Xu Tao was the last to arrive at the birthday party. It had taken her two and a half hours to make her way from the Qin family’s home to a private club in the city.
Shi Jin hadn’t come to pick her up; he was waiting outside the club.
Night had fallen, making the luxurious décor stand out even more. Xu Tao had never been anywhere like this and couldn’t even spot the entrance at first glance.
Shi Jin smiled and reached for her hand. “It’s this way. I’ll take you upstairs. Everyone’s here already—only you were missing.”
He leaned close to Xu Tao’s ear to share his excitement. The club had made a huge impression on him.
“It’s even more extravagant inside than out here. You should’ve seen it—the servers bent over backward when they saw Hu Hang’s friends. They practically bowed until their backs touched the floor.”
Xu Tao let him lead her along a path. They rounded a bend, and the place opened up before them, modern luxury washing over her. Someone came over and respectfully escorted them farther inside.
“Um, Peach, there are a few more people here than I expected. I didn’t know ahead of time, but it’s no big deal. It won’t affect us. Don’t be nervous, okay?”
Xu Tao wasn’t exactly nervous; she simply didn’t much like socializing. She smiled but said nothing.
Shi Jin pushed open the door. The room fell silent for a moment. As the last one to arrive, Xu Tao naturally drew extra attention, and she felt countless eyes settle on her.
The private room was huge and lavishly decorated, though not as tasteful as the exterior. Men and women sat in a row on the sofa, drinking and singing.
Under the dazzling lights, Xu Tao couldn’t make out exactly how many people there were.
Shi Jin quickly led Xu Tao to a seat at the very end of the long sofa.
Once she sat down, she recognized a few faces: Shi Jin’s three roommates, Hu Hang, Sun Dong, and Wu Xiaochuan.
Each had brought his girlfriend.
Xu Tao had met them once after military training and still remembered them. She greeted them politely.
Although it was Hu Hang’s birthday, he was sitting near the edge of the group. The moment he saw Xu Tao, he perked up and slung an arm over Shi Jin’s shoulder, teasing them.
“Showing up late, Peach? You’ll have to sing a song as punishment later!”
Xu Tao felt uncomfortable being called that by someone she didn’t know well, but since the birthday boy himself had said it, all she could do was demur. “I can’t sing. I’d only embarrass myself. Hu Hang, happy birthday.”
Hu Hang didn’t press her. He put an arm around the girl beside him and grinned as he drank.
They were all only first-year university students, but there was none of the awkwardness of youth about Hu Hang. He was completely at ease in a place like this, clearly a regular.
All three of Shi Jin’s roommates came from well-off families, especially Hu Hang. Xu Tao had heard his family donated a library, which was how he’d gotten into Wancheng University of Technology.
In the month since school had started, he’d already gone through three girlfriends.
Xu Tao worried that spending too much time with him might lead Shi Jin to pick up some bad habits.
She was looking down, lost in thought, when the music suddenly stopped. The girl singing a love song had been in the middle of it, but even she had to lower the microphone.
Xu Tao looked up and realized that a young man seated in the center of the sofa was sizing her up.
“Hu Hang, who’s this beautiful girl? You’re not going to introduce us?” Zhao Qingyan gave Hu Hang a knowing look, his smile hard to read.
Hu Hang was deferential toward Zhao Qingyan and didn’t waste a second. “Brother Yan, this is my roommate Jinzi’s girlfriend, Xu Tao. She goes to Wancheng Normal University. What do you think? Pretty, right?”
“Peach, say hello to Brother Yan.”
Xu Tao nodded in greeting but didn’t call him Brother Yan.
Zhao Qingyan stubbed out his cigarette and glanced at Shi Jin, who had stayed quiet beside Xu Tao. “She’s even prettier than in the photos. You’ve got it good, Jinzi. You’re a lucky guy.”
Shi Jin had no idea how Zhao Qingyan had seen Xu Tao’s photos. He supposed it was because he’d posted them to his social media, and Hu Hang had shown them around.
Shi Jin wasn’t close to Zhao Qingyan. He smiled modestly. “I’m the lucky one.”
He shifted slightly in front of Xu Tao and squeezed her hand, which had gone a little cold. Instinctively, he didn’t want Zhao Qingyan’s gaze lingering on his girlfriend.
Zhao Qingyan raised his brows and motioned for everyone to start singing again. The lights dimmed, and he leaned back against the sofa, his narrow eyes half-lidded as they kept roaming over Xu Tao’s face and chest.
She was far too innocent. She stood out from everyone else just by being there.
