Checking out the renovations was merely a secondary motive. Lin Sheng had actually come out tonight to drink with Xiao Zhiyu. Xiao Zhiyu had also invited a few other friends along.
The venue for their drinks was called the Apex Bar, located on the top floor of A City’s landmark skyscraper, offering a sweeping, panoramic view of the entire city below.
This was Yu Keqing’s first time standing at such a height. She suffered from a severe fear of heights, even glancing slightly downward near the windows made her head spin with vertigo. Instinctively, she took a step back, her spine bumping against Lin Sheng’s voluptuous chest.
Lin Sheng’s snow-white arm quickly wrapped around her waist, and the warm fragrance of roses brushed past her earlobe.
“Is it beautiful?”
Lin Sheng nudged gently against her neck. The scent of sandalwood, which was originally supposed to soothe the nerves, now acted like an aphrodisiac, making Lin Sheng restless with desire.
Yu Keqing’s chest heaved. Anyone with a severe fear of heights would understand her feelings at this moment. Her voice trembled, “Too… it’s too high.”
Lin Sheng let out a low chuckle. She couldn’t resist tilting Yu Keqing’s chin up, sucking on her lips, which had only just stopped swelling and passing her own fragrance into the girl’s mouth.
“Scared? Then let’s not stand here anymore.” Releasing Yu Keqing’s lips with lingering desire, Lin Sheng patted her side.
At that moment, a woman walked over holding a wine glass. Looking at the two in their intimate, ambiguous posture, she said, “Hey, can you show some consideration for a single person like me who didn’t bring a partner? I really can’t stand this.” As she spoke, she proffered a colorful cocktail in front of Yu Keqing. “This is called ‘Dream of the Clouds.’ The name fits the setting. Want a taste? It’s sweet and has a low alcohol content.”
Before Yu Keqing could refuse, Lin Sheng reached out, took it, and sipped it, evaluating playfully, “Very mediocre.”
Yu Keqing was in poor health and could not drink alcohol.
Lin Sheng casually placed the wine glass on the nearby bar counter, turned around, and guided Yu Keqing toward the booth by her waist.
Yu Keqing remained reluctant throughout, attempting to break free from Lin Sheng’s restraint. Lin Sheng whispered something into her ear.
No one knew what was said, but Yu Keqing’s face abruptly paled. Her lips pressed tight, her struggles weakened, and she obediently let Lin Sheng lead her over.
“My wine is mediocre, is it? Then don’t come here,” hummed a beautiful, voluptuous Alpha with big, wavy hair sitting on the sofa.
Lin Sheng took the center seat, pulling Yu Keqing down beside her. “If I didn’t come, certain people would probably be even more disappointed.”
The woman with the big waves was Yun Xingmeng, the owner of Apex Bar and a part-time bartender. This private booth was reserved for their personal gatherings and was not open to the public. The long hallway led to the regular customer booths on the other end. The main bar area only opened after nightfall, but the private customer booths accepted guests 24 hours a day. Places drenched in neon and wine inevitably harbored filth, they were entirely ridden with sordid affairs.
Yu Keqing couldn’t drink, nor did she know how to. Lin Sheng’s decision to bring her here seemed like a sudden whim just to take her out for fun. Even when Xiao Zhiyu offered her a drink, Lin Sheng intercepted it. Seeing this, the others immediately understood Lin Sheng’s attitude toward her.
They had seen Yu Keqing before, but back then, she was more like a bag carrying errand girl by Lin Sheng’s side, possessing zero status. Now, however, she carried the distinct aura of a primary partner.
Yu Keqing was completely unaccustomed to such an environment, sitting in restless discomfort. Even though Lin Sheng ordered a separate meal to be prepared for her, she barely ate any of it.
Feeling suffocated and finding it hard to breathe, she said to Lin Sheng, “I want to go out to get some fresh air.”
Lin Sheng had been drinking. She leaned softly against Yu Keqing, her voluptuous body radiating a seductive rose scent. Her fox like eyes were slightly squinted, bearing a hint of post-alcohol laziness and blurred intoxication. She reached up to pinch Yu Keqing’s cheek, her voice sounding even more enchanting than usual.
“Don’t go too far, don’t talk to strangers, and come back in five minutes.”
Yu Keqing bit her lip, her fingertips curling slightly as she said with difficulty, “I want to go home. Xiao Bao will be back soon, too.”
