The few male classmates around were surprised that Xia Yan already had a boyfriend, and as they speculated about who the "Mr. Lu" Xia Siyue mentioned was, their expressions shifted awkwardly.
Xia Yan didn't defend herself either, just smiled faintly at her. "Today is my friend's birthday."
Xia Siyue rolled her eyes and sat down on the other side, not noticing Xiao Han.
"Come on, everyone, let's have a drink first." Lin Xujia brought over a few bottles of alcohol and poured juice for Xiao Han.
Xia Yan pulled Lin Xujia aside and asked quietly, "Why did you invite her?"
"She might have come with another classmate." Lin Xujia's face showed an apologetic look.
Xia Siyue was also at their school, so it was possible some friends knew each other.
Xia Yan glanced at Xiao Han sitting beside her and still felt it wasn't right to stay. "I'd better take Xiao Han home first."
"How can you do that?" Lin Xujia's eyes widened, and she said urgently, "At least wait until we cut the cake. The cake will be here soon."
Xia Yan had no choice but to agree.
A nearby classmate, probably drunk, shoved a can of beer into Xia Yan's hand. "Here, drink up."
The others joined in cheering for a toast, so Xia Yan had to take a sip.
The atmosphere quickly grew lively, with people constantly coming over to drink with Xia Yan, but she only took small sips.
Even so, she ended up drinking quite a bit.
Xia Yan thought about going to the restroom but was worried about leaving Xiao Han alone. Lin Xujia told her to go without worry. "I'll keep an eye on her. Go ahead."
Xia Yan went to the restroom, but when she came out, she suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't find her way back.
"Miss, which private room are you looking for?" A waiter approached.
Xia Yan gave the room number and followed him.
When she entered the room, she noticed the lighting seemed much dimmer. She remembered that room had been very bright.
"Hey, this is the wrong room." Xia Yan turned to call the waiter, but saw him quickly walk out and close the door.
Xia Yan snapped to alertness and ran over to pound on the door. "Hey, open up! Open up!"
No one answered her. The surroundings fell silent, as if she were the only one left.
Xia Yan's heart pounded wildly.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Xia Yan answered, and a string of eerie laughter came through.
"Xia Yan, I heard you're locked in. Are you nervous now?"
Xia Yan's face darkened instantly. "Xia Siyue, what exactly are you trying to do!"
More laughter followed. "You must not know that this entertainment club is Yang Jinkuan's property, right?"
"You!" Panic began to creep into Xia Yan's heart as she recalled the figure she'd seen in the hallway when she first arrived.
Xia Siyue didn't answer and continued on her own. "You must not know that Yang Jinkuan has a lot of peculiar tastes. For example, he likes petite women who act aloof, like you. And he likes S&M—his favorite thing is to torture women like you to death."
Xia Yan's face turned pale. She could only force herself to stay calm and try to stall for time. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Tonight, you just serve him well and make him happy. Then our family will get a few hundred million in funding, and you can still be the precious young lady of the Xia family. Win-win, isn't it?"
Xia Yan suddenly remembered she should call for help. Just as she was about to hang up, Xia Siyue spoke again. "Don't even think about calling the police. The signal is blocked in there."
With that, Xia Siyue burst into manic laughter.
Xia Yan hung up abruptly and looked at her phone. Sure enough, there was no signal.
As panic set in, a sound came from outside the door.
Click. The door opened.
A large, dark figure stepped inside.
Xia Yan gasped and instinctively backed away a few steps.
Suppressing her fear, she said steadily, "Don't come near me. I'm warning you, Lu Zhengting knows I'm here. If anything happens to me, he won't let you off."
Yang Jinkuan approached with a grin. "Don't panic. Relax—you'll like it soon enough."
The first time Yang Jinkuan saw Xia Yan that night, he was drawn to her. He had a thing for petite, delicate women like her. But knowing she was Lu Zhengting's woman, no matter how much he wanted her, he had to let it go.
Later, though, he heard that Lu Zhengting had discarded her, and the itch returned. He was dying to know what it felt like to have a woman Lu Zhengting had set his sights on. And when the Xia family delivered her to him on a silver platter, he wasn't about to pass it up.
Xia Yan kept retreating, frantically pressing buttons on her phone, but she couldn't get through to anyone.
"Once you're in here, there's no way out." Yang Jinkuan's voice was soft, as if coaxing a child, showing no sign of urgency.
Xia Yan grew more terrified. The more she looked at him, the more he seemed like a complete pervert.
She ran to the window, but it wouldn't open. Iron bars were fixed outside. The whole room felt like a cage.
She was trapped, and the more she struggled, the more hopeless it seemed. She grabbed anything she could lift in the room and hurled it like a weapon.
"Careful, you'll hurt your hands." Yang Jinkuan squinted, speaking as if he were concerned, treating her resistance like an amusing game he was enjoying.
Xia Yan felt like she was at the end of her rope.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside the door.
Yang Jinkuan's expression shifted, growing serious.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound continued. It sounded like someone was breaking down the door?
Xia Yan held her breath, watching Yang Jinkuan warily.
The door seemed to loosen. Yang Jinkuan glanced at the entrance, then turned back, his face twisting into a snarl. His bulky body lunged toward Xia Yan.
"Ah!" Xia Yan screamed and dodged to the side.
Bang!
At the same moment, the door was smashed open. A figure darted in, and before Xia Yan could see clearly, Yang Jinkuan was already pinned to the ground.
"Hmph, Sister Yan, don't be afraid. I'm here." A clear, youthful voice came from the doorway.
Xia Yan stood dumbfounded, staring at the small figure standing at the entrance.