Chapter 6 Taking You Home

On the yacht heading towards the small islands around Tsushima, dynamic music and lights mingled, and expensive champagne and red wine were poured over people's heads as if they were stimulants.

On the terrace, Lu Yingchi sat with his legs crossed, slumped in the sofa, his eyes glazed with drunkenness. Of all the people there, he recognized very few, but he was used to this kind of occasion, so whether he knew them or not didn't affect his drinking.

"Young Master Lu, you're out having fun, so don't keep that long face. What's wrong?" Someone handed him a glass of wine from the side.

Having been drinking, Lu Yingchi's mind wasn't working very well. He casually asked, "Hu Zhuo, how do you deal with the disobedient servants in your household?"

"A servant?" Hu Zhuo scoffed. "If you don't like him, just beat him up and get lost."

Beat him up?

In the past, Lu Yingchi thought that if she wanted to hit Qiao Wu, she would not hesitate to put her face in his palm and ask him if his hand hurt.

But now...

He wasn't really sure; this person might make a move before him.

"No way, Young Master Lu, you're unhappy because of the servants at home?" Hu Zhuo exclaimed in surprise. "With so many servants at home, why would you care about one or two? It's just a dog."

Lu Yingchi snorted coldly: "I don't hit women."

"Fine, if you won't hit her, I will." Hu Zhuo rolled up his sleeves and smiled maliciously. "If you're really angry, just hand her over to me. I'll make sure she can't cry out to heaven and earth, and I'll train her into a good dog that will obey your every whim."

"None of your business," Lu Yingchi retorted. "Even if they don't listen, they're still mine..."

For so many years, Qiao Wu has always been by his side, obeying his every command. Even if he no longer wants her, that is his business, and he will not allow anyone to interfere.

"Alright, alright, forget about good dogs and bad dogs." Hu Zhuo hooked his arm around his shoulder, gesturing for him to look up, his tone suggestive and ambiguous, "Wouldn't it be better to get away from the city tonight and just go straight to a secluded island for some passion?"

The strong smell of alcohol made Lu Yingchi frown and slap away the dog's paws. He glanced around casually, and a series of pretty faces flashed before his eyes, but none of them left an impression.

For no apparent reason, he suddenly remembered the face he saw when he got out of the elevator that day, which calmed him down for a moment in the noisy environment.

Qiao Wu told him personally that he shouldn't care about other people's opinions, that he could pursue his own freedom and not be bound by anything, and that she would always stand by his side. So he did everything the old man forbade.

Now, even if she wants to interfere, is it any of her business?

"What's the point of just drinking every time you go out? There are so many fun and exciting things you haven't seen before." Hu Zhuo handed him another drink, coaxing him gently. "I guarantee they'll all be clean. You won't regret it if you try. Which young masters and ladies in this circle don't have a few people around them? Everyone knows that. You're not afraid of even these things, are you?"

Lu Yingchi's head was throbbing from the alcohol. He stood up, still holding his drink, and said, "Shut your dog mouth."

Without even seeing clearly, he walked up to the nearest girl and handed her the drink: "Want a drink?"

The girl was startled and quickly turned around, saying, "I'm sorry, I don't drink alcohol."

She originally thought it was just a normal classmate team building activity, but when she arrived, she realized it was this kind of occasion, and she wasn't used to it at all.

This was Lu Yingchi's first time trying to strike up a conversation, and he had no idea what to do after being rejected. He also didn't have a habit of forcing others to drink, so he found it all rather pointless. He turned his wrist, finished his drink in one gulp, and walked away.

Hu Zhuo, who was watching the scene from behind, gritted his teeth, thinking that this girl was completely ignorant, and staggered over: "Do you know who that person was?"

"I know, Lu Yingchi."

This yacht belongs to him; how could she not know?

Hu Zhuo coldly rebuked, "You knew he was in a bad mood, yet you still refused? Don't you know he's upset?"

"But I really don't drink alcohol."

"Who's born knowing how to drink? You just learn by drinking, don't you?" Hu Zhuo held a glass of wine to her lips. "Drink it."

The girl shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together: "I..."

“This is Lu Yingchi’s boat. This is his territory. He hates disobedient dogs the most.” Hu Zhuo found that the girl was even more beautiful than he had imagined. He lowered his head and lowered his voice, “I happen to be very good at training. How do you think I should train you?”

Lu Yingchi found a quiet place to drink alone, and not long after, he heard someone rushing over: "Young Master Lu, Hu Zhuo is drunk and bullying Liao Liao, please help him!"

Who is Liao Liao?

Lu Yingchi kicked the table in frustration: "You idiot."

He followed the people onto the terrace, where Hu Zhuo was holding a girl tightly and pouring alcohol into her mouth.

Seeing Lu Yingchi coming up out of the corner of her eye, she trembled with fear and, in a moment of panic, pushed Hu Zhuo aside and climbed over the railing, shouting, "Don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll jump!"

Hu Zhuo moved closer: "You jump..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone suddenly grabbed his collar from behind. Lu Yingchi's face darkened: "You bastard, are you sick in the head?!"

