I froze. Did Deng Jing’er actually hire a few male escorts?
Driven by alcohol, I deliberately stood on tiptoe and leaned close to the man. “Then we’ll see if I can endure the loneliness.”
After saying that, I turned and walked away. I wasn’t really interested in this type of man, especially one who clearly had ulterior motives.
Deng Jing’er wasn’t far behind me, though I wasn’t sure what she was doing. When she saw me approaching, she scurried back to her seat.
“My alcohol tolerance isn’t great. I need to go back and sleep,” I said, holding my head. I was genuinely feeling a bit dizzy. If I got too drunk, my mother would scold me when I got home.
“I should head back too. I have work tomorrow, sigh.” Ouyang Tian also stood up, and I could tell she wasn’t exactly passionate about her job.
Deng Jing’er pouted. “It’s still so early! If both of you leave, it won’t be any fun for me alone. Fine, go ahead!”
She went to settle the bill, said goodbye to the handsome guys, and the three of us left.
Each of us called a driver. Before parting, Deng Jing’er grinned mischievously. “Yiyi, do you think Pei Heng will get jealous knowing you went out drinking with handsome men?”
“Don’t mention him. It’s bad luck,” I replied, already seated in the car, waving her off.
“Hehe, bye-bye!” She seemed inexplicably cheerful as she happily got into her BMW and drove away.
I instructed Xiao Li to drive and then leaned back in the seat, closing my eyes to rest.
Just as we were nearing home, a sudden brake jolted me awake. Startled, I exclaimed, “Xiao Li, what are you doing?”
“Madam, it seems to be Mr. Pei’s car,” Xiao Li said, pointing at the Bugatti blocking the road.
Why was Pei Heng parked on the only route to my house? I rubbed my temples. “Alright, Xiao Li, take my car and head home first. It’s late.”
“Okay.” Xiao Li, skilled behind the wheel, promptly turned the car around and left.
It was only a five-minute walk from there to my house. I bypassed the Bugatti and prepared to walk home.
Pei Heng got out of his car and blocked my path. He looked furious, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Come here. Explain this to me. What is this?” Pei Heng opened his social media feed and showed me a picture.
It was the scene of me teasing that man outside the bar restroom. I was on tiptoe, my face uncomfortably close to his, making it look incredibly intimate.
A quick glance revealed it was a post by Deng Jing’er.
As if stirring the pot wasn’t enough, she had captioned it: “There are plenty of fish in the sea. Our Yiyi has decided to move on.”
“Pfft!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s actually quite rhyming.”
“Xu! Zhi! Yi!” Pei Heng gritted his teeth as he spat out my name, his handsome face frosty with rage.
“Didn’t you say it yourself? We can each do our own thing. Why are you interrogating me about this now?” I straightened up and retorted.
Pei Heng sneered. “We can each do our own thing, but who said you could publicize it?”
I had almost forgotten that Pei Heng and I moved in the same social circles, and so did Deng Jing’er. Her post would inevitably be seen by Pei Heng’s friends. Those who didn’t get along with him would surely use it to mock him.
What man’s pride could withstand such a provocation? Especially a man of Pei Heng’s status and arrogance.
No wonder Deng Jing’er had been grinning so mischievously earlier—she had deliberately meant to infuriate Pei Heng.
“Alright, next time I’ll tell Jing’er and the others not to post it.” My head was truly a bit dizzy, and I didn’t want to argue with Pei Heng here—I just wanted to go back and bury myself in sleep.
After saying that, I turned to leave, but Pei Heng grabbed my hand.
I felt like my bones were about to be crushed. Without enough fat to cushion the blow, I let out a pained cry, “It hurts…”
Then I quickly lowered my head and bit Pei Heng’s forearm.
Pei Heng seemed startled by my outrageous reaction. Instead of immediately shaking me off, he let me bite him. The muscles in his arm were taut, making it a satisfying bite.
“Are you insane?!” Pei Heng finally remembered to push me away. He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me off like a dog. On his forearm was a clear bite mark, so distinct you could count how many teeth I had.
I gave Pei Heng a gloomy look. The pent-up bitterness in my heart began to surface. After liking him for so long, I had never left a single trace on him. Yet later, Wei Lan had left countless hickeys on his neck—I’d seen them several times in my previous life.
Back then, they must have already achieved their happy ending, deeply in the throes of passion.
Leaving a bite mark felt like making up for my regrets.
“Pei Heng, you have no right to question me. Over the years, the number of women you’ve been linked with can’t be counted on two hands. Don’t I have any dignity? Do you think no one has laughed at me behind my back?” I wiped the corner of my mouth, where a faint metallic taste of blood lingered. I must have drawn blood when I bit him.
Pei Heng replied coldly, “Didn’t you bring this upon yourself? Did anyone force you to agree to Grandpa’s arrangement and marry me?”
Of course not. Back then, not only was no one forcing me—if anyone had objected, I would have threatened them with a knife to make them agree.
I had hoped that over time feelings would develop, that Pei Heng would one day be moved and fall in love with me again.
“You’re right, I brought it upon myself. But people change. I’ve come to my senses now and don’t want to be trapped by my own wishful thinking anymore. Is that so wrong?” I shot back.
“No!” Pei Heng’s reply was as icy as ever. “You chose a path you shouldn’t have. You should pay the price for it.”
“Pei Heng, do you believe that in the near future, you’ll be the one to ask me for a divorce? That you’ll wish I’d disappear from your life forever?” I suddenly asked. A year wasn’t too long or too short—it was perfect for a bet.
Pei Heng looked at me with disdain. “Xu Zhiyi, are you dreaming?”
His desire for revenge was so strong—he’d use any method, even if it hurt him more than it hurt me.
I sighed. “Why don’t you believe me? Just wait. You’ll definitely let me go someday. I had a bit too much to drink tonight and need to go home to sleep. You should leave.”
“Go back to Feng Zhou Yuan to sleep.” Pei Heng grabbed me as effortlessly as an eagle snatching a chick, stuffing me into his car. Was he not letting me stay at my parents’ house anymore?
I protested vehemently, “No, I’m not going back to Feng Zhou Yuan! Open the door!”
Pei Heng glanced at me but ignored my protests. The car sped away from my home, heading straight for Feng Zhou Yuan.
I glared at Pei Heng, restless and irritated. “Take me back! There’s something I forgot to bring!”
“What is it?” he asked indifferently.
“My Traditional Chinese medicine packets.” I was utterly exasperated. Was it really so hard to just have a sip of my medicine?
“You have a terminal illness?” He really lacked conversational skills, no wonder so many people hoped for his bankruptcy, especially those he had stepped on one by one.
I smiled, “Not at all, I’m just too thin and want to nourish my stomach, to become a plump beauty.”
Pei Heng seemed to recall something, his already icy expression growing even darker.