Chapter 8: Xiao Heng Intervenes

Chi Chen was about to speak when Bai Yuxing, untraceably, interrupted him. A spark flashed in his slender eyes, "She, oh, she angered Shen Dashao. Look, do you see it? That bottle on the table,” he casually pointed to the whisky on the coffee table, “Shen Dashao said she has to either finish the bottle or perform a kiss in public, just for a bit of extra entertainment."

"Oooh~" Xiao Heng drew out the sound, leisurely walking over to Jian Tong while lazily glancing at Shen Xiujin on the sofa, and nonchalantly stroked his chin:

"Shen Dashao really knows how to have fun. Since he wants to see a spicy kiss scene, why not let me play the leading man. I’m not boasting, but if I, Xiao Heng, claim to be second best at kissing, no one would dare claim to be the first.”

As he spoke, faster than lightning, he reached out his long arm and pulled the befuddled Jian Tong into his embrace.

Jian Tong, caught off guard, tumbled into Xiao Heng's arms. The next second, a warm touch on her lips suddenly made her eyes widen in shock.

She... was kissed?

Boom!

Her face instantly heated, blushing furiously from her ears down to the tips of her toes.

Xiao Heng was surprised by the tender softness of the small mouth beneath his lips. The sensation was... unbelievably good!

He hadn't intended to deepen the kiss – just a harmless peck, a teasing trick. But the touch of her lips was tempting, seductive.

Just as he leaned in to intensify the kiss, a strong force snatched the woman from his arms.

Xiao Heng, robbed of the sweetness he had anticipated, looked up unhappily at the person who had pulled Jian Tong away.

"Shen Xiujin, return her to me."

Shen Xiujin's expression was dark, his eyes sharp, "She has offended me. Until I have calmed down, no one can take her away."

Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow at Shen Xiujin. They had been both friends and rivals since childhood. Even after Xiao Heng went abroad with his parents, and Shen Xiujin stayed in the country, their relationship didn't change.

However, the fact that Shen Xiujin cared about this woman… Xiao Heng was very curious. He glanced at the woman Shen Xiujin had pulled behind him, and Xiao Heng was surprised to find her ears were glowing red.

It suddenly occurred to him that this might be the first time this woman was held by a man, perhaps even her first…

"Hey, is this your first kiss?"

Boom!

Jian Tong's face was redder than a monkey's bottom. Her ears were so red they looked as though they could drip blood. Nothing needed to be said; her blushing face was the answer.

Even Xiao Heng himself didn't realize how much his mood had lifted.

His lips curled into a half-smile as he looked at Shen Xiujin with an expression that was both teasing and serious: "What if I insist on taking her with me?"

The surrounding crowd, led by the chaos-loving Xi Chen, began cheering, whistles resounding through the air. "Bai Yuxing, get out your phone, record this! Xiao Dashao standing up for his belle, challenging Shen Xiujin – this news is going to be golden for the magazines! This is tomorrow's front-page headline, for sure!"

Meanwhile, Bai Yuxing, nonchalantly pouring himself a whiskey, raised an eyebrow and mockingly said to the excited Xi Chen, "I guarantee that if you do that, tomorrow's front-page headline will be about an unidentified body found in the Huangpu River."

"Hmm..."

Shen Xiujin was, of course, not unaffected by the sight of Jian Tong's blushing face. He suddenly found the shy look on her face extremely irritating.

The sharp gaze icily landed on her lips. Squinting, he seemed to be pondering something.

Feeling the weight of Shen Xiujin's unabashed scrutiny, Jian Tong awkwardly looked away, hoping to escape the unsettling attention.

However, to Shen Xiujin, her reaction sparked an inexplicable anger. His grip tightened around her wrist like a vise. With a swift motion, he hoisted her over his shoulder like a sandbag. Under the astonished gazes of Xiao Heng, Bai Yuxing, and Xi Chen, he strode out of the private room.

Xiao Heng was quick to react, anger fueled by embarrassment.

"Stop!" He didn't hesitate and chased after them.

Xi Chen's mouth fell open, still trying to process what he had just witnessed.

Bai Yuxing abruptly stood up from the couch, "Now this is going to be an interesting show." He didn't wait for Xi Chen; instead, he followed suit. Finally coming to his senses, Xi Chen scrambled to his feet, "Wait for me! Why enjoy the drama alone when we can all have fun together?"

Qin Mumu’s face turned pale, and her feet felt like they were glued to the ground, unable to move. She only knew one thing — she was in big trouble, and it was all her fault that Jian Tong was in this predicament.

Guilt wracked her heart, but she was at a loss for what to do.

If she went to tell Manager Meng, she would be the one finished. If Meng found out that it was because of her disrespectful words that such a big scene was caused, she would never be able to work here as a server again.

Torn between guilt and the fear of bringing the issue to Manager Meng and possibly facing dire consequences, Qin Mumu hesitated, struggling with her conscience.

Finally...

"It'll be okay, it should be fine. Sister Jian Tong is just a cleaner. That Young Master Shen is just angry, there's no need for him to make things difficult for a cleaner. Right, it should be okay." Qin Mumu mumbled to herself, repeatedly trying to convince herself that her self-deception would somehow make her feel less guilty.

Xiao Heng quickly chased out, but Shen Xiujin, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around. His long leg drew a sharp arc through the air, delivering a kick swift and stylish that forced Xiao Heng to retreat. Shen Xiujin then hastened into the nearby elevator.

As Xiao Heng tried to follow, the elevator doors closed right before his eyes, perfectly sealed.

"Damn!" Just a fraction too late, Xiao Heng, unable to quell his anger, smashed his fist into the elevator door.

Xi Chen and Bai Yuxing, true to form as partners in crime, arrived one after another.

Xi Chen, ever the instigator, teased Xiao Heng, "No way, the elevator stopped at the 28th floor!!! Hey, Bai Yuxing, look quickly, what's Shen Xiujin up to? Taking a cleaner to the 28th floor?" The entertainment complex occupied the lower six floors of this building, commonly known as a nightclub, a place where only the rich and prestigious with high taste would spend their time.

And above the sixth floor was the hotel area.

Why it's designed like this... no need for further explanation, it’s clear to anyone who isn’t a fool.

With a flicker in his slender eyes, Bai Yuxing gave Xi Chen a cold smirk and said, "A cleaner is a woman too. Is it really such a big deal?"

It would have been better if Xi Chen had kept silent, but once he spoke, he couldn't help but snark to himself: "How unique can Shen Xiujin's tastes be? That seems too intense." Taking a cleaning lady to open a room? Xi Chen smacked his lips, shivering slightly as he remembered the cleaner's figure and face.

"Shit!" Hearing this, Xiao Heng punched the elevator door once again and began to press the elevator button desperately.

"Hey, Xiao Heng, you're not seriously thinking of chasing after them, are you? You've just returned to the country and may not know — the entire 28th floor here is Shen Xiujin’s. Without a key card, you can't get up there."

At that, Xiao Heng's entire face turned utterly dark.

The elevator moved rapidly, and with a "ding", the doors flung open. Shen Xiujin stepped out quickly, carrying Jian Tong effortlessly. He strode through the living room and into the bedroom with practiced ease.

Bang!

Jian Tong's vision blurred for a moment, and the next second she was unceremoniously dumped onto a Persian shag carpet. “Umm~” Before she could react, her jaw ached from the impact, and she was forced to open her eyes. Shen Xiujin’s face, as sharp and stunning as a deity’s sculpture, was only inches away.

"Jian Tong," the man's icy voice slowly rose, causing an involuntary shiver through her body, his tone continued, "Jian Tong, you truly have been an eye-opener for me today."