She put away her phone.
The instant Lili turned around, her legs suddenly gave way, and she nearly fell.
A wave of heat surged from the deepest part of her body, as though it were drilling out through the gaps between her bones, accompanied by waves of longing and emptiness.
Lili immediately thought of the glass of sparkling wine from Pei Nanyin.
The drink had been drugged.
It must have been ordered by the old madam.
Lili drew a deep breath, and her intention to return to the private room instantly faded.
If she went back to the private room,
that would mean she had to be with Pei Wendu…
She found it filthy.
Lili turned around decisively and staggered toward the exit of the club.
Coming toward her,
two men in floral shirts swaggered over, reeking of alcohol.
The moment they saw Lili’s flushed face and hurried breathing, it was obvious to them that something was wrong.
The two exchanged a lecherous grin.
They closed in on Lili from either side.
The taller man reached out and grabbed Lili’s arm. “Hey, beautiful, your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell? How about your big brother here helps you?”
The other man also chuckled. “Exactly, exactly. It’s dangerous to be alone in a place like this. Let the two of us big brothers take you somewhere to rest.”
Their intentions were as obvious as Sima Zhao’s ambition—everyone could see them.
Lili clenched her back teeth.
Summoning all her strength, she shoved them away and hurried forward.
“Hey! You still dare to run?”
“Grab her!”
The footsteps behind her pursued relentlessly. Lili’s legs were as weak as noodles, and her heart was racing faster and faster.
The corridor before her seemed to spin.
The drug’s effects were becoming increasingly violent.
After turning a corner,
she found herself in a relatively quiet lounge area. The lights were soft, and a man in an iron-gray suit stood with his back to the corridor before a huge picture window, speaking on the phone. His shoulders were taut, and his bearing was upright.
“Help… help me…”
Lili lunged toward him, but her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees on the carpet.
Right at the man’s feet.
The man lowered his eyes.
A trace of surprise flashed through his deep, dark eyes.
It vanished in an instant.
What followed was impatience at being entangled.
Lili tremblingly extended her small, fair hand and grabbed the neatly pressed trouser leg of his suit. She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears.
The moment the man’s gaze fell upon Lili’s face, a trace of astonishment crossed his handsome features.
The two thugs also ran over.
The tall one put on an ingratiating smile. “This girl came with us. Sorry to bother you. We’ll take her away now.”
The two reached out to grab Lili’s arms.
Lili shook her head at the man. “No… help me.”
The man calmly put away his phone.
The two had already pulled Lili up and were trying to drag her outside.
The man suddenly sent out a flying kick.
His foot struck the taller man in the knee, and the other man dropped violently to his knees.
He glared fiercely at the man.
The man grabbed Lili by the arm, wrested her away from the two of them, and drew her behind him. His voice was cold as he barked, “Get lost.”
The man’s presence was intimidating.
The two thugs exchanged a glance. After roughly gauging that he was not someone they could afford to provoke, they cursed a couple of times under their breath but ultimately did not dare approach again. They turned and slipped away.
Shen Qingli’s taut nerves relaxed.
But the heat in her body penetrated into her marrow, finding its way in everywhere.
She could not even stand steadily.
She leaned against the man.
Her body was bonelessly soft.
Her lower lip had already been bitten until it bled, the pain the only thing suppressing the shameful moans.
The man turned around, his gaze deep and complicated. “Do you need help?”
Shen Qingli restrained the impulse and desire to cling to him and strip off the iron-gray suit he was wearing.
She nodded forcefully.
His deep voice fell softly into Shen Qingli’s ears, which were on the verge of collapse. “How should I help?”
Shen Qingli bit the inside of her cheek until it broke.
She rushed forward two steps.
Then she threw herself into the man’s arms.
Rising onto her tiptoes, she brushed her lips across the man’s chin. In a low, pleading voice, she said, “Please, I’ll pay you…”
The man’s tall, straight body remained utterly unmoving.
Shen Qingli leaned in to kiss the corner of his lips.
Suddenly,
a suit was draped over her head, plunging everything before her into darkness.
Shen Qingli let out two dissatisfied little whimpers.
The next second,
she only felt a chop strike the back of her neck, and she abruptly lost consciousness.
When Shen Qingli woke again,
the sky was already bright.
The strong smell of alcohol and disinfectant filled her nose.
She was in a hospital.
A nurse happened to come in to make her rounds. “You’re awake. You were drugged. A gentleman brought you here last night and arranged for your hospitalization. How are you feeling now?
“Little girls shouldn’t go to bars alone in the future. And you’re so beautiful, too—you can never be too wary of other people.”
Shen Qingli nodded. “May I ask whether that gentleman left any contact information?”
The nurse shook her head.
Shen Qingli struggled to sit up. There seemed to be some of the drug still remaining in her body, and a wave of dizziness blurred her vision.
She pressed both hands hard against her head.
The nurse instructed her, “There’s still a small amount of the drug left in your system. Remember to drink plenty of water to speed up your metabolism. You can be discharged at any time.”
Shen Qingli inclined her head slightly. “Thank you!”
The nurse turned and went to the other wards.
Leaning against the headboard, Shen Qingli kept replaying the events of the previous night in her mind.
Then a message lit up her phone.
Pei Wendu: 【Lili, are you at home? I’ll go pick you up and we’ll attend the auction.】
Shen Qingli gave a bitter laugh.
So Pei Wendu had not gone home at all last night.
If she had died in the bar last night, would no one even have collected her body today?
Shen Qingli casually replied in the chat box: 【I’m not feeling well.】
Pei Wendu: 【Then get plenty of rest. I’ll come straight home as soon as the auction ends. Love you.】
Shen Qingli put away her phone.
As soon as she left the hospital, she waited by the roadside for a car.
Shen Qingli once again received messages from Pei Nanyin:
【Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. Grandma made me do it. Please forgive me, sob sob sob. I’m willing to atone with my life.】
【Oh, right, Sister-in-law, the necklace you’re looking for is at our auction this time. Does that count as atoning for my crime by rendering a meritorious service?】
【Come quickly!】
【I’ll tell you secretly—the starting price is twenty thousand, and the highest it’ll go is only two hundred thousand.】
As luck would have it, a taxi stopped in front of her.
Shen Qingli bent down and got in. Decisively and briskly, she said, “Driver, I need to change the destination.”