At the entrance of Galaxy 1898 KTV, a black Bentley suddenly stopped silently. The black body blended perfectly into the reflection of the tall roadside trees. The windows were closed, and the dark window film completely blocked the curious gazes of almost everyone outside.

In the back seat of the car, Mu Sheng's phone suddenly vibrated.

"Mr. Mu, our people have overheard the plan of that woman named Lian Rui who invited Miss Tang Ning to a party here tonight. It is said that she plans to get Miss Tang drunk tonight, and then take some... indecent photos of Miss Tang and the men she invited, as a way to teach her a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Mu Sheng's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Yeah?"

"Should we send someone to stop them?"

The person on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment, but still asked the question.

Upon hearing this, Mu Sheng, who was in the car, looked up and saw Tang Ning, who was wearing a maple-colored sweater, not far ahead. As soon as she got out of the car, she was grabbed by the hand by a woman dressed in a flamboyant manner who had been waiting at the door.

The woman looked young, but her makeup was heavy. Even so, standing next to Tang Ning, who wore no makeup and simply let her long, shiny black hair fall over her shoulders, she didn't stand out at all. Moreover, her makeup appeared particularly vulgar and aged against Tang Ning's fair, translucent skin.

Through the car window, Mu Sheng's eyes never left Tang Ning's smiling profile. He didn't know how much time had passed when Tang Ning and the woman finished their small talk and were about to head into the karaoke bar.

Mu Sheng's voice finally rang out slowly, "No need."

"Have the people following us guard that private room. If anything seems amiss, rush in immediately, understand?"

"yes."

At this moment, Mu Sheng slowly hung up the phone, watching Tang Ning's figure completely disappear from his sight.

Isn't this a good opportunity for him to pursue his dreams?

Moreover, based on his understanding of Tang Ning, this little trick wouldn't be enough to cause her any trouble.

Mu Sheng tapped lightly on his phone screen. After a couple of taps, he turned the phone on again and dialed a number. "Have someone book the room next to VIP room 9999 for me. I'm coming over now."

"...Yes, yes!"

The person on the other end of the phone was surprised, but still agreed.

Immediately, Mu Sheng rolled down the car window and walked towards the karaoke bar in front of him.

Meanwhile, as Lian Rui walked with Tang Ning through the noisy and dazzling corridor of the karaoke bar, her gaze would involuntarily fall on Tang Ning's face. Even after forcing herself to look away, she would look at Tang Ning's face again after a short while.

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but why did this woman seem to have grown even more beautiful in just two years? While she had been outstanding, beautiful, and confident before, she always felt that her confidence was forced, that she was actually somewhat insecure and lacked genuine feeling. Her every move carried a stiff, rigid formality. Now it was different. She didn't know why, but this woman exuded an inner confidence that said, "I am the most beautiful woman in the world," and every gesture drew attention to her.

Why is this happening?

It must be the Ye family and Jiang Yao who gave her that confidence!

How lucky she is! Apart from the cold and aloof Ye Jinyan, who doesn't get along with her, her mother and President Ye are so loving, taking each other everywhere. Tang Ning gets whatever she wants, all kinds of designer brands, as many as she wants. Unlike her, she has to use every trick in the book to get money from her father. But even so, the aunt in the family still doesn't like her. As soon as she got a chance, she immediately urged her father to send her abroad.

From now on, she will be completely out of the upper class in Shanghai. When she reaches marriageable age, she probably won't even be able to find a decent husband. Unlike Tang Ning, who got engaged to Jiang Yao of the Jiang family early on. Even Jiang's mother has accepted her. There haven't been any conflicts between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law since their marriage.

How come this woman gets all the good things in the world?

That's so unfair!

Lian Rui thought this with resentment in her heart.

Just then, Tang Ning suddenly turned her head and caught the girl's expression of resentment that she hadn't yet managed to conceal. Because Tang Ning turned her head so quickly, Lian Rui was caught off guard and her face almost cramped up.