"This is the sea, would she dare to jump?" Hu Zhuo almost fell to the ground, but he steadied himself on the table with an air of confidence. "There's no village or shop in sight. What are the chances of her surviving if she jumps? Young Master Lu, I'm standing up for you, what's the rush?"

"I won't..."

Before Lu Yingchi could finish speaking, they heard a roar from the sea, and everyone turned around at the same time.

A speedboat approached from afar, gradually slowing down as it drew nearer; it was clearly heading this way.

Hu Zhuo squinted: "Who is it?"

The Lu family's belongings are all marked with the Lu family crest, and Lu Yingchi recognized that it was Lu Jinzhi's ship.

But Lu Jin is abroad and wouldn't care about him, so who is this?

Suddenly, a beam of light shone down and shone directly on the person driving the speedboat.

Upon seeing who was on the speedboat, Lu Yingchi sobered up considerably. He widened his eyes, pushed Hu Zhuo aside, and walked to the outer perimeter, staring intently at the woman on the speedboat.

Because she was driving fast, she was half-wet from the splashing water, and she looked cold and aloof, even more frightening than when she drew her sword.

Qiao Wu raised his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Lu Yingchi, and his eyes darkened when he saw the girl forced onto the roof of the boat.

Five minutes later, Qiao Wu boarded the yacht successfully.

After what had just happened, many people quietly returned to the living room on the first floor, not daring to show their faces, so they could see clearly when someone boarded the ship.

A barefoot, slender woman, carrying a suit jacket and a pair of high heels in one hand, appeared under the lights like a siren emerging from the deep sea, without the naivety of a college student or the glitz of the entertainment industry.

Qiao Wu climbed the stairs to the rooftop terrace, while Lu Yingchi stood there blankly, unresponsive.

Hu Zhuo had never met Qiao Wu before, but judging from Qiao Wu's demeanor and the fact that she was driving Lu's speedboat, he assumed she was someone in the Lu family, so he remained silent for a while.

Qiao Wu ignored the two people, threw his shoes on the ground, walked up to the girl who was still clinging tightly to the railing, and reached out his hand: "It's okay, come down."

Liao Liao wouldn't dare to jump down unless it was the very last moment. The moment she saw Qiao Wu, she felt like she had found a backer. Her body went limp, and she trembled as she grabbed his hand and slowly stepped onto the terrace floor.

The next moment, a coat with a faint bookish scent was draped over her thin shirt, which was soaked with wine.

Liao Liao couldn't help but raise her head.

The woman who was half-embracing her didn't look much older than her, maybe a little taller, with an incredibly perfect profile and clear, bright eyes.

"Are you alright?" The voice was gentler than the sea breeze.

Liao Liao said softly, "It's alright."

Qiao Wu looked her over from head to toe, making sure there were no other injuries, before letting go of her hand: "Sit down first."

Then he asked, "Should we call the police?"

The words "call the police" immediately struck a nerve with the other two, and Lu Yingchi finally snapped out of his daze: "Why are you here!"

Qiao Wu pulled a tissue from the table, took off his glasses and wiped them lightly, then raised his eyes and asked in a calm voice, "If you don't come now, will you wait until you call me and tell me to clean up the mess?"

Without his glasses, Qiao Wu's gaze was even more irresistible, making Lu Yingchi feel as if he had been burned. If it were the old Qiao Wu looking at him, he might have been able to say with a straight face, "So what?"

But facing Qiao Wu now, he inexplicably felt a sense of being seen through and made him subconsciously deny it: "It wasn't me!"

Who is that?

Hu Zhuo, who hadn't received a single glance from the entire time, hurriedly smiled apologetically and said, "No, don't call the police, we're just classmates joking around! Young Master Lu, you haven't introduced this person yet?"

“She is…” Lu Yingchi hesitated.

Qiao Wu interrupted him before he could answer: "I have something to tell you."

Hu Zhuo's eyes darted around quickly. Ordinary people couldn't touch the Lu family's ship, and Lu Yingchi wouldn't have this kind of attitude, so even though he didn't know the other party's identity, he was still quite obsequious and immediately walked downstairs: "You tell me, I'll leave now, and I won't let anyone up!"

"Hey you, you too..."

Qiao Wu: "She stayed."

"Okay, okay."

Once there were no more sounds, Lu Yingchi plopped down on the sofa and turned his head: "It was that idiot who did it, it has nothing to do with me."

Qiao Wu didn't speak. Instead, he put on his glasses, took out the largest wine glass, filled it with wine, and walked up to Lu Yingchi, looking down at him: "Having fun?"

Lu Yingchi couldn't stand her gaze and couldn't help but look away, but what he saw below was her wrist with its distinct bones, and below that, her bare ankles.

No shoes?

His eyelids twitched, and he quickly looked away impatiently, asking, "What exactly do you want?"

"Look up," Qiao Wu said.

Lu Yingchi was confused. He had just raised his head slightly when the person in front of him suddenly pressed down on him.

He quickly tried to back away, but his neck was pressed down by a cold elbow.

