Chapter 22: Who Dares Lay a Hand?

Lin Yiwei ran toward the south gate closest to the School of Arts, dialing Ye Anning’s number as she ran. Ye Anning deliberately hung up several times, but Lin Yiwei persistently called her back.

At last, the call connected, and a girl’s impatient voice came through—

“Lin Yiwei, what on earth do you want? I told you I’m cutting ties with you. Don’t call me again!”

“Where are you?” Lin Yiwei panted. “Tell me, where are you?”

“None of your business! I said we’re done! Even Xie Bo said you’re not a good girl. Stay away from me!”

Lin Yiwei detected loud background noise and music on the other end and cautiously asked, “Are you at a bar?”

“Yeah, I’m at a little tavern, hanging out with my new friends.” Ye Anning sounded as if she was showing off. “I have new friends now, Lin Yiwei. I’m not the only one. You don’t matter at all!”

“An An, tell me the name of the bar.”

“Why?”

“I want to come find you. I want to apologize in person. Okay?”

Ye Anning hesitated. “Who wants your apology? I don’t want to see you. Don’t contact me again.”

“If you don’t want to see me, fine,” Lin Yiwei said urgently. “Listen to me—stop drinking now. Leave the bar immediately. Don’t go back to school. Go home.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do? Even my dad doesn’t care this much!”

“Ye Anning, if you don’t want to die, you’ll listen to me!”

Ye Anning was stunned by the sudden sharpness in Lin Yiwei’s voice. “What...what do you mean?”

“Chi Xiyu sent people to mess with you—tonight. Be careful.”

“Why would she want to mess with me?” Ye Anning’s tone turned uncertain. “I don’t even know her.”

“Why else? What other reason could there be?”

“I’m heading home right now.” Easy to believe and quick to heed advice, Ye Anning left the dance floor, grabbed her bag from the private room, and hurried out.

“An An, you’re leaving so soon?”

“Aren’t you going to stay and have more fun?”

“Just one more drink!”

Looking at these “new friends,” Ye Anning suddenly sensed their flattering smiles hid ill intentions.

“I...I have something to do. I’ll go first!”

“Don’t go!” A girl grabbed Ye Anning’s arm. “Stay a while longer. It’s only a little past nine! Have another drink—it’s still early!”

She pressed a cocktail glass to Ye Anning’s lips, as if trying to get her drunk.

Ye Anning caught the strong scent of perfume on the girl, which made her dizzy and nauseous.

“I’m leaving!”

“Stay a little longer.”

Ye Anning broke free from the girl’s grip and rushed out of the private room.

The girl exchanged a glance with a boy nearby. “Tell Master Chi she’s leaving. Block the exit.”

Panicked, Ye Anning sprinted toward the bar’s exit, only to find two men standing there, scrutinizing every girl passing through, seemingly searching for someone.

Her sixth sense told her these men were Chi Xicheng’s men.

Ye Anning slipped back into the crowded dance floor, trembling as she called Lin Yiwei. “Wei... Weiwei, I’m at the Baiyin Club. It’s over. Chi Xicheng really sent people after me. I’m so scared. I can’t get out. What should I do?”

On the other end, Lin Yiwei was already in a taxi. “I’m coming now.”

Ye Anning’s voice quivered with tears. “I’m so scared. My legs are shaking. I can’t walk…”

Experienced in handling such situations, Lin Yiwei lowered her voice and calmly instructed, “Don’t panic. The more panicked you are, the more mistakes you’ll make. Hide in a stall in the women’s restroom and don’t come out.”

“Okay... don’t hang up. Keep me on the line.”

“Mm, I won’t. Hurry.”

Ye Anning squeezed herself into the crowd, stumbled into the women’s restroom, locked herself in a stall, and finally exhaled in relief.

“Are you hidden?”

“Yes! I... I’m inside.”

“Shh, don’t say a word from now on.”

Ye Anning covered her mouth.

Outside, her “new friends”’ voices drifted in as they searched, repeatedly checking the women’s restroom.

“Where is she?”

“No idea. Maybe she ran.”

“No way. The exits are watched. She can’t run.”

“She better not. If Master Chi can’t find her, you'll be in trouble!”

Ye Anning’s heart pounded in her throat, legs trembling uncontrollably. She leaned against the wall, barely able to stand.

About twenty minutes later, Lin Yiwei’s voice came from outside the stall. “An An, where are you?”

“I’m here!” Ye Anning opened the door like a lifeline.

Lin Yiwei slipped in like a fish, cautiously locking the stall door behind her.

Ye Anning embraced her, choking back tears.

She was terrified—never had she faced such a situation.

Lin Yiwei put a finger to her lips, signaling silence.

At that moment, a lazy, hoarse voice came from outside: “Ye Anning, I know you’re in the women’s restroom. How long do you think you can hide? Come out now. Master Chi just wants to talk to you. He won’t hurt you. The sooner you come out, the sooner we can wrap this up. This stalling is getting boring.”

Ye Anning clutched Lin Yiwei’s hand, muffled her sobs, trembling all over.

Lin Yiwei whispered in her ear, “Let’s switch clothes. I’ll go out and distract them. You wear my clothes and leave.”

They resembled each other somewhat. Though Lin Yiwei was slimmer, the change of clothes made them indistinguishable.

Panicked and out of options, Ye Anning followed her lead, removing her black off-shoulder cocktail dress and putting on Lin Yiwei’s beige sweatshirt and jeans.

After changing, Lin Yiwei let down Ye Anning’s tightly bound bun, tousled her hair to cover her face, and tied up her own hair in a bun.

With this disguise, no one would tell them apart at a glance.