"What...what's wrong?" she stammered.

Why are you staring at me like that?

"Because you're good-looking!"

Caught off guard, Lian Rui blurted out her true feelings. After she finished speaking, she regretted it and covered her mouth, but it was too late.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning raised an eyebrow and immediately smiled at her, "Thank you."

Damn, she looks even better when she smiles!

Maintaining a fake smile, Lian Rui cursed inwardly. Then she turned to look ahead, her eyes lighting up. "Ah, the private room I booked has arrived!"

She pushed open the door to the private room first and immediately shouted "Surprise!"

"Our Miss Tang has arrived! Everyone, let's give her a big round of applause!"

After she finished speaking, Lian Rui immediately took the lead in clapping. When the people inside saw Tang Ning's appearance behind her, the applause was initially sparse, but after a moment of stunned silence, it suddenly became enthusiastic and warm. Several men with dark circles under their eyes and frivolous gazes even stood up and clapped continuously.

"Look, look, the treatment of a beauty is really different. Tang Ning, you really should come out and get together with us more often. It feels like the private room is much brighter now that you're here!"

Lian Rui chuckled and pushed Tang Ning in, "But you're the last one here today! No way, you have to drink a penalty drink! Everyone, hurry up and fill our beautiful Tang's cup!"

"oh!"

As soon as the group inside heard that there was a penalty of drinking, they immediately started cheering. One by one, some opened the wine bottles, and others held up glasses. In no time, they had poured three full glasses of red wine and handed them directly to Tang Ning.

Tang Ning looked at the glass of red wine handed to her, raised an eyebrow, and then glanced at her wrist. "Lian Rui, you promised to be there at nine o'clock sharp, and I was even five minutes early. How is it that I'm late? I won't drink this wine."

"Tang Ning, this is so unfair! I'm going abroad soon, and we probably won't even see each other again. Aren't you going to give me this much face?" Lian Rui said, feigning anger.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning chuckled softly, "Don't you know whether you have any face in my eyes or not?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lian Rui's expression froze on her face.

Seeing her like this, Tang Ning reached out and tugged at her sleeve, gently coaxing her, "No, actually you should have heard that I recently injured my arm and stayed in the hospital for a long time. I'm still recovering and can't drink alcohol for the time being. You're so understanding, you shouldn't blame me, right?"

The boys who had been completely charmed by Tang Ning's smile earlier forgot all about the penalty drink when they heard her say that. They hurriedly came forward to help her out, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. We're all out having fun. Here, I'll drink this glass for Miss Tang..."

"I'll drink this one..."

"This cup..."

In no time, the three glasses of wine in front of Tang Ning were snatched up and drunk by several boys, but Lian Rui's expression did not soften at all.

"You can't come to a karaoke bar and not drink anything, can you?"

"There should be some juice here, right? Please have someone bring me a glass of juice."

"Juice... Okay, Wen, have someone quickly bring Miss Tang a glass of juice. Honestly, you're out having fun and you don't even drink alcohol. You're such a good girl..."

While muttering to herself, Lian Rui turned around and winked at the boy named Awen who was standing at the door.

It's done.

She knew from the beginning that, given Tang Ning's personality, directly asking her to drink would be a 100% no-go. It just so happened that Galaxy 1898 had a cocktail that tasted like fruit juice but had a particularly strong aftereffect. Someone like Tang Ning, who had never touched alcohol before, would basically pass out after just one sip. Did she really think that all her years of fighting with her brothers and sisters who were so cunning and scheming were for nothing?

She wouldn't dare to blatantly drug her; she wasn't about to jeopardize her life for Tang Ning, especially since the Ye and Jiang families weren't to be trifled with. But if Tang Ning drank the wine herself, then whatever happened to her would be none of her business.

A hint of smugness flashed quickly in the girl's eyes.

