Chapter 456

Yelan.

Gu Chenye pushed open the door to the private room and saw only Bao Jingzhou inside. "Didn't you say we were drinking? Why are you the only one here?"

Bao Jingzhou: "I have something to ask you, I didn't call anyone else."

Seeing his serious expression, Gu Chenye became solemn as well: "What's wrong?"

He was a bit thirsty, so while asking, he picked up a bottle to pour a drink. He had just taken a sip and hadn't even swallowed it yet when he saw Bao Jingzhou pull a gray velvet box from somewhere; judging by the size, it was jewelry like a ring.

"Cough..." Gu Chenye swallowed too quickly and choked. "What are you doing?"

Bao Jingzhou rolled his eyes at him: "I want to propose to Wanwan, help me see if she'll like this ring."

Gu Chenye looked at the massive pink diamond ring and almost blurted out, "Do you think this looks good?" However, they hadn't just met yesterday, and he was already speechless at Bao Jingzhou's hopelessly straight-male aesthetic. Children of the upper class, besides studying, also focused on cultivating their aesthetic sense, attending art exhibitions or other activities to improve their taste at least once a month. If even that couldn't improve Bao Jingzhou's aesthetic standards, then he was beyond saving.

The pink diamond shimmered under the lights; besides being expensive, it had basically no merits, and one couldn't even wear it out.

In the eyes of someone who didn't know quality, it was just a piece of colored glass; in the eyes of someone who did, it was too tacky. Who would normally wear a ring that could cover three of one's five fingers?

For once, Gu Chenye didn't discourage him: "Whether she likes it or not, you have to ask Shen Wanci. An outsider's opinion doesn't count."

He really couldn't bring himself to say the word "like" against his conscience, and based on his limited understanding of Shen Wanci, she definitely wouldn't like it either: "A proposal ring isn't a wedding ring. If she doesn't like it, you can just change it."

Bao Jingzhou thought about it, and that was indeed a reasonable point, so he stopped dwelling on the ring: "What about the proposal ceremony? At..."

He stopped halfway through, waved his hand, and there was still a hint of pride in his eyes: "Forget it, you're inexperienced too. I'd better find a professional. I finally managed to win Wanwan back; if you mess it up, wouldn't I regret it to death?"

Gu Chenye: "..."

Low damage, high insult.

He gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Then why did you call me here? Just to look at a ring?"

"Yeah."

Good grief, not even a hint of beating around the bush.

Since that was the case, he wouldn't bother saving face for him. Gu Chenye sneered: "Do you think that ring looks good yourself?"

Bao Jingzhou held the ring up, shone it against the light, and said with a serious face: "It's quite good, isn't it? Don't women just like things that are shiny and bright?"

Gu Chenye was speechless and drank in silence.

Just past eight o'clock, the two of them left Yelan. Gu Chenye had a ten o'clock curfew, and Bao Jingzhou wanted to go back early to keep Shen Wanci company.

Just as they reached the parking lot, they heard a woman shouting loudly: "Let me go!"

Bao Jingzhou and Gu Chenye looked over at the sound.

Not far away, a sleazy-looking man was grabbing a girl by her hair and slapped her across the face: "You better be sensible. Your dad owes me money and has already pledged you to me. It's your good fortune that I took a liking to you. Don't be ungrateful, you bitch. Behave and keep me company for a month, and that debt will be settled."

The few men watching laughed out loud: "You better be smart. Give it your all to serve our boss well, and you'll be living the high life later. The salary you make as a waitress here isn't even enough to cover what leaks out from between our boss's fingers."

The girl looked to be of college age, wearing the Yelan waitress uniform. The name tag pinned to her chest was for temporary staff. Her clothes had already been torn, and she was clutching them tightly to avoid exposure.

"Impossible. If my dad owes you money, go ask him for it. My mom and he are already divorced, and the court awarded me to my mom. I have nothing to do with him now," Xie Chuyi gritted her teeth and struggled desperately.

The right side of her face was already swollen from the beating, and the corner of her mouth was split, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. She looked at the few thugs in front of her with a stubbornness and cold pride that preferred to be shattered like jade rather than remain intact like a tile: "If you don't let go, I'm calling the police."

"Calling the police?" The irritable man slapped her again. "I'll let you call the police. Go ahead! You owe money and won't pay, and you want to welch on the debt? I'm the victim here. Let's see if the police come to protect me or you. You don't know what's good for you."

As he spoke, he kept slapping Xie Chuyi, each blow ringing out loudly.

Xie Chuyi's whole face was slapped to one side, but her eyes remained fixed on the man.

Gu Chenye frowned: "Do you think this girl looks familiar? Like..."

He thought for a long while but couldn't remember who she looked like, so he simply stopped trying.

He had seen plenty of such things and had no intention of meddling. Besides, this wasn't just a case of bad luck running into a lustful thug; she was being cornered because of debt. Helping this time wouldn't stop it from happening again. Unless he could pay off the debt for her, this girl would continue to be harassed.

"Bang!"

It was the sound of a glass bottle shattering, followed immediately by a pig-like howl from the man in the empty parking lot.

Xie Chuyi had somehow snatched a wine bottle from one of the men and cracked it directly over the head of the man who was hitting her. She pointed the sharp end at them: "Go find him. He's the one who owes you money; it has nothing to do with me. Don't come pestering me again, or I'll go down with you!"

Bright red blood flowed down the man's forehead, staining his eyes. He glared viciously at Xie Chuyi and said gloomily: "You dare hit me? Today I'll let you know what happens to people who hit me. I was going to find a hotel, but now it looks like you only deserve to do it in the wild..."

He smiled sinisterly at his underlings: "Everyone gets a turn later."

As he finished speaking, he reached out to tear at Xie Chuyi's clothes, but before he could even touch the hem, his hand was grabbed.

Immediately after, he took a heavy kick to the abdomen, rolled a few times on the ground, and finally stopped.

Bao Jingzhou frowned, forgetting about the injury on his leg. It hurt a bit, and his head hurt too.

Irritable man: "Who the hell are you..."

Before he could finish, he was subdued by the security guards who had rushed out after receiving a call, along with the shift manager.

Bao Jingzhou: "Throw them to the police station."

He then turned his gaze to the manager, his presence imposing without anger: "You and the security guard on duty tonight, each of you is fined five hundred. Go to the manager and memorize the Yelan store rules."

The manager apologized profusely, promising to be more careful in the future.

After everyone had left, Xie Chuyi walked from the corner, trembling, to Bao Jingzhou: "Thank you."

Bao Jingzhou glanced at her clothes, which were almost torn to rags, took off his coat, and threw it to her: "Just a small favor."

Gu Chenye raised an eyebrow: "Since when are you so fond of meddling in other people's business?"

He looked at Xie Chuyi; the woman's face was swollen beyond recognition, but the contours of her features were still visible. He suddenly realized: "I remember who she looks like!"