Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

In the cramped car, Chen Mi kept his eyes on the vehicle ahead, diligently reporting his observations to his superior in the back seat.

Jiang Qingli’s fingers, just about to touch the partition, suddenly froze.

Afraid Chen Mi might accidentally glance in the rearview mirror and discover his superior’s wicked side, Jiang Qingli pushed Xie Youchen away to protect his image.

She pulled out a wet wipe to clean her lips, then asked, picking up the thread of the conversation, ”What’s up with Zone A?”

Chen Mi paused. ”Miss Jiang, you know about Zone A?”

Jiang Qingli said, ”A friend mentioned it.”

Twelve Cities was the most underdeveloped region of the Lower District, but the elite troops stationed here were mostly of noble birth and congregated in Zone A. As a result, Zone A was also the most prosperous place in all of Twelve Cities.

The car rounded a few bends, and the road ahead split into numerous forks.

They had officially entered the urban district.

”Since you already know, Miss Jiang, I won’t give you the whole introduction,” Chen Mi said. ”If you look now, you can see for yourself.”

Jiang Qingli looked out the window.

All around them was pitch black, with only a few scattered points of light. Zone A alone was a blaze of glory, its dazzling neon lights rivaling even some parts of the Upper City District.

Zone A had only one entrance, a large gate flanked by male guards and robots.

”You need to have your identity verified to get in or out.”

Chen Mi pulled his ID card from a pocket in his suit, got out of the car, and exchanged a few words with a guard. When he returned to the car, the guard stepped aside respectfully. The translucent particle gate dissipated, allowing them to proceed.

Since it was Jiang Qingli’s first visit and she wanted to look around, Xie Youchen had Chen Mi park near the entrance, then led her out of the car.

As they left the parking garage, they saw the streets were filled almost exclusively with males.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Qingli saw three people walking past.

Two males were fawning over a single female. One of them eagerly lit her cigarette. The female smirked and blew a cloud of smoke in his face, an expression of sheer infatuation spreading across his features. The other male grumbled in discontent, so the female turned and pressed her lips to his. Only then did his expression brighten.

Their behavior was intimate, yet they acted like strangers. They headed toward a hotel together, clearly looking for a one-night stand.

And trailing behind them were several other males, looking like neglected consorts in a harem, all waiting for their turn to be favored.

Jiang Qingli stared for a few extra seconds, prompting Chen Mi to explain, ”There are almost no females here. The few who do show up either hold military rank or are females from a neighboring district looking for a good time. So... uh...”

This place is mostly for wining and dining, but occasionally, females from other districts come here looking for a fling.

In other words, to find a male to play around with for a while.

He couldn’t bring himself to say something like, ’Some of these bad females just play with the officers for a bit and then leave,’ so he just explained awkwardly, ”Anyway, Miss Jiang, our Marshal almost never comes here. This is only his second time, ever!”

Jiang Qingli had already heard all the gossip about Zone A from Lin Xiyue, so she was mentally prepared.

Of course, she knew Xie Youchen wasn’t like that, but seeing Chen Mi’s fierce loyalty to his boss, she couldn’t help but be amused. She decided to play along, adopting the posture of a suspicious partner. ”Oh really? When was the last time he was here? And what for?”

Chen Mi said, ”The last time was a few years ago, when we first arrived. Marshal Sun and his people invited our Marshal for a meal here. After all, this is where you find the best variety of food. But there was... an incident that time...”

”Chen Mi,” Xie Youchen said suddenly, cutting him off. ”Lead the way.”

Realizing he had said too much, Chen Mi quickly backtracked. ”Yes, Marshal.”

He had made a reservation at a restaurant he frequented, ordering a meal of Twelve Cities’ local specialties.

The restaurant was tucked away in a corner, next to a bar with blindingly bright lights.

As they passed, they saw two figures tangled in a passionate kiss under an artificial tree near the bar’s entrance, slowly making their way inside.

The figure holding the female looked remarkably familiar.

