“Ouch—”
Ji Rou rubbed her aching nose. She was just about to curse whoever had bumped into her, but when she looked up—
It was him.
“Y-you… what are you doing here?!”
Shouldn’t he have already left?
Why is he still here?!
Her eyes widened in shock, wishing she could disappear on the spot.
This is bad… how did I run into Shen Xingbai?!
“So it really was you at the bar just now,” Shen Xingbai said coldly.
“W-what do you mean? That wasn’t me! I wasn’t at the bar, and I definitely didn’t bump into anything!”
“Oh? I never said the person at the bar clumsily ran into something.”
“I didn’t! I’m not that clumsy!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Ji Rou froze.
Realizing she had just exposed herself, she gave up resisting. “Fine. That person was me.”
Shen Xingbai let out a short, humorless laugh.
Some habits never change, he thought. I shouldn’t have believed she’d really changed.
“Ji Rou, what else do you have to say for yourself?”
“Say what?”
“Hmph. You’re still as fickle as ever. I actually thought you’d turned over a new leaf—but clearly, you haven’t changed at all.”
“What do you mean I haven’t changed? What did I even do to deserve this kind of accusation?”
Ji Rou almost laughed from anger. She was starting to wonder if something was wrong with his brain—none of what he said made sense to her.
“And you’re still refusing to admit it?”
“Shen Xingbai, explain yourself! What exactly am I not admitting to? What did I do to make you this angry? Say it clearly!”
“You came here to flirt with rich guys, didn’t you?”
“I did not!”
She refused to admit to something she hadn’t done.
Her eyes reddened as she glared stubbornly at him.
“Oh? Isn’t that what you always used to do?”
As if he didn’t know how she used to act, dressing up and flirting with wealthy heirs.
“That was before! I’ve changed now!” Ji Rou argued.
“Then explain why you’re here.”
“I came because…”
She almost said she had come to meet Young Master Zhou—but if she said that, wouldn’t it just confirm his accusation?
“Can’t say it, can you?” Shen Xingbai sneered. “Or are you still thinking of an excuse?”
“I think you’re here to meet another man.”
Seeing her hesitation, whatever trace of softness he once had toward her completely vanished. A cold, dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
Do I really have to break her legs before she listens?
Ji Rou shivered at the storm brewing in his gaze.
“Shen Xingbai, don’t be angry! I’m really not meeting another man. I—I came because a friend invited me. That’s why I’m here…”
“You’re still lying,” he cut her off. “I know all your friends. Which one of them could afford a place like this? Xu Qingmei? Or Wu Xiaomei—the one always trying to set you up with rich men?”
“…Uh…”
Ji Rou felt so awkward she could practically dig a hole in the ground with her toes.
She had forgotten—her original self’s friends were all from similar backgrounds. None of them could afford this place.
As Shen Xingbai stepped closer and closer, she was on the verge of tears.
“No matter what, I didn’t come here to meet a man!”
“Heh.”
Ignoring her protests, Shen Xingbai suddenly hoisted her over his shoulder.
Ji Rou screamed and pounded on his back. “Shen Xingbai! What are you doing?! Put me down!”
Smack!
“Say another word and I’ll hit you again.”
Her face flushed bright red as she buried it against his shoulder.
“Y-you… how can you do this?!”
T-this is so embarrassing!
He actually… spanked me?!
After hitting her, even Shen Xingbai’s ears turned slightly red. But the moment he thought about her possibly meeting another man behind his back, his anger surged all over again.