IJLHTW - 16

His voice was cold and detached, yet it somehow cut through the deafening music of the bar, reaching the two men clearly. One of them, wearing a pink shirt, angrily cursed, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

But before he could finish his rant, a hand tapped his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the bar’s bouncer—a large man in a black suit—who said, “Gentlemen, please follow us outside.”

“What’s this about?” Pink Shirt complained loudly, ready to start an argument.

Beside him, Han Yao sneered and pointed directly at his nose, saying, “What did you put in her drink?”

It turned out that just as they spotted Huo Ci earlier, they saw Pink Shirt slip something into her cocktail while she wasn’t looking.

Pink Shirt angrily shouted back, “Don’t make false accusations! What bad luck. I’m never coming to this lousy bar again.”

With that, he tried to storm off, pulling his friend along.

But before he could leave, Yi Zecheng suddenly picked up the cocktail from the bar counter, grabbed him by the neck, pinched his mouth open, and poured the entire drink down his throat.

Caught off guard, Pink Shirt felt Yi Zecheng’s hand clamp down like an iron vice, leaving him unable to struggle.

Only after the entire drink had been forced down his throat did Yi Zecheng finally release him.

Once freed, Pink Shirt coughed violently, his face turning red. If not for his friend holding him up, he would have collapsed to the ground.

“Take your filth with you,” Yi Zecheng said indifferently, his tone calm and icy, as if he had merely done something trivial.

The bar’s security staff were sharp-eyed. From the moment they arrived, they could tell that among these two groups, this man exuded an air of nobility even without speaking. Thus, they immediately escorted the troublemakers away, apologizing for the disturbance.

Huo Ci looked up, biting her lip, and gazed at him, wanting to say something.

But he didn’t look at her, instead sitting down on a nearby barstool. His long legs stretched out effortlessly, feet firmly planted on the ground.

“Yi Zecheng,” Huo Ci finally dared to call his name.

The man lowered his head, ignoring her, and pulled out a cigarette box, placing one between his lips. He searched around but realized he didn’t have a lighter. He smoked rarely, so while he often carried cigarettes, he seldom carried a lighter. He tapped the bar counter, and the girl in a vest uniform quickly handed him a box of matches.

He took it, his slender white fingers holding both the match and the matchbox.

With a soft whoosh , the flame lit up, igniting the cigarette tip.

Huo Ci sat quietly beside him, her head bowed and eyes lowered, resembling a mischievous young wife caught in the act.

After a long while, the man across from her, cigarette in hand, asked, “Do you like places like this?”

Huo Ci looked up. His voice wasn’t loud, yet amidst the noisy bar, she heard him clearly.

She immediately shook her head. “No, I don’t like it.”

Yi Zecheng glanced at her. The first time he met her was also in a bar.

Huo Ci was truly innocent. After returning to China, she’d only been to bars twice. The first time was the night she returned, which was their first meeting.

After having Japanese food with Mo Xingchen, she had planned to go home.

But then Mo Xingchen received a call and insisted on dragging her to the bar. Coincidentally, Huo Ci had several outfits freshly delivered by Bai Yu in her car, meant for her to take home.

With many year-end events coming up, Bai Yu had specially prepared a red dress for her.

The color was striking, complementing her skin perfectly.

Yi Zecheng glanced at her again. She wasn’t overly exposed, wearing a short red evening dress with a skirt that bloomed like a flower around her legs. Her incredibly long legs peeked out from beneath the crimson gown.

Striking.

After finishing his cigarette, he stubbed it out on the bar counter and carelessly tossed it into the ashtray nearby.

Standing up, he still needed to find someone.

Seeing him rise, Huo Ci followed suit. Yi Zecheng noticed her bare arms and legs—despite the freezing winter outside, she remained unfazed.

“Where are you going?” Huo Ci asked.

Yi Zecheng didn’t respond, turning to leave. But just as he turned, a sudden cry came from behind.

Turning back, he saw her body sway to one side, her high heels slipping on the floor as she hurried after him.

He reached out, pulling her close to prevent her fall. Their bodies pressed close together.

Huo Ci wore only a short skirt, and when he instinctively grabbed her waist, he found it astonishingly slim—so delicate that it seemed a slight squeeze might break her in half.

“Why are you walking so fast?” he scolded softly, intending to let her go.

But unexpectedly, she clung to his arm and raised her head, whispering pitifully, “My ankle hurts.”

“Tolerate it,” he frowned habitually, his icy expression showing a trace of impatience.

Huo Ci wasn’t afraid, instead leaning further into her act, saying softly, “It hurts.”

Yi Zecheng stared at her, knowing he should have let go and not indulged her antics.

Yet, she tightly clung to his arm. Lowering his gaze, he saw her misty eyes, soft like a rainy haze. Even though he knew she was pretending, he suddenly couldn’t bear it.

He couldn’t bear it.

Yi Zecheng didn’t realize that the first sprouts of affection often begin with those three words: “I can’t bear it.”

He was here to find Yi Duanduan, yet now there was someone clinging to him. His face remained as cold as an iceberg, devoid of any warmth. After all, he disliked such chaotic places, yet these troublesome individuals kept dragging him into them. As for Huo Ci, she wasn’t intimidated by his icy demeanor and clung tightly to his arm.

The bar was crowded, and as they walked, they inevitably bumped into others.

After Huo Ci was deliberately jostled a few times, Yi Zecheng grew annoyed.