Amidst Liao Liao's gasps, Qiao Wu knelt on one knee on the sofa, pressed his elbow tightly against Lu Yingchi's collarbone and lifted him up, while using his other hand to forcefully pour the full glass of wine into Lu Yingchi's mouth.

Lu Yingchi had no idea this would happen, nor did he expect Qiao Wu to attack him. He choked on his drink for a while before struggling to his feet, exclaiming in disbelief, "Qiao Wu!!"

Most of the glass of wine was spilled on his expensive clothes, and the smell of alcohol filled the air.

Qiao Wu knew he was no match for him, so he could only take advantage of the moment when the other man was off guard and quickly released his restraints and stood up straight.

She tossed the cup into Lu Yingchi's wet arms and asked, "Was it fun?"

Lu Yingchi choked on the alcohol, coughing for a long time before he recovered. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Qiao Wu.

I can't take it anymore!

Smashing his wine glass to pieces, Lu Yingchi stood up, grabbed Qiao Wu's wrist, and gritted his teeth: "Do you know how long I've been putting up with you!"

He wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine, so he turned around and went to find the opened bottle of wine.

Suddenly, Qiao Wu asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"Nonsense, I'll show you how bad it is right now!"

Qiao Wu seemed oblivious to the pain. The moment Lu Yingchi picked up the bottle, she calmly raised her other hand and pointed at the girl next to her: "Have you forgotten? You treated her the same way just now. You know how painful it is, but she doesn't? I haven't even pushed you into the sea yet."

Liao Liao's eyes widened.

Lu Yingchi froze, the bottle in his hand, unable to pour the wine down.

He was breathing heavily, and he was furious: "How many times have I said it wasn't me who did it!"

"I know."

"Then why did you still force-feed me!"

“Because no one dares to force you to drink, but Lu Yingchi.” Qiao Wu looked up at him slightly, “I hope you can experience this once. If you do something like this, I won’t come next time; I’ll send the police.”

"Do you think I need you to come here?!"

Who do you think will come?

Lu Yingchi remained silent.

He was horrified to discover that, apart from Qiao Wu, he had no other trustworthy person he could call anytime and anywhere to have that person come to his side.

But now it seems that Qiao Wu is no longer willing to come to his side.

He tightened his grip even more, feeling both unwilling and bewildered.

In the end, he could only weakly insist, "I didn't do it."

Qiao Wu hummed in agreement: "So now you know? Because you're backing them up, the people around you are doing things that make others uncomfortable without any restraint. It doesn't mean it doesn't matter just because you didn't do them."

Lu Yingchi remained silent.

"Sorry, I got you wet." Qiao Wu looked calmly at the wine bottle in his hand. "You can throw wine at me now, I won't resist."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yingchi uncontrollably pushed the wine bottle forward.

This is Qiao Wu, his butler, whom his family paid for.

He had every reason to punish her for her mistakes, and she was not allowed to complain. He disciplined her as Hu Zhuo had suggested.

But when the bottle touched Qiao Wu's lips, his hand suddenly trembled.

Her slender neck arched gracefully, her clothes, still damp from the seawater splashing, were not completely dry, and her eyes were clear and bright.

Lu Yingchi cursed, abruptly released her hand, and yelled down, "Hu Zhuo, get up here!"

Hearing the noise, Hu Zhuo rushed over without hesitation. Before he could even be surprised at why Young Master Lu was in such a disheveled state, he was suddenly shoved onto the sofa by a strong force: "Young Master Lu, you..."

The rest of the words were cut off by the wine bottle.

Lu Yingchi vented all the anger he couldn't get out on Qiao Wu on this bottle of wine. Without hesitation, he poured all the wine into Hu Zhuo's mouth and onto him, cursing, "You like to force people to drink, huh? I'll let you drink as much as you want. It's all your fault. Get the hell away from me from now on!"

"Sister..." Liao Liao looked on, her heart pounding with fear, "Is this alright?"

"Hmm." Qiao Wu still had the appetite to eat fruit. "I'll clean up his mess this time."

Lu Yingchi's eyes suddenly lit up after listening to a bit of what he was saying. His mood, which had been gloomy for several days after drinking two bottles of wine, suddenly improved. He paused when he saw the red-soled high heels on the ground, and then kicked the shoes in front of Qiao Wu.

Qiao Wu smiled, lowered his head slightly, and put on his shoes.

Lu Yingchi withdrew his gaze: "Are you satisfied now?"

"Okay." Qiao Wu wiped his hands clean. "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Just as she stood up, Liao Liao suddenly stood up, a little awkwardly: "Sister, what's your name? Can I have your phone number? My name is Liao Liao. I'll wash the clothes and return them to you later."

These clothes don't look cheap.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Wu finally gave her a proper look and chuckled indifferently, "It's just a piece of clothing, no need to make such a fuss. You've been frightened, go home early."

Qiao Wu only cares about the people she cares about, and she only believes that things can be accomplished by human effort. The so-called female lead has nothing to do with her, so she doesn't scrutinize her too much, nor does she intend to befriend her. In her eyes, she is just an innocent and naive student.

She came here not to salvage Lu Yingchi's image in the female lead's eyes, but simply for Lu Yingchi's sake.

She is the protagonist of her own story.