Chapter 78

Qi Yue was rudely awakened and groggily saw an incoming call from Gu Jing Yuan’s assistant in the middle of the night, causing his brow to furrow slightly.

The assistant’s voice was somewhat muffled like he was covering his mouth as he quietly pleaded for help, “President Gu ordered a lot of alcohol again. Is today a special day as well?”

Gu Jing Yuan usually did not drink excessively, and the few times he did over the past seven years were all predictably linked to one person — Sister Yi Xi.

Thinking of this, Qi Yue suddenly understood.

The dates were significant because of the connection to the person in question. Now that said person had returned, there was no need to consider what ‘special’ day it was.

“I’ll be right over.”

“Director Qi, we’re not at the usual place. I’ll send you the address in a moment.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

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**

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Qi Yue rubbed his nose, “Okay, okay… you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, no need to be so fierce.” 

It was always extremely difficult to pry information out of him.

The blasting rock music was so loud it hurt Qi Yue’s ears, “Why did you choose to come here today?”

Gu Jing Yuan’s finger caressed the rim of the glass, “Just wanted a change.”

Just as Qi Yue was mulling over Gu Jing Yuan’s words, a group noisier than the rock music arrived at the neighbouring booth. From the sound of it, the majority of them were flattering a rich young master.

Qi Yue half-heartedly listened to their youthful and brash boasting.

“Young Master Zhou, have you finally managed to sleep with that woman you fancied?”

Amongst fair-weather friends, besides drinking and feasting, their other common topic was talking about women.

The woman Young Master Zhou had his eyes on last time was a stunning beauty; one could tell even from the blurry shot in the group photo. Who wouldn’t be jealous? Anyone with the means would want to have the chance to play with her. Unfortunately, her mother asked for too much. With their shallow pockets and nowhere near the financial power of the Zhou family, all they could hopefully do was to enviously listen to tales of Young Master Zhou’s escapades.

Little did they know they would touch a sore spot.

“Bang!”

Zhou Xing angrily smashed his glass on the marble table, gritting through his teeth, “That woman took my money and didn’t keep her word. She even had a fucking lover!”

As Zhou Xing fumed, voices of condemnation rose around him.

“What!? Being able to catch the eyes of our Young Master Zhou is her honour, yet she dares to be so ungrateful!”

“Exactly! Who in the capital could be a better catch than our Young Master Zhou?”

Someone even offered advice, “If you ask me, dealing with a woman like that requires one to be physical. Since Young Master Zhou paid for her, your word is law. Who dares to say otherwise?”

“That’s right!”

Zhou Xing’s expression mellowed out but he was not completely void of agitation yet.

Someone managed to speculate Zhou Xing’s intentions and chimed in, “You should find an opportunity to give that lover a good beating. It’ll give him some time to properly reflect while lying in ICU.”

Zhou Xing sneered, “If y’all handle this well for me, I’ll bring all of you to Heavenly Palace to play.”

Heavenly Palace was famously known as the Zhou family’s den of indulgence. It operated on a membership basis only, and money alone would not grant one entry.

In an instant, everyone was hyped up, eagerly rubbing their hands in anticipation.

“Young Master Zhou, so who is that oblivious bastard?”

“I’ve already sent someone to investigate. He’s called President Gu or something like that.”

“President Gu?” One of the more knowledgeable of the group of sycophants voiced nervously, “He’s not Gu Jing Yuan, right?”

The lively atmosphere froze for a moment, and everyone fell silent.

Their reaction was comparable to stopping a crying child.

One of them soon regained his senses, “That’s impossible. Have you ever seen President Gu with a woman?”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, agreeing, “That’s right.”

“In all these years, there were no rumours about him hanging around women, and all his assistants and secretaries are men. Maybe he’s impotent or gay.”

“Shh! Are you crazy?! My dad told me that the last person who talked like that about Gu Jing Yuan is now missing.”

“… It’s not like he can hear us.” The person mumbled defensively, but his voice was audibly much softer.

In the next booth, Qi Yue raised his brows, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Yet, the one being slandered remained indifferent, twirling his glass. The spotlight illuminated half his profile, the other half hidden in shadow, creating a mysterious but dangerous feeling.

