Huo Jinyan's face flushed red with anger. He wanted to curse the man, but recalling that terrifying face, he swallowed his saliva, shrank his neck, and stayed silent.
Gu Chao took a light sip of red wine, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Since the soft approach isn't working, why not try something a bit tougher?"
"Tougher?"
Sheng Nanzhou snapped his fingers. "A little more domineering."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Will that really work?"
"Won't know until you try." Huo Jinyan snorted. "Girls these days all go for that domineering CEO type—corner them against the wall now and then, a forced kiss... guaranteed to make them docile."
He Su let out a cold laugh. "Isn't that just being a scumbag?"
"Do you even know the difference between a scumbag and a domineering CEO?"
"What's the difference?"
"Someone who looks like you is an old creep. Someone like A-Xing is a domineering CEO. Got it?"
"I got your grandma's leg!" He Su rolled up his sleeves. "Haven't had a beating today, and you're feeling loose?"
Huo Jinyan spat and rolled up his sleeves too. "Bring it on, who's scared? I used to be in the national taekwondo team—ten of you wouldn't scare me!"
Seeing them about to fight again, Sheng Nanzhou played peacemaker, trying to mediate while getting shoved around, nearly getting beaten up himself.
Shen Xiaoxing finished the last sip of his drink, grabbed his coat, and strode out of the private room.
The door clicked shut, and the two grown men acting like kids in a brawl froze, staring at the empty sofa before Sheng Nanzhou coaxed them to sit down.
Shen Xiaoxing was a diligent learner, but his emotional intelligence wasn't great. Taking their advice, he actually went to block An Ruo at her apartment door as she came home.
The girl had just opened the door when a shadow slipped in, grabbed the back of her head, and launched a fierce attack.
An Ruo's mind went blank. The room's lights weren't on yet, but she recognized the man by his scent.
But was he this much of a dog, forcing himself on her again?
When she was almost out of breath, he reluctantly let her go.
Just as she came to her senses, a crisp slap echoed in the silent night.
"Shen Xiaoxing, get out!" An Ruo, furious and embarrassed, pushed him toward the door.
"Don't come find me again!" she shouted angrily at the man trying to explain in the hallway. "I'm so sick of you!"
That night, the man returned to the Blue Garden Club's private room, holding his reddened cheek.
His friends saw him like this and wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
Shen Xiaoxing's face was icy. He grabbed Huo Jinyan by the collar and hissed, "You still have the nerve to laugh?"
"No..." Huo Jinyan struggled to suppress his smirk, looking innocent. "What does this have to do with me?"
Gu Chao smirked slightly. "A-Xing, you must have used the wrong method. Hmm... maybe she mistook you for a scumbag."
That comment made Sheng Nanzhou, who was holding back laughter, burst out.
The man's handsome face darkened. He didn't know where he'd gone wrong, but he deeply regretted not stubbornly staying.
...
From that day on, Shen Xiaoxing blocked An Ruo at her door every morning and night, acting cute, whining, and pestering her relentlessly.
He'd show up with a smile and come back with a bruised face...
The other men watched him like he was a zoo exhibit.
Huo Jinyan chuckled. "Tsk, tsk, look at our handsome Master Shen—what a mess that pretty face is."
"A-Xing, maybe... take a couple days off?" Gu Chao looked at his slightly swollen face, silently admiring the man's guts.
Getting beaten like that and still going for it!
Shen Xiaoxing held an ice pack to his face, wincing from the pain.
That girl was ruthless, always hitting the same side.
His face couldn't take it anymore, so Shen Xiaoxing finally laid low for a few days.
One day, An Ruo was pulling out her keys when she caught a shadow on the upper floor. She instinctively looked over, and the man was sitting motionless on the steps.
She jumped at the sight of him. The only word in her mind was: run!
She'd had a blast with Chen Keqiao today, not getting home until seven. It was pitch black outside, and the fluorescent light in the hallway was covered in cobwebs, with bugs buzzing around, flickering and dim.
Actually, there was another reason she came back so late—she was afraid of him stalking her like this.
Speaking of which, they were legally married, so why did he always act like a pervert harassing her?!
She stood there for a moment, seeing that he didn't suddenly lunge at her this time. She pursed her lips and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." The man stood up slowly, his tall frame descending the steps with an oppressive presence.
As he got closer, An Ruo noticed a scratch on his face with a few drops of dried blood.
"Did you get into a fight?"
"No." His voice was low and hoarse.
"What happened to your face?"
He instinctively reached to touch it. An Ruo wanted to tell him not to, but he was too fast, hitting the wound and wincing in pain.
"The light in the hallway is too dim. I didn't watch my step and fell."
An Ruo's lips twitched. She wanted to call him an idiot.
But instead, she said, "It's late. Do you need something?"
The man's dark eyes were unusually deep, fixed on her with a darker glint. "We're married. Can't I come find you if I need something?"
An Ruo opened her mouth, frowning slightly. "That's not what I meant."
He'd been a complete jerk these past few days, forcing himself on her—of course she wasn't going to be nice.
"Aren't you resourceful enough? If I wasn't back, couldn't you have asked the landlord for the key to get in?"
Sitting there like a fool, like a stray dog abandoned.
No, at his age, he was more like an old dog, right?
"Without your permission, could I go in?"
That was true.
"You..." An Ruo bit her lip. "Have you eaten?"
"No."
An Ruo caught the smell of alcohol on him and saw the haze in his deep eyes. She figured he'd gotten drunk, tripped on the stairs in the dim light, and fallen.
She pulled out her keys again. The man stood with his hands in his coat pockets, staring at her, as if asking if he could come in.
An Ruo opened the door. As he was about to step in, she suddenly turned and pressed one hand against the doorframe.
Shen Xiaoxing, though drunk, was still lucid. He understood and stepped back, standing there obediently.
That expression caught An Ruo off guard.
So this man could look this docile when drunk.
Her heart softened. He was her husband, after all. She couldn't just leave him in the hallway hungry all night.
If she told him to leave, with his drunk personality, he'd probably curl up and sleep at her door.
An Ruo turned on the light. The simply furnished one-bedroom apartment felt cramped. The man stood at the entrance, not knowing where to step.
She put down her bag and glanced at him. "Sit on the sofa and rest for a bit."
She went to the kitchen to cook him noodles.
Since moving out, she'd felt liberated, usually eating instant noodles at home. The fridge was sparsely stocked.
An Ruo tied on an apron and skillfully boiled water. When it bubbled, she dropped in the noodles and cracked two eggs.
Just as she put the lid on, she felt arms wrap around her waist. The man's alcohol-laced lips brushed her earlobe, his hot breath hitting her pale neck.
"Let go of me."