Chapter 38: The curtains were drawn tightly shut. No light could penetrate through into the dimly lit room.
The curtains were drawn tightly shut. No light could penetrate through into the dimly lit room.
A man sat on a leather sofa with his legs crossed, slightly rocking his body. His gaze was pinned on the two women in front of him. One was already crying with tears and snot dripping down her face, the other clenched her fists tightly with no expression on her face. The former was Xu Bi Ying’s close friend Xie Lan Lan, and the latter was Xu Bi Ying.
To one side of them loomed several large, robust men in black outfits, standing with their arms folded behind their backs. The men stared coldly at the two women.
“When do you plan to return the money?” Nangong Ao Tian finally slowly opened his mouth.
“Where would I have that much money? Please I beg you, spare me Sir!” Xie Lan Lan sobbed with difficulty. She was in extreme misery. Tears ran into her non-waterproof mascara and slid down the foundation on her face, leaving two dirty tear tracks. Nangong Ao Tian’s face involuntarily twisted at that sight.
Back then, how had he taken a fancy to this thing?
Xu Bi Ying gritted her teeth. “For this, shouldn’t you look for Ruan Jiu Jiu?”
“Look for her?” Nangong Ao Tian unexpectedly felt humorous rather than furious. “She’s together with Jiacheng’s boss. Are you asking me to go scam her? Wouldn’t that be just looking for trouble?”
“That’s ridiculous, she’s definitely not!”
Xu Bi Ying flattered herself by thinking she knew Ruan Jiu Jiu the best.
A woman like her could be summarized from inside to outside as an empty-headed, tawdry woman that only cared about makeup and clothes. If she really had any abilities, she would have long hooked up with a man better than Cheng Jun. Why should she waste her time with a guy like Cheng Jun that only knew how to eat, sleep, and wait for death?
Besides, if Ruan Jiu Jiu was with Jiacheng’s boss, why wouldn’t she divorce Cheng Jun? That clearly didn’t make any sense.
The look in Xu Bi Ying’s eyes showed that she was unreconciled. During this time, she had exhausted every method she could think of to restore the relationship between her and Gu You. But it was like there was always a thick barrier between the two of them, preventing Xu Bi Ying from reaching him. She had originally thought that if she made Jiacheng encounter huge losses, Gu You would be disappointed again and she would have another opportunity to properly comfort him.
Just like her rebirth which gave her another chance. This time, she would definitely treat Gu You with total sincerity.
The look of calculation on her face made Nangong Ao Tian, who was used to flirty and little white lotus types of beauties, feel somewhat attracted.
“It’s also fine not to return the money.”
A pair of pointed black leather shoes stood on the floor and came forwards a few steps, finally stopping in front of Xu Bi Ying.
The man used his fingertip to pull up her chin. He looked at her with a cruel expression in his eyes. “You can pay me back with your body.”
The face of the bestie next to her paled. “Ao Tian! I thought you…”
“Shut up. I’ve long lost interest in a ruined woman like you.”
With one look from him, the muscular men dressed in black covered up Xie Lan Lan’s mouth and dragged her out, leaving only the trembling Xu Bi Ying.
Even though Xu Bi Ying had guts, faced with this kind of situation, her mind was a total blank. From above her head came Nangong Ao Tian’s thoughtful voice. “I’m never stingy with women. Whether it’s a house, cars, or jewelry, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“I…”
Bang!
Just then, there was a crash against the door. The remaining two lackeys looked at each other in dismay and immediately went to the door to check the peephole for who exactly was blind enough to come looking for death. In the next second, there was only the sound of another violent strike against the door and with a bang, the door was directly forced open. The heavy door smashed into one of the lackeys.
A single figure rushed in, and before Nangong Ao Tian could shout, immediately beat the two men onto the ground.
At this, Xu Bi Ying finally began to cry. “You Gege!”
“Who are you!” Nangong Ao Tian was so infuriated his face paled, but he refrained from rushing up to fight.
Gu You wiped the traces of blood off his hands. He grabbed Xu Bi Ying and cast a cold glance at Nangong Ao Tian. “If this happens again, I won’t be polite!”
After dropping that line, he dragged Xu Bi Ying and turned to leave.
The whole way back, Xu Bi Ying’s heart beat like a drum. She was entirely over the moon. Crying and laughing at the same time, she didn’t even think to wipe away her tears.
Gu You sat in the driver’s seat. When he had gotten the news, he rushed over in a flash. He didn’t even have time to change out of his suit. Originally, he had been invited to attend Jiacheng’s annual gala, but now his only objective was to safely sent Xu Bi Ying back home.
Xu Bi Ying sat in the back seat, Gu You’s suit jacket draped over her shoulders. She curled up pitifully.
The whole time, her glistening eyes fixed on Gu You. “You-gege…If you weren’t there today…”
“Bi Ying.”
Gu You tightened his lips, his expression much more severe than usual. His hand was like a vice around the wheel. Using all his strength, he forced his tone to remain calm. “Why are you mixed in with them?”
“I…I was innocently implicated!” Xu Bi Ying’s eyes immediately turned red with grievance. “It was my close friend who sabotaged me.”
“…”
His silence made her feel uneasy. It also made Xu Bi Ying suddenly realize with a start, why did Gu You show up there? How did he find out?
She immediately felt nervous. “You-gege…”
“Don’t attempt to do things you shouldn’t do.” His lips moved again, but he didn’t say the following line and only let out a long sigh. “This is my advice for you as an older brother.”
The two words “older brother” pierced Xu Bi Ying’s heart like a needle. She practically felt suffocated.
The rest of the way back, the two of them remained in silence.
When they arrived in front of her home, Xu Bi Ying trembled without any intention to get out. Gu You helped her off the car. He took her keys and opened the door, then made her sit down on the sofa.
