8 PM, downtown luxury penthouse – Pangu Apartments.
“Xiyan, I heard Wanwan was hospitalized because of you?”
Lu Ling called just as Lu Xiyan was sitting on the living room sofa watching a motorcycle race.
Dressed in a fitting yet casual gray loungewear, he appeared both refreshed and noble.
“Yes.”
Lu Xiyan admitted bluntly, his eyes never leaving the TV.
Lu Ling said, “Wanwan is your Uncle Cheng’s only daughter. Now that she’s hospitalized because of you, both your Uncle Cheng and Aunt Han are very angry. Look at the mess you’ve made.”
Lu Xiyan walked impatiently to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city lights below.
His tone was casual, “I won’t marry Wanwan.”
“Then who do you want to marry?” Lu Ling asked. “The heiress of Qi Group, or the second young lady of Han Group? Or some celebrity or supermodel?”
After asking, he added, “Your grandfather said he can let you avoid taking over the company for now, but you must choose one between starting a family and building a career.”
The same old talk, nothing new.
Lu Xiyan had no interest in listening.
He slipped one hand into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded banknote.
He looked down – five yuan…
His mind flashed back to that fair, clean, pure face, unadorned and innocent like a blank sheet of paper.
And those incredibly indifferent, distant eyes.
Making one want to explore what lay behind them.
Hearing no response, Lu Ling asked again, “Xiyan, your father is talking to you. Are you listening?”
“Dad.” Lu Xiyan stared at the banknote in his hand and asked with a smile, “What kind of money is five yuan?”
“Five yuan?”
Lu Ling was caught off guard by the sudden question. After thinking for a few seconds, he answered, “Five yuan is money you’ve never seen since you were a child.”
Just then, a text message from Liang Xu came through: [New batch of motorcycles arrived. Come take a look.]
“Dad, I have something to attend to. I’m hanging up.”
Lu Xiyan prepared to end the call.
Lu Ling quickly asked from the other end, “Xiyan, did you hear what I just asked? Who do you want to marry?”
“I’m marrying Yamaha.”
With those words, Lu Xiyan hung up.
On the other end, Lu Ling listened to the disconnected call and turned to the butler Li Quan beside him. “Who is Yamaha? Which family’s heiress?”
“Well…” Li Quan thought for a moment, his expression troubled. “I’ll look into it…”
…
Night, with brilliant lights.
Smoke curled up from the street food stall by the roadside.
The boss lady flipped through the order slips while calling out, “An Ning, four bottles of beer for table nine.””
“Okay.”
An Ning responded and quickly grabbed the beer to deliver.
Working at the night street stall was one of her jobs.
Convenience store by day, street stall by night – she had grown accustomed to this non-stop routine.
She had nothing but time to exchange for money.
As long as she could earn money, she could endure any hardship or exhaustion.
An Ning wore denim shorts that revealed her slender, pale legs.
As she served dishes, moving between the low tables, they were particularly eye-catching.
A man at table nine had been watching her for a long time. While drinking, he exchanged meaningful looks with his friend. “That girl, nice legs, pretty face too. Want to have some fun?”
The man beside him grinned lewdly, showing tobacco-stained yellow teeth, and teased, “Brother Long, think you can handle her?”
Li Long licked his lips with ill intent. “I’ve seen plenty of girls pretending to be innocent like her. They’ll go with you for a few hundred bucks and even do overnight. Just wait and see.”
An Ning placed the beer on the table. “Your beer.”
Just as she turned to serve another table, a rough sensation brushed against her upper thigh.
It came from a man’s hand.
An Ning froze in place.
She had been groped!
She turned around to face Li Long’s leering grin.
“Not bad, girl. How much for a night?”
At his words, the two other men at the table burst into laughter.
An Ning glared coldly. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, still playing the innocent card?”
Li Long’s lustful eyes scanned her from head to toe. “You look fresh. Five hundred for a night with me?”
His vulgar words made An Ning glare harder. “This is sexual harassment! Apologize to me!”
“Sexual harassment?” Li Long laughed mockingly at his buddies. “She says I sexually harassed her, hahaha!”
The commotion drew attention from nearby tables.
“You just touched me!”
An Ning’s voice, though not loud, carried clearly, sparking murmurs among the onlookers.
Some began pointing accusingly at Li Long. Humiliated, he stood up and smashed a beer bottle on the ground.
“Damn it! Who the hell are you pretending to be! Shameless women like you, dressing so short to seduce men—who knows how many times you’ve sold yourself? Why would I bother touching you?”
The violent shattering of the bottle startled An Ning.
She hadn’t been afraid of the man initially, determined to demand an apology.
But his bottle-smashing and roaring tone reminded her vividly of An Tianhua, stirring shadows from her childhood filled with arguments.
Suddenly, her heart raced wildly, and she struggled to breathe.
“What’s going on here?”
The shop owner’s wife hurried over, grabbing An Ning’s arm to ask what happened.
The touch felt like a lifeline to An Ning. Grievances surged up, and her voice trembled with emotion. “He just touched my thigh.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Which eye saw me touch you?”
Li Long roared again, then turned to the other men at the table. “Did any of you see me touch her?”
The men all shook their heads. “No!”
“You’re all together! You did touch me!” An Ning’s eyes reddened. “If you don’t apologize, I’ll call the police!”
The threat enraged Li Long. He swung his hand and slapped her across the face.
Caught off guard, a sharp slap landed on An Ning’s cheek.
Her head jerked to the side, her face burning instantly. A ringing filled her ears, and her mind went numb.
The owner’s wife screamed, “Hey! How dare you hit someone!”
The crowd quickly gathered, causing a significant stir.
…
Meanwhile, a black motorcycle sped down the street.
On the motorcycle, Lu Xiyan glanced casually in that direction and recognized the slender figure.
Her long hair was tied up in a bun, her hands and legs pale, standing there like a young white poplar.
Looking closer, she was biting her lip, face turned away, while the man in front of her barked at her like a vicious dog.
Seconds later, the motorcycle roared to a stop by the roadside.
Lu Xiyan’s eyes darkened, his handsome brows furrowed, and he stepped out of the car with a long stride.