Bai Jiyue had completely drunk herself into a stupor.
Fortunately, tonight was her brother’s event, so there weren’t any wild admirers bold enough to bother them.
Xia Zhi helped her to the restroom and nearly gagged herself hearing the retching sounds from inside.
After settling Bai Jiyue in the outer lounge, Xia Zhi returned to the restroom, splashed some water on her face, and felt much more awake.
But when she came out, Bai Jiyue was nowhere to be seen.
In the hallway near the entrance, two or three women with immaculate makeup were leaning against the wall, smoking and gossiping.
Seeing Xia Zhi emerge, one casually pointed in a direction.
“Xia Zhi, looking for Jiyue? She went toward that terrace.”
They were all familiar faces in their circle, so Xia Zhi thanked them immediately and hurried to the right.
Pushing open the terrace door, she froze in place.
Was this… some kind of kissing sanctuary?
The floors above the second level of Tang Palace weren’t accessible to just anyone.
This corner of the third floor had a terrace in an exceptionally clever location.
Standing here, you could take in the entire nightlife street at a glance. But thanks to a ring of flowers lining the terrace’s edge, people below couldn’t clearly see the scene above, making it quite private.
At the moment, on this spacious, mood-lit terrace, at least four or five couples were seated in the carefully arranged outdoor sofas.
All engrossed in kissing and cuddling.
Not spotting Bai Jiyue, Xia Zhi turned to leave.
But she was blocked.
To the right of the entrance, a set of high stools was occupied by four or five men, either sitting or standing.
One of them was Tang Yun, who had just suffered a silent defeat at her hands a few days ago.
Tang Yun tossed his cigarette aside.
“Damn! Isn’t this Miss Xia? Did the sun rise from the west? You actually come out to play too~”
Xia Zhi shot him a glare and turned to leave.
Two other men blocked her way and even closed the terrace door behind her.
Annoyed, Xia Zhi spun back around.
“Tang Yun, have you lost your mind?”
Even when scolding, the young lady’s tone carried a spoiled air, which these men actually found pleasing.
Tang Yun took two steps forward, reaching out to grab Xia Zhi’s hand.
“Last time you ruined my fun. Since we’ve run into each other here today, how about you keep me company instead, Miss Xia?”
Just as he was about to grab her, Xia Zhi didn’t even flinch.
She let out a haughty hum.
“Tang Yun, dare to lay a finger on me and see what happens?”
Tang Yun really didn’t dare, backing off instantly.
He awkwardly withdrew his hand and even retreated a step.
“Holy shit, hahaha…”
“Tang Yun, you coward!”
He was met with raucous laughter from the men around him.
Tang Yun’s face flushed bright red, cursing himself inwardly for being so spineless.
But tonight he had backup, and… this beating was unavoidable anyway.
The thought of making Xia Zhi pay spurred him to throw caution to the wind.
In a fit of desperation, he stepped forward and grabbed Xia Zhi’s hand.
“I’m touching you tonight, damn it! What are you gonna do about it?”
With that, he tried to pull her into his arms.
Just then, an arrogant male voice sounded from behind.
“Hey, let her go.”
The scene suddenly shifted into slow-motion close-up.
Hearing the voice, Tang Yun looked past Xia Zhi and instantly paled in terror, releasing his grip.
Xia Zhi turned and saw a tall, handsome man sitting on the neighboring windowsill.
The man moved with the agility of a leopard, leaping effortlessly from three or four meters away onto the terrace, landing steadily.
Then he stood up and strode over.
Without even glancing at Xia Zhi, he took off his silver jacket and casually tossed it into her arms.
“Hold this for me.”
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, he had already kicked Tang Yun in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward.
The man had taken off his jacket, wearing only a loose black tank top.
His figure was slender and lean, with well-defined muscles, and his movements were powerful.
On his left arm, the entire forearm was covered in intricate tattoos, exuding an air of arrogant darkness.
The men who had been with Tang Yun earlier, sensing the situation had turned, also joined the fight.
The man looked disdainful as he tangled with them on the terrace.
Soon, it became a one-man show for the tattooed man.
He threw hooks, flying kicks, spinning kicks…
In less than ten minutes, he had taken down all four men.
The one who suffered the worst beating was Tang Yun.