He removed his coat and handed it to her, frowning. “Put this on.”

Huo Ci suppressed a smile, accepting his coat and slipping it on. The sleeves were too long, completely covering her hands.

The hem extended past her knees.

Yi Zecheng glanced down, satisfied that her legs were now covered.

Han Yao had searched everywhere but still couldn’t find Yi Duanduan. The stubborn girl hadn’t answered her phone. When he reunited with Yi Zecheng, he saw Huo Ci wearing his coat, following closely by his side.

There was no time for gossip. Han Yao sighed helplessly, “Brother Zecheng, we can’t find Duanduan anywhere.”

By now, Huo Ci understood they were searching for a girl and asked, “Could she be in the restroom?”

Han Yao waved his hand, replying, “I can’t just barge into the women’s restroom, can I?”

Huo Ci tilted her head, “That’s why I’m here.”

However, since Huo Ci didn’t recognize Yi Duanduan, Han Yao pulled up her WeChat Moments. Opening it, they saw a selfie of a stunningly vibrant girl whose smile radiated sunshine.

No wonder she was so beloved, prompting these two to search for her late into the night.

After glancing at the photo, Huo Ci released her grip and headed toward the restroom.

Han Yao stood there for a while, clicking his tongue, and asked, “Did Huo Ci really sprain her ankle?”

Even without being reminded, Yi Zecheng had already noticed. At first, when she clung to his arm, pitifully claiming her ankle hurt, he thought she was faking it. But after watching her take a few steps, he realized she wasn’t.

This girl was stubborn, rarely showing weakness to anyone.

Though she claimed her ankle was sprained, she walked with her foot arched stiffly, each step deliberate.

She must have twisted it badly. By now, she couldn’t endure it any longer.

Yi Zecheng inwardly scoffed. Serves her right.

Yet, he had already followed her inside.

As fate would have it, the moment Huo Ci entered the restroom, she saw a group of girls inside.

“Yi Chenxi, you seduced my boyfriend and still pretend to be an innocent little lotus. You’re shameless!” A girl in a Dior slip dress exclaimed furiously.

The girl being pointed at, however, calmly touched her ear and smirked, “You’re crazy.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Huo Ci leaned against the wall, arms crossed. This was none other than the girl Han Yao and Yi Zecheng had been searching for all night.

But just as Yi Duanduan turned, the girl behind her, enraged by her dismissive attitude, lunged forward and grabbed her hair. Girl fights typically involved hair-pulling and scratching.

When Yi Duanduan’s hair was yanked by the girl in the slip dress, the latter shouted to her companions, “What are you looking at? Help me beat her up!”

“Xu Jiaqian, how dare you lay a hand on me. Your weakling boyfriend could kneel in front of me, and I wouldn’t even spare him a glance. If I did, it’d mean I forced myself on him,” Yi Duanduan retorted sharply.

These girls had certainly picked a good place to fight.

Outside the bar, burly security guards patrolled every few meters, swiftly suppressing any disturbances. But here in the women’s restroom, no one intervened, allowing the chaos to escalate unchecked.

Huo Ci observed that although Yi Duanduan was fierce, she was outnumbered four to one and was gradually losing ground.

Glancing to the side, she noticed a fire hydrant nearby. Having attended a mandatory fire safety course after a studio fire, she decided not to join the melee. Instead, she opened the hydrant cabinet, unlocked the spring lock, and unrolled the hose. Once she turned the valve, water shot out forcefully from the nozzle.

Grabbing the hose, she marched into the restroom.

Inside, chaos reigned. She sneered, “Yi Duanduan, move aside.”

Hearing her nickname called, Yi Chenxi looked up and saw an unfamiliar beauty wielding a water hose at the entrance. Quick-witted, she immediately broke free from her attackers and darted into the nearest stall.

Huo Ci: “...”

“You sure know how to run,” she muttered under her breath.

But with the ally out of the way, she showed no mercy, aiming the hose directly at the four or five girls and drenching them.

The meticulously dressed girls, clad in designer clothing, screamed in shock. It was winter, and despite the bar’s warmth, the cold water hitting them made them wail in pain and discomfort.

Seeing they’d had enough, Huo Ci called out, “Yi Duanduan, come out.”

Yi Chenxi cautiously opened the door to find Xu Jiaqian and her friends shivering against the restroom wall. Their carefully styled hair and makeup were ruined, mascara streaking down their faces like panda eyes.

“What’s going on here?” Security guards in black uniforms arrived, alerted by someone.

Without hesitation, Huo Ci turned the hose on them as well.

Amidst the chaos, she dropped the hose and dragged Yi Duanduan out of the restroom.

Just as they exited the corridor, they collided with Yi Zecheng and Han Yao, who were rushing over. Without explanation, Huo Ci grabbed Yi Zecheng’s hand and urged, “Let’s go.”

Behind them, the sound of pursuing security guards echoed. Before Yi Zecheng and Han Yao could react, they were pulled along by the fleeing pair.

Throughout the escape, Huo Ci endured the pain in her ankle.

But just as they neared the exit, she was suddenly stopped. Anxiously, she asked why they had paused. The next moment, the world spun as Yi Zecheng hoisted her onto his shoulder.

Wearing his oversized coat, her snow-white, slender legs dangled in front of his eyes.

Even after setting her down outside, the image of those flawless legs lingered in his mind.

Damn, they were so white.