Chapter 20

Two hours earlier.
On the top floor of Nightfall Bar, the private room was spacious and well-furnished. Comfortable sofas, no servers walking in and out, only four young men in tailored suits, each occupying a corner of the couch.
There were bodyguards stationed at the door, and the silence inside was so heavy that it barely resembled an entertainment venue.
Leaning sideways against the armrest, cigarette in hand, Liang Chengli quietly gazed down through the window.
Below, the streets bustled with cars and lights.
The manager of Nightfall Bar spoke with deliberate mystery, as if there were powerful forces behind the bar’s name, and in fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration. The true owner of Nightfall belonged to the Zhao family. Zhao’s eldest daughter had married the eldest son of the Liang family, and the Liangs were a political clan. The Liang patriarch had once been a high-ranking officer in the army; after retirement, the eldest son inherited his position and influence.
Although Liang Chengli himself hadn’t joined the military, he had gone into politics instead and was no ordinary official. Not yet thirty, he had already reached division-level rank. Working in a key position in the capital’s criminal investigation bureau, one more major contribution could earn him a promotion.
With such powerful backing, the owner of Nightfall Bar had every right to throw out unruly customers and protect the staff from humiliation.
“You’ve got nothing better to do?” Liang flicked his ash and chuckled. “The Xie family runs so many businesses, yet you’re bored enough to dig into some little girl’s background? What, spring fever finally hit you?”
The moment he spoke, the two men opposite burst into laughter.
The elegant clink of crystal glasses filled the room, and though they looked refined and composed, handsome faces, polished manners, no one could have guessed that in their youth, this same group of “gentlemen” had ruled the streets like wild dogs, battling purebreds and strays alike for territory.
One of them nearly spit out his drink, then pulled out a silk handkerchief from his suit pocket to wipe his lips with exaggerated grace.
“The iron tree blooms at last? For real?”
“Haha! Now that’s world-shaking news…”
A scholarly-looking man with a refined face was laughing so hard he twisted sideways. “I have to call Liangya. After waiting all these years, her golden idol finally noticed a woman, she might still have a chance!”
Their laughter echoed wildly, so unrestrained that if their subordinates ever saw them like this, they’d probably think they’d gone insane.
From the shadows near the floor-to-ceiling window, a tall figure crossed his legs, then abruptly uncrossed them and kicked the talkative man hard.
The coffee table screeched across the floor, and as Qin Jiashu yelped, his face fell into the light, his jawline tight, arrogance and authority radiating silently.
Xie Jinxing walked lazily over, glanced down at him, and said coolly, “Keep barking, and you won’t have a face to show up to class tomorrow.”
“Hey, hey, hey! No hitting the face! What’s your problem, man? You always go for my face, jealous, huh?” Qin Jiashu immediately raised his hands in mock defense.
When Xie Jinxing ignored him, he pouted, then asked with forced playfulness, “But seriously, A-Jin, is it true? You actually asked Liang to investigate a girl? Even dug into her dating history? Since when were you this free?”
“None of your business.”
Xie Jinxing’s tone was cold. “If you have that much energy, maybe focus on your AI project instead of my affairs.”
“Ah, wait, wait, bro, I was wrong!” Qin Jiashu immediately caved at the mention of work.
Of the four of them, he was easily the poorest. “Starving scholar” fit him perfectly. He clasped his hands together, half-jokingly pleading, “My project’s just about to enter the final development stage! You can’t cut my funding now. If you do, I’ll hang myself at your company gate tomorrow.”
Xie Jinxing looked at him in disdain, lowering his eyes to his phone. “You’ve burned through enough money. I’ll allow up to a twenty percent overage. Anything more than that, go ahead and hang yourself.”
“Come on, boss, it’s just pocket change for you”
“So,” Ling Chengsheng turned toward Liang, “what kind of beauty could make him this restless?”
Liang exhaled a ring of smoke, then stubbed out his cigarette.
He picked up a leather file bag beside the sofa, pulled out a thick folder, and tossed it onto the coffee table.
“It’s all here.”
