The man furrowed his brow slightly, casually brushing off the cake crumbs on his clothes, and stared at her for a long while. Only up close did she realize this man was none other than the roguish guy who had blown her a kiss from that supercar the other day.
Seeing him remain silent, An Ruo nodded apologetically. "Sorry."
Just as she was about to step away, the man's eyes darkened, a faint smile curling at his lips. "Nothing else you want to say to me?"
An Ruo paused, turning back to look at him suspiciously. "What?"
The man suddenly stepped closer, startling An Ruo into backing away repeatedly. He didn't seem annoyed by her reaction; instead, his smile deepened. "You were staring at me just now."
"..." An Ruo was baffled. Wasn't he the one staring at her?
"You might be mistaken," An Ruo said flatly. "I think it's you who's been staring at me."
"If you weren't looking at me, how would you know I was looking at you?"
"..."
An Ruo took a deep breath, unwilling to engage in such a pointless argument with a stranger. She left, and the man didn't stop her, merely watching her retreating figure in silence.
In an unfamiliar place with a mysterious man secretly watching her, An Ruo decided to leave. But before going, she picked out some decent food to take home for Shen Xiaoxing. After all, it was free.
Just as she was about to leave, a tall figure blocked her path. The man smiled at her. "Beautiful lady, would you do me the honor of a dance?"
"Sorry, I don't know how to dance."
With that, she tried to leave, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
"What are you doing?" An Ruo exclaimed in alarm, shouting at the man. "Let me go!"
"Nothing much, just want to invite you to dance."
An Ruo flushed with anger. "Let go! I don't know you, and I don't want to dance with you..."
"How could you not know me and still come to my party?" The man smirked, lifting her chin with a sly grin. "In Shen City, everyone knows the name Young Master Qiu."
Young Master Qiu? She'd never heard of him!
An Ruo hadn't realized he was the host of this food and dance party. She figured her excessive freeloading had caught his attention.
Panic set in as this so-called Young Master Qiu tried to drag her toward the dance floor. Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.
He turned around, cursing, "Who the hell dares to mess with me?!"
The moment he turned, a fist as hard as iron smashed into his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
An Ruo looked up sharply to see a man with a cold, grim expression flexing his wrist, his icy gaze fixed on Young Master Qiu, who was writhing in pain on the floor.
This little incident drew immediate attention. Everyone stopped to watch as Young Master Qiu, clutching his bleeding nose, shouted, "Guards! Your young master's been hit! Get over here and help!"
Several保镖-like thugs appeared out of nowhere. The man shielded An Ruo behind him, pushing her to safety.
What followed was the most spectacular fight scene An Ruo had ever witnessed. The man took on six opponents without flinching—kicking, punching, blocking, kneeing—his movements fluid and seamless. The thugs collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.
The stunned onlookers, seeing how formidable the man was, spontaneously clapped and cheered, turning the scene lively. An Ruo thought about slipping away, but guilt gnawed at her for leaving without a word after he'd saved her.
Young Master Qiu, unable to win fairly, resorted to dirty tricks. While several men distracted the fighter, he grabbed a decorative gauze scarf and wrapped it around the man's neck from behind.
"Watch out!"
The warning came too late. Shen Xiaoxing's brows furrowed as he saw the thugs picking up objects to strike him. He quickly dodged, twisting to grab the ambushing Young Master Qiu and flipping him over his shoulder in a throw.
An Ruo couldn't bear to watch. As Young Master Qiu choked the man, she grabbed a wine bottle in panic and hurled it without thinking—
It was her first time hitting someone, so she instinctively shut her eyes as she threw.
A loud *crack* echoed, and the crowd gasped!
She opened her eyes to see the man clutching his forehead in pain, turning to glare at her with a sinister look.
What the hell?!
How did the bottle end up hitting him instead!
"Ah... s-sorry, sorry, sorry..."
An Ruo clasped her hands together, mortified. "I was trying to help..."
Young Master Qiu was equally stunned. Damn, she even hits her own people!?
The man stumbled, and An Ruo guiltily reached out to steady him, but he grabbed her wrist instead, pulling her into a sprint out of the banquet hall.
"What are you waiting for? Chase them!"
The wine venue erupted into chaos.
-
An Ruo could barely walk in high heels, let alone be dragged along like this. She winced in pain as her body pitched forward.
The man caught her swiftly, his dark eyes glancing at her thin heels. He bent down, scooped her up in his arms, and dashed into the elevator.
An Ruo stiffened in his embrace. Through the fabric, she caught a familiar scent—the same sandalwood fragrance as Shen Xiaoxing's.
She looked up at his sharp jawline...
Was she imagining things?
Why did he feel so much like Shen Xiaoxing?
Their faces and voices were different; it couldn't be him.
As the elevator doors closed, An Ruo struggled slightly. "Um... can you put me down?"
The man's dark eyes gleamed as he glanced at her. The moment he set her down, the elevator doors opened again. He quickly pulled her close, pressing her against the wall.