After Ding Xiaoyou escaped, she was terrified like a startled bird. Seeing the man in black suddenly blocking her path, she fearfully stepped backward, "Please, don't catch me. I won't run away anymore."
Ding Xiaoyou was anxious and helpless. Thinking of Ji Chi being surrounded and beaten by them, she worried that Elder Young Master Lu would treat her the same way.
She sniffled pitifully, "I can agree to be Young Master Lu's girlfriend."
The bodyguard couldn't understand what she was saying, "Our young miss wants to see you. Please come with me."
Ding Xiaoyou was stunned - wasn't it Young Master Lu who sent someone to catch her?
She followed the man in black clothing with confusion and reluctance. Only when she saw the girl sitting in the booth - beautiful and bright-eyed, still stunning even in the flickering lights and noisy environment - did Ding Xiaoyou realize who it was.
It was that privileged princess.
Ding Xiaoyou bit her lip, looking at her own wrinkled dress and disheveled appearance, then at the other girl's refined looks, surrounded by bodyguards in her elevated position. She felt bitter and resentful.
Was this the difference between the poor and the wealthy?
She was toyed with by rich people and had to live in fear, while this privileged princess sat here comfortably with so many people protecting her.
Su Ci met her gaze and felt the milk tea shop employee's hostile look.
Why?
Su Ci narrowed her eyes, examining the other person, "Why were you running away in such panic earlier?"
Ding Xiaoyou bit her lip, thinking of her earlier humiliation, not wanting to tell the other party and let them laugh at her.
Su Ci continued asking, "Did you see Ji Chi earlier?"
Ding Xiaoyou's expression froze.
Su Ci stared at her, saying with certainty, "You did see him. Where is he?"
Ding Xiaoyou opened her mouth, seeing the bodyguards next to the privileged girl. The other party could send her people to help Ji Chi.
But if the privileged princess saved Ji Chi, she was certain that Ji Chi would be moved by her.
The next second, thinking that Ji Chi might still be getting beaten by Young Master Lu's men, she couldn't bear it.
Ding Xiaoyou took a deep breath, just as she was about to tell the other party where Ji Chi was, a tall bodyguard walked over quickly.
"Miss, I asked the bar manager. Young Master Ji Chi just delivered drinks to Room 108," the bodyguard told Su Ci.
Beside them, Ding Xiaoyou couldn't help speaking up, her voice tearful, "Ji Chi was trying to save me. He's now being surrounded and beaten by a group of people in Room 108."
Su Ci immediately stood up, her gaze fierce as she coldly looked at Ding Xiaoyou, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Ding Xiaoyou's breath caught, her voice very low, as if frightened by Su Ci, "I... I thought he might have escaped."
Su Ci gave her a harsh glare, then said to the bodyguard: "Lead the way."
"Yes, Miss."
Su Ci left without another glance at Ding Xiaoyou.
She looked at the time on her phone - six minutes left. She hoped Ji Chi could hold on.
In the private room.
Several people surrounded Ji Chi, punching and kicking him.
At first, Ji Chi didn't fight back, but when he realized these people were trying to kill him, he started to resist and strike back.
But the other side had more people, and Ji Chi wasn't skilled at fighting. One person directly smashed a glass bottle against his head.
Blood immediately flowed from his forehead.
Ji Chi was forced down on one knee.
Five people beating one, and with his head injured, Ji Chi could barely resist.
"Dare to threaten me? You've got guts," Lu Wudi hiccupped again, looking mockingly at Ji Chi. "Just a little waiter, trying to play hero and save the damsel in distress. Don't you know your place? Now you're being beaten like a dead dog."
Lu Wudi opened a bottle of red wine, one foot on the coffee table, and beckoned to Ji Chi like calling a dog, "Come on, crawl between my legs, and I'll let you go."
Ji Chi's lips had lost their color, but he coldly stared at the other person, kneeling on one knee with his back still straight, refusing to submit.