Most of the girls who came to places like this were brought along for a good time. Their intentions were obvious, and Zhao Qingyan had grown tired of them. He hadn’t gone out to indulge himself in a while.
But a few days earlier, Hu Hang had sent him a photo and asked if he thought the girl was hot.
He’d sounded regretful, saying she was a well-behaved, respectable girl, good in every way except that she had a boyfriend.
She was exactly Zhao Qingyan’s type, so he’d arranged this get-together and invited her out for some fun.
In person, she looked even more innocent than in the photo.
She was so sensitive, always shrinking behind her boyfriend to avoid Zhao Qingyan’s gaze.
Watching her made Zhao Qingyan itch with desire. So what if she had a boyfriend? He could just throw enough money at her.
He lifted his chin slightly toward Hu Hang. Hu Hang understood and suddenly pulled Shi Jin to his feet. “Come on, come with me to the bathroom. I drank too much—I’m about to burst!”
Shi Jin was taken aback. Hu Hang was strong, and this was hardly something he could refuse, so he had no choice but to follow.
Xu Tao was left behind. Seeing them go, she immediately stood up. She didn’t want to be alone here, but as soon as she moved, the girl Hu Hang had brought linked arms with her in a friendly way.
“You’re Peach, right? You don’t have to be glued to your boyfriend every second! Keep me company. You can call me Yaoyao.”
Xu Tao felt uneasy and tried to make an excuse. “I was just about to go to the bathroom too…”
She hadn’t finished speaking when the man they called Brother Yan sauntered over. Yaoyao tactfully stepped aside and withdrew her arm from Xu Tao’s, leaving behind the chill of the metal studs on her clothes.
Xu Tao’s heart pounded. Sensing the danger, she stood up to leave.
Zhao Qingyan let out an “Oof,” acting like a shameless lout. He grabbed Xu Tao and pulled her back down, dragging her straight into his arms.
Xu Tao cried out in alarm. A jumble of memories surged into her mind, and in an instant, all the color drained from her face.
“Where are you running off to? Is your big brother going to eat you?” Zhao Qingyan bent his head with a laugh. “Why don’t we be friends, Peach?”
He didn’t do anything else. He simply held her so she couldn’t move.
Xu Tao was terrified. She lowered her head and struggled. The more frightened and shaky she became, the more excited Zhao Qingyan got. Still, something about the person in his arms seemed off.
Wasn’t this reaction a little extreme? He hadn’t even done anything yet.
If he actually did something, would she be ready to die over it?
Zhao Qingyan lost patience and tightened his hold so she couldn’t get away. “Everyone’s here to have fun. Why pretend? Didn’t your boyfriend tell you what kind of place this is?”
The music gradually stopped, and everyone turned to look.
They seemed used to this sort of thing.
Only two of Shi Jin’s roommates looked ill at ease. Xu Tao turned to them as if pleading for help. Sun Dong started to speak, but Wu Xiaochuan tugged at him, and in the end, neither of them dared say a word.
Xu Tao was panicking, but she forced herself not to cry. Since she was little, she’d known that the more she cried, the nastier boys became.
“I have a boyfriend. Please don’t do this.” Her voice still trembled with fear. “We really didn’t know what kind of place this was…”
“It’s fine. Now you know. Tao, why not have some fun with us?”
Zhao Qingyan was itching with desire. “You could just get together with me instead. Big Brother has money and connections. You’d save yourself years of hard work.”
“I’ll deal with your boyfriend. I guarantee he won’t dare cling to you anymore.”
He’d only meant to have a little fun, but now he’d changed his mind.
Xu Tao was terrified and trembling all over.
Her shoulder was pressed tight against Zhao Qingyan’s chest. She bit down hard on her lip, trying to make herself stay calm.
After a moment’s standoff, she forced a smile. “Would you let go of me first? I’ll think about it.”
Zhao Qingyan knew girls could be crafty. He was in a good mood and happy to play along with Xu Tao.
“Sure. Call me ‘big brother’ and I’ll let you go if you say it nicely.” She hadn’t been willing to call him that before, but now she’d have to obey.
Xu Tao’s face flushed red with humiliation and hurt. She pressed her lips together and refused to say it.
If she did, he’d only tease her more cruelly.
Zhao Qingyan had little patience. He eyed her sidelong and was about to use a little force when the private-room door was suddenly shoved open.
Shi Jin charged in, his teeth clenched, and swung a fist at Zhao Qingyan’s face.
Before it could land, several young men beside him reacted quickly and pinned him face-down on the table. Bottles and glasses clattered to the floor.