Chapter 8

After the art exhibition ended, the sky had already darkened. Xu Zirui instructed his secretary to send the paintings back and then invited Lu Zhi and the others to a club for dinner and relaxation.

Lu Zhi didn’t refuse.

Wise people know when to stop. Although Xu Zirui hadn’t stated it explicitly, Lu Zhi understood his intention. In the past, it wouldn’t have mattered, but his sudden approach now was nothing more than a scheme targeting the Yifang Group shares in her hands.

Not long after they arrived at the club, a friend went out for a moment and returned saying they had run into Bai Lu.

“That little girl is quite fierce, arguing with a group of people all by herself.”

Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow. Arguing?

“Shen Qing, your little sister shouldn’t be left to suffer a loss alone. How about,” the friend looked at her, egging her on, “we go take a look?”

“Sure,” Lu Zhi set down the glass in her hand and stood up, not disturbing the others in the private room. “Let’s go see.”

The place they had chosen was a well-known money pit in this area. Exiting the private room, the dance floor outside was a blur of debauchery and neon lights. Under the earth-shaking, explosive drumbeats, men and women lived as if in a drunken dream. They walked past face after face born of desire and abandon in the blurred light, arriving at the booths behind the stage.

Quite a few people sat on the two curved sofas. Bai Lu stood sideways. The colorful flashing lights of the stage flickered across her beautiful face. She was wearing a white, close-fitting knit top and a black leather mini skirt today, exposing a pair of long, slender legs. Her curvaceous figure was lethally attractive.

Directly opposite her was a young man and woman. Their faces were unclear in the dim lighting; the only visible details were the man’s stiff, crisp suit and the woman’s light-colored blouse and dark trousers. Two or three people beside them were clearly trying to smooth things over.

Before Lu Zhi even got close, she saw Bai Lu casually grab a glass and splash its contents at the woman opposite her.

Lu Zhi paused. Splashing wine?

In the plot, this scene was supposed to happen the first time Bai Lu met the female lead. The domineering CEO brought the strong-willed, stubborn intern to the club to broaden her horizons, and Bai Lu just happened to run into them. As the willful and unruly antagonist, seeing another woman beside the male lead, she naturally wouldn’t let it go. After a few verbal exchanges, Zhou Ying’s protective actions towards the female lead drove her into a rage, and she threw a glass of wine at the female lead. But how could the female lead suffer a loss when the male lead was there? He naturally played the hero and blocked it. Then the completely unaffected female lead picked up her own glass and retaliated. Bai Lu, with no one to help her, was caught off guard and splashed all over her head and face, kicking off the climax of this story arc.

Recalling the plot, Lu Zhi narrowed her eyes. So the woman opposite her was the female lead, Lin Wei?

Watching the brownish-yellow liquid splash towards her face, the woman reflexively raised her hand to block it. In the next instant, a figure flashed before her—the male lead, Zhou Ying, had stepped in front of her.

Everyone exclaimed in shock.

Bai Lu was also stunned, holding the empty glass. She stared at Zhou Ying in disbelief. He was tall, so the wine had just splashed onto his shoulder. The dripping liquid trickled down his black suit, instantly soaking a large patch.

Then his thin lips moved, his icy voice perfectly clear despite the loud music: “Bai Lu, have you caused enough trouble yet?”

Despite the noisy, chaotic environment, the air inexplicably fell silent for a moment. Bai Lu looked at Zhou Ying, who stood protectively before that woman. His face showed a direct, undisguised disgust. His eyes shot towards her like sharp knives.

Bai Lu’s heart clenched violently. She even doubted if she had gone momentarily deaf, until a cool, clear voice pierced through her eardrums.

“Bai Lu.”

Lu Zhi walked over and naturally pulled Bai Lu behind her. The young girl, still reeling from the shock of reality, was easily moved by her.

“Shen Qing?” Zhou Ying frowned.

