Chapter 19: The Fake Heiress's Escape from Marriage - 19 Beverages

Gong Mufeng's friends are very different now. Although they are all fair-weather friends, before, any one of them was a rich young master whose name you could easily name.

Now...

Yun Chiyi sat on the far side, her gaze piercing through the clear wine as she surveyed the tattooed young men and women surrounding Gong Mufeng.

Our relationship has become purely platonic, consisting only of drinking buddies.

Yun Chiyi's lips curled into a slight smile, which seemed almost imperceptible.

Gong Mufeng's eyes were bloodshot, perhaps because he was drunk.

He leaned back on the platinum sofa and grinned at Yun Chiyi: "It hasn't been that long since we last met, and you've already distanced yourself from me, Xiaoyi?"

"Why say such things..." Yun Chiyi's voice was almost completely drowned out by the loud music.

Gong Mufeng stood up, striding past the others to stand in front of her: "Let's clink glasses like before."

Yun Chiyi tightened her grip on the wine glass, a red mark appearing between her brows.

The more she kept her head down and didn't respond, the more forceful Gong Mufeng's tone became. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the sofa.

Yun Chiyi nearly spilled the wine and was stunned, unable to react in any other way.

The others burst into laughter. Lin Jishen raised his eyes, his empty fingers interlaced together. His face was expressionless, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Gong Mufeng scoffed: "Lately, I can't stop thinking about you. Do you remember when you liked to stick to me? I really miss you back then. It's like I can't get rid of you no matter what I do."

His smiling tone made the atmosphere a little awkward.

Yun Chiyi's wrist was pinched red by him, and her eyes, which were moist under her long eyelashes, also turned red. She choked up and said in a suppressed sob, "I thought you just wanted to invite me for a drink tonight. Friends shouldn't act like this."

Even though he knew she was acting, Lin Jishen's eyes darkened.

If he hadn't known she wasn't shy and had a playful nature, would he have picked her up today?

Lin Jishen lowered his head and sneered silently.

Gong Mufeng looked at the men and women in their colorful clothes who were with him, and his smile became even more blatant: "According to the way friends are entertained here, you should first punish yourself with three drinks."

Yun Chiyi chuckled: "Does your family all like to make people drink the penalty shot?"

She thought of the time she went to the restaurant to apologize to Gong Hanlu, and she punished herself by drinking a few cups.

Gong Mufeng naturally couldn't understand what she was saying, so he picked up his wine glass and poured her a full glass of wine.

"Drink it."

Yun Chiyi didn't reach out to take it, but she took the wine glass with one hand. The two of them looked at Lin Jishen, who had a half-smile on his face. The latter drank the wine without saying a word.

Lin Jishen casually placed the cup on the table: "I'm the one who brought her here, and I want to return her exactly as she was, including the feelings she had when she came."

The four or five people sitting on the sofa started to jeer. A young man with green hair scoffed, disapproving of Lin Jishen's heroic behavior.

"what ever."

Gong Mufeng released his grip, as if he could easily crush that bone in his hand.

Under the dim light, Yun Chiyi lowered her head, rubbing her aching wrist with her right hand.

Lin Jishen glanced at her silently, then looked away and said to Gong Mufeng, "Mufeng, shall I take you to wash your face?"

Gong Mufeng unbuttoned his collar again: "I've had a bit too much to drink. I can go by myself. You guys keep having fun."

As he spoke, he picked up the bottle and headed towards the restroom.

Lin Jishen said he would accompany him, but he didn't even move an inch.

Yun Chiyi felt annoyed and picked up her bag, saying, "I'm going home to sleep."

Lin Jishen's gaze met hers, but before he could say anything, the green-haired youth who had been clicking his tongue suddenly stood up, his eyes scanning her up and down with ill intent.

"This is not right. The young master hasn't even returned yet, how could Miss Yun leave without permission?"

Yun Chiyi didn't want to lose her temper with Gong Mufeng, so she temporarily suppressed her anger. However, she didn't want to swallow her anger even towards this petty thug.

She smiled and asked in return, "What do you mean by leaving without permission? Is there any rule in this bar that says I can't leave alone?"

Lin Jishen had already picked up the car keys, clearly on her side.