Even Liang himself had been curious. His subordinates had been the ones to dig up the girl’s background, this “Su Ruan.” They’d practically mapped out her entire family tree, even investigating the neighbors in her rundown apartment block.
Nothing remarkable turned up. Except that the girl seemed accident-prone. Wherever she went, misfortune followed. Family members either died or fell ill. Now only a mother with end-stage kidney failure remained alive. Otherwise, the family was clean and ordinary.
Xie Jinxing flipped through the report, scanning at lightning speed.
He trusted Liang’s work, every detail was there, from her birth to the present, complete with photos.
Her family background was ordinary.
Only her grandmother had once dabbled in “folk spirituality,” keeping a so-called “household guardian spirit.” That had gotten the family attacked during the Cultural fervor of the time, leaving them badly scarred. Since then, the rest of the family had been simple, unlucky working-class citizens.
Su Ruan herself had an unremarkable record, mediocre grades, nothing special.
When her home life was still intact, she’d been aimless, even caught flirting with a boy in fifth grade. In middle and high school, she spent more time working part-time and dating than studying, consistently at the bottom of her class.
Poor social relations, especially with girls. Ever since adolescence, she had a knack for drawing the hostility of her own sex, too good at playing among boys, too adept at balancing attention.
By all logic, she should’ve been destined for a plain life. Yet somehow, during her repeat year for college exams, she’d scored double her usual marks and gotten into Capital Media University.
And apparently, she had quite the romantic history.
From fifth grade to now, she’d been in at least ten relationships. Somehow, every boy she dated thought he was her first love.
“Yo, quite the expert, huh?”
They had started reading the report as a joke, but even the men who’d seen everything were taken aback.
Xie Jinxing didn’t respond. His eyes lingered on one line:
“At age five, got separated from her twin sister at an amusement park. Only she returned.”
“Did you find out what happened to the twin?” he asked quietly.
Liang sat down and poured himself a drink. “Come on, don’t push it. A girl missing for fifteen years? Where do you expect me to find her?”
Xie Jinxing: “?”
Liang: “……”
“If you want to find her, you can.” Xie Jinxing’s tone was calm but final.
Liang tried to protest, “Hey, it’s not like I run the government on my own.”
Xie Jinxing shot him a look, half smile, half warning.
Liang’s scalp tingled. “Fine. Give me more time. I’ll dig something up.”
“Take your time.” Xie Jinxing nodded politely, as if he hadn’t just threatened him.
Liang rolled his eyes in silence.
The others exchanged glances, baffled by their cryptic exchange. Sure, they’d teased Xie Jinxing about finally taking interest in a girl, but men at their level rarely cared about anyone.
They skimmed through Su Ruan’s file again. Nothing but a slightly cunning, moderately pretty girl. Why were these two old foxes acting like it was serious business?
Xie Jinxing tapped his knee with a finger, eyes narrowing slightly at the words “household guardian spirit.”
He’d never believed in superstition.
In a scientific, rational society, every strange event had a human cause. If he hadn’t been certain four times now that something, or someone had influenced him, he wouldn’t even have considered the unscientific.
He put the file away, and only then did they move on to business.
They were all busy men, every minute precious.
The rumor about Xie Corporation’s entry into the sports industry wasn’t just gossip, it was a political play. Liang’s family needed public goodwill.
The Xies and Liangs were deeply tied by marriage and money; one rose with the other. Getting involved in national sports development would enhance both families’ reputations and legitimacy. A lucrative move with moral high ground.
They needed the project airtight, flawless, transparent, immune to future scandals. One misstep could bring down everything they’d built.
Among the four, Qin came from a family of scholars, Ling from a military line. Soldiers and officials weren’t allowed to engage in business, yet advancement required money.
That left only Xie Jinxing as their financial spine, the investor, the mind, the one with the most to lose.
Even for him, whose brain functioned like a machine, the constant overwork was exhausting.
When the meeting wrapped up, Xie Jinxing excused himself and stepped out for a smoke.
He wasn’t addicted.
He was simply the kind of person whose mind never stopped running, so self-disciplined that he rarely sought any physical indulgence.
