It was a pretty lame excuse, but in the heat of the moment, no one could come up with anything better. The young men nudged and tugged at one another, chiming in with insincere agreement.
“Yeah, right! We were just messing around.”
“Don’t take it seriously. It’s nothing…”
“Lian Yi, do you take me for a fucking idiot?” Tao Wei clearly wasn’t buying it. “Tickling? Why don’t you try tickling Pei Jiangchen like that?”
Lian Yi grinned cheekily and raised his hands. “I’d love to. But A-Chen thinks I’m just a stinky guy.”
Despite the lingering tension, everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Lian Yi’s antics.
Lian Yi’s antics didn’t amuse Tao Wei for long; losing patience, he hauled Amanda up from the ground and dragged her away like a ragdoll.
“Jason!” Amanda, envisioning the fate that awaited her, cried out to Pei Jiangchen in desperation. “Please! Please…”
Empathizing with her plight, many of the girls looked on with expressions of distress.
“Shut your mouth, you bitch!” The young man raised his hand to strike Amanda again.
A streak of silver light shot through the air; the young man felt a sudden, sharp ache in the Yangchi point [1]The Yangchi point (SJ-4 or TH-4) is an acupuncture point located in the crease on the dorsal side of the wrist, situated in a depression near the tendon of the extensor digitorum communis muscle. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3352161_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3352161_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });on his wrist, and his arm went limp and dropped to his side.
The small object clattered onto the pool steps—it was a metal ice cube.
Pei Jiangchen brushed the water from his hands, removed his sunglasses, and stood up.
The DJ had cut the music and vanished somewhere. The poolside was packed with people, yet a deathly silence hung over the scene.
The broad-leaved plants in the courtyard rustled softly in the breeze, and the sweet fragrance of frangipani drifted to the senses every now and then.
Blazing sunlight poured down from high above, landing on Pei Jiangchen’s jet-black, slightly wavy short hair. His strong, defined brow ridge cast a shadow, while his smoky, crystal-like eyes held a rippling smile.
That smile looked so warm and sincere; it was easy to mistake the young man for someone gentle and affectionate.
“Tao Wei,” Pei Jiangchen said, “I like the look of this woman of yours—hand her over to me.”
The words struck like a sudden thunderclap, leaving everyone present dumbfounded. Amanda sat on the ground, her hands covering her face, her sobbing brought to an abrupt halt.
“What did you say?” Tao Wei trembled all over; like a cartoon character, his muscles swelled up as if inflated, stretching his T-shirt to the limit.
“A-Chen.” Lian Yi rubbed the bridge of his nose and said in a low voice, “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Fair point.” Pei Jiangchen tilted his head, exuding a youthful, devil-may-care attitude. “Can’t exactly ask for something empty-handed. I just got a new Arabian horse—an Eclipse Award winner—how about I trade it for this woman?”
The atmosphere shifted once more.
Amanda held no noble status; she was merely a companion brought along by a guest.
People of her standing were common at parties like this. Some came from families dependent on these elite clans, while others had elders who were subordinates or even household servants; all were willing to be at the beck and call of the elite in exchange for favors.
These young people were carefully selected, subjected to thorough background checks, and even given some training or taught specific skills so they could better serve the young masters and misses.
Technically human, in the eyes of these true “golden phoenixes,” they were nothing more than objects to be toyed with or traded.
A top-tier racehorse in exchange for a girl—no one present thought it was a bad deal.
Tao Wei rubbed his bruised wrist, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.
“Just because you want her, I have to trade? You’re dreaming. If you’ve got the guts, fight me. If you win, I’ll gift-wrap this woman and hand her over. If you lose, you get on your knees and lick my feet. Do you dare?”
Pei Jiangchen raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his smile. “The old man forbade me from brawling with you anymore. Besides, there’s a lady present; let’s keep things civilized. How about a shooting contest?”
“Fine!” Tao Wei agreed almost instantly. “What are the rules?”
“Two guns.” Pei Jiangchen held up two slender fingers. “Field-strip, reassemble, and hit the target. Let’s see who’s fastest.”
The rules were simple—perfect for a spur-of-the-moment showdown.
Catching sight of Amanda sitting dazed on the ground, Tao Wei yanked her to her feet.
“Stationary targets are boring. Go on—balance an apple on your head!”
Terrified, Amanda’s knees went weak, and she shook her head frantically.
Pei Jiangchen tutted. “Bullets don’t have eyes. If she gets hurt, is that on you or me?”
“Can’t you handle a little risk?” Tao Wei snapped, roughly shoving Amanda back down to the ground.
Pei Jiangchen gave a soft, mocking laugh. “I’m the host here; I’ll provide the person for the task.”
He tilted his head slightly and called out, “Shuyu!”
It was an unfamiliar name. The young men looked around, puzzled.
A youth dressed in a white shirt and black trousers stepped out from the crowd.
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