Gu Xi had come in the lead actress’s car, along with three other girls.
The dinner was at an upscale private club, with many security guards at the entrance. As soon as Gu Xi stepped through the door, she felt something was off. She’d been to places like this a few times with Bai Yuzhou—they weren’t cheap, and offered food, drinks, and entertainment. As a nobody extra, there was no reason for them to throw her a wrap party here.
One of the girls couldn’t help asking, “Qingqing Jie, aren’t the others coming?”
The other two exchanged glances, looking slightly surprised, as if she’d asked an unexpected question.
The lead actress was named Shen Qingqing. She wore a short white puffer jacket on top, a pleated mini skirt and black stockings below. She held her phone in one hand, apparently chatting with someone.
Hearing the question, she smiled sweetly and linked her arm with the girl’s. “They’re upstairs—arrived before us.”
The girl didn’t overthink it, nodded, and seemed relieved.
Gu Xi paused mid-step. “Qingqing Jie, my stomach’s a bit off. You guys go on ahead—I need to use the restroom.”
Shen Qingqing stopped immediately, reacting quickly with a concerned look. “Are you okay? I’ll come with you.”
Before Gu Xi could refuse, she turned to the front desk and said, “Have someone take them to the Mengxian Pavilion on the third floor.”
The three girls had all dressed up for the night. They smiled politely and said, “Qingqing Jie, we can find our way.”
“It’s fine—this place is big. I’m afraid you’ll get lost.”
A handsome young man from the front desk came over to lead them upstairs.
Maybe Gu Xi was overthinking, but she felt like they were afraid the girls might run off. Shen Qingqing seemed very familiar with the place, guiding Gu Xi in another direction. Afraid of arousing suspicion, Gu Xi had no choice but to follow, pulling a pack of tissues from her bag and pretending to be in a hurry.
The restroom had stalls. Gu Xi went in and closed the door. She didn’t hear Shen Qingqing leave, which made her nervous. She quickly pulled out her phone and sent Fang Pingping a message with her location.
When she didn’t come out for a while, Shen Qingqing grew impatient. “Xixi, are you done?”
Hearing no response, she walked over and knocked on the stall door. Gu Xi had no choice but to open it. Two more people had entered—a cleaning lady and a waitress.
There were also many security guards at the entrance. Realizing Gu Xi couldn’t escape, Shen Qingqing’s expression had soured. After Gu Xi washed her hands, she grabbed her arm and hurried her along.
“Qingqing Jie, you’re hurting me.”
Shen Qingqing gave a fake smile. “Hurry up—they’ll get impatient waiting.”
It was too late to regret anything now. Gu Xi could only follow.
The Mengxian Pavilion was at the far right of the staircase on the third floor. Shen Qingqing didn’t knock—she dragged Gu Xi straight in and over to the seating area.
Several people were sitting there, both men and women, in dim lighting. Gu Xi immediately spotted the man in the middle. His long, slender fingers held a thin cigarette, wisps of smoke blurring his face. The girl beside him was one of the ones who’d come with them, wearing a fitted short dress and heels. She leaned sideways but kept a ten-centimeter distance from him, holding a glass of wine as if offering it to him.
The man turned his head away, his expression calm yet cold.
Shen Qingqing giggled and walked toward a pudgy man on the nearby sofa. He had a girl in his lap—when he saw her coming, he pushed the girl aside and pulled Shen Qingqing into his arms, his greasy hand squeezing her waist as his leering eyes swept over Gu Xi with undisguised interest. “So this is the little sister you mentioned?”
“She’s really quite pretty.”
The others also showed interest.
The girl wore a long black puffer jacket—maybe she was warm, as the zipper was open, revealing a camel-colored turtleneck and trousers. She’d clearly been tricked into coming, wearing only light makeup and her hair casually tied back. But her face was strikingly beautiful—delicate brows and eyes, radiant skin, a pair of bright eyes that were calm and clear yet guarded as she looked around, like a small animal caught in a trap—pitiful and endearing.
These men, used to women, couldn’t help fixing their gazes on her.
It was obvious she was a newcomer who hadn’t entered society yet—something that stirred a destructive urge in them.
Shen Qingqing snorted, then said to Gu Xi, “Xixi, come say hello to the big brothers.”
“Just saying hello isn’t enough. By the rules, latecomers drink three cups as a penalty.”
Shen Qingqing gave a flirtatious laugh. “You’re always picking on people. Fine, fine—I’ll drink first.”
After saying that, she picked up the glass on the table and downed it in one go.
Someone started the cheering. “Nice! She’s got some skill.”
Shen Qingqing smiled and said to Gu Xi, “Xixi, don’t just stand there—come sit down.”
A balding man across the room even stood up, filled a glass, and walked over with a grin. “Come, come—let big brother teach you how to drink…”
Gu Xi recoiled in disgust, stepping back two paces. She glanced at the man sitting in the middle of the sofa—he was talking with someone beside him and hadn’t looked her way at all.
She’d known for a long time that he was cold-blooded by nature. For people he didn’t care about, he wouldn’t spare a single glance or lift a finger.
