CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 23: NO WOMAN I WANT WILL EVER GET AWAY

This man, tall and handsome with a touch of roguish elegance, sat casually yet gracefully, playing idly with the wine glass in his long fingers, his gaze concentrated on the woman playing the piano downstairs in the circular hall.

His eyes were the kind of narrow, almond-shaped eyes.

His gaze was tender and lingering, like the silent ebb and flow of clouds in a spring sky.

Chi Ye, with a mysterious background and vast wealth, Blue Night was under his name.

It was rumored that he had started from the underworld.

That wasn’t wrong; seven years ago, he was just an unknown hoodlum.

Beside him stood another man, tall and reasonably good-looking, but with a disheveled and unruly appearance, every movement exuded a reckless air, and there was a two-centimeter-long scar near his ear.

He was Xia Mubai, Chi Ye’s loyal subordinate, who had stuck with him through thick and thin. His character was somewhat cynical, but very loyal, having protected Chi Ye through countless life-and-death struggles.

Xia Mubai crudely ate an apple while teasing, "Hey, boss, you say, you’ve protected Lu Xiya for so many years, secretly dealing with so many men with bad intentions towards her, yet you only hide here silently watching her every day, without confessing or showing your face, when will it end?"

He eagerly swallowed the apple in his mouth, "Such a beautiful woman, with so many men eyeing her, if one day she’s taken by another man, won’t you be anxious?"

Chi Ye gently sipped some red wine, his eyes still on Lu Xiya, quiet and profound, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

At this moment, the door to the private room was pushed open, Sheng Qianchi strode in, sitting directly on the sofa, his expression cool and aloof.

Xia Mubai quickly smiled and greeted, "Young Master Chi, you’re here?"

"Hmm." Sheng Qianchi responded indifferently, leaning into the sofa, his gaze focusing intently on a certain dark corner of the lobby on the first floor, locking onto that slender figure.

Sheng Qianchi, being such a cold person, had few friends, only Chi Ye, due to their shared history.

Xia Mubai, being a cheerful person, felt a bit stifled seeing Chi Ye and Sheng Qianchi both silent, so he took the initiative to chat with Sheng Qianchi, "Young Master Chi, I heard that yesterday you publicly announced that Gu Jiayin is yours and you broke off your engagement with Qin Yishu?"

"Hmm."

"Did the Empress Dowager agree?"

Sheng Qianchi shot a cold glance at Xia Mubai, his expression chilling like a tide.

Xia Mubai immediately fell silent; everyone knew Sheng Qianchi hated when people mentioned his mother.

After a while, Xia Mubai persistently asked, "Did you fall in love?"

"No."

Because Xia Mubai was considered Chi Ye’s life-and-death brother, Sheng Qianchi usually showed some respect.

"Then what do you mean?"

Sheng Qianchi took a slight sip of red wine, gently shaking the goblet in his hand, "Just want to find a woman to spoil."

Xia Mubai chuckled, "But there’s no need to break off with Qin Yishu; she’s the goddess in the hearts of all the men in the city and your family’s Empress Dowager personally arranged the marriage."

An obscure glint passed through Sheng Qianchi’s eyes, "When you have the original, why settle for a substitute?"

Xia Mubai didn’t quite understand, but Sheng Qianchi’s behavior was always eccentric, and someone with a simple mind like his didn’t want to bother guessing.

So he switched to what he thought was a lighter topic, gossiping as he patted Sheng Qianchi’s shoulder, "Young Master Chi, how many years do you think my boss will keep watching?"

Sheng Qianchi glanced casually at Chi Ye, lightly mocking, "Until Lu Xiya no longer has Pei Nianchen in her heart."

The moment the words fell, Chi Ye suddenly turned his head, casting a cold gaze at Sheng Qianchi, chilling.

Sheng Qianchi smiled nonchalantly, "What, did I hit a sore spot again?"

Chi Ye’s narrow, roguish eyes flickered with cold light, he snorted lightly, then coolly withdrew his gaze, ignoring Sheng Qianchi and Xia Mubai.

Five seconds later, he retaliated by looking back at Sheng Qianchi, "The woman you want to spoil, I reckon you won’t be able to tame."

Sheng Qianchi stared intently at Gu Jiayin, capturing every move, every expression, "A woman I want, can’t escape through the cracks of my fingers."

...

The piece finished, the dancer left, and Lu Xiya gently stood up, bowing to the audience before preparing to leave; her workday was over.

Carrying her long skirt, she descended the stairs from the circular stage, only to be splashed with a full glass of wine.

Raising her eyes, she saw a woman with exquisite makeup, charming and enchanting, standing smugly in front of her, her arm wrapped around a noble young man, a large Ruby jewel set in the necklace below her collarbone, particularly striking.

The woman in front was He Xinxin, a semi-famous little star, who had past grievances with Lu Xiya and Gu Jiayin.

In the past, Lu Xiya would never endure such humiliation; anyone who bullied her would pay back double, but years in the troughs of life had shown her the true face of society... the law of the jungle.

Though it was rumored these years that a mysterious figure was secretly helping her, and she indeed felt protected, she learned to keep a low profile.

She always thought it was Pei Nianchen who was helping her behind the scenes; she didn’t want to cause him trouble.

For so many years, secretly liking her good friend’s boyfriend made her feel guilty, even more so after Gu Jiayin’s "death."

Facing He Xinxin’s deliberate wine-splashing provocation, Lu Xiya tried hard to suppress the anger rising in her chest and took a step back, slightly bowing, "I’m sorry."

Upstairs, Chi Ye’s face was almost dark enough to drip water.

Sheng Qianchi, however, was still leisurely watching Gu Jiayin hiding in the shadows. She stood in the shadows, and he couldn’t see what she was wearing, but he was already imagining which dress he had prepared for her was on her.

He Xinxin arrogantly raised her pointed chin, her words dripping with pointed sarcasm, "Oh, just a sorry thought to end it? You blocked my way, causing my drink to spill, do you know how expensive this wine is?"

"I’ll pay you back." Lu Xiya still quietly lowered her head, today it’s He Xinxin, tomorrow it will be Wang Xin’er, she must learn to endure.

He Xinxin smirked with lips canted, looking as if she intended to make things difficult, the arrogance and sarcasm spreading inch by inch from her lips, "Such expensive wine, ten thousand a cup, can you afford it?"

Lu Xiya, "..."

Ten thousand, she really couldn’t afford it.

Still having a few traces of stubbornness in her bones, so she pursed her lips and raised her head, "What do you want?"

He Xinxin arched her brow, "Actually Miss Lu, with your looks, even just spending a night with any man here, you could earn the money for this cup of wine."

As soon as He Xinxin’s word fell, already there were men cheering along:

"I’ll pay fifty thousand."

"I’ll pay seventy thousand."

"I’ll pay a hundred thousand."

"Tsk tsk." He Xinxin flippantly shook her head, "Did you hear that? As long as you’re willing to loosen your skirt, the money will come, hahaha..."

He Xinxin’s laughter rang brightly in the hall, wicked enough to make one feel sick to the stomach.