Chapter 1: Scold Him

In Beicheng, at the Sheng Tang Clubhouse, extravagance and opulence were everywhere, a world filled with wine and gold.

Room No. 3, Yun Building.

Jiang You and Qi Ye were sitting on the sofa, waiting for Wen Nian to return victorious.

On the coffee table was a nearly empty bottle of red wine, most of it drunk by Wen Nian before she left.

The three were close friends.

Today was June 9th, Wen Nian had just finished her college entrance exams and decided to confess her feelings to the person she secretly admired. She had heard that he would be at a dinner party here tonight, so the three of them came to this place.

Time ticked by, and it had already been half an hour.

The two waiting were nervous. It was just a confession, why was it taking so long?

As they were thinking this, the door to the private room was pushed open.

Wen Nian entered, wearing a white princess dress, looking dazed, her eyes unfocused, and her steps unsteady.

Her face, which had been painted with blush, was now pale and lifeless.

Seeing this, Jiang You and Qi Ye felt a sinking sensation in their hearts and quickly rushed forward.

Jiang You grabbed Wen Nian’s shoulder. “How did it go? Did he agree?”

Wen Nian’s eyes welled up with tears, and black hot tears streamed down her face.

Jiang You knew it was a failure. She gently guided Wen Nian to the sofa and wiped away her tears with a tissue.

“Don’t cry, Nian Nian. It’s okay, there are so many men out there. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll find someone else!”

Qi Ye asked, “Did he refuse outright, or did he leave some room? Don’t cry yet, there might still be a chance.”

He was a guy, so he was more rational.

Wen Nian stared blankly at a corner in the air, her delicate makeup ruined by tears, her voice filled with despair.

“He… He said I was too young, just a little kid. I hadn’t even grown up yet, and I went to confess, wah wah wah, wah wah wah…”

Wen Nian’s crush was her uncle’s good friend, Su Rui.

She knew she was young, and had been in love for two years, silently enduring the pain of seeing him with his girlfriend every day. But a month ago, they broke up, and Wen Nian felt she couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

So, right after the exams, she came to confess.

But to her surprise, not only did he reject her, he mocked her.

How dare he!

Jiang You was furious, her anger flaring up.

What if she was young? What’s wrong with liking someone when you’re young?

He was too much!

“Which room is he in?” Jiang You asked, her tone sharp.

Wen Nian sniffed. “Room No. 1, Tian Building.”

“What’s he wearing?”

“Black… black suit.”

Jiang You stood up quickly, full of energy, and stormed out. “Wait for me, I’m going to scold him!”

“Nian Nian…” Wen Nian got up to stop her, but suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, collapsing back onto the sofa.

Qi Ye was frantic and helped her sit up. “What’s wrong? Do you need to throw up?”

“Wah—”

Wen Nian leaned to the side, grabbed the nearby trash bin, and vomited.

After a while, she lifted her head, her eyes empty.

“He’s already gone…”

Jiang You didn’t care about anything else.

Her good friend had been wronged, and she was going to vent her anger.

Fuming, she marched to Room No. 1, Tian Building, and flung open the door.

Inside the spacious private room, there was no one around the large round dining table under a huge crystal chandelier. A tall man stood by the window, wearing a black suit, his back to the door, talking on the phone.

Jiang You didn’t hold back. She immediately started scolding.

“Hey! What’s wrong with you? So what if Wen Nian likes you? If you don’t like her, fine, but why do you have to call her a little kid? What’s wrong with being young? Is your love purer than ours? Do you know how hard it is to secretly like someone? Why don’t you show us some respect?”

Her blood was boiling, and her face felt hot and swollen, as if she had been rejected herself.

The man, hearing the shouting, froze for a moment. He slowly lowered the phone from his ear but didn’t turn around, remaining silent until she had finished scolding.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you guilty?”

Still, the man said nothing, not turning around.

Jiang You felt something was off. This man seemed deaf.

Then, looking more closely, she realized his build and silhouette seemed familiar.

Her voice dropped a little, though her tone remained forceful. “What’s the matter? Are you too ashamed to face us? Are you even a man? Let me tell you, a real man should be bold enough to refuse, but also responsible enough to face the consequences. You’d better hurry up and apologize to Wen Nian, because she…”

“Jiang You—Jiang You—”

A worried voice came from behind, and Jiang You turned around. Wen Nian had staggered to the door, her face as red as a monkey’s, and Qi Ye was supporting her, trying to keep her steady.

“Nian Nian, what are you doing here?” Jiang You rushed over, hoping to take credit. “Don’t be angry, I’ve scolded him. I’ll make him apologize to you!”

Wen Nian ignored Jiang You’s outstretched arms and looked past her, directly at the man by the window. Suddenly, her face drained of color, and her voice trembled.

“You… you were just scolding him?”

“Yeah, I was telling him to apologize to you, and he…”

“Wen Nian…”

A deep, hoarse voice echoed, like the slow pull of a cello, calm but heavy, magnetic and pleasant to the ear.

Jiang You’s brain short-circuited. Her heart skipped a beat.

That voice, it was familiar…

Almost in disbelief, Jiang You slowly turned her head, hearing the cracking sound of her neck.

When she saw the man’s face, her breath stopped for a moment.

The man’s face was smooth and fair, his features sharp with a high nose and thin lips, a strong jawline. His black suit fit his near 1.9-meter frame perfectly, his imposing figure made him look like a statue from ancient Greece, exuding an aura of nobility and coldness, impossible to disrespect.

He was looking at them with a half-smile, his entire presence radiating a dangerous energy.

It was… Fu Jin—Wen Nian’s… uncle.

Ah!

Ah ah!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Jiang You’s brain malfunctioned.

So the person she had just scolded was… Fu Jin!

Oh my God, if I’ve done something wrong, please let the law punish me, not Fu Jin.

A large-scale battle scene looked like this, but it was the enhanced version.

Inside the private room, the four of them were sitting around the dining table, with dishes, bowls, and drinks left on the table.

Jiang You felt like a fish with its eyes gouged out, completely in the dark.

Fu Jin spent ten minutes listening to Qi Ye explain everything that had happened tonight.

The only flaw might be that after the dinner party ended, Su Rui left the room first, but Wen Nian stopped him, while Fu Jin hadn’t had time to leave because he was on the phone and happened to be wearing a black suit.

Fu Jin half-squinted, his face expressionless, his right hand rhythmically tapping the table. After hearing the story, he looked at Wen Nian and spoke in a low voice.

“So last week, when you asked me and Su Rui where we were having dinner, it was all to confess your feelings?”

Wen Nian didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, her face as if someone had spilled a palette of colors on her—part black, part white, looking inexplicably comical.

The alcohol had clearly hit her.

Wen Nian murmured, “Yes… yes.”

The words reeked of strong wine.

Fu Jin frowned slightly. “You’ve been drinking?”

Wen Nian muttered, “I drank… wine, just a little, to get up the courage…”

The room fell silent for about ten seconds before the man’s deep, magnetic voice came again.

“And you two… are you the ones she used to help get courage?”