobility. He was exactly her type!

His nickname was "Heartbeat Bro." In her panic, she’d messaged him without overthinking it, even boldly suggesting he didn’t need to take responsibility.

But now, she was starting to regret it…

***

Xinghe Riverside Apartments.

When Fu Wenhan saw the messages on his younger brother’s phone, his already cool and aloof face grew even more severe. He heaved a silent sigh—his playboy brother was at it again, tangling with some girl or other.

The girl’s messages were filled with suggestive hints, calling him "brother" at every turn—clearly another naive one.

He’d left the hospital early today and decided to check in on his brother Fu Xinye’s postgraduate entrance exam preparations.

When he arrived, his brother was in the shower, his phone ringing outside the bathroom. Fu Wenhan intended to simply lock the screen, but accidentally tapped on a message instead.

The screen revealed a chat window.

The messages were from the notorious "Planet M" app—officially marketed as a place to find soulmates, but everyone knew what it was really for.

Fu Wenhan wasn’t surprised his brother used this app; what shocked him was that Fu Xinye’s profile photo was actually of his own face!

A vein twitched at the corner of his eye.

"This brat!"

He glanced at the flagrant conversation between the two. The girl was bold and uninhibited, immediately saying she liked his face and asking for a no-strings-attached meetup. Fu Xinye hadn’t declined, even replying with a lewd, drooling emoji.

Using his face to pick up girls on a hookup app? And with such a brazen woman? And acting like he’d take anyone who came along?!

Fu Xinye was growing more reckless by the day.

Fu Wenhan struggled to suppress his anger, waiting for his brother to finish showering.

A few minutes later, Fu Xinye emerged in a bathrobe, hair dripping wet. He hadn’t expected his brother to show up at this hour, and sensing an even chillier aura than usual, he felt a sense of foreboding.

"Bro, what are you doing here?"

"Just checking up on you. What have you been busy with lately?" Fu Wenhan’s voice was dangerously controlled.

"Uh… just… exam prep," Fu Xinye stammered, clearly guilty.

"After your shower, where were you planning to go?"

"Just out to dinner with a friend."

"Dinner? Or a meetup with someone from online? The no-strings-attached kind?"

A glint of cold flashed in Fu Wenhan’s eyes, sending a shiver down Fu Xinye’s spine.

Crap, his brother knew everything. Fu Xinye’s face turned ashen; he couldn’t think of an excuse.

"And this ‘friend,’ you reeled her in using my photo?" Fu Wenhan didn’t raise his voice, but moved closer to Fu Xinye’s ear, his voice low and icy.

"Bro… don’t be mad," Fu Xinye tried to placate him with a weak smile. "I was just having a little fun…"

"Fun? Never mind the fact you used my face—do you know if the other person is even clean?" Fu Wenhan rebuked him. "Stay home and don’t go."

"Alright, bro, just calm down—"

Fu Xinye hadn’t finished speaking when his phone lit up again.

"Brother, I’m already waiting for you at YS Hotel, room 1908."

Along with the message, the girl sent a photo of herself. She looked sweet and innocent, with deep dimples when she smiled—hard to imagine such bold words had come from her.

***

YS Hotel.

Now that she’d calmed down, Xu Miao stood up and paced the room. Her anxious yet lovely face was reflected in the mirror. She scrutinized herself—she wasn’t bad-looking. Maybe she’d have better luck just approaching a handsome guy on the street; at least that would be safer than this.

Before she’d finished agonizing, there was a soft knock at the door.

Xu Miao forced herself to suppress the flood of anxiety and panic, and walked to the door, her hand trembling as she peered through the peephole.

Huh?

She’d mentally prepared herself for the possibility that the man might look nothing like his profile.

But the face in the peephole was exactly the one from "Heartbeat Bro’s" avatar.

Had she actually won this gamble?

Xu Miao let down half her guard and, cautiously, opened the door.

Standing before her, Fu Wenhan regarded her every move, quickly discerning her nervousness. She looked just like her photo—fresh, sweet, with large, clear, and innocent eyes. Even her hand on the door was faintly trembling.

Fu Wenhan stood tall, gazing down at Xu Miao, making her heart skip a beat.

He was even more handsome in person than in his photos. His perfect proportions, dressed in a charcoal-gray overcoat, exuded the aura of a cool, noble gentleman. Yet the beautiful contours of his face and those deep eyes regarded her with a touch of cold indifference.

"Wild Philosopher?"

His voice was detached and cool.

Xu Miao froze for a second before realizing he was calling her by her Planet M username.

"Yes, that’s me… Please come in."

After entering, Fu Wenhan glanced around the room, his brow creasing ever so slightly. Then, with measured steps, he crossed to the sofa by the bed, each movement keeping pace with Xu Miao’s heartbeat.

He sat calmly on the sofa, his posture relaxed yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"Have you thought this through?" Fu Wenhan looked up at Xu Miao, his voice hard and cold.

"I don’t go easy, you know."