"I beg you to let me go..."

"Beg? If begging works, your family wouldn't go bankrupt!" The man harshly grabbed her hair with a cold sneer. "This old man has been waiting in his room for so long, but it turns out you fucking ran away. Ruining this old man's fun cannot be simply resolved by eighty-thousand yuan. You want your freedom back? Then asked the people around you. All the people who can come to Zi Jing Cheng are not lacking money. Try and see who will be willing to buy you? The price I'm offering isn't high, ten times! How about it? Eight-hundred thousand yuan!"

Ling Xuaner wailed in despair, but her sharp cries only caused the crowd to point fingers at her as they whispered amongst themselves. None of them stepped forward.

The sound of her cries caused Ji Nuan's body to tremble. The visions of her past life she had tried her best to repress flashed through her mind continuously, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Her heart felt as though it was about to jump out of her throat; she suppressed the feeling, unable to stop herself from turning her head back. She was about to push aside the crowd to shout that she would buy, wasn't it only just eight-hundred thousand yuan? She will buy!

"I'll buy."

Suddenly, someone spoke up. However, the voice did not come from Ji Nuan!

It was Qin Siting.

Hearing these two words, Ling Xuaner raised her disheveled face up in disbelief. The instant she saw that it was Qin Siting, she burst into tears. Her cries were filled with sorrow and despair, but at the same time, it seemed like she had finally found a shred of hope. This complicated sorrow was difficult to describe.

At the same instant when Qin Siting spoke up, Shi Niange's eyes moved straight to him and something appeared to have slowly broken in her eyes.

Yet, from start to finish, Qin Siting did not offer her a single glance. He coldly said, "I'll buy her, aren't you letting her go?"

The people who frequented Zi Jing Cheng Club were all people with status in the high society. The Qin family was one of the four large families in Hai Cheng. They naturally had heard of him before.

The man grabbing onto Ling Xuaner's hair recognized that it was Qin Siting. He had to swallow back the curses he was about to deliver and asked in suspicion, "Young Master Qin, are you sure you want to buy her?"

"I won't repeat my words." Qin Siting's gaze was gloomy and cold.

The man could only let go. The moment she regained her freedom, Ling Xuaner ran stumbling toward Qin Siting and threw herself forward. Qin Siting expressionless avoided her outstretched hand. He did not touch her and kept a distance from her, but he threw his coat toward the half-naked Ling Xuaner.

Ling Xuaner trembled from head to toe. She did not dare to initiate contact with him again but frantically wrapped the coat around herself. She then carefully hid behind him, instinctively seeking his protection.

The crowd began whispering, discussing if this Ling Xuaner was the one who was previously engaged with this Qin's family's young master. They did not expect that even though the engagement did not go through, this Young Master Qin would still offer her a helping hand after so many years.

Shi Niange was always watching Qin Siting. Even when Ling Xuaner ran behind him, her gaze remained fixed in his direction.

Yet, Qin Siting never once returned her gaze.

—-

The crowd gradually dispersed. This farce had also finally ended. Ji Nuan realized that Shi Niange had left without her notice.

"When did Miss Shi leave?"

"The earlier scene is enough to send a thousand cuts into her heart. If she still didn't leave, is she supposed to stand here and wait for us to offer her some insincere comfort?" Nan Heng remained by the side, unhurriedly playing with a bronze-colored cigarette lighter.

As he spoke, he glanced at Ji Nuan. "Your expression really seems poor. Those who don't know might think the one who was thrown onto the ground and bullied earlier wasn't that Miss Ling, but you."

Mo Jingshen's gaze remained on Ji Nuan's eyes. "Still uncomfortable?"

He had noticed that Ji Nuan's expression earlier was out of the ordinary. The emotions that had flashed past her eyes did not escape his attention.

Ji Nuan shook her head, indicating she was fine. She then glared at Nan Heng whose words kept hitting her sore spots. "I simply couldn't watch any longer. Those who can be here are all wealthy people. A simple meal for them could cost up to several tens of thousands of yuan. It was a situation where a life could be saved, but no one chose to step out."

Nan Heng spread out his hands. "The business world is a world where people are taken advantage of. The people in this sort of high-class places are all influential figures. They all know well who cannot be touched. She is only the young lady of a bankrupt corporation. The Ling family are also gradually declining because of their pursuit of revenge, so their enemies are not little. Who would try to offend their enemies for this useless young lady?"

Ji Nuan lips curved as she smiled mildly. "You sure are great at looking for a suitable reason for your own cold-blooded heart."

Nan Heng raised his brows, smiling mockingly. "When did Miss Ji become such a 'hates evil as one does her enemy,' person?"

Ji Nuan did not reply, but her mood was clearly affected.

Nan Heng sneered as he returned to the private room. "What sort of trouble was this, my fucking birthday isn't even over, and such a prime-time melodramatic television drama has already played out. Let Old Qin deal with his own problems. Don't they say women will become happy the moment they eat cake? Miss Ji, let's go. We'll return to the private room for cake."

Ji Nuan: "..."

He sure was generous.

Mo Jingshen did not look at Nan Heng, lowering his eyes to look at Ji Nuan instead. "Do you want to go home or have the cake?"

"Let's have the cake. Although Miss Shi has already left, she took the time to buy the cake. It'll be a waste if we don't have it."

For the sake of a few slices of cake, Ji Nuan tugged on Mo Jingshen's arm to return to the private room. Initially, she thought she could have the cake cut by the Nan Heng who was the birthday boy, but he threw the knife to her. "If you want to eat it, cut it yourself. I don't have any interest in sweet things."

Seeing that Mo Jingshen also did not have any intention of eating, Ji Nuan cut several slices for herself. Her fingers accidentally dipped into the cream, and she placed it into her mouth for a taste.

It was very sweet.

It was peach flavored; there was even the sensation of peach wine on her tongue.

—-

Nan Heng and Mo Jingshen began discussing business.

Occasionally, a waiter would enter to bring more alcohol in. He also brought more fruit juice for Ji Nuan.

Ji Nuan did not have any dinner tonight, so the 10-inch double-layered cake was almost half-eaten by her. She also drank three to four glasses of fruit juice.

Even when they ended, Shi Niange did not return. Qin Siting's whereabouts were even more unknown.

They were about to leave the private room. Ji Nuan stood to follow, but the moment she did so, she ended up leaning against Mo Jingshen. Her footsteps were weak, and her face was slightly red. Her eyes were also blurred as she lazily leaned against his shoulder.

Mo Jingshen saw her tipsy state and held her waist, wary that she would accidentally fall. His cold, handsome brows knitted. He did not expect she would become tipsy so easily.

"Is she drunk?" Nan Heng was just about to step out. He turned back for a look.

Ji Nuan shook her head and then raised her hand to wave at them casually. "No, I've been drinking fruit juice. I haven't touched any alcohol."