Emily's sudden appearance startled Xander.
Almost instinctively, he released Emma's shoulders and turned toward Emily with an awkward expression.
Emily quickly suppressed the flash of displeasure in her eyes. She wrapped her arm around Xander's, pressing her body close to his as she looked at Emma with a pitiful smile.
"Sister," she said softly, "do you really have to steal my fiancé?"
Her voice trembled as if she were about to cry.
"If you really want to get married, we can ask Mom to help you find someone suitable. But please… don't separate me and Xander…"
Xander saw Emily's fragile expression and felt a pang of guilt. Her body trembled slightly in his arms, making him instinctively pull her closer.
"Emily, don't cry," he murmured.
Emma stared at them silently.
It felt as if every scene tonight was carefully arranged to hurt her as deeply as possible.
"Emma isn't that kind of person," Xander said as he wiped Emily's tears. "She will—"
"I don't understand."
Emma's calm voice interrupted him.
Both of them looked at her in surprise.
Emma's eyes were cold as she stared at the couple in front of her.
"I don't understand," she repeated quietly. "We've been together for four years, Xander. Since my first year at university."
Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain composed.
"We're about to graduate. I thought we would get engaged soon… that we would get married."
She paused.
"But now you're telling me the woman you're marrying… is my sister."
Xander and Emily both froze.
Emma clenched her palms so tightly her nails dug into her skin.
"In four years, I never thought I had failed you in any way," she continued. "So why should I understand you now? Why should I wish you happiness?"
Her eyes shimmered, but she refused to blink.
If I blink… the tears will fall.
"And if you two really plan to get married," she added softly, "don't bother telling me. Don't invite me."
"I won't attend."
"Tonight's engagement party was just a misunderstanding."
With that, Emma walked straight between them and headed toward the exit.
No one noticed that by the time she passed Xander, her face was already covered in tears.
Running Away
Emma could barely see where she was going.
The tears blurred everything around her.
When she suddenly stopped in the hallway, she grabbed the doorknob of a nearby room and pushed it open.
Thankfully, it wasn't locked.
Without thinking, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.
Her back slid slowly against the door until she collapsed onto the floor.
And then she finally broke down.
Her shoulders shook as she cried uncontrollably.
Right now she needed somewhere—anywhere—to release everything inside her.
Otherwise, she felt like she might lose her mind.
Her life had never been easy.
She lost her mother when she was young. Later, her father brought home another woman… and suddenly she had a stepmother, a new brother, and eventually two younger siblings.
In that family, Emma had always felt like the outsider.
And now the one place she believed was real—her four-year relationship with Xander—had completely collapsed.
Her tears fell onto the carpet and disappeared without a trace.
Just like all the pain she had endured.
"Who are you?"
A deep male voice suddenly broke the silence.
Emma froze.
Slowly, she looked up.
Only then did she realize she was not alone in the room.
Standing a few steps away was a tall man.
He had just stepped out of the shower and was wearing nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist. His dark hair was slightly damp, and he looked clearly irritated at being disturbed.
Emma's mind went blank.
Why is there someone here?!
The hotel usually left empty rooms unlocked.
That was the only reason she dared enter.
Panicking, Emma immediately stood up to run out.
But she stood too quickly.
Her vision darkened from the sudden rush of blood, and she stumbled forward—
Straight toward the man.
Before she could react, her hand instinctively grabbed onto something to steady herself.
Unfortunately…
It was the bath towel around the man's waist.
The towel slipped.
In the next second, Emma felt something fall over her head.
The bath towel had completely wrapped around her face.
She froze in absolute horror.
For several seconds she didn't dare move at all.
She was now kneeling awkwardly on the floor… right in front of the man's long legs.
Silence filled the room.
Emma wanted to disappear.
After a moment, she heard the rustle of clothing.
The man calmly picked up his clothes and began dressing.
Finally, the towel covering her head was removed.
Emma kept her head down in embarrassment, refusing to look up.
The man looked down at her with clear annoyance.
Before he could say anything, Emma's phone suddenly rang.
The cheerful ringtone sounded incredibly awkward in the tense room.
Emma quickly answered.
Her voice was still hoarse from crying.
"Hello?"
"Emma!" her stepmother Linda shouted from the other side. "Where are you?! Come back immediately!"
"I'm not feeling well," Emma replied quietly. "I'm going back to school."
But Linda had no intention of listening.
"Get back here right now and apologize to Mr. Zhang!" she yelled. "If our family business suffers because of you, even your brother won't be able to protect you!"
Emma's expression turned cold.
She understood perfectly what that meant.
They wanted her to submit to Mr. Zhang.
Her fingers tightened.
"Mom," she said calmly, "business matters aren't my responsibility. Dad and my brother will handle it."
"I'm not feeling well, so I'll return to school."
She hung up immediately and turned off her phone.
What she didn't notice was that the man had heard the entire conversation.
Emma stood up awkwardly and avoided his gaze.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said quietly. "I didn't know someone was in the room. I came in by mistake."
The man finally got a clear look at her face.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
This woman…
If he hadn't known better, he might have thought she was one of the women his grandmother had arranged for him to meet.
Just thinking about it annoyed him.
"I suggest you forget everything that happened today," he said calmly.
"I won't take responsibility for you."
"And I definitely won't be with you."
Emma blinked in confusion.
Before she could respond, he handed her a handkerchief.
His deep voice carried a calm indifference.
"Wipe your tears."
"I'm not the kind of man who pities women."
He paused slightly before adding,
"Next time, make sure you find the right man if you want to try something like this."
Emma stared at him in disbelief.
Her brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment.
When she finally recovered, she realized she had already taken the Burberry handkerchief from his hand.
"Did you misunderstand something?" she said quickly.
"I didn't mean to come here. I just entered the wrong room by accident."
The man had already finished dressing.
He wore a slightly unbuttoned white shirt and simple khaki trousers. His tall figure made even casual clothes look elegant and powerful.
After hearing her explanation, he calmly took a sip from the drink on the table.
Then he glanced at her lazily.
"Next time," he said lightly,
"don't grab a man's bath towel."
Emma's face exploded with heat.
She looked like she had just eaten an entire bowl of chili peppers.
Without saying another word, she ran out of the room in embarrassment.
Behind her, the man watched the door close.
For some reason, the corners of his lips curved into a faint smile.
Even the tips of his ears had turned slightly red.