He raised an eyebrow and said, "Ah Xing, this girl doesn't know what's good for her. Don't you dare keep spoiling her! Women are all the same—the more you indulge them, the more they act up. Listen to me, this time we don't back down. Let her figure out where she went wrong!"
"..."
Sheng Nanzhou looked speechless. "Seems like the boss was the one in the wrong first. The one who should apologize isn't the little sister-in-law."
Huo Jinyan shot him a glance, squinting. "Why are you so clueless? Don't you know whose side we're on? Ah Xing's our brother through thick and thin. What's she? Just temporarily favored." He slung an arm over the man's shoulder, smirking slyly. "Xing, don't get discouraged. Three-legged frogs are hard to find, but two-legged women are everywhere—you don't need just her. I'll find you someone better later. Just say the word, old Shen, and I'll bring them over right away, a new one every day without repeats."
Huo Jinyan suddenly chuckled. "Just worried your body might not handle it..."
Gu Chao shook his head with a light laugh.
The man's sinister gaze turned to him. "What did you just say?"
"I said..." Huo Jinyan thought he hadn't heard clearly and repeated himself, "I said don't hang yourself on one tree. That woman's pretty enough, but she's not worth trapping our handsome and dashing Master Shen. If you're willing, the girls under me are all top-notch—gorgeous, hot bodies, and great in bed."
"..."
"I get it, you don't like the bold, busty type. Don't worry, I've got sweet, innocent beauties too." Huo Jinyan lowered his voice, smirking. "All virgins."
The moment he finished, the man grabbed him by the collar and yanked him close, his handsome face dark as ink.
Huo Jinyan froze for a second, then chuckled lightly. "I know you're tempted. Look, you're this excited..."
Seeing the situation turn bad, Sheng Nanzhou quickly grabbed his glass and moved away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire if they started fighting.
The man's voice was icy. "You don't seem to respect my girl much."
Huo Jinyan frowned. "Girl?"
Sheng Nanzhou chimed in with a grin. "He means Sister Anruo."
"She..."
"Say one more bullshit thing, and I'll sew your mouth shut, believe me?"
Huo Jinyan backed down. "Fine, fine, I won't talk about her anymore. Won't say a word."
The man coldly released him, picked up the glass from the table, and downed it in one gulp. "I called you guys here today to brainstorm ideas on how to make her happy."
A rough guy who'd been single for twenty-eight years, he really couldn't think of any good way to cheer up a young girl. The lousy ideas Han Chong found online were all unreliable!
Gu Chao shrugged with a light laugh. "Ask them. I've got no experience to share on this."
Sheng Nanzhou gloomily chugged his drink. "My girlfriend's currently breaking up with me. I'm a clay Buddha crossing the river—can't even save myself."
"No way." Huo Jinyan was shocked. "You're going all out this time? You're serious?"
"I never joke about feelings." Shen Xiaoxing's brows furrowed deeply, a firm conviction flashing in his eyes.
For the rest of his life, besides Anruo, he wouldn't think of anyone else.
Huo Jinyan didn't understand. "She's not even the prettiest. With your status, any woman you pass on the street would throw herself at you. Why are you so set on this one?"
"You really want to lose that mouth?"
"Come on, if you want to win her over, sewing my mouth shut means no one's giving you tips. Trust me, this works every time."
Shen Xiaoxing shot him a glance. Who else could he turn to with his low emotional intelligence and straight-man attitude? He didn't want to force her to listen to his explanation, but he didn't know how to make her happy either. Now, whenever they met, they were practically in a cold war with nothing to say.
If this kept up, problems were bound to arise!
Life was too short. He didn't want to waste their precious time in a cold war over principle.
He didn't have much faith in Huo Jinyan's flashy, lousy ideas!
The phone on the table rang. He swiped to answer. "Hello."
"Master, the young mistress..."
"What about her!?" Shen Xiaoxing immediately stood up. "What happened?"
"She was picked up by the Zhou family driver..."
"What the hell are you doing?" Shen Xiaoxing's brows knitted tightly, then he paused. "Zhou family driver? Why did the Zhou family pick her up!?"
"I checked the young mistress's call log. She left the company after receiving a private call from Miss Zhou. They might be together..."
Knowing she was safe for now, Shen Xiaoxing pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in relief. Only Anruo could keep him on edge like this.
"Zhou Mingyue took little sister-in-law away?" Gu Chao was sensitive to the name "Miss Zhou." Every time his subordinates reported that clingy pest was coming, his head nearly exploded!
"Yeah."
Shen Xiaoxing's deep eyes darkened. He grabbed his jacket from the sofa. "You guys, if you're free, come with me to check it out."
He didn't oppose Anruo making friends. Knowing she was introverted and didn't fit in, he'd initially worried that Zhou Mingyue's approach might cause friction. But somehow, Zhou Mingyue had taken a liking to Anruo, sending her expensive little gifts every now and then, and supposedly even had something for him.
It was just that what she'd said the other day wasn't too pleasant.
The man's tall figure suddenly stopped. Wait a minute?
Zhou Mingyue had been urging the girl to divorce him. Now that they were in a cold war and their relationship was precarious, if she came to stir the pot, the girl might actually push for a divorce.
Without delay, Shen Xiaoxing immediately tracked down the two girls' location.
...
The driver first took Anruo to a high-end makeup salon. As soon as she walked in, staff greeted her, and several people took turns styling her hair, doing her makeup, and picking out clothes that suited her.
Anruo let them fuss over her like a doll. She had naturally good looks—fair skin so delicate it seemed to ooze water. Even without makeup, she was a rare beauty on the street. With their touch-ups, she was elevated to another level.
Coming out of the fitting room, she looked at her stunning reflection in the mirror and touched her face, feeling a bit unreal.
Everyone close to her knew she was frugal. In the past, every penny she earned from part-time jobs during school never went to herself. Luckily, she was naturally blessed—the heavens had given her this good skin. If a plain girl had her old mindset of never cherishing herself, it would feel like a waste.
She wore a goose-yellow dress above the knees, with bare skin exposed at the waist on both sides, bordered by a ring of small pearls—a playful and sexy design.
On her feet were white high heels adorned with sequins, sparkling under the light and matching the color of her dress perfectly.
The stylist handed her a small underarm bag woven from white pearls.
Anruo awkwardly tugged at the gap at her waist. This... was a bit revealing, wasn't it?
Noticing her discomfort, the stylist came over with a smile to explain. "Miss An, this dress has a unique design that fits the theme of your bar visit tonight."
Anruo was taken aback. "Bar?"
"Yes, Miss Zhou instructed us to style you with a sexy vibe."
"..."
So Zhou Mingyue had rushed her over to go to a bar!?
But since she was already here, leaving without a word didn't seem right either.