Chapter 87: Drowning Sorrows in Alcohol
Shi Jingyan thought she was jealous.
He instinctively reached up to wipe the lipstick marks on his neck.
Great. Now they’re even more obvious.
Tonight, Shen Xi was wearing a beige sleeveless hoodie, exposing her slim, fair arms, paired with black sweatpants and sneakers.
Shi Jingyan looked at her, feeling an unexpected bitterness in his chest.
She looked so effortlessly vibrant, a rare sight. And yet, that other man got to hold this soft, sweet girl in his arms every day.
That man even got to see things Shi Jingyan never had the chance to. The unfiltered, uncensored ‘bedroom edition’.
"Come to my private room for a bit. Let's talk."
Shen Xi’s cheeks were flushed, her head already spinning from the alcohol. Seeing this annoying man only made her headache worse.
She shook her head, let out a light laugh, and ignored him, turning to walk away.
For some reason, Shi Jingyan instinctively followed.
Maybe because he could tell she was drunk and less guarded, some thoughts started creeping into his mind.
Shen Xi clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She decided not to go to the restroom and instead headed straight downstairs. She figured if she ignored him, he’d stop bothering her.
But who would’ve thought that Shi Jingyan was acting weird tonight, sticking to her like glue.
She wasn’t about to let him follow her back to the private room. Who knew what would happen if Keke and the others got involved with the male lead?
So, since she was already drunk, she might as well just go home.
……………………………………
Outside the KTV.
It was a humid summer night in Su City, the city lights flickering against the sky.
The heat still lingered in the air, making it stuffy and uncomfortable.
Not far from the KTV entrance, a sleek black Rolls-Royce Cullinan pulled up smoothly.
Assistant Liu stepped out from the passenger seat and opened the back door.
A man in a black dress shirt got out, his sleeves rolled up slightly, revealing a silver-black Richard Mille watch on his wrist.
Despite the coldness in his eyes, a gentle smile graced his lips.
"President Gu, this was Madam’s last known location."
There wasn’t any formal event tonight that required Shen Xi to play as his wife. But, Gu Hanling had heard about Jiang Bailang’s situation, so he had rushed back from abroad.
And now, for the first time ever, he had personally come to ‘retrieve’ his little runaway canary.
Just then, Shen Xi stepped out of the KTV. The hot, humid air outside hit her, making her frown in discomfort.
She turned around to look and felt even more disgusted. Shi Jingyan was still following her. She cursed in her head,
Damn it, what’s his deal? Is he really trying to take her 'dignity' tonight?!
Without stopping, she hopped into the first taxi in line at the entrance, not even noticing who was standing nearby.
"Driver, step on it! I’ll pay triple!"
"Got it!"
The moment Shen Xi spoke, the taxi driver instantly switched to ‘highway king’ mode.
He slammed the gear into drive, floored the accelerator, and the rear wheels screeched, kicking up white smoke.
Just as Shi Jingyan reached for the car door, the taxi launched forward and vanished into the night.
"F*ck!"
He threw a frustrated punch into the air.
Just then, his so-called buddy, Wang Lei, walked out of the KTV, slinging an arm over his shoulder with a smirk.
"Damn, bro, do not be selfish. Still saying you’re not playing both sides? You want both the Moon Goddess and Cinderella, huh?"
Shi Jingyan’s face darkened instantly.
"Mind your own business."
Wang Lei didn’t take offense. He just laughed and said,
"Alright, alright, I won’t butt in. But the girls in the private room are getting impatient. Let’s go, let’s go."
Just then, Shi Jingyan caught sight of a man standing near a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan not far away.
His eyelid twitched involuntarily.
Gu Hanling stood there, tall and imposing, like an insurmountable mountain.
Shi Jingyan always considered himself a top-tier male lead, but in front of Gu Hanling, there was this unspoken pressure that made it hard to breathe.
Wang Lei followed his gaze and noticed Gu Hanling as well.
"Holy sh*t, is he a celebrity? Damn, he’s ridiculously handsome. I’d kill to look like that."