The chatter in the private room blended with the smell of various alcohols and pheromones, forming a dense, airtight web that suffocated her.
“Go home?”
Perhaps the word ‘home’ pleased Lin Sheng. She snuggled against Yu Keqing, her voice murmuring incoherently.
“Keke…”
A faint smile hooked at the corner of Lin Sheng’s mouth. She pulled Yu Keqing a bit closer into her arms, pressing her palm against the girl’s back. Her warm breath, tinged with a light scent of alcohol, brushed past Yu Keqing’s neck, sending a shiver through her.
After being held and rubbed against by Lin Sheng for a good while, Yu Keqing finally managed to break free. Standing in the palatial, magnificent hallway, she couldn’t discern her orientation. Which way had they come up from just now? Where was the elevator? She couldn’t remember at all. Seeing no waiters around, she could only pick a direction and walk. If she went the wrong way, she would just turn back; she would find her way out eventually.
Passing by those tightly shut booth doors, she could faintly hear the raucous music inside. An inexplicable anxiety gripped Yu Keqing. Lowering her head, she quickened her pace. As she turned a corner, a sudden argument erupted ahead, interspersed with the sharp crisp sound of shattering glass.
Yu Keqing instinctively stopped in her tracks, her body tensing up slightly.
She didn’t want to cause trouble. Just as she was about to quietly retreat, she saw an Alpha wearing a sequined dress stumble out of a nearby booth. The deep-V neckline could barely cover anything, revealing glimpses of fair skin. Her face was etched with obvious drunkenness and malice.
The Alpha didn’t seem to notice her at first, crashing straight into the opposite wall with a dull thud.
Frightened, Yu Keqing held her breath and edged backward against the cold wall, wanting nothing more than to distance herself from this breeding ground of trouble as quickly as possible.
Right at that moment, the drunk Alpha spotted her. Squinting her eyes to size Yu Keqing up, a glint of playful amusement flashed in her gaze, and she staggered toward her.
“A newcomer? A college student? So pure. Come over and have a drink with big sister. I’ll guarantee you can walk tall in A City from now on.”
The other party blocked Yu Keqing’s path. Yu Keqing turned around to run back, but the Alpha didn’t bother chasing her herself. She merely forced her swaying body upright, clapped her hands nonchalantly, and two men in black suits promptly emerged from the corner. Like catching a helpless chick, they grabbed Yu Keqing by the arms and dragged her toward the booth.
“What are you doing?! Let go of me, mmmph!” Yu Keqing’s mouth was covered, leaving her able to emit only muffled whimpers.
Her arms were gripped tightly by the men in black, so hard it felt as if they might snap. They brutally threw her onto the sofa inside the booth. The impact left her seeing stars, her ears ringing violently.
The strong mix of perfume and pheromones in the booth, combined with the smell of alcohol and the foul odor of vomit, caused her stomach to churn violently.
Deafening music instantly swallowed her up, and the flashing, multicolored lights made her eyes sting painfully.
The Alpha stepped over in her high heels and stood before her. She pinched Yu Keqing’s chin from a height, her crimson fingernails nearly sinking into the skin, her eyes gleaming with a malicious desire for possession.
Yu Keqing had been gone for less than two minutes when Lin Sheng grew too impatient to wait any longer and went out to look for her.
The long hallway was deserted. Yu Keqing didn’t have her phone on her, where could she have gone?
Lin Sheng frowned. With her gentle and pure demeanor, Yu Keqing was like a delicious morsel of dessert in a place like this, which was exactly why she had warned her not to wander far. A bad premonition crept into her heart, and she strode toward the customer booths.
Inside the booth, Yu Keqing was currently being forced to drink. She clamped her mouth shut in refusal, causing the liquid to spill down her collar and pour into her undergarments. A large patch of her clothes was soaked, and the wet white T-shirt clung to her, outlining her slender, delicate frame.
The Alpha’s gaze was burning and wicked. Overwhelmed with terror, Yu Keqing grabbed whatever her hands could reach and hurled it at the woman, kicking and thrashing. However, due to her lack of strength, her wrists were ultimately pinned down against the sofa by the Alpha instead.
The woman sneered, pouring the remaining alcohol directly onto Yu Keqing’s face, cursing, “Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!”