He stood alone in the stairwell between the third and fourth floors, quietly zoning out.
Halfway through the cigarette, he heard rustling below.
Looking down, he saw a fluffy head bobbing up and down, a girl in a short, youthful skirt, spinning with every step. The hem of her dress twirled playfully through the air.
The corner of his lips curved slightly. Well, isn’t this convenient.
….
“So,” he spoke first, “that outfit, working a job?”
Gu An’an blinked, her eyes bright and shifty. She stood still, pretending to be obedient, but her expression practically screamed I’m totally up to something.
Some people just had faces that made mischief look innocent.
“Yes.” After a moment of serious thought, she nodded. “I’m earning some living expenses.”
“Oh?” That actually surprised him. He hadn’t thought the old man would cut her off. Given how much his grandfather doted on the girl, it didn’t make sense. “Not happy living in the old house?”
“No, no,” she waved her hands quickly, patting her chest. “It’s just that I’m an adult now. I should move out.”
That was fair. Truth be told, if she’d wanted to stay, the old man would’ve spoiled her rotten. The Xies weren’t short on money. She just didn’t want to seem shameless.
Xie Jinxing raised an eyebrow, amused by her sense of propriety.
He let out a quiet chuckle and lowered his gaze. But when she proudly said I’m an adult, his smile froze slightly.
Yes, she really was.
He suddenly fell silent, and Gu An’an grew nervous.
Xie Jinxing was intimidating, not just powerful, but impossible to read. You didn’t need to cross him to know it; one look was enough. In the original story, the fear of being fed to sharks hung over her like a curse, and though she tried to ignore it, facing him in person always made her shrink.
Her thoughts spiraled, and before she knew it, words spilled out: “I’m twenty now, Uncle. Grandpa Xie said you left home at nineteen, built your own business, made your first million at twenty, started a company at twenty-one, released your first public product at twenty-three, and multiplied your assets by the time you were twenty-five, becoming the youngest business tycoon in the city!”
She got carried away as she spoke, her eyes glowing like koi fish in a wishing pond.
Amused, Xie Jinxing said, “You seem to know quite a lot about me.”
“Of course!”
She knew everything, he was the male lead, after all! The ultimate boss of the novel, master of half the city’s wealth, god-tier looks, IQ 180, a walking cheat code. The author had practically deified him.
No matter what happened, as long as it was in Xie Jinxing’s hands, it always ended perfectly.
Her praise flowed like honey, smooth and shameless: “Uncle, you’re the guiding light of my life!”
Then she even gave him an exaggerated thumbs-up.
His eyes softened with laughter. “So,” he said mildly, “this is how you’ve decided to follow my example?”
“Ah?”
She blinked, following his gaze downward…super short skirt.
Gu An’an: “……”
“A hero rises from anywhere,” she mumbled, her face flushing bright red.
If embarrassment made noise, it would’ve been thunderous. She tried to keep a straight face, pretending not to care. It wasn’t just her, there were twelve other girls working this shift too!
Trying to sound calm, she defended herself: “My career also needs start-up funds.”
“Oh?” He nodded lightly. “And how much did you earn for your ‘fund’ tonight?”
Gu An’an: “……”
That was a low blow. A personal attack.
She bit back her frustration and said obediently, “I just started. Haven’t been paid yet. If the cameras don’t catch me with smudged makeup, I should make five hundred yuan.”
“Oh.”
At this moment, silence was louder than words, awkwardness reaching a supernatural level.
Gu An’an: “…”
Damn it, it was confirmed, she and Xie Jinxing were utterly incompatible!
The air fell silent.
Gu An’an glared, saying nothing, standing stiffly in the safety passage. She didn’t want to leave, but standing her ground was her last act of stubbornness. She blinked her big eyes, waiting for Xie Jinxing to stop laughing, then realized that just standing there and not leaving made her look like a complete fool.
Stammering, she glanced at Xie Jinxing again: “Uncle, I’m still working. I’ll leave first.”
Xie Jinxing had business to attend to too; after a short while, he should go back.
He glanced at his watch and nodded.
Gu An’an swiftly turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, she was called back.