Xu Bi Ying had her head lowered and didn’t say a word. But when Gu You poured a cup of water for her, she said quietly, “Can you stay and sit with me for a while, I was really scared today…”
Gu You looked at the time. There were only around ten minutes left before the annual gala began. He was already late anyway.
He sat on the other sofa.
Xu Bi Ying’s eyes sparkled, and a kind of strange courage lifted her shoulders, making her thinking of that “medicine” hidden in her cupboard… She thought to herself that maybe, there were times when you had to risk it all and cut off all means of retreat in order to strength your path ahead.
Today, Ruan Jiu Jiu was going to attend the annual gala. Tu Nan was going to recognize her contributions at the banquet tonight to shut all the deniers up.
Ruan Jiu Jiu dressed very simply. She put on a natural style of makeup and wore a little black dress. Then bundling herself up tightly in a thick and warm coat, she went out. Boss Cheng, the true boss, was staying at home to play with his computer, as if he was totally unrelated.
When she arrived, for a moment, she didn’t know whether to envy or admire Tu Nan for having so much courage.
The annual gala was being held at an expensive hotel.
When Ruan Jiu Jiu made her entrance, despite her simple style, it was still as if there was a spotlight shining on her. Wherever she went, she attracted the interest and attention of the crowd. She politely said her hellos to a series of unfamiliar people. Fu Zi Cheng and Jiao Fan put on airs and stood to one side pouring each other a glass of wine while they snuck a few looks at Ruan Jiu Jiu and then said, “As expected, Sister-in-law still looks the best.”
“Take a look at how useless you two look. You guys aren’t taking the initiative to look for a partner?” They didn’t know when Tu Nan had walked over. He took a proffered glass of champagne and crowded in with them.
“You say that, but aren’t you the same? There’s so much mousse in your hair it looks thicker than a city wall.”
Tu Nan: “Get outta here.”
“Jiao Fan isn’t like you guys. He’s still pining after his old crush.”
Jiao Fan flushed. “Stop it.”
The three of them didn’t hold back when making fun of each other, but none of them actually went up to say hi to Ruan Jiu Jiu to avoid it being gossiped about by others. From far away, Ruan Jiu Jiu nodded in their direction and with a slight smile. She looked graceful and delicate, lovely enough to touch your heart. Their heartbeats sped up as they each instantly sunk into flights of fancy about how lovely it would be to have their own wife.
Mr. Meng had also dressed very well today. Recently, his wife had gotten pregnant with their second child. Even though he had to busily rush back and forth between work and home, his usual conversation was full of love for his wife and child. It really made Ruan Jiu Jiu feel endless admiration.
A good marriage could transform both people. Mr. Meng definitely lived a happy life with his wife.
“Last night, I had a nightmare that some rude man fell in love with my wife. It scared me so much I broke out in cold sweat! But I couldn’t tell my wife about it, do you know why?”
Ruan Jiu Jiu subconsciously went along with him and asked, “Why?”
Mr. Meng snapped his fingers. “Excellent question. Because this is related to a manga called <Nana> where Nana also dreamt that her boyfriend was cheating on her and then she really did wear a green…”
“Do you want some sushi?” Ruan Jiu Jiu chose to interrupt his strange mental circuits.
“Sure, sure.”
Mr. Meng took a few pieces of tuna sashimi and then suddenly asked with a mysterious air, “Then do you know which 2D characters like to eat sushi…”
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “Ah, it looks like someone’s calling my name!”
After much effort, she finally escaped Mr. Meng’s spell. Ruan Jiu Jiu let out a sigh of relief.
Typically, that uncle had a great disposition. He only had one shortcoming, which was that he could never stop talking about 2D things. Every topic unexpectedly turned into something related to various anime and manga. It was said that he had met his now wife at an anime expo. Unexpectedly, the two of them had the exact same interests. When they occasionally quarreled, it was because they disagreed over favorite shows or who they stanned. It could be said that the two of them were very cute together.
There were still about 10 minutes left before Tu Nan would go up on stage to begin the annual gala. When Ruan Jiu Jiu thought about how in a while she also had to go on stage, she immediately put down her plate, planning to go fix her lipstick.
Ruan Jiu Jiu fixed up her lipstick and went out of the restroom, but bumped into Gu You.
The color of his face wasn’t quite right. His white shirt was rumpled and his face was red. Standing in front of the public restroom, he kept splashing water on his face with all his might. Every time he lowered the water temperature more to help him calm down.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was a little stunned. “Gu You, what’s wrong with you?”
Gu You was in a rarely seen state of panic. He miserably wiped away the water on his face and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t come any closer to me! I think I drank something that was spiked!”
He supported himself with one hand on the sink. The top half of his body was drenched through, but his skin was extremely flushed. Even his eyes were reddened.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was a veteran reader. When she connected this to Gu You being the male lead, things instantly clicked.
“It couldn’t be, have you been drugged with an aphrodisiac…”
“Shh!”
With great difficultly, Gu You resisted the pain and said, “It wasn’t until I showed up that I noticed something was wrong. I can’t go to the hospital anymore like this. Just act like you didn’t see me, quickly go!”
He stared blankly as Ruan Jiu Jiu glanced around in all directions.
Ruan Jiu Jiu thought to herself, strange, where’s the female lead to offer herself up as the antidote? It couldn’t be that she was waiting in some small room?
Seeing Gu You’s extremely pained appearance, Ruan Jiu Jiu recalled that he was also supposed to make a public appearance at Jiacheng tonight. He couldn’t embarrass himself. The situation at hand was indeed a bit bad.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was suddenly struck with inspiration.
She calmly said, “Bro! Just wait for me here! I have a solution!”
Gu You: “???”
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