7:50 PM, Maze Bar.
Lu Feng stepped inside. It was even more chaotic and disorienting than he had imagined.
Shifting beams of light, deafening music, and the strong scent of perfume, alcohol, and hormones mingled in the air.
Following the waiter, he ventured deeper inside until he reached the door of a private room in the VIP area.
The waiter respectfully opened the door.
Inside, the decor was retro, the lighting dim, and jazz music flowed through the air, making time seem to slow down instantly.
A group of young men and women sat on a brown leather sofa.
They were dressed stylishly, laughing and chatting, clearly either wealthy or influential.
Lin Ran sat in the center, having changed her outfit.
A black sequined halter dress barely reached her thighs, her long hair slightly curled, and her red lips were alluring, dazzling even in the dim light.
She looked like a captivating enchantress.
Leaning back on the sofa, she held a glass of amber-colored liquor, tilting her head as she spoke to someone.
Lin Ran felt a cool gaze fixed on her and glanced toward the door.
Everyone’s eyes followed hers.
Lu Feng wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, his tall and slender figure and reserved, almost ascetic demeanor starkly out of place in this environment.
The dim light from the wall fell on his face, outlining his sharp features and tightly pressed lips.
“Oh, the campus heartthrob Lu really came!” a red-haired guy spoke up first.
Lin Ran lifted her chin slightly. “Sit.”
Lu Feng walked over and took a seat beside her.
“What would you like to drink?” Lin Ran asked casually.
“Water.”
“Drinking water at a bar?” a guy in a black leather jacket laughed. “Top student Lu, aren’t you being a bit too disrespectful?”
Lin Ran gave him a faint glance, and the smile instantly vanished from the leather-jacket guy’s face as he lowered his head to drink.
“Get him a soda water,” Lin Ran instructed a nearby waiter.
“Yes, Miss Lin.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned slightly awkward.
Lin Ran acted as if she hadn’t noticed, pointing to a guy on the other side as she spoke to Lu Feng. “Let me introduce you. Chen Chao, my childhood friend.”
The guy wore a silver-gray leather jacket over a flashy purple shirt. He was handsome, and one glance told you he came from a well-off family.
He tilted his head and grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. “Long time no see, campus heartthrob Lu~”
“Ranran has mentioned you quite a bit in front of me.”
He was smiling, and his tone was cheerful, but everyone present was sharp enough to detect the sarcasm in his words.
In Chen Chao’s view, it was ridiculous that Lu Feng remained unmoved despite Lin Ran pursuing him with all her advantages.
He really was putting on an act.
Chen Chao felt his childhood friend deserved better, but out of respect for Lin Ran, he maintained basic courtesy.
Lu Feng acted as if he didn’t notice the sarcasm, replying calmly, “Hello.”
He knew of Chen Chao and had heard about his notorious reputation.
A well-known playboy at Jing University, a wealthy young master famous for his extravagant spending.
The factory where Lu Feng’s adoptive father had worked belonged to Chen Chao’s family. Lin Ran must have asked him to help with the dismissal.
Birds of a feather flock together—no wonder they were childhood friends.
Lu Feng kept his expression neutral, but inwardly, he was filled with disgust and wanted to leave immediately.
Chen Chao, meanwhile, was already making his next move.
He poured two glasses of the strongest liquor from the island bar and pushed one toward Lu Feng.
“Campus heartthrob Lu, this is our first private meeting. Let’s have a drink.”
The orange-red liquid swirled in the glass, ice cubes clinking against the sides with a crisp sound.
Lu Feng glanced at the glass of liquor. “Sorry, I don’t drink.”
“Not giving face?” Chen Chao raised an eyebrow.
The private room fell silent for a moment, everyone turning their eyes to Lu Feng.
“I don’t know how,” he said.
“You can learn if you don’t know,” a girl chimed in. “Sister Ran, your servant isn’t very obedient, huh?”
The fact that Lu Feng was Lin Ran’s servant had already spread throughout the entire university through the art department students.
There were thousands of comments about it on the campus forum.
Lin Ran didn’t speak, merely swirling the glass in her hand, watching the scene before her with great interest.
The smile on Chen Chao’s face faded slightly, but his tone remained gentle. “If you drink, we’re friends. If you don’t…”
He paused. “Well, let’s just say it won’t be good.”
The threat was practically written on his face, but Lu Feng still didn’t move.
His expression was indifferent, giving no one any clue as to what he was thinking.
Lin Ran couldn’t help but marvel—truly the male lead of this world, able to remain so composed even when being deliberately provoked.
The more he acted like this, the more she wanted to possess him, to watch him break all his principles for her.
After a stalemate of about seven or eight seconds, Lin Ran set down her own glass and reached for the strong liquor on the island counter.
“Forget it, I’ll drink for—”
Before she could finish, Lu Feng grasped her wrist.
His fingers were cold, his grip firm.
Lin Ran glanced sideways at him, but he didn’t look back. Instead, with his other hand, he picked up the glass of strong liquor, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
The motion was fluid, pleasing to the eye.
The movement of his Adam’s apple under the dim, suggestive lighting carried a certain sensuality.
Lin Ran curved her lips into a smile.
The liquor burned like fire down his throat, all the way to his stomach. Lu Feng suppressed the urge to cough and placed the empty glass back on the table.
The glass clinked against the marble with a dull thud.
“Nice!” someone applauded.
“Impressive!” After a moment of surprise, Chen Chao also downed his own glass.
The atmosphere grew lively again.
Lin Ran’s wrist was still held by Lu Feng.
She lowered her gaze to look at his fingers clasped around her wrist, then raised her eyes to meet his.
Lu Feng released his grip, his face expressionless, though the corners of his eyes were tinged with red.
From the liquor’s burn.
He said coldly, “Can I leave now?”
“What’s the hurry?”
Lin Ran’s gaze fell on the area of his collarbone. Even through his shirt, Lu Feng felt as though she could see the bite mark.
The wound, which had already stopped hurting, now throbbed faintly under her gaze.
Lin Ran leaned closer to him, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. “This afternoon, Su Wanyu came to see me alone.”
Lu Feng stiffened.
Lin Ran chuckled softly. “She said if I hadn’t interfered, the two of you would have been together long ago.”
“Is that true?”