"Lu's telling you to crawl through, are you deaf?" A lackey beside pushed Ji Chi, but he didn't move an inch.
"Crawl through."
"Boss, he probably hasn't been beaten enough."
"Crawl through like a dog." One of them kicked Ji Chi's straight back.
Ji Chi frowned in pain, letting out a muffled groan, but still didn't move.
"Boss, this guy's stubborn. Let us help you train him some more. He'll behave once we soften him up." Someone laughed.
Lu Wudi looked down at Ji Chi, "Fine, keep beating him until he listens."
Hearing Lu Wudi's words, several people started a new round of punching and kicking Ji Chi.
Outside, Su Ci followed the bodyguard toward Room 108.
At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.
It was Lu Zhe calling.
Su Ci hesitated.
"Miss, Room 108 is ahead," the bodyguard reminded her.
Su Ci pressed her lips together and rejected Lu Zhe's call.
She walked forward, her voice cold, "Open the door directly. If it won't open, break it down."
"Yes, Miss."
The bodyguard followed Su Ci's order and turned the door handle. The door wasn't locked.
He pushed it open directly.
Su Ci stood at the doorway, looking inside.
She saw Ji Chi kneeling on one knee, someone pressing down on his back, while a man in a suit stood in front of Ji Chi, raising a wine bottle high, about to smash it down on him.
Just as the bottle was about to fall, one of the bodyguards rushed forward and stopped it.
"Who are you?" Lu Wudi was shocked to see the man suddenly appear before him, "Don't meddle in young master's business."
Su Ci's gaze swept around the room.
The interior was smoky and chaotic, the coffee table covered in wine bottles and glasses, a complete mess. From their dress and appearance, she could tell they were all rich kids.
Su Ci's melodious voice carried a hint of coldness, "Whatever they did to Ji Chi, do it back to them."
Everyone was shocked to see the beautiful girl at the door who looked like an ethereal being, thinking they must have misheard.
Ji Chi heard Su Ci's voice and suddenly raised his head. Blood was flowing from his forehead, one side of his face was swollen and red, and his mouth corner was also stained with blood.
He looked at the girl at the door, his damaged lips twitching slightly, his hard features softening as he stared at her without blinking.
He hadn't expected that the person coming to save him would be Su Ci.
His chest, which had been kicked several times, hurt even more, and his heart was beating wildly inside.
The bodyguards moved simultaneously. They were specially trained and could beat those rich kids until they howled in pain, yet without leaving obvious injuries.
Ji Chi supported himself on the ground, slowly standing up.
Ding Xiaoyou had somehow slipped in from behind the door, "Ji Chi."
She quickly went forward to support him as he swayed.
Ji Chi dodged her hand, saying coldly, "I'm fine."
Ding Xiaoyou awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Seeing Ji Chi's gaze fixed on Su Ci, she bit her lip, "When I ran out earlier, I met your friend. I told her you were in danger."
Ding Xiaoyou's implication was that Su Ci came to save Ji Chi because of her plea for help.
Ji Chi didn't look at her at all. He clutched his painful chest, slowly walking to Su Ci's front, his voice low and hoarse as he looked at her, "Thank you."
She had saved his life.
Su Ci's gaze fell on Ji Chi's hand covering his chest, seeing that his life value at his wrist had changed from a red line to green squares.
Ji Chi, who hadn't died, would live past a hundred.
Su Ci looked once more, "You're injured. I'll have someone take you to the hospital."
Ji Chi couldn't tell if his chest hurt from being kicked or if his heart was beating so strongly it caused pain.
"Thank you."
Ding Xiaoyou cast a resentful look at Su Ci, then walked to Ji Chi's side. Seeing the wound on his forehead, her eyes reddened as she reached out to touch it, "Ji Chi, you're bleeding."
"Don't touch his wounds with your hands. You have bacteria on them that will cause infection and inflammation," Su Ci spoke coldly, stopping Ding Xiaoyou's action.