“?”
“Are you free tomorrow?” Xie Jinxing asked suddenly. The question itself was so shocking it left Gu An’an stunned.
She stared dumbly at the man in the dim light, whose eyes were dark and mesmerizing like some kind of demon. After a long moment, she realized she hadn’t imagined it, he really meant exactly that.
Cautiously, she asked, “Uncle, do you need me for something?”
“Mm.”
Gu An’an sniffled, a little nervous, but felt the need to clarify: “What is it?”
“Tomorrow, at noon, I’ll come to you. Is that okay?”
Gu An’an’s hand trembled on the doorknob. Her conversations with Xie Jinxing always felt strange, as if a subtle, odd kind of intimacy lingered in the air. Usually, she trusted her instincts, but with Xie Jinxing, her intuition had failed her once before. She also worried she might be overthinking, imagining things that weren’t there.
“Okay… but Uncle, what is this about?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Xie Jinxing’s phone rang; upstairs, the others were urging him to return. He glanced at the message without raising his head: “I’m going upstairs first.”
With that, he turned and left.
Gu An’an: “…”
Her racing heart slowly returned to normal. Expressionless, she thought, Right, just my imagination again.
She mechanically left the safety passage, vowing never to wander there again for no reason. She quickly went to the restroom, washed off the stubborn chocolate smudge from her mouth, and reapplied her makeup elegantly.
When she came out, the supervisor had already brought a group upstairs. Seeing Gu An’an, she called her over.
Gu An’an hurried along, heading to the VIP room, where people were still smashing things.
The VIP room was a mess. Several people lay on the floor. As the supervisor entered, she first politely gave the standard service greeting, then instructed her team to turn off the deafening music and the chaotic laser lights.
Bright, clean incandescent lights filled the room, revealing shattered bottles and scattered blood on the floor.
Those lying on the ground were holding their cheeks, bruised and battered.
The girls, terrified, crouched together like quail in a corner. The ringleaders, Yang Yue and Zhou Jiayu, were still fighting, and Lu Xingyu was involved too. The supervisor quickly separated the three, finally stopping the chaos.
Everyone present was a second-generation heir; the VIP bar’s supervisor wasn’t in a position to judge right or wrong.
The supervisor had already called the police before separating them. The police hadn’t arrived yet, so she had to control the situation first, calming the heirs’ tempers to prevent further trouble. Meanwhile, the staff cleaned up quickly.
Gu An’an hid in an inconspicuous corner, eyes wide, glancing this way and that. Though she had witnessed the earlier chaos, she had missed part of the main action while lingering in the safety passage…and felt like she had lost out.
Gradually, the three heirs calmed down. Lu Xingyu pressed ice to his mouth and kept sneaking glances toward Gu An’an in the corner.
Each glance darkened his face with irritation. Though he had suspected Gu An’an had changed and was paying less attention to him, now that she appeared indifferent while he was injured, his young heart throbbed painfully before rapidly freezing.
He yanked his arm away from Shen Shan’s embrace. His brow furrowed in stubborn annoyance as he glared at Zhou Jiayu and Yang Yue, also holding ice to their faces, full of anger and frustration.
Shen Shan, embarrassed by Lu Xingyu’s sudden action, assumed he was upset that Su Ruan saw him and felt more annoyed.
Pouting, she scolded: “Lu Xingyu, are you stupid? Su Ruan’s clearly using you as a backup! You rush to protect her, have you lost your mind?!”
Shen Shan, a highborn daughter, didn’t spare any sweet words.
“Do you think she cares for you? She’s training you like a dog!”
She stood up to make herself clear, as if the parties involved might not understand who she meant.
“You three fought over her, did so much for her, and she ever thanked you? Once felt sorry for you, favored you? No! She only enjoyed seeing you fight for her, thought herself impressive! She’s just cheap!”
Before she could finish, a hard slap landed on her face.
Shen Shan’s pale cheek instantly swelled.
Everyone froze in shock.
Yang Yue, sitting across with ice, flipped a table, leapt over, and grabbed Zhou Jiayu by the neck.
