Chapter 54: Leaving Next Week

“When exactly are you leaving the country?”

Xu Yaochuan swallowed a mouthful of liquor, the alcohol tracing down his Adam’s apple. Suddenly, he strode to the rooftop, fished a set of keys from his pocket, and tossed them down to the street below.

“Go wash my car,” he ordered.

Downstairs, a crowd of bodyguards had gathered at some point, a dark mass awaiting orders. They caught the keys, got into the car, and drove away.

“Miss Li, you surely don’t think I came here alone to dine with you, do you?”

He ambled over, attempting to touch her chin, but nearly burned himself on her lighter as she flicked it close to his hand.

“Anyway, I’m here alone. I’m not afraid,” she replied, her words light and ambiguous, teetering between a smile and a smirk. It pulled her tension to its peak—she always did the most reckless things with an air of nonchalance, clear-headed yet wild.

She lounged in her chair, looking slender and cold-eyed; sitting there, she might not be refined, but at a glance, she was unmistakably a child of privilege and power.

“That’s why I say you’re bold—I need to watch out for you now. You’re scarier than me. If I ever get played by you, I’ll really be living backward.”

Xu Yaochuan’s phoenix eyes dulled, his gaze lingering on her.

He never liked joking, always confessing the truth, yet others heard him as if he was jesting.

His whole demeanor screamed unruliness.

“My question—you still haven’t answered.”

“I’m leaving next week. Are you so eager to see me gone?”

He seized her hand and took the cigarette from her fingers. Smoke curling, Xu Yaochuan placed the half-smoked cigarette in his mouth.

“I really want to splash this liquor in your face.”

“You can, if it’s you, Miss Li. Hit me if you want. If I die beneath the peony, even as a ghost, I’ll be content. Anyway, I just knelt before you. If anyone else dared mess with me like this, I’d break her legs.”

She was not wanton; he was.

He looked like a scoundrel—heated from drink, he lifted his shirt, revealing a tattoo on his collarbone.

Compared to the ones on his hands, it was obvious that Xu Yaochuan had even more hidden ink marked across his body.

He didn’t seem like a nobleman at all—more like someone from the underworld. Not a common thug, but with a wild, dangerous air, a turbulent undercurrent, reckless to the point of madness.

“Curious what I’ve tattooed? Shall I strip and show you?”

“I’m not interested.”

“Do you know what it means to drink with a man alone?”

His phone spun in his hand; in the midst of their meal, he’d already taken five calls.

The barbecue stall owner waited outside, accompanied by a little girl, probably not very old.

Everyone craves shortcuts. If possible, they’d line up to be Xu’s family dog, abandoning all dignity for the bottomless abyss of wealth.

She had seen through all the filth of high and low society. If a person cannot control their desires, they lose dignity. If there’s no choice, it’s understandable. But if there is, she would never accept such greed.

“Then I’ll refuse next time. This meal—you begged for it, Xu Yaochuan.”

At her words, Xu Yaochuan let out a silent laugh. On second thought, this was the kind of woman who matched him.

He never liked the overly docile, the obedient, or the aggressive types—those could be found in droves among the models and influencers, easy to pick up as lovers.

But a woman like her—competent, low-key yet sharp, unyielding and astonishingly bold—she was truly one of a kind.

“Where did you get your courage? Fu Yanyan? If you come to the hotel with me now, I’ll forget about kneeling earlier; otherwise, I won’t let you go.”

“Your words mean nothing.”

She reached for her phone, but Xu Yaochuan snatched it away before she could touch it.

He twirled it leisurely in his hand.

“Do you think you can leave tonight?”

In a flash, her hand gently rested on his lips, a wicked smile blooming—like fireworks bursting in spring, discordant yet dazzling.

Her pure, gentle student face, committing the boldest acts of a fearless woman, made him excited.

Then he heard her cool voice, “Do you think Fu Yanyan is the only one I rely on? Do you think I came alone tonight? Guess whether you’ll even get to taste the meat later.”

Xu Yaochuan leaned back, realizing this was no simple matter, and this woman was no simple opponent.

This student looked more and more alluring—the aftertaste lingered, perhaps best left to settle.

Meat grows more fragrant the longer it’s marinated.

“All right, I’ll find out. From now on, keep your distance. Next time, I won’t let you off.”

He rose, whispering in her ear, the words low and sinister, “Next time I see you, I’ll risk everything—who told you to tempt me?”

“You won’t dare. If we both stab at each other, you’ll lose.”

“You’re truly ruthless.”

She couldn’t read Xu Yaochuan’s thoughts now; he spoke with calm composure.

His expression was unreadable—only his departing silhouette remained.

She only knew she’d played him again.

She had indeed come alone, without informing anyone of her whereabouts.

Her greatest backing now was Fu Yanyan.

The Xu family still wasn’t strong enough to challenge Fu Yanyan directly, but Xu Yaochuan was a madman, never considering consequences.

Zhong Huayan had just stepped onto the street when a discreet Lexus pulled up beside her.

The person who stepped out was familiar.

“Assistant Li?”

“Miss Li, Mr. Fu asked me to pick you up.”

Zhong Huayan got into the car; the assistant in the front seemed to be reporting on work matters.

“Assistant Li, Mr. Fu sent you to pick me up?”

“Yes, after what happened last time, Mr. Fu is concerned about your safety.”

Zhong Huayan wondered—did he already know she’d been dining with Xu Yaochuan?

She got out, surrounded by lotus flowers, followed by servants. White drapes hung spotless before the floor-to-ceiling windows. There were guests inside.

Fu Yanyan was dressed as always in black, visibly refined and gentle, though a coldness still seeped from his gaze.

He seldom greeted guests outside. Upon seeing her, he signaled his assistant with a glance.

Before the assistant could speak, she saw a man in gray sitting across the room, only his back visible.

Yet his presence was formidable. Beside him sat a young model; as he brewed tea, he would casually touch the model kneeling at his feet.

“Miss Li has returned?”

The man didn’t even turn his head, just spoke.

His Mandarin was heavily accented, sky-blue eyes gleaming with strange greed. The cigarette in his hand burned the kneeling model, who responded with a coy whimper.

Guanyu Jing!

He had returned from abroad!

She had rarely interacted with him directly before, only exchanged moves from afar.