Ding Xiaoyou bit her lip pitifully, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. Ji Chi got hurt because he saved me, I'm just so worried about him."
"You're not only ignorant, but also stupid and selfish."
Su Ci didn't hold back at all, directly contradicting what Ding Xiaoyou had just said, "You knew Ji Chi was beaten up while trying to save you, so why didn't you call for help? When my people stopped you, you were stammering and hiding things from me. If my bodyguards hadn't found where Ji Chi was, were you planning to let him die for you?"
If she hadn't saved Ji Chi, he would have been beaten to death by now.
Not only was it because he tried to save this woman, but also because this woman was selfish and ran away in fear.
If this woman had sought help in time, Ji Chi might not have been beaten so severely.
Su Ci looked at Ding Xiaoyou with disgust, then turned to Ji Chi and said, "You saved an ungrateful wretch."
Ji Chi nodded, "Indeed."
Hearing this, Ding Xiaoyou's face turned pale, drained of all color, while her neck flushed red with shame. "That's not true, I was just too scared... Ji Chi, I wanted to find someone to save you..."
Su Ci refused to look at Ding Xiaoyou's tearful, pitiful expression, finding it both sickening and fake.
Without her intervention, this woman's selfishness would have gotten Ji Chi killed.
"Miss, how should we handle these people?" Several bodyguards had easily beaten the rich young men, who were now lying on the ground, howling in pain.
Su Ci looked at the group coldly and said, "Call the police. These people attempted murder."
"Calling the police won't help you. Do you know who I am?" Lu Wudi clutched his stomach, shouting through his pain.
Su Ci was exasperated; this wasn't the first man tonight to ask if she knew who they were. "I don't care who you are. If you break the law, you must face legal consequences."
"Bah, you're trying to scare me with the law? Let me tell you, I'm from the Lu family." Lu Wudi showed no fear.
Su Ci's red lips curved into a smile. She grabbed an ice bucket from a nearby cart, which was used for chilling wine. Though some ice had melted, it was still half full of ice cubes.
Su Ci carried the bucket over to Lu Wudi and looked down at him, her dark eyes full of contempt and arrogance.
Lu Wudi instinctively swallowed, struck by the girl's stunning beauty.
However, just as his heart started to flutter, Su Ci lifted the small bucket and poured all the ice and water directly onto Lu Wudi's head and body.
"Ahhhh, you crazy woman!" The ice cubes hit Lu Wudi's head and slipped inside his collar, chilling him to the bone.
Lu Wudi was completely disheveled but couldn't get up as the bodyguards kept him pinned down.
Su Ci threw the empty bucket at Lu Wudi and asked, "Are you awake now?"
Lu Wudi glared at Su Ci with hatred.
"I have no interest in knowing who you are, and as far as I know, Uncle Lu only has one son. With your stupidity, how dare you claim to be Lu Zhe's brother?" Su Ci's beautiful lips delivered devastating words. "Don't try to intimidate me with the Lu family name. Uncle Lu won't do anything to the Su family because of a fool like you."
The Su family?
Lu Wudi, who had been twisted with anger just a moment ago, and the other rich young men all looked at Su Ci in disbelief. She was from the Su family?
After being beaten up, they had sobered up, and hearing Su Ci's words, it took them a while to realize - could this girl be the little princess of the Su family?
By this time, the police had already arrived quickly.
The group who had been so arrogant earlier now knew they had crossed the wrong person with the Su family, and their bravado completely disappeared.
Even Lu Wudi's connection to the Lu family was useless. Everyone in City B knew that the Su family wasn't afraid of the Lu family, and the Lu family wouldn't dare confront the Su family's little princess over a mere distant relative.
Watching these previously arrogant and condescending rich young men being taken away, Ding Xiaoyou was both shocked and bitter.
This pampered girl was actually the Su family's daughter?
While she had been terrified, her tormentors had been easily subdued by this privileged girl. Was this the tragedy of being poor?