The ice-cold liquid slid down her cheeks, mingling with tears of humiliation.
With breath reeking of alcohol, the woman leaned down, aiming for Yu Keqing’s lips. Yu Keqing struggled in utter despair.
“No!”
Just as her scream echoed, the booth door was kicked open with a loud bang. The fragrance of roses instantly flooded the room, carrying a suffocating, oppressive weight.
Lin Sheng’s gaze swept across the people in the room. The moment her eyes landed on the disheveled, miserable Yu Keqing on the sofa, her gaze turned murderous enough to kill.
The Alpha was initially infuriated by the interruption, but before the curses could leave her mouth, her face drained of color as she recognized the intruder.
“Lin… Lin Sheng? Why are you here…”
Thin heels clicked against the marble floor as Lin Sheng walked over, carefully lifting the traumatized Yu Keqing up.
Yu Keqing was trembling violently from the accumulated terror. Her face and hair were completely drenched in alcohol, leaving her looking incredibly wretched.
Lin Sheng gathered her into her arms to shield her, wiping away the mess on her face, and said softly, “Wait for me at the door.”
Xiao Zhiyu, who had rushed over right behind her, took Yu Keqing from Lin Sheng’s arms and draped her own coat over her shoulders.
“How did this happen? How did she end up like this?” The anxiety and worry on her face did not seem feigned.
Yu Keqing kept her head lowered, curling herself into a tight ball as if that were the only way to protect herself.
Lin Sheng’s heart pricked with agonizing pain. She deeply regretted bringing Yu Keqing here, and regretted letting her leave her sight even more.
“Be good, baby. I’ll take you home in a moment.” She pressed her palm against Yu Keqing’s cheek.
Glancing down to see the red marks and bruises on Yu Keqing’s arms, a terrifying, murderous intent surged within the depths of Lin Sheng’s eyes.
The booth door was slammed shut, and Lin Sheng finally cast her gaze upon the Alpha.
He Wan’s legs turned to jelly, and she nearly fell to her knees. She explained in a panic, “I didn’t know she was yours. I drank too much.”
“Drank too much? Splendid.” With a dark expression, Lin Sheng grabbed a black crystal bottle of Remy Martin from the table and swung it directly at He Wan’s head. “Do you have any idea who she is? How dare you touch her with your filthy hands!”
He Wan was struck so hard her head bled profusely. Her body collapsed onto the sofa before sliding down to the floor. Her consciousness blurred, and all traces of her drunkenness vanished instantly.
The others in the booth were terrified out of their wits by this scene. He Wan’s background was by no means simple, very few people in A City dared to cross her.
But Lin Sheng was not among them. When it came to background, He Wan wasn’t even fit to carry Lin Sheng’s shoes.
Blood dripped from the crystal bottle. Lin Sheng shook her hand out, squatted down in her high heels, and tapped the bottle against He Wan’s hand twice.
“Leaving this filthy hand around is redundant. Might as well ruin it.”
Xiao Zhiyu had already led Yu Keqing away from the booth door. The people He Wan brought had already been pinned down by Yun Xingmeng’s bodyguards.
Faint, muffled screams echoed from inside the booth. The music in the adjacent two booths had long been turned off, their occupants watching the drama unfold through cracked doors.
Yun Xingmeng leaned against the hallway wall, a long, thin cigarette clamped between her fingertips.
Staring at the tightly closed booth door, a complex emotion flashed across Yun Xingmeng’s eyes.
Once the commotion inside finally quieted down, she walked over and knocked on the door, reminding, “Alright, I’ll handle the rest.”
A moment later, Lin Sheng finally opened the door.
She kept her head down, using a tissue to wipe her hands as she brushed past Yun Xingmeng. The diamond on her earlobe flashed with brilliant fire, complementing her stunning, beautiful profile.
The blood-stained tissue fluttered down, landing right by Yun Xingmeng’s shoes. When Yun Xingmeng turned her head back, she could only see Lin Sheng’s graceful silhouette vanishing at the end of the long hallway.
Yu Keqing sat trembling inside the car while the city’s glittering lights flashed past the window.
The air pressure inside the vehicle was incredibly low, causing the driver to swallow hard in anxiety.
Lin Sheng carefully pulled Yu Keqing’s arm toward her. Seeing the red marks on it, she felt a powerful urge to drive right back and beat He Wan to death.