Chapter 73: Young Master Zhai Disrupts the Date

Zhai Yan'er furrowed her delicate brows lightly. "Brother, have you been drinking?"

Her brother was a renowned giant in the business world, yet his tolerance for alcohol was truly abysmal. A single glass of red wine was enough to send him reeling!

"Yes, I had a bit," Zhai Muli replied as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the banquet hall. He answered absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the graceful figure below who was chatting and laughing with others.

"Have you forgotten how embarrassing you were the last time you got drunk?" Yan'er reminded him. "You were dumped on the side of the street!"

How could he forget? The very woman who had abandoned him on the roadside was now toasting drinks with someone else!

Zhai Muli had no patience for his sister's nagging at the moment. "If you have something to say, leave it for tomorrow."

Yan'er grew anxious. "You’re going on another business trip tomorrow! When will you ever have time?"

Zhai Muli fell silent.

How had he forgotten about that?

Ever since that night—when, drunk and disoriented, he got into the wrong woman’s car and was unceremoniously thrown out—each time he saw her again, all other matters would temporarily slip his mind.

This was certainly a bad omen.

"Brother, I’m begging you, just help me with one thing—" Yan'er began, but was swiftly interrupted.

"Whenever you say 'beg,' it’s never for anything good."

Yan'er paused but pressed on regardless. "A bunch of flies at school are driving me mad. Help me get rid of them!"

Zhai Muli sighed. "I told you, you should have studied abroad, but you refused. That’s Liyang Academy. Even if your brother were more capable, he can’t meddle in the Nangong family’s territory."

"I don’t care, just think of something for me!" Yan'er whined, resorting to petulance.

As he watched that captivating figure drift toward the garden with another, Zhai Muli abruptly hung up.

Yan'er listened to the dial tone in annoyance. "Are you rushing off to a date?"

She had missed the mark. Zhai Muli wasn’t hurrying to a date—he was going to sabotage one.

In the dimly lit, fragrant and silent garden pavilion, a man and a woman stood facing each other.

They were standing very close, whispering into each other’s ears, and from a distance, they looked like lovers engaged in a secret tryst, stirring the imagination of any onlooker.

In truth, out of sight of prying eyes, their hands moved swiftly—an inconspicuous black disc passed from the man to the woman.

"Why did you choose to make the exchange in such a public place this time?" the woman asked, hiding her words behind a smile.

Feigning intimacy, the man leaned close and replied softly, "Someone’s tailing me. After tonight’s transaction, I have to leave immediately."

"You’re not coming back?"

"I can’t come back."

"Congratulations, then!"

The man was momentarily taken aback, then let out a rueful laugh. "Must you hold such a grudge? Last time, I truly didn’t mean to leave you behind…"

"It’s fine. All I did was nearly lose my virtue, nothing serious," the woman replied with an even brighter smile, though her teeth were gritted tightly behind her lips.

"He touched you?" The man’s eyes widened in surprise. "Isn’t he supposed to be uninterested in women?"

Just then, a mocking voice drifted in from outside the pavilion. "Well, who would have thought? Come to a small charity ball and witness such a scene!"

At the sound of the voice, the woman immediately turned. Upon seeing Zhai Muli's strikingly handsome face, her own expression turned icy.

The man, however, looked on with interest.

His face, smooth and fair as jade, was all sharp lines and cool elegance; his deep, brown eyes shimmered with allure; sword-shaped brows, a high, straight nose, and perfectly shaped, rosy lips all spoke of nobility and poise.

Indeed, he was every bit as beautiful as the rumors claimed, more lovely than a woman, with the bearing of a prince.

Pity—he had thought they were kindred spirits. It seemed rumors could not be trusted.

"Young Master Zhai, if your eyesight is poor, perhaps you shouldn’t come to places like this. Be careful not to get thrown out again," the woman retorted sharply, her pretty face tinged with anger.

Zhai Muli fixed his gaze on her, his eyes flickering. "Bai Luomei, it was just a mistake last time. Must you hold on to it so tightly?"

"Ha!"

Bai Luomei gave a cold laugh, swaying gracefully as she stepped out from the shadows toward him.

"Young Master Zhai, with your vast resources, you can’t possibly not know who I am, can you?"

Of course Zhai Muli knew. Bai Luomei was Nangong Ao’s most trusted aide—she had foiled his plans more times than he could count.

Seeing his silence, Bai Luomei sneered again. "Since you know who I am, you should also know we’re sworn enemies. Yet here you stand, trying to explain away a misunderstanding and telling me not to hold a grudge—isn’t that a little ridiculous?"

For the first time, Zhai Muli found himself at a loss for words.

It was true—they were on opposing sides. Even if there had been a blunder last time, wouldn’t it be best to pretend nothing happened? Why had he come to face this woman, only to be ridiculed?

"Meimei, let’s talk this over calmly," the man behind Bai Luomei interjected. "Even if Young Master Zhai was rude to you last time, isn’t he here to apologize?"

"Shut up!" Bai Luomei snapped.

The man fell silent at once. Clearly, this woman was not to be trifled with.

Bai Luomei was indeed difficult, but it was rare for her to show such open anger. It was all because not long ago, Nangong Ao had fallen victim to Zhai Muli’s scheme.

This flawless gentleman, fair as a jade, was cunning and ruthless—at least, that was the impression Bai Luomei held of Zhai Muli.

She truly didn’t want to see him. Before she lost her composure, Bai Luomei turned and left the garden.

"Sorry," the man apologized to Zhai Muli with an awkward smile. "Meimei is just rather forthright. I hope you’ll forgive her, Young Master Zhai."

Meimei… Such an intimate address.

"It’s none of your concern," Zhai Muli replied coldly, then strode away as well.

The man’s eyes glinted with amusement. Did Young Master Zhai have special feelings for Bai Luomei?

What a pity—he would soon be leaving his homeland and miss the unfolding drama.

-------

On the weekend, Xianyu Jing returned to the manor.

When Madame Nangong saw her, she scolded gently, "Have the servants been neglecting you lately? You look so thin."

Xianyu Jing had been plagued by nightmares for a while, and then she’d been caring for the young master. Naturally, she’d grown a little thinner.

But the young master had instructed her not to reveal the truth, so she replied, "I’ve just been staying up late reading. That’s all."

"Is your coursework that heavy?" Madame Nangong looked puzzled.

The history department was hardly the most rigorous at the academy; it had always been quite relaxed.

"Um, I borrowed a storybook from my cousin and got so absorbed in it…" Xianyu Jing was never good at lying, especially not before Madame Nangong.

Fortunately, Madame Nangong didn’t notice anything amiss. On the contrary, she was rather pleased. "Ziyu has always treasured his books. It’s rare for him to lend you one so willingly."

She had previously worried that her grandson, who’d never been in love, would become fixated on repaying Miss Xiao’s kindness, unwilling to accept Xianyu Jing.

But now, it seemed the two got along quite well.

Madame Nangong finally set her heart at ease, though she still had other concerns. "I heard that recently Xinxin moved into the villa and made things difficult for you. You even had to see a doctor because of it?"

Of course, it was Su Cha who had reported this to Madame Nangong.

Since Xianyu Jing and Nangong Xin had temporarily made peace, she didn’t want to stir up trouble before Madame Nangong. "I just wasn’t careful about balancing work and rest, so my sleep was affected. That’s why my cousin took me to see the doctor."