The commotion at the street food stall had already drawn considerable attention.
Fearing that Li Long, drunk as he was, might cause further trouble, several men at the same table quickly restrained him, preparing to lead him away.
Li Long pointed at An Ning, cursing and swearing, then smashed another beer bottle before turning to leave.
“You haven’t apologized yet!”
An Ning stopped him, her fair cheek bearing the distinct mark of five fingers.
Li Long had never encountered such a persistent woman. Fueled by alcohol and pride, he pointed at her and roared, “Do you fucking know when to back off?”
As he spoke, he raised his hand toward An Ning again.
An Ning instinctively closed her eyes.
Unexpectedly, the slap never landed on her face.
“What kind of breed are you, to bark so fiercely?”
A clear, pleasant, and oddly familiar voice sounded beside her ear.
An Ning’s heart trembled. She opened her eyes and looked up.
A face she had seen only once, yet striking enough to be unforgettable, appeared before her.
The man was tall and slender, his posture as straight as a pine tree. Dressed in a simple white T-shirt and black pants, he stood in front of her.
His broad back was like a solid protective wall as he raised his hand and caught Li Long’s wrist mid-swing, his originally handsome face now unusually stern.
His grip was immensely powerful, almost enough to snap Li Long’s wrist.
“Apologize to her!”
Li Long, already not tall, seemed even shorter before the nearly six-foot-tall man. Held captive with one hand, he couldn’t move an inch.
The bravado he had shown earlier in front of An Ning was instantly crushed.
“Who the hell are you? What’s it to you!”
Lu Xiyan tightened his grip, his voice icy. “I told you to apologize to her. Did you hear me?”
Li Long grimaced in pain, his wrist on the verge of breaking. With every struggle, the other man’s grip tightened.
“Alright, alright, alright! I apologize!”
Li Long shouted irritably at An Ning, “I apologize to you, okay?!”
Lu Xiyan glared coldly. “What kind of attitude is that?”
Reluctantly, Li Long softened his tone. “Miss, I apologize to you. Is that alright?”
The crowd gathering around was growing larger, severely disrupting the street food stall’s business.
An Ning, worried about causing trouble for the owner, bit her lip and gently tugged at the hem of Lu Xiyan’s shirt. “Let it go…”
Lu Xiyan released his grip. Li Long immediately stumbled back two steps, then pointed at Lu Xiyan with a renewed arrogance. “You! Just you wait!”
He then pointed at An Ning. “And you! I’ll make you pay for this sooner or later!”
Lu Xiyan let out a light laugh. “I’ll be waiting.”
Li Long and his group left, cursing under their breath. Lu Xiyan took out his phone, swiftly tapped the screen a few times, and then put it away.
Turning around, his eyes met the swollen cheek of the person behind him.
He couldn’t help but frown slightly.
This was the second time he had seen her up close. Her cool, elegant demeanor reminded him of a gardenia bud, poised to bloom.
An Ning’s eyes were slightly red, but she hadn’t shed a tear.
She looked up at Lu Xiyan and offered a polite smile.
“Thank you.”
“What a coincidence,” Lu Xiyan’s voice was deep and pleasant. “We meet again.”
A flicker of surprise crossed An Ning’s eyes. He remembered her?
“An Ning.”
The stall owner’s wife came over, glanced at Lu Xiyan, then examined the injury on An Ning’s face. With a hint of apology, she said, “I’m sorry about what happened today. You didn’t deserve that. Since your boyfriend is here to pick you up, why don’t you head home and rest for today?”
Boyfriend?
An Ning froze for a moment, about to explain.
But then her wrist was gently grasped, enveloped in a warm touch.
She looked up and met Lu Xiyan’s clear, handsome eyes.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Before An Ning could react, he was already pulling her away.
Parked by the roadside was his black motorcycle, which An Ning recognized immediately.
He looked incredibly cool riding it, perfectly matching his aura.
Lu Xiyan handed her a helmet. Seeing her obediently put it on without a word, he gently patted the top of her helmet. “Get on.”
……
The motorcycle roared as it weaved through the brightly lit night streets.
An Ning cautiously gripped the fabric at the man’s waist.
The oncoming wind lifted the hem of her shirt.
Through the helmet, her gaze rested on the straight back of the man riding the motorcycle.
She never expected to run into him twice in just one day.
Once when he gave her chocolate, and now when he stood up for her.
Pursing her lips, she leaned forward slightly. “Thank you for today.”
Her voice drifted to his ears with the wind.
He curved his lips and tilted his head back slightly, raising his voice. “What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”
An Ning leaned closer until their helmets touched, speaking louder this time. “I said thank you for today, for helping me again.”
Lu Xiyan chuckled. “Then how about treating me to a meal?”
An Ning froze, not quite processing his words.
Not wanting to make her feel pressured, Lu Xiyan added with a smile, “There’s a good Guandong Zhu place up ahead. I was just craving some.”
“Okay,” An Ning replied, a slight curve forming on her lips.
The motorcycle stopped in front of a convenience store.
An Ning looked up and realized it was the same store where she worked during the day.
As they entered, her colleague Li Yuanyuan was on night shift.
“Welcome to ‘Every Day’ convenience store.”
Li Yuanyuan was tidying the counter when she looked up and exclaimed in surprise, “An Ning?”
“Yuanyuan,” An Ning greeted her. “I’m just here to buy something.”
Then she introduced the man who entered with her, “I work here. This is my colleague.”
Li Yuanyuan’s eyes shifted to the man accompanying An Ning, and they widened instantly. “Holy crap! He’s so handsome!”
Such exclamations were nothing new to Lu Xiyan. He smiled briefly before heading deeper into the store to pick out items.
Li Yuanyuan quickly scooted closer to An Ning, curiosity burning in her eyes. “An Ning, who is he? Your friend?”
An Ning glanced back at the man browsing the freezer aisle and nodded softly. “Yeah.”
“Wow, seriously! Where did you meet such a handsome friend?”
Li Yuanyuan lowered her voice. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No,” An Ning shook her head.
Hearing this, Li Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up. “Really? Then could you get his WeChat for me? You don’t mind, right?”
For some reason, An Ning felt a pang of sourness in her chest at those words.
“I… don’t know him well.”
“Come on, it’s just asking for his WeChat.”
Li Yuanyuan winked and handed her phone to An Ning.
Hesitantly, An Ning took the phone and turned around just as Lu Xiyan approached with an ice pack.
“Um…” An Ning avoided his gaze. “My colleague wants to add you on WeChat, to get to know you. Is that… okay with you?”
Lu Xiyan glanced at her phone, which was already in scanning mode, and said, “Sorry, I was in a hurry when I left home today and didn’t bring my phone.”