Gu Hanling had been standing there the whole time, watching the drama unfold.
From his perspective, it looked like Shen Xi had caught Shi Jingyan fooling around with other women and ran off in anger.
The thought made the smirk on his lips grow even wider.
As his gaze landed on Shi Jingyan’s neck, the obvious lipstick mark stood out, making his eyes darken slightly. He wasn’t sure who had kissed him.
Shi Jingyan clenched his fists and declared loudly to Wang Lei.
"Xixi is just mad at me for now. We’ve been together for so many years, our relationship isn’t something that can just disappear overnight."
"You’ll see! In a few days, she’ll come back to me!"
Wang Lei looked completely confused. He had no idea why Shi Jingyan was suddenly bringing up Shen Xi again, but as a loyal drinking buddy, it was only natural to hype him up.
"Of course! Come on, you’re Shi Jingyan. There’s no way Shen Xi could really ignore you forever. Maybe in a few days, she’ll come to her senses and throw herself back into your arms."
The two of them chatted as they walked back into the KTV.
Meanwhile, Gu Hanling raised an eyebrow. He honestly couldn’t understand what that blind woman ever saw in this scumbag.
Did she actually prefer men who were trash?
"Tell the owner here to throw those two out and blacklist them."
Assistant Liu hesitated for a second before lowering his voice.
"Uh… Boss Gu, this place doesn’t belong to the Gu Corporation."
Hearing this, Gu Hanling’s expression remained unchanged. He just turned his head slightly toward Liu and let out a low "Hmm?"
As his right-hand man, Assistant Liu immediately got the hint.
"Uh… Boss Gu, it belongs to you now."
……………………………………………
Inside the KTV Private Room.
Shi Jingyan and Wang Lei were surrounded by women, playing drinking games and getting cozy.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door, but before anyone inside could respond, the door swung open on its own.
A group of muscular men in black suits walked in, led by a manager in a business suit, who ordered all six people, two men and four women, to leave immediately.
Shi Jingyan had been acting high and mighty for years, and he had never encountered anything like this before.
So he simply remained seated on the sofa, looking completely unfazed.
"Hold on, don’t say anything yet. Let me call your boss."
The manager simply smiled and nodded.
Shi Jingyan made a few calls, but all of them went straight to voicemail.
What he didn’t know was that this club had just changed ownership in the last few minutes. The paperwork would be sorted out later, the former owner wasn’t worried at all about the Gu Corporation playing any tricks.
Men cared about their reputation, and now, all four women and Wang Lei were looking at Shi Jingyan, waiting for him to handle the situation.
The manager still had that polite smile on his face as he raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
Everyone thought Shi Jingyan was going to talk his way out of this like a boss. Instead, he completely failed.
Now, two men and four women stood outside, looking at each other in shock.
They had really been thrown out.
Shi Jingyan’s face was as black as coal. In all his years, he had never been so humiliated, especially in front of four women.
And these women? They had the biggest mouths.
Trying to save face, he forced himself to speak calmly:
"Listen, don’t go around spreading rumors about this. I know the owner of this place. He probably just went to bed early tonight."
"Trust me, when he hears about this, he’ll make things right for me. And if I hear any gossip about this incident… you all know what’ll happen."
The four women nodded frantically. They were just escorts, nowhere near powerful enough to go against rich second-generation heirs like Shi Jingyan.
This was the only way Shi Jingyan could salvage his pride, by acting tough in front of these women.
…………………………………
Meanwhile…
Shen Xi, completely drunk, made her way back to the villa. On the way, she had texted Keke and the others, letting them know she was heading home first.
At the entrance, Butler Wang stepped forward and, noticing her state, asked,
"Madam, have you been drinking?"
He glanced behind her, a bit puzzled. Where was Mr. Gu?
Shen Xi was still disgusted by what had happened with Shi Jingyan, and her face showed it.
Seeing her expression, Butler Wang hesitated for a moment before asking with concern.
"Did Madam drink because you’re upset…? Did that Shi-something, your first love, hurt your feelings?"
"Uh…"