YXJ - 15

Xun Ya still seemed to be engrossed in the phone call they just had. “Your brother’s voice is so beautiful, I swear my baby is about to pop out of my ears.”

Lin Wangshu was amused by her exaggerated metaphor.

Xun Ya pretended to be angry and pinched her waist. “You stingy girl, you have such a handsome brother and you don’t even share him with your bestie sooner.”

Lin Wangshu was ticklish and kept dodging, not forgetting to remind her, “Your long-distance boyfriend is probably crying.”

“Hmph.” She got annoyed as soon as she mentioned him. Xun Ya cursed angrily, “That dog’s gone missing again.”

“Forget it, I don’t want to think about him anymore. Where should we go have fun?”

She took out her phone to search for nearby entertainment venues.

The birthday was just an excuse to deceive Lin Wangshu’s brother. Given how strict her family was, it seemed this was the quickest way to achieve their goal.

It was a rare opportunity to have Lin Wangshu’s company, so she couldn’t waste it.

She suddenly seemed to think of something, and the corners of her lips curled up. “How about we go to a nightclub?”

“A nightclub?”

Lin Wangshu’s reaction clearly showed she had never been to one.

Xun Ya put her arm around her shoulder. “My dear friend is so pitiful. How strict must your family be? Today, I’m going to take you to see the world.”

Lin Wangshu actually didn’t want to go to a noisy, chaotic place. She said hesitantly, “How about we go somewhere else?”

She looked like a well-mannered young lady with strict family rules and probably rarely set foot in places like nightclubs.

Since she was unwilling, Xun Ya didn’t force her. “A quiet bar would be fine, right? It’s calm and peaceful. It’s perfect.”

Having a few drinks and chatting seemed like a good idea. Most importantly, she had also invited He Jingyang.

She wanted to use this opportunity to set them up.

A personality like Lin Wangshu’s needed someone sunny and optimistic like He Jingyang.

Lin Wangshu still had some concerns, but repeatedly refusing didn’t seem right.

In the end, she nodded in agreement.

Xun Ya held her hand to go hail a cab. Halfway there, she realized something was wrong and looked back.

A tall, burly man was following them, keeping a consistent distance.

Xun Ya was a little scared. She leaned closer to Lin Wangshu and whispered, “Are we being followed by bad guys? Why is that man behind us?”

Lin Wangshu followed her gaze back, pursed her lips for a moment, and said, “He’s... my brother told him to follow me.”

She was still not very good at lying, and her words were a bit shaky.

Fortunately, Xun Ya didn’t notice anything unusual. Instead, her eyes widened in shock. “Huh, is your brother that much of a weirdo? He sends people to follow you?”

Lin Wangshu didn’t say anything because she didn’t know how to answer.

Xun Ya kept looking back at the man, feeling he looked ferocious, the kind who could kill a cow with his bare hands.

With him following them, they couldn’t have a good time.

She was absentmindedly talking to Lin Wangshu, constantly checking the cars on the side of the road. When a taxi with a vacant red light came by, she grabbed Lin Wangshu’s hand and ran to the side of the road to hail it.

Lin Wangshu was confused by her actions. “What’s wrong?”

After getting in the car, Xun Ya looked back. The man ran after them for a while, but couldn’t keep up. He tried to hail a cab to follow them.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to get a taxi in that area, and only one came after a long wait.

He took out his phone to take a picture of the license plate number and then started making a call.

Xun Ya patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, he didn’t catch up.”

Only then did Lin Wangshu realize that Xun Ya had deliberately shaken him off.

She was worried. “But...”

Even she hadn’t noticed that under Jiang Congxian’s long-term control, she had begun to subconsciously obey him.

Xun Ya comforted her. “It’s fine. It feels strange to be monitored by him all the time.”

Seeing that Lin Wangshu was still preoccupied, she put her arm around her shoulder and reassured her. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you if anything happens. It’s not like someone is going to kidnap you from a bar, right?”

She took out her phone to distract Lin Wangshu. “Come on, let’s take a selfie to celebrate our straight-laced Miss Lin finally going out late at night.”

Lin Wangshu was amused by her words. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Not at all. I’ve never seen a college student with such strict family rules as you.”

