Li Yan had no idea what had happened.
He instinctively followed Yu Huan’s command, rolled up his sleeves, and slapped the man closest to him.
As luck would have it, that man was the same one Yu Huan had already splashed with champagne twice.
Smack!
The slap landed loudly and hard, instantly leaving a vivid red handprint across the man’s face.
Power and capital were the most useful things in the world.
When capital encountered even more powerful capital, it became nothing more than ordinary.
The man who had been acting arrogantly moments ago completely lost his nerve when faced with Li Yan. Even after being slapped across the face, he didn’t dare get angry. He could only cover his cheek and repeatedly apologize.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t know this young lady was Young Master Li’s person.”
The other two men looked ashen, their lips pale as if they were about to faint at any moment.
They swallowed nervously, their hearts filled with regret.
They must have been drunk out of their minds to openly gossip about Zhu Heqing and Xu Yunshu at the Xu family’s banquet.
Gossiping was one thing, but how did they have the rotten luck to be overheard by a woman connected to Li Yan and the others?
The man in the red suit forced an ingratiating smile onto his face.
“We were blind and failed to recognize someone important. We disturbed Miss’s evening. We’ll leave right away.”
He deliberately avoided the actual reason for their confrontation, wanting nothing more than to leave the estate as quickly as possible.
“Don’t be in such a hurry.”
He Zhiheng gave them a cold glance and spoke lazily.
His eyes were naturally charming and flirtatious, but when his expression turned cold, they carried an intimidating pressure.
Just a few words were enough to make the three men freeze in place.
He Zhiheng ignored them and instead looked at Li Yan, sighing.
“Ah Yan, you really are quick with your hands.”
Li Yan took a handkerchief from a servant and leisurely wiped his hands.
He had a clean-cut, refined appearance, and when he smiled, he looked rather shy. The words that came out of his mouth, however, were completely at odds with his appearance.
“Brother Zhu isn’t here. I figured I couldn’t let sister-in-law get bullied by a few pieces of trash.”
After wiping his hands clean, Li Yan tossed the handkerchief directly onto the red-suited man’s face, completely unconcerned about the shock his words had caused.
What did he mean by ‘Brother Zhu isn’t here, so I can’t let sister-in-law get bullied’?
Which Zhu?
The three men racked their brains.
There was only one person they could think of who would make the eldest young master of the Li family call him Brother Zhu—
Zhu Heqing.
So…
The handkerchief slowly slid from the red-suited man’s face.
At the same time, his heart sank deeper and deeper.
He stiffly turned his eyes toward Yu Huan.
This woman was… Zhu Heqing’s girlfriend!
The red-suited man closed his eyes and nearly collapsed.
They had actually spread rumors about Zhu Heqing and Xu Yunshu right in front of his girlfriend.
The other two men clearly came to the same realization.
Their already bloodless faces became as pale as sheets of paper.
Their minds went completely blank.
Only three words kept repeating over and over—
We’re screwed.
The next moment, Li Yan’s warm and pleasant voice rang out.
To the three men, however, it sounded like the voice of the Grim Reaper coming to claim their lives.
“You’ve got it wrong. Sister-in-law isn’t my woman. She’s Brother Zhu’s girlfriend.”
Then Li Yan turned to Yu Huan.
“Sister-in-law, could you tell us what happened?”
“Of course, if you’re tired and don’t feel like explaining, that’s fine too. I’ll have them tell us instead.”
Li Yan and the others were the same age as Zhu Heqing, while Yu Huan was much younger than them. Having personally witnessed how Zhu Heqing treated her, Li Yan subconsciously imitated his friend’s manner of coaxing and comforting his little girlfriend.
Yu Huan’s brows immediately knitted together when she remembered the disgusting things those men had said.
She glanced around at the growing crowd of spectators and became even more unhappy.
“There are too many people here. I don’t like it.”
“I’ll tell you! I’ll explain everything for this young lady!”
The least noticeable of the three men hurriedly spoke up.
This wasn’t the time to worry about brotherhood.
Whoever spoke first could dump all the blame on the other two.
He had already thought it through.
He had only agreed with what the others said. He hadn’t been the one to start the rumors.
Yu Huan glared viciously at the man who was trying to shift the blame.
“You say one word, and I’ll have them slap you once.”
He Zhiheng snapped his fingers.
“Fine. We won’t talk about it here. There are fewer people upstairs. Let’s go there.”
He took out his phone and sent Zhu Heqing a message, telling him that Yu Huan had gone upstairs with them.
Then he casually glanced at the three men before walking ahead to lead Yu Huan upstairs.
Several people were standing beside the railing on the second floor, all watching the commotion below.
When Yu Huan came upstairs, a girl in an olive-green dress quietly greeted her.
“Hello, junior!”
He Ziqing was practically bursting with excitement.
She was one year ahead of Yu Huan at university.
When the freshmen had first arrived, He Ziqing had volunteered for extra credit.
And the very first person she noticed was Yu Huan, who seemed to glow in the middle of the crowd.
At the time, Yu Huan had been surrounded by people—both boys and girls—and He Ziqing hadn’t even managed to get the honor of helping her carry her luggage or escorting her to the dormitory.
Later, Yu Huan joined the anime club.
Her cosplays were beautiful and incredibly accurate, making He Ziqing like her even more.
She had even seriously considered undergoing gender reassignment just so she could pursue Yu Huan.
When she found out that Zhu Heqing and Yu Huan were together, He Ziqing had practically howled in disbelief.
She felt that Yu Huan had been wronged.
Her junior was still so young!
Brother Zhu was nearly thirty!
There was such a huge generation gap between them!
Zhu Heqing was getting old!
He Ziqing nearly ground her teeth to pieces.
Zhu Heqing deserved someone better.
Not someone as perfect as her junior.
Her beautiful junior, whose every feature perfectly matched her taste, walked past her in a pink dress like a princess, leaving behind a faint fragrance that was uniquely hers.
Knowing that Yu Huan didn’t like overly enthusiastic people, He Ziqing merely gave her a reserved, quiet greeting.
Yu Huan glanced sideways at her.
He Ziqing was also quite famous at Qing University.
Not only was she the student council president, she was a diplomacy major with excellent grades. She had even been taken by professors to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs early on to gain experience and make connections.
Whenever the university held major events, He Ziqing was always the female host, and her hosting skills were far better than those of the male hosts.
Of course, the main reason for her fame was her extremely colorful romantic history.
With both gossip and talent working in her favor, He Ziqing’s name was well known throughout Qing University.
Yu Huan returned the greeting.
“Hello, senior.”
He Ziqing smiled appropriately and gave her a gentle nod.
Only after everyone entered the private room did she grab Zhao Xun’s arm and silently scream in excitement.
Junior knows me!
My life is complete!
Zhao Xun grimaced from the pain.
“Ahh… Sis, you’re really my sister. Please go easy on me.”
“That’s Brother Zhu’s girlfriend?”
Someone nearby asked.
He Ziqing snorted when she heard that, her voice dripping with jealousy.
“Yep. Brother Zhu really got lucky. He managed to date my goddess.”
“If I were a man, Brother Zhu wouldn’t stand a chance.”
No one answered her.
Instead, they all looked at the man slowly approaching from behind and silently gave He Ziqing a look that clearly said:
Good luck. You’re on your own.
“Oh?”
“Brother Zhu wouldn’t stand a chance…”
Zhu Heqing’s voice was full of amusement as he approached.
“I didn’t know your ambitions were quite that great.”