It had been the same in her past life—even after they’d gotten involved, he’d remained distant with her in public. It was only later, when his feelings changed, that she’d been the one afraid of others finding out about their relationship.
She said coldly, “I won’t drink the wine you poured.”
While the man was still stunned, she quickly walked to the middle of the sofa and sat directly on Bai Shulin’s other side, crowding the man who’d been talking to him so much that he froze mid-sentence. “Uh…”
Bai Shulin seemed to pause for a moment too, then gave her a faint, indifferent glance. In her past life, Gu Xi had been most afraid of him looking at her with that distant gaze. But after having seen so many sides of him, she wasn’t so scared anymore—he was human too, with desires of his own.
The girl on the other side probably hadn’t expected her to do that. Her hand holding the glass stiffened, though she felt a bit of smug satisfaction inside. This man was clearly important, but his demeanor was cold. No matter how she tried to please him, he wouldn’t even glance at her, which was frustrating.
Actually, when Shen Qingqing mentioned there was a dinner party today, she’d known exactly what was going on. She was a newcomer in the entertainment industry—she’d mentally prepared herself the moment she entered this business. Today was actually an opportunity for her.
She’d locked onto her target the moment she entered the private room, relieved that Gu Xi hadn’t come along—otherwise, with that face, it wouldn’t have been her turn.
But now she felt that even if Gu Xi were here, it wouldn’t matter. This man didn’t seem the type to fall for such tactics.
Sure enough, the man beside him didn’t spare Gu Xi a second glance. He reached out and tapped his thin cigarette against the ashtray. The golden cigarette accentuated the long, defined lines of his fingers.
Gu Xi’s gaze also fell on that cigarette. She froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered—she hated the smell of smoke. In her past life, he’d smoked at first too, but later she’d never seen him do it again. She’d never noticed such details before, nor thought much of them. Now, seeing him smoke again, she finally understood why she’d felt something off when she’d seen him smoking last time.
An unexpected thought crossed her mind: maybe in her past life, he’d quit smoking because of her.
The balding man whose toast she’d rejected looked a bit displeased, but seeing where she’d sat, he let out a chuckle. “So she’s after President Bai instead. Little sister, you’ve got good taste. How about it, President Bai—pour her a drink? Can’t let her devotion go to waste.”
Hearing this, the others joined in the jeering. “Drink together! Drink together!”
The man sitting on Gu Xi’s other side stiffened, feeling that these people had gone too far. He regretted bringing them here and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright—enough drinking. You guys have your fun—we’ve got things to do.”
He then leaned toward Bai Shulin and lowered his voice. “How about we head out first?”
Bai Shulin didn’t take the other man seriously. He gave a faint “mm” of acknowledgment.
He stubbed out his unfinished cigarette in the ashtray and stood to leave. But the man wouldn’t let go. “Hey, President Li, President Bai—this isn’t any fun. We were just getting into it, and now you’re leaving? What’s that about? You’ve been here this long and haven’t had a single drink—way too rude.”
“Yeah, have a few rounds with us.”
President Li regretted everything now. Before they’d come, he’d told them to mind their manners, but once the alcohol kicked in, they forgot everything. He quickly stood up and said, “Alright, alright—you’ve had too much to drink. Don’t go dragging everyone into drinking.”
Gu Xi took the chance to stand and follow behind.
The fat man holding Shen Qingqing spotted her and pointed. “You stay.”
Seeing this, Gu Xi didn’t hesitate—she reached out and grabbed the man in front of her by his clothes. He paused but didn’t stop her.
The man who’d been pushing drinks grew angry. “Who do you think you’re looking down on?” He reached out to grab Bai Shulin, but Bai Shulin responded by smashing a bottle over his head and kicking him away.
“BANG—” It happened in an instant. Standing close by, Gu Xi watched with her own eyes as Bai Shulin struck with the bottle, then sent the man flying with a kick.
After that, he casually pulled out a tissue and wiped the splattered liquor off his hand, his expression icy.
“AAAH—AAAH—”
The remaining half-bottle of liquor mixed with blood, and the balding man let out agonizing screams. He was clearly accustomed to a life of ease and had never suffered such treatment. He curled up with his eyes shut, clutching his head, glass shards embedded in his clothes.
People around gasped, clearly frightened.
For a moment, no one in the private room dared to speak.
Bai Shulin coldly threw out, “Who do you think you are?”
He dropped the crumpled tissue and left without looking back.
Gu Xi was startled too—she’d never seen him like this. But more than fear, she knew she had to follow him.
President Li lagged a step behind, angrily pointing at the fat man still holding Shen Qingqing, and spat through gritted teeth, “Look what you’ve done! Damn it—what kind of idiot did you bring along?”
He then hurried out after them.
Once they got into the elevator, he noticed the girl was still following. He shot a glance at Bai Shulin’s expression—seeing he said nothing, he didn’t dare bring it up either. Or perhaps he’d already realized that Bai Shulin seemed to treat this girl a bit differently. After they reached the lobby, he called the car he’d arranged and they headed to the hotel together.