Xun Ya was used to freedom, and the thought of such a life was terrifying.

Lin Wangshu didn’t feel anything in particular, probably because she was used to it.

Jiang Congxian was very possessive and especially disliked others touching his things.

In his eyes, Lin Wangshu was also his possession.

________________________________________

Lin Wangshu thought it would just be the two of them on this outing until she saw He Jingyang.

Seeing them arrive, he stood up and waved. “Over here.”

Xun Ya pulled her over. “Why are you here so early?”

He Jingyang smiled. “I didn’t have anything to do today. I played basketball, took a shower, and came over.”

As he spoke, his eyes were glued to Lin Wangshu, never leaving her.

This attention made her a little uncomfortable, so she turned her face away and looked around.

It was just a regular quiet bar, nothing too special.

Xun Ya ordered a low-alcohol cocktail for Lin Wangshu.

The bartender made it and placed it in front of her. She thanked him politely and took a small sip.

She didn’t actually like alcohol. She found it bitter and spicy, which was strange.

Xun Ya brought up where they should go for the summer vacation a month from now. “I heard your family has a villa in Seaview Bay. How about we go there for the summer? I took a surfing lesson before the new year and haven’t had a chance to practice it yet.”

He Jingyang nodded with a smile. “That works. The villa there has been empty, and no one lives there. I’ll have someone go clean it up tomorrow.”

Xun Ya looked at Lin Wangshu. “You should come, too.”

Lin Wangshu was stunned for a moment and was about to refuse, but Xun Ya wouldn’t let up. She hugged her arm and whined, “It’ll be so boring if you don’t come. I’ll be bored to death. Come on, come on. I’ll talk to your brother for you; he’ll definitely agree.”

Xun Ya didn’t really understand why Lin Wangshu was so apprehensive of her brother. He seemed to be a very reasonable person.

Lin Wangshu couldn’t bear to refuse her outright, so she nodded. “I’ll ask him when I get back.”

She was satisfied. “Shushu is the best.”

Xun Ya ordered a few more bottles of alcohol, seemingly ready for a night of drinking.

The lively atmosphere was suddenly interrupted as a group of men with unfriendly expressions entered the quiet bar.

This street wasn’t very peaceful. Someone had come around to collect protection money before the new year.

Those rats who lived in the gutters were ruthless and not afraid of death. With the mindset of avoiding trouble, the business owners didn’t dare to stand up to them.

The bar owner had seen many situations like this.

He walked over, greeting them with a smile. “Gentlemen, why don’t you have a seat and a drink first? We’re a business here and don’t want any trouble. Just tell me what you want.”

The leader of the men pushed him aside and said with a smile, “We’re good citizens. We’re not here to cause trouble; we’re just looking for someone.”

The owner breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. “Looking for someone?”

Zhang Heng lifted his chin, looking at Lin Wangshu at the table behind him. “Her, that woman over there.”

Noticing their stares, Xun Ya pulled Lin Wangshu back in fear. “Are they human traffickers?”

Lin Wangshu was slow to respond. It was then that Xun Ya noticed her palms were sweaty.

She looked up. Lin Wangshu’s face was pale. Her body trembled with fear as she watched the group of men approaching.

Xun Ya asked worriedly in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Before Lin Wangshu could speak, the leader walked closer with a cold smile. “Well, well. How come Jiang Congxian’s little dog isn’t with you today?”

Lin Wangshu had seen him before. He had caused a scene at her father’s funeral.

He Jingyang didn’t have time to think about how Lin Wangshu was connected to these people. He stepped in front of her. “Who are you?”

“Who are we?” The man chuckled and introduced himself. “We’re her creditors.”

“Creditors?”

Zhang Heng raised an eyebrow. “What, didn’t this girl tell you? Her old man owed us money. Now her old man’s dead, and as his daughter, she refuses to pay it back. Isn’t that just a deadbeat?”

“You guys...” Lin Wangshu’s eyes turned red. She gritted her teeth in hatred. “You guys were the ones who drove my dad to his death.”

She had nightmares for over half a year.

It was these people every night.

They had forced her father to jump from a building. She was left homeless, and Lin Yue’s condition worsened after witnessing the scene at the funeral.

All of this was because of them.