Although Shen Qing didn’t interact much with Zhou Ying, the Bai and Zhou families were long-time family friends and always consciously maintained a surface appearance of closeness. Zhou Ying was startled to see her, clearly surprised she was here.

Lu Zhi glanced at the mess on his suit. This was her first time facing the protagonist in this world. He was wearing a black three-piece suit, tall and imposing, with a cold, stern face and sharp, piercing brows. He had the air of a social elite, perfectly fitting the male lead’s character setting.

“I happened to be here having fun and saw this. Sorry, kids can be foolish.” She didn’t ask about the cause of the current situation, only showing a faint, apologetic smile.

Zhou Ying’s expression didn’t improve because of her words. He still frowned gloomily and shook his jacket. The woman behind him reacted, glanced at Lu Zhi blocking the way, reluctantly put down the glass she had just picked up, and instead grabbed two paper napkins to dab at his suit.

The others also instantly stood up, some grabbing napkins, others trying to smooth things over.

Lu Zhi’s gaze fell on the woman with pursed lips and a slightly resentful expression. This must be the female lead, Lin Wei. She wasn’t a pure, innocent flower of a woman. On the contrary, although she was young and had only delicate features, she possessed her own unique charisma. In the plot, she was a kind, principled, tenacious, and hardworking girl who feared no authority, but was also competitive and believed in settling scores.

Lu Zhi’s eyes barely touched on her before sweeping across the surroundings. “Bai Lu was in a bad mood today and disturbed everyone’s enjoyment. My apologies. Drinks are on me tonight as a small token of regret.”

Everyone hurriedly demurred. Zhou Ying’s voice was low: “That’s not necessary…”

Lu Zhi smiled, and on her own initiative, gestured to the waiter standing by. “Another round of the same drinks, put it on my tab.”

Her attitude was deferential. No matter how angry Zhou Ying was, he couldn’t say much more. He just took off his jacket and tossed it onto the sofa.

The others tactfully pretended the previous incident hadn’t happened. All being part of this circle, they knew best how to say the right polite words to let the matter pass without a ripple. For a moment, the air was filled with teasing remarks thanking Lu Zhi for her generosity.

Only the woman named Lin Wei looked uncomfortable. Although Zhou Ying had blocked the wine for her, she was the one who had been scolded and insulted earlier. Yet these people had completely forgotten it. The culprit stood right there, without receiving any punishment or blame. Originally, she really had wanted to splash it back. She was confident that in that situation, even if she had drenched that pampered Eldest Miss, Zhou Ying wouldn’t have done anything to her. But this woman who suddenly appeared had defused Zhou Ying’s anger with just a few words.

But soon, she discovered that Bai Lu didn’t appreciate this woman’s goodwill at all. She actually rushed out, disregarding her image, and emotionally questioned Zhou Ying: “Brother Zhou Ying, do you like…”

“Bai Lu.” Lu Zhi cut her off just in time, her voice like ice, merciless. “Getting jealous and making a scene in public over a man—where are the Bai family’s manners?”

As soon as her words fell, not only did Bai Lu’s face change drastically, but Zhou Ying’s mouth also turned down instantly. It was because what she said made Zhou Ying sound like a playboy being fought over by women.

“Bai Lu has had too much to drink. I’m taking her home.”

Lu Zhi didn’t want others to witness any more of her spectacle. Leaving these words behind, she pulled Bai Lu and turned to leave.

After walking out of the noisy area, Lu Zhi turned to the friend accompanying them and said, “Please tell Xu Zirui that something came up and I have to leave early.”

The friend understood. Looking at the dejected Bai Lu, she gave Lu Zhi an OK gesture.

Lu Zhi settled Zhou Ying’s group’s bill at the front desk and returned to the parking lot. She opened the car door. Bai Lu, with two pools of tears welling in her eyes, got in, looking utterly defeated. She had clearly suffered a great setback and blow today.

