Following the departures of Lu Yuan and Shen Yi, the Ji family made a hasty exit with Xiao Lin in tow. It didn’t look like they were escorting her; it looked more like a high-stakes prisoner transport.
With the surveillance gone, Ji Yan pulled out a chair at the Qin family’s table with a lazy, careless air. Her noble yet unrestrained aura was overwhelming, making her the center of attention wherever she went.
She looked up to see Xu Yinian sitting with her hands folded over her skirt, her posture as submissive as it could be. Her head was bowed, lost in thought. The sadness on her pale, soft-cheeked face was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.
Yinian had clearly been terrified. She was still visibly worried about Shen Ruoshuang being dragged away by Shen Yi. Every so often, she would startle, dazed for a moment before quickly looking toward the exit, searching for that familiar figure to return.
Ji Yan took a deep breath, her heart tightening. Is your head really that full of her?!
If it weren’t for the fact that Yinian had a psychopathic mother—one even more dangerous than Lu Yuan—watching from a distance, Ji Yan would have smashed a wine bottle over Lu Yuan’s head long ago. Why waste words?
That woman had dared to try and grab Xu Yinian’s chin? Dared to try and force wine down her throat?
Yinian was someone Ji Yan held in the palm of her hand, terrified she might melt. That woman wasn’t fit to touch her. Even in her own most reckless days, Ji Yan had never been that vile.
Knowing that Shen Ruoshuang currently held a weight in Yinian’s heart that she couldn’t match, Ji Yan could only sit there like a cold-faced guardian deity. She blocked nearly every person who tried to come over to curry favor with Yinian or peer at her with ill intentions.
Meanwhile, Qin Jiashu’s mood was in the gutter, her throat dry. It wasn’t that she hadn’t known her family’s status and power were being crushed by the others. But in the past, no matter how badly things went, she was the only one who suffered; she would simply wait for the wounds to heal and forget the pain.
…This was the first time her actions had caused Xu Yinian to get hurt.
The people coveting Xu Yinian weren’t just those who wanted to cherish her. There were far too many people with dark, damp intentions. In the past, Jiashu had felt emboldened because the “Mad Dog” and Lu Zhou were there. She had even felt a secret joy when they were restrained by their families.
Compared to them, she was undoubtedly the biggest failure. She didn’t deserve a shred of Xu Yinian’s affection.
The lingering fear and the searing guilt from the incident felt like they were burning a hole through her heart. Qin Jiashu was too ashamed to even apologize, let alone admit that she had meticulously planned to deceive Yinian today.
Worst of all was facing Xu Yinian’s smile—a smile meant to reassure her—and the soft, sweet way she kept thanking Jiashu for stepping in to help.
Seeing how Qin Jiashu was visibly sinking deeper into the “Femme Fatale’s” every frown and smile, the Qin family didn’t dare let the two stay together any longer. They stood up to socialize and insisted on taking Qin Jiashu with them.
Jiashu was already dissatisfied with her parents’ earlier decision to stay out of the fray and their cold distance toward Yinian. Not wanting to make things difficult for Yinian, she waited until they were out of the girl’s sight before stubbornly confronting her parents.
She was completely awake now, her resolve firm. Shen Ruoshuang had been able to sacrifice everything without hesitation. Since she was the one who brought Yinian here, she would protect her even if she were crushed by the weight of authority. She wouldn’t leave Yinian’s side.
She owed this to her.
The Qin family couldn’t very well make a scene in public. They could only leave her with a look of disappointment and a hissed remark: “You’re really determined to ruin yourself over that disaster!”
When Qin Jiashu turned around, her dejection and confusion were gone. Rather than plotting how to possess her, protecting her was what she should—and could—do.
It truly fit the saying: The subordinate silently guards.
If possible, she wanted the impression she left on Xu Yinian to remain bright and passionate. After all… that was the version of her that “Baby” liked, envied, and wanted to become.
When Xu Yinian headed to the restroom, Ji Yan and Qin Jiashu followed her every step of the way. Their competitive protection was blatant.
It was a bit much…
Yinian pursed her lips, staying silent as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “D-don’t… come in.”
When that breathless, shy request left her lips, there was a hint of the spoiled habit that only the Sharp Woman had managed to coax out of her. It wasn’t just a soft plea anymore; it carried a trace of pampered willfulness that made both women’s hearts skip a beat.
Knowing exactly what kind of intimate, breathtaking scenes they had shared with her in restroom stalls before, they could only stay outside, glaring at each other in mutual loathing.
Inside the stall, Xu Yinian carefully adjusted her elaborate skirt. Suddenly, she heard noise near the sinks. It sounded like two women had come in to fix their makeup.
They seemed to have glanced around and, somehow missing Yinian’s corner stall, assumed the room was empty. They immediately began to gossip.
“What’s the deal with that girl everyone was fighting over today?”
Fighting over…?
Knowing it was rude to eavesdrop, Yinian blinked in confusion. She was so slow that she didn’t even realize they were talking about her.
“Isn’t she Little CEO Shen’s woman? She protected her so fiercely, didn’t let that woman touch a drop of wine, and even humiliated the cold-blooded CEO Lu.”
As Yinian heard those familiar names, the realization finally hit her. She nearly choked on her own breath, quickly covering her mouth to keep from making a sound.
They… they’re talking about me?! Her face instantly turned bright red at the shock of hearing gossip about herself.
“You didn’t see it? Little CEO Shen was so cool—the way she drank and shut people down was so attractive. She totally dominated the room! A cold beauty who’s powerful and fiercely protective… who wouldn’t fall for that? I’m so jealous of that woman, ugh.”
“If I could be Little CEO Shen’s lover just once, my career would be complete. I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance in this life!”
The woman grew more excited as she spoke, forcing Yinian to endure a long string of “rainbow farts” praising Shen Ruoshuang.
I-I’m not… Shen Ruoshuang’s…