She hated them to death.

The pretty girl looked even more beautiful when she was angry. Her eyes were filled with tears, looking as if she had just been violated.

Zhang Heng laughed. “How about this? You sleep with me for one night, and I’ll knock off fifty or a hundred thousand from your debt. How’s that?”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch her face. He Jingyang rushed over and punched him in the face. “Get your filthy hands off her, you bastard!”

He was just a student after all, pampered by his family. His strength was no match for these thugs.

Zhang Heng rubbed his numb mouth from the punch and sneered dismissively, “Too soft. Young people should go to the gym less. The muscles you get from protein powder are useless.”

He laughed and raised his foot, kicking He Jingyang hard in the stomach.

“This is the kind of force that can kill someone.”

His kick was indeed powerful. He Jingyang’s body knocked over a few tables behind him.

He clutched his stomach and lay on the ground, in too much pain to get up.

Xun Ya had never seen a scene like this before. She was frozen in fear, unable to react for a long time.

With the obstacle out of the way, Zhang Heng walked up to Lin Wangshu, his smile lecherous. “Don’t be scared, big brother won’t hit you. As long as you sleep with me, big brother can knock off some of your debt. If you make me happy, never mind fifty or a hundred thousand, I’ll take off a million. How about that?”

With a table behind her, Lin Wangshu had nowhere to retreat.

Her hands were shaking, and her body was shaking. She felt as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

All her fears came flooding back.

Perhaps she had been living too peacefully under Jiang Congxian’s protection, so much so that she had almost forgotten how terrifying these people were.

It was as if someone was choking her. It was hard to breathe. The fear was like the deep sea, drowning her.

The man’s greasy face came closer, and he reached out to touch her face. Lin Wangshu had nowhere to hide, like a rabbit waiting to be skinned in a slaughterhouse. Just as he was about to get his way, a chair was thrown from behind them.

It hit him squarely on the forehead.

It split his head open.

He touched his forehead, felt the warm blood, and roared, “Damn it, who threw that? I’ll...”

When he saw who it was, he stopped talking. His expression was ugly, a mix of complicated emotions.

A moment later, the ferocity on his face turned into a fawning smile. “Isn’t this Brother Xian? What are you doing here?”

Jiang Congxian was wearing a dark gray shirt without a tie.

His long, straight legs were encased in black trousers.

He was always meticulous in public. This lazy and casual outfit probably meant he came straight from home.

Jiang Yuan was following behind him.

The lights in the quiet bar were dim. He lowered his eyes, looking at the mess in front of him.

His gaze swept over Lin Wangshu, his expression unchanged.

His eyes rested on Zhang Heng again. “My cat ran away. I’m here looking for it.”

After a moment of thought, he slightly raised his chin, his smile faint and his voice soft. “I accidentally threw a chair just now. I hope I didn’t hurt you?”

Zhang Heng’s heart trembled when he saw that smile. He had almost been killed by that chair, and yet he could so calmly say it was an accident.

Even an idiot could see that the chair was thrown on purpose, but this person was not to be trifled with.

Zhang Heng could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

“No, no.” He said. “What kind of cat comes to a quiet bar?”

“A cat that doesn’t let people rest easy.” Jiang Congxian didn’t look at her; he just said in a low voice, “Come over here.”

Lin Wangshu looked at He Jingyang, who was being helped up by Xun Ya, with some worry.

Noticing her gaze, Jiang Congxian’s eyes darkened slightly. “Hmm?”

In this situation, Lin Wangshu didn’t dare to defy him.

She walked with small steps to his side, her head down.

The girl must have been truly scared. She looked as if she were possessed, her soul having left her body, and her eyes were blank.

The people watching the commotion had already started taking photos with their phones.

Jiang Congxian pressed his wrist and slowly stretched his stiff muscles. He said to Jiang Yuan behind him, “Tell the owner to clear the place. I’m taking over tonight.”

Jiang Yuan nodded and left.

The tears on Lin Wangshu’s face hadn’t dried yet, and new ones welled up in her eyes. It was clear she was very scared.

Jiang Congxian raised his hand and gently brushed her cheek with his thumb, wiping away a tear. “Why are you crying? It’s not like I’m not going to get revenge for you.”