Nan Yue looked at the 5-carat diamond ring in front of her with a calm expression. On closer inspection, there were faint wrinkles on her brow.
She was having dinner with Ye Chenxi at this restaurant. As they chatted, the lights suddenly dimmed dramatically. A spotlight shone on their table, illuminating only her.
Very quickly, as if by magic, Ye Chenxi appeared before her. His casual clothes were replaced by a tailcoat. His outer garment now had some intricate decorations as well.
It made Ye Chenxi's already handsome face even more dazzling.
Subsequently, Ye Chenxi knelt on one knee and presented the high-valued diamond ring to her. However, Nan Yue's thoughts still lingered on what had transpired not long ago.
"Will you marry me? Nan Yue, I love you," Ye Chenxi repeated as he thought Nan Yue hadn't heard clearly the first time.
Nan Yue looked up into Ye Chenxi's eyes. She didn't understand why, after what he had said, Ye Chenxi could still act as if nothing had happened and casually propose to her.
Just over ten minutes ago, Nan Yue had casually brought up, "On Thursday, when I went to see you, I happened to see Qin Zhao leave the company. She resigned so suddenly while working well. Do you happen to know the reason?"
There was a flash of displeasure in Ye Chenxi's eyes. He then smiled and said, "You suspect I had an affair with her, don't you? Now that she has resigned, isn't that just perfect? I won't let her find work in the industry anymore either. We won't cross paths again."
He held Nan Yue's hand and continued, "I'm doing all this to put you at ease."
He looked at her affectionately, as if saying: See how much I love you!
Nan Yue frowned imperceptibly and said, "Do you know where Qin Zhao lives?"
Ye Chenxi laughed and shook his head. "The one I love is you. How could I possibly care where another woman lives?"
Nan Yue gently pulled her hand out of Ye Chenxi's and said, "She lives in a rundown building that could be called a slum. "
Ye Chenxi seemed a little surprised. "For her to be able to look clean and neat coming to the company, she must put in a lot of effort."
Nan Yue suddenly laughed. Ye Chenxi thought she was gloating and laughed along with her.
Little did he know Nan Yue was laughing at herself for falling for a man who had no empathy at all.
Finding Ye Chenxi's smile somewhat glaring, she solemnly said, "Qin Zhao is my friend. You shouldn't have treated her that way. She lives in a slum and already has financial difficulties. With the loss of her job, how will she survive? You actually said firing her was for me. In your heart, am I such a cold-blooded and cruel person?"
Ye Chenxi casually replied, "There are so many poor people in this world. Can we help them all? The reason people struggle upwards is to live a happy life. If you care about this and that, how can you still call yourself an upper class person? You can only blame Qin Zhao for her bad luck, disturbing us. I won't show her any mercy just because she is poor."
Seeing that Nan Yue was in a bad mood, Ye Chenxi added, "If you are really worried she has no money to live on, I'll have someone send 100,000 yuan over. Let's not mention her again."
Just as he finished speaking, he gestured behind him. Right on cue, the lights went out...
The crowd's cheers pulled Nan Yue's attention back.
"Marry him!"
"Marry him!!"
There were also excited discussions mixed in. "This man is too handsome too! I'm so jealous of her. I really wish I was the one being proposed to!"
"I know, right? What if he is some celebrity?"
"Why is she hesitating? Say yes already! I'm dying over here."
...
Amidst the chorus of gasps, Nan Yue pushed aside Ye Chenxi's diamond ring and stood up towering over him. "I do not consent."
Ye Chenxi's eyes instantly popped wide. He couldn't believe Nan Yue's words. Hadn't she liked him from the first moment they met? Hadn't she treated him as her whole world?
Why would she reject his proposal?
Ye Chenxi felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His mind went completely blank!
After Nan Yue spoke, she headed for the exit, leaving Ye Chenxi kneeling there alone. The scene was somewhat bleak.
But this bleakness only lasted a few seconds before Ye Chenxi quickly stood up and turned to Nan Yue, yelling with bloodshot eyes, "Nan Yue, I'm giving you one more chance. Agree to marry me and I will give you happiness. But if you dare walk out of here, you and your family will pay the price for trampling my dignity!"
Hearing this, Nan Yue didn't pause for a moment as she walked out of the restaurant.
Qin Zhao, who had just gotten out of a taxi, met eyes with the teary-eyed Nan Yue!
Qin Zhao blinked and casually looked away, pretending not to have seen. After all, the girl had too much pride. She definitely wouldn't want an acquaintance to see her crying.
But the next moment, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes. The sweet scent of a woman enveloped her as someone heavily collided into her arms!
Qin Zhao was staggered back by Nan Yue's tackle. Her right foot retreated a step to barely steady both their bodies. Then she clumsily put her arms around Nan Yue.
"Wah... wah..."
The sound of crying reached her ears. Nan Yue just wept without saying anything. Qin Zhao didn't know where to start comforting her. She thought: At least she still knows how to cry. It looks like the situation isn't too severe.
Seeing the state Nan Yue was in, Qin Zhao tentatively guessed Ye Chenxi's proposal had likely failed. She felt temporarily relieved.
After crying for a while with no one stopping her, Nan Yue gradually lost the urge to continue weeping.
She let go of Qin Zhao and took the tissues Qin Zhao handed over to wipe her tears. "Thank you. I feel much better now."