Back in the neighbouring booth, they continued, “Let’s continue investigating and deal with the man later, but we can deal with the woman first.”

“What’s her name again?”

“I think she’s called Tao Yi Xi.”

“Eh, that name sounds familiar, where did I hear her name before…”

“Her mom introduced her before, remember?”

“Oh, that seems about right…” The person felt something was off but could not pinpoint what exactly it was after being interrupted.

Hearing this, Qi Yue’s leisurely smile faded. He straightened up and looked towards the calm and composed Gu Jing Yuan.

“You’re not going to intervene?”

His deep eyes gleamed with a dark light, “Would she appreciate it if I did?”

Qi Yue did not believe it, “You’re really not going to do anything?”

Gu Jing Yuan took a sip of the alcohol he had been playing with for a while. The smooth and stimulating liquid slowly slid down his throat, settling into his burning stomach.

Lingering and strong.

“There’s no rush.”

The group next door called for some hostesses to accompany them, and it did not take long before they were drunk and high.

A heavily made-up woman sat beside Zhou Xing and fawned, “How about I keep Young Master Zhou company tonight?”

“You?” Normally, he would have taken the person back without hesitation, but after meeting Tao Yi Xi today, who had such grace and beauty, he could no longer find any interest in such cheap, unappealing goods.

Zhou Xing was not completely drunk yet, but the alcohol stirred his dark desires. “Get lost. This daddy is sleeping with someone better tonight.”

Someone jeered, “Oh, even the club’s top beauty can’t catch Young Master Zhou’s eye now. Young Master Zhou, let us widen our horizons as well!”

“Sure, but I’m going first,” Zhou Xing had originally wanted to enjoy the beauty alone, but since she was being so uncooperative, she deserved to be taught a lesson.

The group cheered enthusiastically, “Wohoo, that’s for sure! The usual rules apply.”

Qi Yue’s heart raced; it seemed like it was not the first time these beasts had done such heinous things.

Qi Yue asked urgently once more, “Are you really not going to do anything?!”

Gu Jing Yuan glanced at him, “Let’s go.”

The driver was already waiting outside, and Qi Yue quickly followed behind him.

The engines of the several sports cars ahead of them roared arrogantly through the air. They drove recklessly under the influence of alcohol, completely disregarding their lives.

Gu Jing Yuan gloomily stared ahead, “Follow those cars.”

**

After parting ways with Gu Jing Yuan, Tao Yi Xi received a call from the headquarters before she even reached back to her hotel room.

With Tina’s comments adding fuel to the fire, their attitude had become subtly hostile. No matter how she explained that her relationship with Gu Jing Yuan was not close, they refused to believe her.

With much impatience, they finally said, “Ashley, we’ll look forward to your good news.”

Faced with an ended call, Tao Yi Xi could not help but curse in her native language. After venting her frustration, she resigned herself to organizing the required documents, making a PowerPoint, and preparing a report for the next meeting…

It was not until her stomach rumbled with hunger that she realized she had not eaten dinner yet.

She boiled some water and waited to make a cup of coffee. As she tiredly massaged the back of her neck, she turned her head and heard her spine crack audibly.

As she waited, her mind kept racing with plan A, B, and C, none of which would be acceptable to the big boss, Gu Jing Yuan. She felt her headache worsened.

Demanding a ten percent profit margin, Gu Jing Yuan may as well just rob them.

The water kettle bubbled and hissed when suddenly, the electronic sound of her room door unlocking came from the entrance.

Tao Yi Xi’s heart skipped a beat. The door was pushed open from outside before she could react.

She came face to face with Zhou Xing’s smug expression. Cold sweat instantly broke out on her back as she sharply shouted, “How did you get access to my room key!? This is a private hotel room. You need to leave immediately!”

Zhou Xing grinned righteously, “I brought my brothers to meet their sister-in-law. What’s wrong with that?”

Shameless!

Her gaze fixed firmly on Zhou Xing and his group.