The green-haired youth blocked Yun Chiyi's way: "Fine, you can leave, but first drink this bottle of wine, and I'll see you to your car."

He was about to touch Yun Chiyi's wrist when Lin Jishen blocked him with a wine bottle: "Be careful, don't move your hand."

Yun Chiyi hid beside Lin Jishen.

The green-haired youth said, "Just because the young master doesn't say anything doesn't mean everyone has no objections. This is my territory. No matter which group you young masters and ladies belong to, you all have to give me some face when you come here."

His gaze followed Yun Chiyi's body: "Come here dressed like this, and still pretend to be innocent and won't let anyone touch you, that's too pretentious."

Lin Jishen could see the color of Yun Chiyi's dress out of the corner of his eye. Thinking of what she had said when he came from the Yun family, the pressure around him suddenly dropped.

She said she wore the long dress to match his suit.

He was silent at this moment, his dark eyes glancing at the young man, when suddenly he smiled.

His gentle and warm image was out of place in front of these people in the past.

Now I'm starting to resemble them a bit.

When things quieted down, Yun Chiyi smiled just like Lin Jishen, and slapped the young man across the face.

The loud noise stunned everyone.

The young man looked at her in disbelief: "You just hit me?"

Yun Chiyi, her hands still wet, shook them off with obvious disgust, her tone growing colder: "When we went out to play, didn't anyone teach you how to respect others?"

She said, "What I wear is none of your business. If you keep talking nonsense, I don't mind slapping you again."

The young man instantly exploded.

Lin Jishen moved so quickly that the young man cried out in pain before he realized what had just happened.

The young man yelled and shouted, "You dog, you can be disobedient sometimes!"

Lin Jishen gripped the back of his neck, his knuckles turning white little by little.

"You bastard!"

Yun Chiyi's face suddenly darkened. She silently let go of Lin Jishen's sleeve, took the wine bottle from the young man's hand that he could no longer hold, tilted the bottle, and expressionlessly poured the wine over the young man's head.

Her voice was still chilling: "You've ruined my good mood."

Lin Jishen glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

The young man angrily tried to get up, but Lin Jishen held him firmly in place.

Yun Chiyi squatted down and said softly, "Gong Mufeng has been playing with you for a few days, how come you think you're such a good dog? What is his status and what is yours? Don't think too highly of yourself. In the eyes of the young master of the Gong family, you're not even a bag of trash."

"He's been in a bad mood these past few days. Just because you're keeping him company with meals and entertainment doesn't mean you've developed a relationship with him. Do you even deserve the word 'relationship'?"

"Instead of meddling in other people's business, you should take a look in the mirror and see what kind of dog you are."

The green-haired youth was hurling vulgarities at Yun Chiyi, who stared at him coldly.

No one in the bar noticed this corner; the other so-called friends just watched the green-haired youth make a fool of himself, laughing and recording it on their phones.

At the same time, Gong Mufeng returned. He must have vomited; his collar was wet, and his voice was hoarse.

Gong Mufeng's eyes narrowed, clearly displeased. He endured the dizziness and headache, picked up the ice bucket on the table, and poured it directly over the young man's head.

The young man shivered from the cold water.

Those who were recording on their phones burst into laughter, only falling silent after Gong Mufeng smashed the wine bottle.

Gong Mufeng pressed his temples, holding a broken glass bottle in his hand: "Look at you cursing so hard, are you just bored and have nothing better to do?"

Gong Mufeng tried to make a move but was stopped by Lin Jishen. The green-haired youth was soaked to the bone, but thankfully he no longer had to lie on the table and have wine poured over him.

Looking at Gong Mufeng's sullen face, he immediately realized that what Yun Chiyi had said earlier was absolutely true; Gong Mufeng didn't take them seriously at all.

Gong Mufeng said in a deep voice, "Lin Jishen, you're stopping me again."

Lin Jishen stepped aside upon hearing this: "If you cripple someone, it will be difficult for the chairman to explain. But I'll contact Attorney Wang first to see how things go."

The young man's face darkened when he heard that they were still talking about beating him up.

Yun Chiyi silently picked up her bag again: "I'm going back."

Lin Jishen tugged at her wrist, his voice softening slightly: "I'll take you there later."

Yun Chiyi looked at him and said, "Alright, hurry up and resolve this."

