The Immune

A crisp chirping sound rang faintly by his ear. A gentle breeze brushed across his face.

The long-forgotten sensation of coolness stirred Liu Anliang’s bloated, numb body. He twitched instinctively, licking at the drool gathered at the corner of his mouth. The chaos clouding his mind slowly settled, drifting back into place instead of floating aimlessly in the void.

But his eyelids... felt impossibly heavy.

No matter how hard he tried, they simply wouldn’t open.

The surface against his cheek was cold. Rough. Hard—unmistakably concrete.

Still keeping his eyes shut, Liu Anliang let out a bitter chuckle.

Guess I passed out by the roadside... or blacked out.

His fractured memory halted at a single moment—just before dawn, when he’d stumbled out of a bar. His bladder had been on the verge of bursting, and the moment he’d slipped into the alley to take a leak—

A fishy-smelling sack dropped over his head.

Then came a savage beating that left the world spinning.

People these days... no damn compassion. Not even a call for an ambulance...

Grumbling inwardly, Liu Anliang braced his left hand against the ground and tried to roll over. But years of indulgence—booze, women, late nights—had long since hollowed out his body. Even such a simple movement felt exhausting.

He writhed on the ground like a bloated maggot that had just gorged itself in a cesspit, squirming awkwardly for quite a while before finally managing to turn over.

With great effort, his eyes cracked open.

He panted heavily as he stared up at the sky.

A vast, endless blue stretched above him—cloudless, spotless. So clean it almost felt unreal... pristine to the point of being unsettling.

Clean enough to make a man yearn for it.

Liu Anliang froze for a moment.

Since when has the sky ever been this clean? What is this—some kind of grassland paradise?

“...W-Where is this?”

A distinctly confused female voice sounded beside him.

Instinctively, Liu Anliang turned his head—and immediately broke into a grin.

Well now. Looks like he wasn’t the only unlucky one last night.

Lying nearby was a strikingly attractive woman in a tight, sexy dress. Judging by the heavy bluish bags under her eyes and her swollen, bloodshot gaze, she was clearly suffering from a vicious hangover—another drunk mess.

“What, drank too much and blacked out?” Liu Anliang gave her a sly, lecherous grin. Seeing the surprise in her eyes, his thoughts immediately shifted to a crude, opportunistic place.

No way he’d pass up free advantage.

“Want me to remind you?” he continued smoothly. “We were drinking together at the bar last night. Once you got tipsy, you kept insisting we go at it somewhere wild. So here we are—both of us went a little overboard, did our thing, and passed out in the alley. Ring a bell?”

“I... I did that? With you? Here?” The woman stared at him in disbelief.

Though Liu Anliang was now well past his prime and visibly out of shape, the foundation of his once striking looks still lingered. Back in his college days, he’d even been voted campus heartthrob. Coupled with the high-end dress shirt and slacks he wore—now stained with blood—he still carried a faint air of success.

But the woman quickly let out a scornful laugh, shaking her head.

“Give me a break, you fat creep. You think I don’t remember? You were tailing me all night trying to hit on me, cracking dirty jokes nonstop. Don’t tell me you think I wouldn’t recognize you.”

“...Uh...”

Caught off guard, Liu Anliang paused. It took him a moment to piece together the fragments of his memory—

Then his expression suddenly changed.

“Fuck! I remember now!” He shot up, pointing at her. “Those guys who jumped me—they were sent by your husband, weren’t they? You ignored me at first, but the moment they walked in, you came over and started grinding on me. You set me up—used me as a scapegoat for your affair, didn’t you? You goddamn bitch—if you don’t explain this clearly, I’m not letting you off!”

“And what exactly do you think you can do about it?”

The woman pressed a hand to her forehead, both amused and exasperated.

Seeing him bristle like an enraged porcupine, she waved weakly.

“Alright, enough shouting. Didn’t you want to hook up with me? Fine—I’ll give you a chance. Take me to a high-end hotel, get a room. I’ll sleep with you. That good enough?”

“...That easy?” Liu Anliang stopped mid-rant, suspicion written all over his face.

The woman’s headache seemed to be getting worse. A vein pulsed visibly at her temple as she snapped impatiently, “I’ll count to three. If you don’t take me, there are plenty of men who will. One... two...”

“Alright, alright—let’s go!”

Liu Anliang nodded rapidly, like a wobbling toy, all hesitation gone.

A woman like this wasn’t something you ran into every day. Not only was her face top-tier, her figure was downright exquisite. Especially her chest—full, heavy, impossible to ignore. A man could drown in that cleavage and call it a happy death.

And now, unbelievably, she was willing to get a room with him.

Trap or not—he didn’t care anymore.

A man’s gotta die for something.

“Are you just going to stand there? Come carry me,” the woman called irritably as he turned to leave. “I’ve got no strength left. Never seen someone this dense...”

Liu Anliang, still clutching his car keys, turned back in confusion. He walked over, helped her up, and asked, “They beat you too? Fuck, they really didn’t hold back.”

“Less talking. Just find me a room so I can sleep...”

The woman draped herself over him like a limp rag, barely able to muster any strength to speak.

Her ample, rounded chest pressed firmly against his back, sending a shiver straight through him. It felt as if his very bones had gone light.

Grinning from ear to ear, Liu Anliang hoisted her onto his back and strode toward the parking lot.

“Beep—beep—”

In the distance, an old black Passat flashed its hazard lights, instantly catching his attention among the rows of cars.

He adjusted the woman on his back, noticing her head had gone completely slack, resting softly against his shoulder. Slowing his steps, he couldn’t resist leaning in, pressing his nose near her ear and taking a deep breath of the alluring scent lingering in her hair.

The fragrance hit him immediately.

His eyes lit up.

This... was no ordinary perfume.

It was the so-called “Liquid Gold”—a top-tier luxury fragrance. The same brand his company’s female boss used.

And yet, what flashed through his mind wasn’t a delicate bottle—

But stacks of U.S. dollars.

One ounce—sixteen hundred bucks.

A single bottle could easily cost over a hundred thousand. Enough to buy a decent car... and still have change left.

Definitely not something an average person could afford.

Fuck... so she’s not some high-end escort. Could she be a rich man’s mistress? Or some bored housewife sneaking out for thrills?

Liu Anliang glanced at the woman on his shoulder, then couldn’t help but grin wider.

If she really was some wealthy man’s kept woman out looking for excitement, then all the better.

No strings attached. No worries.

And no diseases—he could go in bareback without a second thought.

The kind of superiority... the thrill of conquest—far beyond mere physical pleasure.

“Ha! Today, big brother’s gonna make sure you have the time of your life...”

He burst into laughter, his hand wandering shamelessly to give her full backside a squeeze. Then, practically unable to contain himself, he hurried to his car and clumsily shoved her into the passenger seat.

But once he got behind the wheel and started the engine, Liu Anliang suddenly realized—

He was breathing hard.

Very hard.

His stamina had always been poor. Add a full night of drinking and a brutal beating, and even holding the steering wheel made his hands tremble slightly.

A flicker of concern crossed his mind.

What if I can’t perform when it matters?

He immediately began considering whether he should swing by a pharmacy and grab something to give himself a temporary boost.

After all—

With a woman like this beside him, if he didn’t go all out...

Not only would it be a waste—

He might even end up being looked down on.