Her hand slowly inched towards the recently boiled kettle. As it was out of her sight, her palm grazed the scorching hot surface and intense pain shot through her palm, but she could not afford to care about that now.

Facing Zhou Xing’s lecherous gaze and the malicious stares of the men behind him, she endured the sharp pain, gripping the kettle tightly, as her body trembled slightly. On the surface, she remained calm, determined not to let her composure falter in front of them.

They were taken aback by her unwavering gaze and her unapproachable stance. They paused in their tracks, eyes fixed on Tao Yi Xi.

The pale blue loungewear clung to her slender, graceful figure. With her exposed skin glowing with pearl-like smoothness and delicacy. Her long, silky hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her small face was more exquisite and charming than any woman they had ever seen. Her pale complexion added to her charm, like a fragile beauty.

No wonder the lofty Young Master Zhou was willing to spend so much money, dismissing even the top ladies in the club.

Such a stunning beauty only stirred their primal instincts further, and their alcohol-fueled desires overpowered their rationality.

Tao Yi Xi sensed their gaze becoming increasingly inappropriate. Her breath quickened, and cold sweat began to form into droplets.

This confined space was too disadvantageous for her. Waiting idly for the inevitable would only lead to disaster. She grabbed the kettle and rushed toward the work desk, where her phone lay beside the computer.

Her sudden movement snapped the beasts out of their trances, and Zhou Xing’s friends behind him stirred restlessly.

“Young Master Zhou, let me grab her for you!”

“You? Who knows where your grabby hands will wander to.”

Internal conflict erupted suddenly among the group. Everyone was eager to take advantage of the opportunity to ‘help’ Zhou Xing, conveniently forgetting their earlier agreement to let him go first.

“Scram to one side.” Upon seeing her again, Zhou Xing’s desire to share vanished completely. At least, until he was done having his fun, he did not want to share.

With Zhou Xing’s command, they all reluctantly moved aside. Yet, Zhou Xing was still unsatisfied.

“Everyone out!”

“But Young Master Zhou I thought we-“

“Get out!” He did not need to give him an explanation for his change of mind.

“Okay…” They were discontented but did not dare voice their complaints. All they could do was steal a few more glances before reluctantly stepping out of the room.

Finally, it was quiet once more.

Leering at her, Zhou Xing walked towards her while stripping off his clothes. His face was flushed from the alcohol he consumed, and his breath reeked of it as he taunted, “Don’t be scared, I’ll definitely take good care of you.”

Tao Yi Xi grabbed her phone, “I refuse. Don’t you know that this is illegal?”

Zhou Xing scoffed, “So what if you refuse? I’ve never met a woman I couldn’t lay my hands on.”

“You’re committing rape! It’s nonconsensual!”

“Hahahahaha.” Zhou Xing laughed maniacally, “Then tonight, I’ll rape you. What are you going to do about it?”

As he spoke, he stepped closer, perversely enjoying her increasingly pallid expression.

He thought to himself, she must be scared, helpless, and trapped. No matter how proud or defiant she was, in the end, she had no choice but to submit to him.

Imagining the scenario, Zhou Xing could not control himself further and lunged at her like a ravenous wolf.

In a moment of crisis, Tao Yi Xi used all her strength to splash the scalding water in Zhou Xing’s direction. The thin layer of his unbuttoned shirt clung to his skin, and some scalded his precious nether regions.

Zhou Xing let out a blood-curdling scream!

Tao Yi Xi quickly and loudly reported her location to the other party on the other line of the call.

She had to escape!

But before she could take a step, Zhou Xing tightly grabbed onto her ankle, his face twisted in pain as he cursed weakly, “You bitch!”

Once he caught his breath, he would make her life a living hell!

Did she think she could escape? His men were all waiting outside and would soon come in at the sound of his distress.

And as he expected, the door was kicked open in the next second, rendering it useless from its intended purpose.

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T/N: Sorry, my lovely readers, but I’m finally back! I finally submitted my thesis paper and ‘graduated’! Posting will resume once a week. Thank you for your kind understanding and patience.

ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰

As per my New Year’s resolutions, I aim to complete this novel by the end of this year.

(˵¬⤙¬˵”)