Lin Yiwei unlatched the stall door. Ye Anning only then realized she was going out to draw the men away.

She grabbed Lin Yiwei’s wrist, shaking her head desperately.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lin Yiwei whispered. “No one will recognize you. Be careful going out and take a taxi straight home.”

“How did you know Chi Xicheng was after me?”

Lin Yiwei paused briefly, then said truthfully, “I was sent by Chi Xiyu to be by your side. She doesn’t want you to bother Xie Bo anymore.”

“You’re with Chi Xiyu’s side? Then... why are you helping me? Aren’t you afraid she’ll be angry?”

Lin Yiwei gently stroked her fair, full cheek. “I dream about becoming a girl like you—wealthy, innocent, untouched by the world.”

She gave a wry smile. “Take good care of yourself.”

With that, she dashed out of the stall.

Chi Xicheng’s men waited at the restroom door. Seeing “Ye Anning” emerge, they rushed forward—

“An An, I told you you’d come out sooner or later. Master Chi wants you to join him in his private room. Stop running. Be obedient.”

Lin Yiwei pretended to go with them. In the dim hallway, she slipped away, knocking over a standing decorative sculpture to block their path.

The men hurried after her.

“Stop running, Miss Ye. You can’t escape!”

...

Hearing the silence outside, Ye Anning pulled the hood of the sweatshirt over her head, hands in pockets, and left the restroom.

Sure enough, after the disguise, no one paid her any attention.

She quickened her pace, hurried out of the Baiyin Club. Two of Chi Xicheng’s men stood at the entrance, including his follower Yun Hui.

But they thought she was still wearing the black dress and didn’t recognize the girl in the sweatshirt. She slipped past them unnoticed.

Ye Anning hailed a taxi and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking of Lin Yiwei, she felt a surge of anxiety and called several times, but there was no answer.

Since Lin Yiwei was on Chi Xiyu’s side, Chi Xicheng probably wouldn’t harm her.

Worrying about Lin Yiwei’s intentions, she remembered that Lin Yiwei was originally going to harm her.

Ye Anning’s heart twisted with conflict as she recalled Lin Yiwei’s words—how she dreamt of being a girl like her.

But now, Lin Yiwei was bearing the brunt of everything in her place.

After hesitating for a few seconds, her trembling hand dialed Xie Bo’s number.

...

Xie Bo drifted through a sharp curve, his dark eyes scanning the glowing screen on the dashboard.

He needed to focus on the race and usually didn’t answer calls. Seeing it was Ye Anning, he was even more reluctant and hung up several times.

Until he saw Ye Anning’s abrupt message—

“Chi Xicheng wants to see me. Weiwei swapped clothes with me. She was taken by them at the Baiyin Club. I don’t know what to do. Xie Bo, I’m so scared. She might be in danger…”

Her words were jumbled, clearly panicked.

Seeing Chi Xicheng and Lin Yiwei mentioned, Xie Bo felt his heart pierced by a razor-sharp thread.

What happened that night... he would never tolerate it happening again.

If she was violated by him, Xie Bo felt he might truly kill Chi Xicheng.

Screeching tires, the supercar spun around and sped toward the Baiyin Club like a gale.

...

“Ran? How did she run?”

In the private room, Chi Xicheng fumed, “So many people, and you can’t catch a little girl?”

Yun Hui awkwardly said, “Who knows? That girl’s reckless. Several people saw her jump from the second-floor window.”

“Damn it!” Chi Xicheng frowned. “Don’t cause a death!”

“No, no problem. We searched downstairs. She should still be able to move. If she ran, she’s fine.”

“This Miss Ye is tough, huh?”

Chi Xicheng was secretly alarmed. If she had been seriously hurt, missing limbs or worse, he couldn’t explain it to the Ye family. If that happened, his father would really kill him.

“Check if she’s alright!”

“Yes!”

Yun Hui had just stepped out when he was kicked back into the room, crashing onto the sofa, doubled over in pain.

Chi Xicheng suddenly stood as Xie Bo entered, exuding a chilling, frigid aura like an ice field.

Chi Xicheng tried to flee, but Xie Bo grabbed his head and slammed him hard against the wall.

The move was brutal, full of menace.

Chi Xicheng felt dizzy and shouted at his men, “What are you standing there for? Damn it!”

Several men tried to rush forward, but Xie Bo turned and glared fiercely.

“Anyone dares to move, try it.”

No one was unfamiliar with Xie Bo’s ruthless methods—far superior to Chi Xicheng’s.

Besides, he was from the Xie family; they didn’t dare offend him lightly.

Hesitant, no one advanced.

“My people,” Xie Bo said, gripping Chi Xicheng’s hair and pinning him against the wall, “hand them over.”

“I never caught her! That Ye woman is a tough one—she jumped out the second-floor window!”

...

Lin Yiwei leapt from the second-floor window. Luckily, it wasn’t high, and the shrubs below cushioned most of her fall. Aside from scrapes on her hand and cheek from branches and a slight sprain in her right ankle, she was unharmed.

She limped to the roadside and hailed a taxi.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

Lin Yiwei thought hard. She couldn’t return to school.

Wearing Ye Anning’s clothes and in such a disheveled state, Chi Xiyu, who lived across the hall, would surely notice.

If Chi Xiyu found out she had helped Ye Anning tonight... everything would be over.

But if not school, where else could she go?

Her aunt’s house...

No, she hadn’t been back since the fallout with Su Andi after being tricked into the Baiyin Club.

“Where to?” the driver asked again.

Lin Yiwei turned to see Yun Hui and others emerging from the Baiyin Club, searching the streets.

Her heart pounded, and four words slipped out:

“Lamont Apartments.”