The three of them were clearly of the same kind, even though on the surface only Gong Mufeng seemed to be superior.

In the end, no one made a move. The green-haired youth escaped unscathed and muttered a few words while squatting in the corner.

"They're all crazy."

"What young masters and young ladies? They're all crazy."

After exiting through the side door of the bar, Gong Mufeng sat in the passenger seat, looking down at Yun Chiyi with arrogance: "I wasn't helping you just now, I was just considering the Gong family's reputation. Don't overthink it."

Yun Chiyi was momentarily surprised that he actually had the concept of "face".

Gong Mufeng sneered, "Yun Chiyi, you ran away from your wedding and tried every means to get away from me. You don't really think I'll chase after you, do you? Playing hard to get won't work on me. You're just pretty, don't be so arrogant."

He finally said impatiently, "I get tired of it too."

Yun Chiyi stood by the bushes and replied indifferently, "I hope we can remain friends."

Gong Mufeng raised his voice: "What kind of friend? A friend like the one just now? That would be quite suitable."

He lowered himself to pursue her time and time again, but she became increasingly ungrateful.

Just now, under the influence of alcohol, Gong Mufeng only wanted to humiliate her and make her submit, hoping that the previous matter would be forgotten.

Unexpectedly, Yun Chiyi's personality has changed; she's become so stubborn that it's irritating.

Her stubbornness was different from the first few days after the engagement was announced; back then, she was like a free rose waiting to bloom in the wind. Now, the aloofness in Yun Chiyi's eyes was impossible to hide, or perhaps she wasn't even trying to conceal it.

Gong Mufeng often experienced this kind of gaze from Gong Hanlu; her expression was exactly the same as Gong Hanlu's.

Gong Mufeng's thick eyebrows furrowed, his teeth clenched so tightly they seemed to want to crush them.

"Lin Jishen, send the person you brought back yourself. She has nothing to do with me anymore."

He wouldn't let the two people get in the car, and told the driver to drive off.

Yun Chiyi looked at the speeding car and asked softly, "Is it okay for him to drive like this?"

Lin Jishen said, "At most, I'll throw up in one car; it's not the first time."

The two didn't have a spare car, so Yun Chiyi started walking on the road, her wet skirt clinging uncomfortably to her calves.

Under the moonlight, a cold glint flashed in Lin Jishen's eyes, as if he were recalling what had just happened.

He caught up with you in two steps and brought up the past: "I think I owed you a new dress before."

Yun Chiyi asked in surprise, "When did this happen? Why are you bringing this up now?"

Her eyes sparkled, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Are you going to give me a gift?"

Lin Jishen said, "I'm afraid you'll get cold."

In the night breeze, Yun Chiyi spread her arms wide, like a light butterfly: "The temperature is just right now. If you're worried that I'm cold, you don't need to go to any trouble."

She lowered her hands, and slowly, her fair fingers slid along her waistline before overlapping and placing them on her lower back.

"Can I ask you one more time? Are you trying to give me a gift?"

The road ahead was still wide, and Lin Jishen slowed his pace. In his eyes, no matter which way he went, he couldn't escape Yun Chiyi's questioning.

He raised the corner of his mouth and said, "What's wrong? You don't like it?"

Yun Chiyi did not answer, but turned around lightly and walked ahead.

"It depends on how pretty the dress you give me is. If it's ugly, I'll throw it away right away."

She slowly extended her palm, and Lin Jishen glanced at it but did not understand her meaning.

Yun Chiyi said, "I just touched something unclean, and my hands are dirty. Can you wipe them for me?"

Lin Jishen had never heard of such a principle, but he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped her palms.

Her palms were red and hot. Yun Chiyi said coquettishly, "Why are you rubbing so hard? It hurts. Blow on it."

Lin Jishen stopped indulging her and turned to leave, with Yun Chiyi following him with a smile.

After walking quietly for a while, the system's voice suddenly rang in Yun Chiyi's mind.

[Host, I've discovered a new feature! We can now view everyone's favorability rating!]

Yun Chiyi paused slightly in her steps.

What happened to the previous trust level?

[Host, these are two different concepts. Trusting someone doesn't necessarily mean you like them.]

Yun Chi suddenly realized, "Why didn't you tell me about this good thing sooner?"