Chapter Forty-Six: Harassment

The moment she appeared, all the lights went out. After a brief pause, the lights came back on, but only a single spotlight illuminated her figure. Instantly, Wen Yi, dressed to the nines, became the center of attention, and the crowd applauded enthusiastically.

Wen Jingxing, however, let out a soft snort. In the Wen family, apart from celebrating the old master’s birthday, their own birthdays were always kept simple—everyone would simply gather for a meal at the old house. Only Wen Yi insisted on these extravagant displays every year. Yet it was precisely for this reason that, since there was no other opportunity to curry favor with the Wen family, everyone sought to ingratiate themselves with Wen Yi instead. After all, a member of the Wen family was a member of the Wen family—it made no difference to them—and Wen Yi thoroughly enjoyed this feeling of being at the center of attention.

Taking advantage of the dimness beyond the stage lights, Wen Jingxing made his way quietly through the hall and slipped away. Meanwhile, Wen Yi, oblivious to what was happening offstage, continued her speech: “Today, I heard from my sister-in-law that my third brother is here. Let’s invite him up to say a few words.”

But after a long wait, there was no response. Wen Yi lingered awkwardly, her composure slipping, before finally instructing the staff to turn all the lights on. Despite a thorough search, her brother was nowhere to be found.

Eventually, a friend who knew Wen Jingxing well kindly offered, “I just heard he went off to find Song Wanning.”

“What?! Song Wanning!” Of course, her sister-in-law had mentioned that woman would be here tonight as well.

Wen Yi’s expression darkened, and she didn’t even bother with her own birthday banquet, simply telling the guests to enjoy themselves before dashing to the entrance to question the doormen. Following their directions, she asked around as she went, eventually making her way to the deck.

Elsewhere, the inebriated Song Wanning blinked awake to find a rather average-looking man talking to her, inching ever closer as he spoke, his gaze shamelessly fixed on her chest. While Song Wanning’s looks and figure weren’t as mismatched as Jian An’an’s, she was amply and attractively proportioned in all the right places. Such features aren’t always a blessing—sometimes, they’re a bother. It was understandable, then, why Jian An’an had once misjudged her from a photograph.

Song Wanning frowned. Was this man a lecher? She straightened at once, waiting for him to approach.

The man, seeing Song Wanning standing her ground instead of walking away, became even bolder. “Hey, pretty girl, here I come!” he called, rubbing his hands together and reaching for her shoulder.

But Song Wanning, who had been quietly gathering her strength, landed a punch squarely in his stomach. The man ended up just like Jian An’an had before him, spewing stomach acid and flying backward.

Wen Jingxing arrived just in time to witness Song Wanning send a grown man flying with her own fists. To be personally knocked out by Song Wanning—seeing it with his own eyes, Wen Jingxing was rather stunned. He hadn’t witnessed her last fight, but now he understood why Jian An’an still bore the aftereffects of that encounter.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he rushed over at once. “Wanning, are you all right? Did you hurt your hand?”

Hearing someone approach, Song Wanning thought it was the same man coming back for more. She was about to throw another punch when she looked up and saw Wen Jingxing’s face, immediately pulling back.

“You… why are you… here?” Her face, flushed deeper from the alcohol, made her words slur and falter; she’d completely forgotten why they had come tonight.

Wen Jingxing didn’t answer, grabbing her hand to check for injuries. Seeing her knuckles had turned bright red, his expression grew cold. He turned to seize the man, who was trying to sneak away, by the collar. “Hmm? Where do you think you’re going?”

Wen Jingxing’s grip was powerful; though it looked casual, the man could not break free no matter how he struggled.

“Brother, please, it’s all a misunderstanding! Are you her boyfriend?”

“I am. So what?” Wen Jingxing replied directly.

The man began to wail pitifully. “Brother, I swear, I’m innocent! She got drunk and started bothering me, then punched me! I’m just unlucky—I was just passing by…”

At that moment, the cameraman appeared out of nowhere, pointing at the man. “He’s lying! He was the one who harassed Miss Song first!”

“You’re the liar! There’s no proof!” the man retorted.

The cameraman had just wandered off for a break, worried his cigarette smoke might bother Song Wanning. He’d only been gone a short while, yet as soon as he left, Song Wanning attracted unwanted attention.

Now he was filled with guilt—if he hadn’t slipped away, he could have helped her right away. Eager to redeem himself, he was determined to see the culprit brought to justice and clear Miss Song’s name.

“You’re the one spouting nonsense! I recorded everything! Let’s see you try to talk your way out of this!” the cameraman declared, hauling out the equipment with the help of his crew from the corner.

The man’s face fell when he saw the camera. Despairing, he begged, “I’m sorry! I was wrong—I shouldn’t have let lust cloud my judgment! Please, spare me!”

He now deeply regretted his actions. Everyone aboard this yacht was either wealthy or influential. As the saying goes, lust brings disaster—he’d been bewitched by Song Wanning’s beauty. Seeing no one around, he’d thought he could get away with anything, assuming the woman’s family would cover it up to avoid scandal.

Wen Jingxing’s expression remained unchanged. “And yet you had the nerve to slander an innocent young woman just now? Some man you are—shameless!”

With that, Wen Jingxing raised his fist, ready to teach the scoundrel a lesson as well.

Song Wanning stepped forward, grabbing his arm. “Violence isn’t the answer, Ah Hang.”

Earlier, Wen Jingxing had been unmoved by reason, but now, hearing Song Wanning call his name so softly, his fist dropped at once.

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Song Wanning’s voice was sweet and gentle, her words ending in a slight, coquettish lilt.

At that moment, Cheng Mu, who’d been searching for the boss, hurried over, only to find Wen Jingxing holding a man by the collar, while Song Wanning clung to his other arm.

Cheng Mu was baffled. He’d only stepped away for a moment—what on earth had happened?

Wen Jingxing, in high spirits, instructed him, “Take this man to the police station—he harassed a woman in the middle of the night. And cameraman, would you mind lending your footage as evidence?”

The cameraman nodded eagerly. “I’d be delighted to help Miss Song!”

Cheng Mu, quickly grasping the situation after glancing at the drunken Song Wanning, replied, “Yes, boss.”

Once the two men had left, only Wen Jingxing and Song Wanning remained on the deck.

Song Wanning was still holding onto Wen Jingxing’s arm, looking up at his face. “Ah Hang, why won’t you answer me?”

Clearly, Song Wanning had mistaken Wen Jingxing for someone else.