Before Jiang Qingli could get a good look, the young man’s long, slender fingers covered her eyes.

He gently covered her eyes and turned her head away. A warm breath ghosted across her ear as Xie Youchen asked, ”Enjoying the view?”

Jiang Qingli sounded a little disappointed. ”I didn’t even get a clear look...”

”So you wanted a clear look,” Xie Youchen’s voice was a mere whisper. ”Just how clear did you want it to be?”

Though his tone was emotionless, Jiang Qingli keenly sensed the danger in it.

She cleared her throat, changing the subject. ”Hey, when did Qin Xiangning get a female master? I thought he was single.”

”He’s just playing the field,” Chen Mi said, shaking his head. ”I just asked the guard. He’s using an alias to be here.”

’A Prince, of all people! Coming to a place like this, fooling around with a female he just met! He’s utterly shameless, with no male virtue whatsoever! Who would ever want him in the future!’

’Chen Mi was already starting to pity Qin Xiangning’s future female master. Who would be so unlucky as to take on such tainted goods?’

Before he could finish his lament, he met Xie Youchen’s gaze.

Chen Mi understood immediately. ”Yes, Marshal.”

He glanced up at the bar’s sign, gritted his teeth, pulled out a face mask, and entered the bar.

Jiang Qingli asked, ”To investigate Qin Xiangning?”

Xie Youchen didn’t hide it from her. ”He was timing me in the car earlier.”

”Timing what...?” Jiang Qingli began to ask, but then she understood. ”He was deliberately provoking you into using your Superpower so he could time how long it lasted?”

”Mm.”

Strictly speaking, Xie Youchen wasn’t actually aligned with any particular faction. However, his interests were deeply entangled with Qin Shu’s, and Qin Shu, along with Qin Muye, belonged to Second Princess Qin Heng’s faction. To Qin Yu, this made him a major threat.

The data on him in the official records was three years old; naturally, they wanted to find out what his true strength was now.

Of course, Xie Youchen wasn’t about to be a sitting duck.

But none of this was anything Jiang Qingli needed to worry about.

The two of them entered the restaurant and had a pleasant meal.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Mi finished his reconnaissance and joined them.

He looked troubled.

Jiang Qingli asked, ”What’s wrong?”

At the mention of it, Chen Mi just shook his head. ”That Qin Xiangning, he’s way too wild. He actually went into a private room with two females! Who would ever want him after this! The future of the Empire is truly worrying...”

”The point.”

Xie Youchen picked the meat from a crab and placed it on Jiang Qingli’s plate, all while giving Chen Mi a look like a family elder warding off a bad influence from the favorite child.

Chen Mi rubbed the back of his head and dutifully reported what he had seen.

Although the area was regulated, it was easy to slip in under an alias. The bar, in particular, was full of shady characters, making it an easy place to pass information.

After Qin Xiangning went inside, he was seen flirting with two beautiful females before they all went into a private room.

”I’m still investigating the identities of the two females,” Chen Mi said. ”One of them must have a high status, as Qin Xiangning was very respectful to her. He was quite dismissive of the other one, though. I managed to plant a listening device on them. I’ll organize any useful information and report back to you.”

...

The rest of the meal went smoothly, though the heavily seasoned cuisine of Twelve Cities left a lingering scent on their clothes.

Back at their residence, Jiang Qingli went straight to the bathroom.

She had just begun to put up her hair when she heard the door open behind her.

Xie Youchen stepped inside, and his presence seemed to make the spacious bathroom feel constricting.

His dark eyes locked onto her. He approached slowly and leaned forward, bracing his arms on the counter and completely enclosing her from behind.

Her back was flush against his warmth, and Jiang Qingli’s knees inexplicably felt weak. She whispered, ”...What are you doing?”

Xie Youchen tilted his head, his lips brushing against the tip of her ear as he gave it a soft peck.

In the quiet bathroom, his low, magnetic voice, accompanied by hot breath, fell upon her ear, every word startlingly clear—

”Didn’t you want a clear look?”

”There’s a mirror right here.”