Chapter Eight: Nearly Beaten Up

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Luo Yichen stood up, intending to leave, but after only a few steps, a loud buzzing filled his head, and he felt dizzy. His footing faltered, nearly causing him to fall. At the earlier banquet, he had drunk quite a bit. The strong aftereffects of the alcohol, combined with the two sips of strong tea he had taken upon entering to quell the intoxication, now surged back.

Shang Qi, unwilling to watch him stumble, hurried over and supported him, asking, “Are you alright?”

Feeling her concern, Luo Yichen’s heart eased slightly. He was too uncomfortable to speak, merely waving his hand to indicate she should help him sit down. Shang Qi supported his arm on her shoulder, and they staggered toward a chair. His breath carried the scent of alcohol, brushing against her face. The strong masculine aroma made Shang Qi blush.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the office door.

Shang Qi, just needing assistance, called out, “Please come in!”

Distracted for a moment, she lost her grip, and Luo Yichen’s tall frame pressed down on her. Fortunately, the desk behind Shang Qi stopped them from falling to the floor.

As soon as Xi Jingpeng entered, he saw a man pressing Shang Qi beneath him in a very suggestive position. Fury surged through him, and he shouted, “What are you doing to Shang Qi?”

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Shang Qi hurriedly called for help, “Please help me hold him up.”

Xi Jingpeng grabbed Luo Yichen and finally recognized him. Smelling the alcohol on him, Xi Jingpeng guessed he was drunk. After helping him into a chair, he nervously asked, “Did he do anything to you?”

Shang Qi’s cheeks flushed slightly as she explained, “No, President Luo was drunk. I just didn’t hold him up properly.”

Luo Yichen wanted to shoo Xi Jingpeng away as soon as he came, but his head was spinning badly. He had no choice but to close his eyes, trying to sober up—and “incidentally” eavesdrop on their conversation.

Xi Jingpeng glanced at the drunken Luo Yichen with suspicion. He asked acidly, “Why is he so drunk this late, and in your office?”

Shang Qi replied, “There were some urgent work matters to discuss. President Luo was speaking coherently just a moment ago! How did it suddenly turn like this… What should we do? We can’t let him sleep here!”

Hearing Shang Qi’s calm response, Chen Jianfei finally relaxed his anxious heart. “Call President Luo’s assistant,” he said.

At that moment, Luo Yichen’s phone kept ringing. Shang Qi had no choice but to answer, “Hello.”

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The call was from Mu Lichen. Upon hearing a woman answer, he checked the caller ID—it was indeed Luo Yichen’s number. Mu Lichen asked, “Are you Shang Qi? Is this President Luo’s phone?”

“Yes. President Luo is drunk. Could you come and take him home?”

“Okay, where are you?”

“At the company, in my office.”

While Mu Lichen made the call, Yin Guizhen stood beside him. Hearing the name “Shang Qi,” she clenched her fists tightly. Since the last time she had caught them in a compromising situation, Yin Guizhen had been resentful. She had also been invited to the banquet tonight, though she disliked socializing; she attended only to cause trouble for Luo Yichen. But after Luo Yichen finished his duties, he disappeared before the banquet even ended. Yin Guizhen could not find him anywhere and thus asked Mu Lichen to make the call.

After hanging up, Yin Guizhen said, “I’ll go with you.”

“It’s so late; I’ll take you home first, then come back to pick up Luo Yichen.”

Yin Guizhen insisted, and Mu Lichen reluctantly agreed. His resistance to this woman was always zero. Even though she had been married to Luo Yichen for five years, Mu Lichen’s heart belonged solely to her. Over the years, watching Yin Guizhen suffer for Luo Yichen, he had wanted to take her away, but as an outsider, he could only watch helplessly.

Inside Shang Qi’s office, Xi Jingpeng asked, “When will they come to pick him up?”

“Probably a little while.”

“There’s a Christmas Eve ball tonight. I wanted to take you with me.”

“Tonight’s Christmas Eve?” Shang Qi had been so busy lately that she had forgotten everything else.

Xi Jingpeng thought she might want to go and said, “Why don’t you call security to watch over President Luo? We should leave now.”

Hearing this, Luo Yichen wanted to get up and resist immediately, but he was too drunk and uncoordinated. Before he could move, Shang Qi said, “It’s too late. I don’t want to go. I just want to go home and sleep.”

Those words soothed Luo Yichen. He closed his eyes again, pretending to sleep, wanting to hear what they would say next. Xi Jingpeng’s sharp gaze noticed Luo Yichen was faking, raising another question in his mind. Yet, he wasn’t afraid of others knowing about his pursuit of Shang Qi.

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Xi Jingpeng said, “Are you very tired? I’ll take you home early later.”

“No need. It’s so late, I don’t want to trouble you.”

“Don’t be so polite with me, okay?”

Shang Qi said nothing. The office fell into silence. After a short while, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

Mu Lichen pushed the door open and said, “I’m here to pick up President Luo.” Seeing Xi Jingpeng there, he felt puzzled.

Shang Qi looked behind him and saw Yin Guizhen entering as well. Her heart tightened, a look of panic on her face. Yin Guizhen looked down and saw Luo Yichen curled up in the chair. Then she glanced at the nearby sofa and angrily said, “You just let him sit and sleep like that? Didn’t you even help him onto the sofa?”

Shang Qi realized leaving Luo Yichen in the chair was careless. She had been so focused on talking to Xi Jingpeng that she had forgotten to help him lie down. She hurried over to apologize.

Yin Guizhen snorted and said, “After all he’s done for you, you treat him like this. Maybe this is his karma.”

Being publicly accused like that, Shang Qi’s face instantly turned as red as a hawthorn berry. She hurriedly explained, “You’re mistaken. President Luo and I are not what you think. We…”

Seeing Shang Qi deny the accusation despite being caught, Yin Guizhen’s anger surged. Years of grievance and helplessness erupted in an instant, and she raised her hand to strike Shang Qi.

Neither Mu Lichen nor Xi Jingpeng expected Yin Guizhen to make a move. Moreover, they were some distance away, and by the time they tried to stop her, it was too late.

“Ah!” A woman’s scream rang out, filled with pain. Everyone’s eyes fixed on the source—it was Yin Guizhen. Her arm was firmly held by a man’s hand. That man was Luo Yichen.

Luo Yichen had not been asleep. When he realized Yin Guizhen was about to slap Shang Qi, he immediately intervened. Shang Qi’s feelings were complicated. She despised being seen as Luo Yichen’s lover. For three years, Luo Yichen had pursued her, but she had never agreed and didn’t want to become his mistress. Now, unfortunately, everyone would surely think she was the other woman.