The prepared "juice" was served quickly, and Tang Ning was immediately informed by 54088 about the alcohol content of the "juice." She took a small, symbolic sip.

Seeing that Tang Ning had only drunk so little, Lian Rui, who had just raised her glass, got angry again. "What's wrong with you? You won't drink alcohol, and you only drink this little bit of juice? I'm about to leave, and you won't even toast me? Even if you have juice, you should at least finish it. It's like I'm not important to you at all. I have so many friends here today, can't you give me a little face?"

The last sentence was whispered by Lian Rui into Tang Ning's ear.

After saying that, she stepped back and looked at Tang Ning expectantly.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning stared at her intently, her eyes clear and bright.

Seeing Lian Rui's smile freeze on her face, who was still putting on an act, a sense of surprise and uncertainty rose in her heart. She even began to wonder if Tang Ning had seen through her act.

Tang Ning suddenly gave her a sweet smile, and then drank the so-called "juice" in one gulp.

After finishing the drink, a hint of smugness flashed in Lian Rui's eyes. She quickly had someone bring Tang Ning a few more glasses of "juice" and then pushed Tang Ning to sit down on the sofa in front of her.

As soon as Tang Ning sat down, she immediately gestured with her eyes to the men whose eye bags were bigger than their eyes.

A flash of joy crossed their eyes, and they rushed over to Tang Ning. One of the men who reached Tang Ning first was so excited that he hadn't even sat down yet when Tang Ning stood up before him.

"I don't like having strange men sitting next to me."

Such a straightforward sentence left the man momentarily unsure whether to sit or stand, and a hint of embarrassment and anger quickly flashed in his eyes.

Ungrateful.

He cursed inwardly, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at Lian Rui beside him.

Seeing this, Lian Rui finally became genuinely unhappy. She abruptly stood up and looked at Tang Ning accusingly, "Tang Ning, what's wrong with you today? I asked you to come out and have fun, and it's something I did wrong? From the drinking earlier to this seating arrangement, do you have to embarrass me in front of so many people? How can you be like this? I'm about to go abroad, and you have to make me look so bad, making me unhappy even when I leave. Are you happy now? I thought our relationship was pretty good, but I didn't expect..."

She deliberately put Tang Ning on a pedestal, because as far as she knew, the Tang Ning she knew was always a bit shy and very considerate of others. If you spoke in a way that sounded aggrieved or went too far, she would be too embarrassed to refuse and would choose to acquiesce. That was her chance.

In fact, in the story, the original owner was so caught up in her moral blackmail that she couldn't refuse for a while, which is why she almost fell into her trap.

Unfortunately, the person standing in front of her now is not the original owner of this body, but the strategist Tang Ning.

Moral blackmail simply won't work on someone as immoral as Tang Ning.

She glanced at the furious Lian Rui, then at the group of scoundrels surrounding her who seemed to be offering comfort but were actually just stirring up trouble. Tang Ning reached for a potato chip from the nut bowl beside her and said coldly, "You're not even leaving happily? Those who know the inside story know you're going abroad in a few days, but those who don't might think you're on your way to a funeral! And what kind of fake alcohol made you so intoxicated that you thought our relationship was good? I thought our relationship..."

"Smack!"

Tang Ning quickly broke open the potato chips in front of her and continued expressionlessly, "They're even crispier than these potato chips! After all, when you confessed to A Yao but were rejected, I heard you say behind my back more than once that I was a burden brought by my stepmother and a green tea bitch who's been seducing people since I was little. So I'm actually that important to you? I'm really flattered!"

As soon as Tang Ning finished speaking, everyone present subconsciously looked at Lian Rui in front of them. At that moment, Tang Ning quickly switched the so-called "juice" with the real juice that Lian Rui was drinking.

Yes, even the young lady is so clever. She keeps urging people to drink and drink "juice," but she herself is careful not to touch a drop. Is there such a wonderful thing in this world?

