August 25, 2025. Monday.
21℃ to 32℃, sunny to partly cloudy, light southeast breeze, 32% humidity.
In the master bedroom of a suite at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Bright morning light filtered through the windows and sheer curtains, scattering faint shadows across the room.
At 7:30 in the morning, Aria slowly woke up.
She was the type of person who couldn’t sleep when she had something on her mind.
It was the same when she was training her clients.
And it was the same now, with her flight back home today.
As Aria became fully awake, a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
She couldn’t help but frown.
’So tired!’
’Even more tired than after my usual extreme sports!’
Yet, this physical exhaustion was coupled with an irresistible sense of inner satisfaction.
As the two conflicting emotions intertwined, Aria’s dazed eyes slowly focused on the unfamiliar ceiling. The fragmented memories of the previous night began to piece themselves together.
Her last memory was of standing before the massive floor-to-ceiling windows on the balcony, her body posed like the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy as she overlooked the decadent city of Modu.
!?
Aria’s eyes flew open. As if remembering something, she whipped her head to the side.
A man was sleeping beside her.
His breathing was even, his lips forming a straight, steady line.
He had a straight nose, and his usually sharp brows looked incredibly soft, touched by the faint morning light.
His jawline extended along the pillow, revealing the clean line of his neck and a glimpse of his pectoral muscle.
’He’s a perfect man!’
Aria was instantly captivated by the sight of Lin Shen’s profile as he slept, her eyes filling with adoration and desire.
This man beside her, in this foreign country, had not only shown her a tenderness and care she had never known...
...but at night, he had revealed a completely different side—hard and domineering.
He had fully displayed his masculine virility.
’He’s just amazing!’
Lin Shen, with his dual nature, was the exact archetype of the man Aria had always been searching for!
’I’ve completely fallen for him!’
Aria pressed her body against Lin Shen’s side. She rested her right hand on his chest, tracing the firm muscles there.
She traced small circles from time to time, a satisfied smile playing on her lips and her eyes brimming with affection.
’He’s every bit the man I set my sights on!’
A hungry glint flashed in Aria’s eyes.
*
*
At 8:00 AM, Lin Shen woke with a start.
As his eyes focused, he found himself staring at a ceiling that was both strange and familiar.
The decor of the Ritz-Carlton was consistent, whether in Modu or Jinling. Though not identical, the familiar style was enough for Lin Shen to quickly realize where he was.
And what had happened last night.
’Aria!?’
Lin Shen turned his head to look, but the German girl wasn’t there beside him.
’Don’t tell me...’
’What a perfect body.’
Seeing Lin Shen awake, she offered him an utterly bewitching smile.
"Linshen, you’re awake?"
"It’d be a problem if I wasn’t, wouldn’t it?"
Smiling, Lin Shen pushed himself up with both hands, shifting back to lean against the headboard.
Aria, meanwhile, sighed in admiration.
"Linshen, you’re incredible! I feel like I can never leave you! Will we see each other again?"
"Of course."