Lu Zhi glanced at her tear-streaked face, not feeling the slightest bit of pity. She simply signaled the club’s designated driver who had followed them to go back to the private room and retrieve her handbag.

Bai Lu was crying so hard her nose was bubbling before Lu Zhi finally clicked her tongue, pulled out a tissue, and handed it over. “You like him that much?”

Bai Lu sobbed, unable to speak clearly: “It’s… it’s none of your business…”

“Oh,” Lu Zhi said. “If I don’t mind your business, wouldn’t you have lost face out there today?”

Hearing this, Bai Lu let out a “Wah” and cried even harder. Perhaps feeling she had already lost enough face in front of Lu Zhi, and being inside the enclosed car, she completely let go now. Her pent-up emotions erupted instantly, her voice no longer restrained, wailing loudly in the back seat.

Lu Zhi sat on the other side of the back seat, took out her phone, and snapped two pictures of Bai Lu.

Bai Lu heard the noise, looked up, and saw Lu Zhi holding up her phone, taking photos of her ugly state. Her expression instantly froze. A large teardrop still hung on her eyelashes, about to fall, but her tone was full of disbelief: “You’re still taking pictures… taking pictures of me… sob… do you have… have no humanity…”

As she spoke, she reached out to grab the phone. Lu Zhi slightly raised her arm, and Bai Lu’s grab met empty air.

“Don’t rush. I’ll send you the pictures later,” Lu Zhi said with a smile. “Crying like this, based on your usual habits, you’d need to post it on your Moments to commemorate it.”

“Y-you dare!” Bai Lu spoke while crying, her voice hiccuping. “You’re not allowed… sob… not allowed to post it on Moments…”

Lu Zhi made an “oh” sound, but her fingers were still tapping on the phone screen. This scared Bai Lu into thinking she really was going to post it on Moments to mock her. Without even wiping her tears, she frantically lunged at her, claws bared. Lu Zhi dodged, then grabbed her hand with one hand, twisted and pinned her other slender wrist with the other, easily pressing both of Bai Lu’s hands together against the car door. Her own other hand kept holding the phone.

Unable to win physically, Bai Lu anxiously tried to kick her. Lu Zhi turned back, tossed the phone onto the seat, grabbed the girl’s calf and pressed it down, her right knee pinning the back of Bai Lu’s knee, firmly fixing her in place beneath her.

“Behave,” Lu Zhi looked at her.

Bai Lu was subdued within two breaths. Looking at the woman right in front of her, practically sitting on her, whose soft curls even fell onto her face and neck, a faint, elusive cold fragrance wafting over with her movements, the overlapping position inexplicably made her feel ashamed. She even forgot she was crying.

Lu Zhi looked at Bai Lu pinned beneath her, tears and snot smeared all over her face. She pulled two tissues with one hand and, without a shred of tenderness, plastered them onto her face and rubbed. The young girl’s skin was very delicate; after this wipe, her nose tip and cheeks were red, like a fresh, moist peach.

“It’s Wednesday today. Logically, you had classes all day, and yet you still have the energy to come to a bar at night. Quite energetic,” Lu Zhi used one finger to flick away a few strands of black hair stuck to her cheek by tears, her voice unhurried.

Bai Lu struggled her small arms, but couldn’t free them. “…You have to manage this too… sob… I didn’t skip class…”

“Then what did you come to the bar for? To catch a cheater?” Lu Zhi looked her up and down, her tone teasing. “What status do you think you have to righteously question Zhou Ying?”

“I…” Bai Lu looked up at Lu Zhi above her. The woman’s features were almost entirely hidden in the shadows, only a pair of mocking eyes and the cascading soft hair visible. She opened her mouth and found she couldn’t say anything. Finally, she could only weakly accuse, voice thick with tears: “You… hic… you’re bullying me… hic…”

She was so angry she had the hiccups.

“Mm, I’m bullying you,” Lu Zhi said. “Who told you to be so stupid?”

Bai Lu pouted, wanting to cry even more.