His eye was swollen shut, red and bruised.
The man stood still, tilting his neck from side to side to loosen up.
He turned and walked toward Xia Zhi.
“Come with me.”
Taking the jacket from her hand, he naturally grabbed Xia Zhi’s wrist and led her out through the terrace door.
Jiang Yifei pulled Xia Zhi along, navigating the external staircase on the side of Tang Palace with practiced ease.
His lips were pressed together in a cool, silent line.
He only allowed her to freely examine his sharp, chiseled profile.
He led Xia Zhi quickly through a small street lined with bars adorned with colorful lights, finally stopping at the musical fountain at the intersection.
Jiang Yifei glanced back.
“No one’s following.”
Then, leaning against the wall behind him, he raised an eyebrow at Xia Zhi.
“Jiang Yifei,” he introduced himself.
“I know who you are,” Xia Zhi mimicked his tone, introducing herself, “I’m Xia Zhi.”
Jiang Yifei smirked.
“Xia Zhi, I know you too.”
The roguish man stared straight at her, and Xia Zhi slightly turned her face away, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The atmosphere was just right, and the man laughed inwardly, thinking to himself,
Pei Yuhuan’s precious darling is just too easy to fool.
Soon, a convertible sports car pulled up and stopped at the intersection.
Jiang Yifei raised an eyebrow at Xia Zhi.
“My ride’s here. Want to come have some fun?”
Xia Zhi shook her head. “I’m not going.”
The man asked again, “Then let me take you home?”
Xia Zhi shook her head once more, then looked at Jiang Yifei and suddenly let out a soft laugh.
She asked him, “What exactly do you want?”
“What?” Jiang Yifei looked confused, not understanding her meaning.
Xia Zhi patiently explained,
“You guys put on this whole show—what do you want from me?”
A hero saving a beauty—even modern idol dramas wouldn’t dare to pull this off.
Xia Zhi was just well-behaved, not stupid.
She wasn’t someone who had never seen handsome guys before; she was surrounded by top-tier rich second-generation heirs, so she wasn’t that easy to fool.
It was just her upbringing and her obedient, well-mannered nature that made her reluctant to expose them. Making a scene and embarrassing them in public would be rather undignified.
So Xia Zhi had kept quiet and played along until now.
But she really had no interest in continuing any further.
She knew Jiang Yifei—he and Pei Yuhuan had been sworn enemies since childhood.
When they were younger, they fought constantly, causing quite a stir.
As they grew older, they both felt embarrassed about their childish behavior and silently agreed to ignore each other. Wherever they went, it was always “if he’s there, I’m not; if I’m there, he’s not.”
Xia Zhi had transferred to S City during this period. Pei Yuhuan fell for her at first sight and followed her everywhere… Naturally, Xia Zhi rarely had the chance to run into Jiang Yifei.
I often heard gossip about him: today he broke someone’s leg, tomorrow he took people to smash up some bar…
In short, he was a hot-tempered troublemaker, not at all the same type as Xia Zhi.
Having played along with him for these few minutes was already going above and beyond.
Jiang Yifei finally caught on.
“Damn, so you knew from the start that we were in on it together?”
Xia Zhi nodded, not the least bit flustered.
Just as she had been certain earlier that Tang Yun wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her, she was equally certain Jiang Yifei wouldn’t dare do anything to her.
This kind of calm composure was something only a truly pampered young lady could possess.
But Jiang Yifei grew even angrier.
“Xia Zhi, are you messing with me?”
Seeing him flush with anger, Xia Zhi immediately spoke up to soothe him.
“Not at all, you fought really impressively and looked very cool just now, truly.”
The stunning woman looked up at him, her eyes clear and transparent. Despite being in the filthiest circles of high society, there wasn’t a trace of dirtiness or depravity in them.
With eyes like that, with a delicate beauty like Jiaojiao, no one could stay angry.
Alright, he had underestimated Xia Zhi himself.
Jiang Yifei inexplicably let his anger fade.
He awkwardly licked his lip ring.
He asked Xia Zhi, “Was I really that cool?”
Xia Zhi replied with a faint smile, “Mm, very cool~”
Her voice was sweet and delicate, carrying her habitual soft, gentle tone.
Jiang Yifei glanced at her.
Damn… is she talking to a kid?