After the juice was changed, a quiet and awkward silence ensued.

Tang Ning immediately chuckled affectedly, "I was just kidding! You didn't take it seriously, did you? We're such good friends, you know me, I always like to joke around. You're leaving soon, you won't mind, right?"

Tang Ning looked at her with sincere eyes.

This emerald pool!

Lian Rui cursed inwardly, but still managed a forced smile. "And you're leaving," she thought, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

She quickly reached for her juice, took a small sip, and barely managed to calm herself down, feeling embarrassed and angry.

She had never drunk alcohol before, and this was her first time at Galaxy 1898. After all, her father preferred obedient and sensible children, and she knew she didn't have the right to be bad, so she always pretended to be very well-behaved.

Just as she realized that the juice she was drinking tasted a little different from what she had drunk before, Tang Ning immediately picked up the juice next to her, clinked glasses with her, and said in a gentle voice, "You're not really angry, are you? Okay, okay, I was just being tactless, I said the wrong thing, okay? I'll apologize to you with juice instead of alcohol."

Upon hearing that Tang Ning wanted to drink "juice," Lian Rui immediately perked up, even forgetting the strange thing she had just said. "No, I'm not that petty. You're joking with me, I know. I'm not angry. If I get angry over something this small, what kind of person would I be!"

To show her magnanimity, she gulped down the "juice" in her hand in one go.

The atmosphere in the private room grew increasingly lively. For Lian Rui, who wasn't naturally a good girl but had forced herself to be one for over a decade, alcohol was truly a wonderful way to unleash her true nature.

A moment later, she collapsed in the middle of the crowd, her face flushed, and started laughing and joking around.

Seeing this, Tang Ning slowly stood up.

"Tang... Ning... where are you going? Don't go, have another drink, just one more... hahaha... don't touch there, it's so itchy..."

Seeing that Lian Rui was completely drunk, Tang Ning smiled and said, "You've drunk too much juice. I'm going to the restroom. You guys play first..."

After saying that, Tang Ning walked straight towards the door of the private room.

"Tang Ning...don't go..."

The girl's drunken voice kept ringing out behind her, but Tang Ning ignored it and went straight to the door of the private room. The moment her hand touched the doorknob, her previously clear eyes became glazed and confused.

Pulling open the door to the private room and shutting out the already discordant crowd behind her, Tang Ning stumbled forward.

Just then—

"Mr. Mu, Miss Tang has come out of the private room. She seems to be drunk... Miss Tang went into the restroom..."

Upon hearing this reminder, Mu Sheng, who was just about to get up, immediately sat back down and continued to wait for further instructions.

But after waiting for almost twenty minutes without hearing from Tang Ning that she had come out of the restroom, he immediately stood up. "Send two people to go into the women's restroom and see what's wrong with Tang Ning?"

"yes."

"Mr. Mu! Miss Tang... Miss Tang is missing..."

Upon hearing this, Mu Sheng's heart tightened involuntarily.

"Have those people from Country E immediately send someone to hack into the network surveillance here, including the network surveillance within a dozen miles of this area, right now!"

"yes."

——

On the other side, Xu Xingbo, who had just finished six hours of busy work, pushed open the door to the emergency exit and opened his lunchbox in his usual spot.

He had just picked up a plump, white steamed bun and brought it to his mouth when he suddenly heard a low voice above his head.

Without a second thought, he immediately looked up and shouted, "Who goes there!"

The sound echoed continuously in the stairwell.

Then he saw his beloved little Tang Ning suddenly stick out her rosy little face from above his head, blink her wet eyes twice, and then immediately put on a bright, almost excessively bright smile.

"Who goes there..."

She smiled and followed behind him, saying this in a soft, sweet voice.

"Tang... Ning..."

After muttering those two words, Xu Xingbo suddenly opened his eyes wide. He then forgot about the lunchbox in his hand and hurriedly went upstairs, where he sat obediently in front of Tang Ning on the stairs, hugging his knees.