She added, "Sorry for hugging you and crying without your consent. I must have startled you."
Qin Zhao shook her head. "That's what friends are for. Although I don't know why you're crying, my shoulder is available anytime you need it."
At these words, Nan Yue's eyes reddened again and her lips quivered, on the verge of tears once more. But noticing they were still on the street, she held back. "Will you go drinking with me? I have something on my mind and urgently need an outlet."
Qin Zhao readily agreed, "Sure, let's go."
By the time they reached the bar, it was 9 p.m., the liveliest time at bars.
As soon as Qin Zhao entered the bar, she clearly felt more meaningful gazes land on her.
Nan Yue also sensed it. She held Qin Zhao's hand and moved closer to softly tell her, "Don't worry, I brought bodyguards with me."
She pointed not far behind them. Qin Zhao looked in that direction and indeed saw a tall, mighty woman with a serious expression watching them - oozing a sense of security!
Afterwards, they sat at the bar. Men and women came one after another to hit on them, but Qin Zhao emotionlessly rejected them all.
Nan Yue, on the other hand, had an open attitude, chatting a few sentences with anyone.
Even her rejections were very tactful. The rejected all left with smiles.
This made Qin Zhao gain new respect for Nan Yue. After everyone had come and gone, she praised, "So your social skills are this strong!"
Nan Yue raised her eyebrows and said, "I followed my dad around various social occasions since I was little, so I naturally picked it up through long-term observation."
Qin Zhao recalled that quite a few of the people who had approached Nan Yue were women. Her thoughts led her to ask, "Do you know the boss of Ren Xiaoyao Company?"
Nan Yue drank a shot of vodka, frowning slightly from the burning sensation.
After a moment, she replied, "You mean Shen Yixuan? She was my college senior, but we met when we were little because of family relations. We didn't interact much though."
As expected, the one the boss Shen Yixuan liked was Nan Yue!
One after another, the female lead really had quite the sea of peach blossoms around her.
No wonder the system said this task would be difficult. To woo the female lead, she would at least have to outcompete all those birds and butterflies.
Qin Zhao silently lit a candle for herself. It would be disastrous if she couldn't capture the female lead's heart!
Qin Zhao returned to her senses and suddenly realized in the time they had chatted, Nan Yue had already finished half a bottle of vodka.
She quickly snatched Nan Yue's glass and said, "No more drinking. You'll feel even worse tomorrow morning if you get drunk!"
But it was too late...
Seeing her glass snatched away, Nan Yue slurred in protest, "Why'd you take my glass? I can still drink. I'm not drunk!"
Qin Zhao rolled her eyes, grabbed Nan Yue's flailing hand, and scolded, "Enough! I'm taking you home."
Nan Yue quieted at Qin Zhao's momentum.
Taking advantage, Qin Zhao pulled Nan Yue's arm over her own neck, then held her waist. She half dragged, half carried Nan Yue out of the bar.
Nan Yue complained, "Qin Zhao, you're so domineering."
Qin Zhao absentmindedly humored her, coaxing her like a child into the car. The bodyguard sister voluntarily took on driving duty.
In the back seat of the car, Nan Yue was leaning against Qin Zhao, mumbling something under her breath. Qin Zhao leaned in to listen and realized she was cursing Ye Chenxi.
This girl was quite strong-willed, acting nonchalantly when sober. She wouldn't say anything.
Only when drunk would she lower her psychological defenses a little and reveal what was on her mind.
To gain the trust of someone like her, impatience would get you nowhere. Qin Zhao was glad he hadn't shown too much enthusiasm for her too early.
With her, he'd have to take it slow.
Half an hour later, the car pulled up at the Jade Mansion Huating where Nan Yue lived.
Despite covering over 20,000 square meters, the luxury villa complex looked rather low-key from the outside. Only upon entering would you realize how exquisite it was.
The complex was very well landscaped, with trees and lawns separating the villas so residents wouldn't be disturbed by noise from their neighbors.
Having a quiet living environment wasn't easy for city dwellers, which explained the expensive housing prices here.
The car stopped beside one of the stand-alone villas. The female bodyguard looked uncertainly at the dizzy Nan Yue in Qin Zhao's arms and hesitated before speaking, "Miss is living alone..."
Qin Zhao quickly responded, "I'm her friend and it's my responsibility to take care of her. Leave her to me."
The bodyguard nodded. "Then I'll leave her in your hands."
Suddenly Qin Zhao remarked, "You look a little like Nan Yue!"
"Maybe because...I've been with her for so long."
The bodyguard entered the access code for the door and let Qin Zhao bring Nan Yue inside, giving him a few reminders before leaving.
Qin Zhao dumped Nan Yue on the sofa. Feeling uncomfortable, she twisted her body and turned over on her own.
Qin Zhao looked around the villa to find the bathroom. He took a clean towel from the cabinet.
After wetting it with warm water, he used it to wipe Nan Yue's face.
Just as he approached the sofa, Nan Yue got up nauseously and started throwing up. Having not eaten dinner, she vomited only liquid.
Despite trying hard not to make a mess on the sofa, some still got on it and her clothes.
Qin Zhao sighed and began wrestling with the drunk.
...
The next morning, Nan Yue awoke first. She clutched her aching head and lay in bed for a while before opening her eyes.
When she saw someone lying next to her...
Nan Yue's screams echoed through the spacious villa, passing through the window and startling several birds outside!