Because she had no family background, she was bullied pitifully, while this pampered girl was lucky enough to be born into the Su family, fearless even of the powerful, and others had to treat her with respect.
Ding Xiaoyou's eyes reddened with bitterness. She bit her lip, thinking how unfair this world was to the poor.
Having successfully saved Ji Chi and earned a golden cotton candy, Su Ci's anxious heart finally settled down.
"Let's go. I'll have someone take you to the hospital to dress your wounds," Su Ci said to Ji Chi.
Ji Chi nodded, not refusing, "Thank you for the trouble."
Just as they walked out of the nightclub hall, Su Ci's phone rang again.
It was Lu Zhe calling again.
The environment wasn't right, with all the noise around, it wasn't suitable to take the call or explain things.
Su Ci steeled her heart and hung up the call, planning to call Lu Zhe back when she got home.
In the car.
Boss Fang watched as Lu Zhe's call was hung up again. "What's wrong? Little Ci won't take your call?"
Lu Zhe put away his phone. He had just finished entertaining clients and had drunk a little, his eyes showing slight intoxication. "She might be busy."
Boss Fang didn't say much more. "I could have drunk that glass for you earlier. Your alcohol tolerance isn't good, there was no need to drink yourself."
Lu Zhe's status was different now; even if he didn't drink, others wouldn't dare to do anything.
"Uncle Fang, it's fine. My alcohol tolerance isn't good, so this can be practice." Many future occasions would require drinking, and Lu Zhe wasn't one to avoid challenges.
Boss Fang smiled, "Alright, I won't try to persuade you anymore."
Though young, Lu Zhe had always had his own principles.
Boss Fang loosened his tie; even after wearing suits for so long, he still hadn't gotten used to them - they weren't as comfortable as T-shirts.
He sighed tiredly and looked out the car window, seeing a girl walking out first from the magnificent nightclub entrance.
Boss Fang thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and rubbed them hard.
He nudged Lu Zhe with his elbow and exclaimed in surprise, "Little Zhe, isn't that... Little Ci?"
Lu Zhe followed Boss Fang's gaze and saw a girl standing at the nightclub entrance. With such an exquisite and beautiful face, who else could it be but Su Ci?
"Stop the car."
Lu Zhe's voice was somewhat deep.
The car pulled over to the side.
Boss Fang looked at Lu Zhe, then at Su Ci in the distance, and noticed that boy was there too?
This was bad - could his earlier thoughts be coming true? If Su Ci had really changed her heart, what would happen to Lu Zhe?
Boss Fang watched Lu Zhe get out and close the car door, then sighed.
Young love was really troublesome.
Su Ci instructed her bodyguards to take Ji Chi to the hospital for examination, wound dressing, and to get an injury report.
Ji Chi slowly moved in front of Su Ci. It was his first time being this close to her, and he felt his chest hurt even more from his rapidly beating heart.
He looked down at her and sincerely thanked her again, "Thank you for saving my life."
He owed her his life.
Ding Xiaoyou stood at a distance, clenching her fists, her heart bitter.
Was Ji Chi angry with her?
But he should understand that poor people like them couldn't fight against those rich young masters. She was physically weak and couldn't fight them; all she could do was run away to save herself, so his rescue wouldn't be in vain.
If she had the same background and family status as this pampered girl, she would have saved Ji Chi too, instead of fleeing in disgrace.
Su Ci had received her golden cotton candy and was in a better mood. She said to Ji Chi, "Your mother and my mother are good friends. I couldn't just watch you die."
Ji Chi's injured lips tightened slightly as he gratefully said, "Regardless, you saved me."
Su Ci smiled, "Alright, go to the hospital now."
If she were being honest, he was just a tool for her to earn golden cotton candy.
Ji Chi could only agree.
As the two turned to get in the car, they caught sight of a tall young man in a white shirt.
His dark eyes were fixed on them.