"Tang Ning, what are you doing here? And why is your face so red? Have you been drinking? Did you come out alone? Wasn't Jiang Yao following you? Why would he let you come out alone..."

Upon seeing Tang Ning, Xu Xingbai anxiously bombarded her with questions one after another.

Seeing this, Tang Ning frowned slightly, then reached out and pulled him to her side. She pressed her index finger to his lips and whispered, "Shh, don't talk... Teacher Lan is teaching, so don't talk. If she catches you talking, you won't get your afternoon snack... I heard it's pudding this afternoon, it's delicious... Don't talk..."

Tang Ning said this with a serious expression.

Upon feeling the touch on his lips, Xu Xingbo immediately froze on the spot, and then he saw a hint of confusion flash in Tang Ning's eyes.

Then she raised her hands and gently rubbed and pinched his face. "You...you look so familiar...I feel like I've seen you somewhere before...um...ah, Xu Xingbo, it's you, Xu Xingbo...what a coincidence, so you went to the same kindergarten as me, hehe..."

Holding Xu Xingbai's cheeks in her hands, Tang Ning smiled innocently and purely.

Xu Xingbo laughed so hard that his face turned bright red. It wasn't until he saw Tang Ning sitting on the cold stairs that he finally realized that it was absolutely not safe to sit on the ground in this weather. He hurriedly tried to pull Tang Ning up.

"No, Tang Ning! You can't sit here, you have to come out with me right now!"

Just when he thought he definitely couldn't pull her up and might even have to carry her, Tang Ning suddenly stood up.

Then she gave him a cute look that said, "I can't do anything with you." "Okay, okay, if you want to go out and play, I'll go with you. Don't drag me away. But we have to go out through the back door, so Teacher Lan can't see us, okay? I still want to eat pudding..."

As she spoke, she took Xu Xingbai's hand and started walking down to the emergency exit.

Hearing these words and seeing Tang Ning's cautious little expression, Xu Xingbo tried to hold back, but he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His heart softened as if it had been soaked in the warmest spring water all night, and he let Tang Ning lead him out of the safety passage and into the corridor.

Just then, he saw Tang Ning sit down properly on a soft bench not far ahead, and even pulled him down to sit with her.

Almost simultaneously—

"Mr. Mu, Miss Tang's image has appeared on the surveillance footage."

"Where are you? Send your location to my phone immediately."

Tang Ning, unaware that Mu Sheng was frantically searching for her, remained sitting there earnestly. Perhaps Xu Xingbo was worried that she was too drunk and uncomfortable, so he asked softly, "Tang Ning, what are we doing sitting here?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning suddenly turned her head. "Don't you know it's afternoon snack time? I'm waiting for Teacher Lan to give me snacks. Mom doesn't have any money, but I really want to eat snacks. Every afternoon snack time is the time I look forward to the most..."

"Is...is that so?"

It was only then that Xu Xingbo realized that the drunk Tang Ning was still engrossed in her kindergarten games, and he sighed helplessly.

Suddenly, he saw Tang Ning move closer to him and stare at him intently.

Xu Xingbo held his breath instantly, before he could even ask any questions.

Tang Ning spoke up immediately, "If you don't like pudding, can I have it? I like it."

"What...cloth..."

Before he could finish speaking, as if afraid he would disagree, Tang Ning cupped his face in her hands, aimed at his lips, and kissed him without hesitation.

Not content with just nibbling, it licked it again and again, and even ground it with its teeth...

At that moment, Xu Xingbo felt as if he had been electrocuted. His mind went completely blank, and apart from the touch on his lips, he could not feel anything else. His hands clenched his work pants tightly, and his whole body was stiffer than a stone.

Just then—

"What are you doing?"

Mu Sheng's gentle voice suddenly rang out behind the two of them.

Xu Xingbo looked up and his eyes met the man's, which were slightly smiling.