Lu Xingyu’s face darkened as he punched Zhou Jiayu.
“Hit a woman! What kind of man hits a woman?!”
Yang Yue’s punches were unstoppable; years of high-intensity volleyball training made him strong enough to take on five people at once. “Zhou Jiayu, I really despise you! Coward! Worthless trash!”
The second-generation heirs, just settling down, were fighting again, and nothing could stop them.
The supervisor quickly called in more staff. Just then, security and the police arrived. The officers restrained Yang Yue and Lu Xingyu, finally rescuing Zhou Jiayu, who had been beaten badly.
Su Ruan crouched on the sofa, eyes red, like a frightened fawn. Her clothes and hair were messy from the tussle. A female officer covered her with a nearby jacket, scolding angrily: “Who did this?”
Others looked around, saying nothing.
The officer assumed Su Ruan was bullied, frowning. After questioning the second-generation heirs, it became clear Su Ruan hadn’t been harmed by anyone, she had been caught in the heiresses’ fight. The officer was momentarily taken aback.
Seeing Su Ruan crying silently without explaining, the officer felt odd. The girl’s attitude was strange, she let the other girls deal with trouble without intervening. Perhaps she was just scared by the chaotic scene and hadn’t processed it yet.
The officer then escorted the highborn girls out.
No matter how refined they usually seemed, when they fought, they used the same tactics: hair pulling, grabbing arms and faces, tearing clothes and headpieces. Since no laws were broken, this was just a juvenile brawl. The police didn’t take them to the station but mediated on the spot.
During mediation, parents of all parties sent representatives. With adults controlling the situation, it was quickly resolved.
In fact, it wasn’t complicated at all. Simply, it was kids quarreling.
The fight started because Shen Shan and Su Ruan had old grudges and encountered each other. Shen Shan was angry that Yang Yue brought Su Ruan along and loudly declared, “She’s here, not me! Me, not her!”
Yang Yue had intentionally arranged this meeting to reconcile them. If friendship wasn’t possible, at least they shouldn’t be enemies. He liked Su Ruan and cared about Shen Shan.
But Shen Shan’s hatred couldn’t be solved just by showing up at a birthday party. The subtle wrongs Su Ruan caused were only understood by Shen Shan herself.
Shen Shan exploded, slapping Su Ruan.
Anyone who touched Su Ruan would face her knightly defenders. Zhou Jiayu, the most ruthless of them, didn’t care whether his opponents were men or women. Mess with someone he cared about, and he would make them pay.
Though Shen Shan was unpopular with Lu Xingyu, with Yang Yue she was untouchable. If Zhou Jiayu dared to touch Shen Shan, he would have her arms crippled!
Gu An’an wasn’t surprised. She shrugged and squatted nearby, listening as the accountant calculated damages. The heirs fought fiercely, unhesitant in their blows. The VIP room was badly damaged, so the compensation was substantial.
Lu Xingyu kept glancing at her. Gu An’an knew but pretended not to notice.
Seeing Gu An’an not look back for so long, Lu Xingyu felt suffocated, like someone had pressed a wet cloth over his mouth and nose.
But who cared!
Gu An’an listened to the calculator with a smile, her heart racing as she calculated her cut. Even as a temp, company rules allowed her to take five percent.
“Are you sure, supervisor?” Gu An’an’s head nearly shook off, standing beside him, trembling with excitement.
“Of course. Rules are rules,” he smiled. “Scared, huh? First day of work, and this happens. The boss says your cut today is six percent.”
“No, no, I’m fearless.” Hearing about the extra pay, Gu An’an perked up. Clenching her fists, she mentally punched numbers into the calculator, regretting her slow mental math.
Fighting is bad, really bad. But sometimes, fights are necessary.
For instance, Zhou Jiayu got hit with a wine bottle, he couldn’t just take it. He came to celebrate a birthday and got attacked, didn’t he deserve to retaliate?
Yang Yue, the birthday boy, had his celebration ruined, shouldn’t he teach the idiot a lesson?
From another perspective, fights should be fair. Zhou Jiayu smashed 600,000 worth of wine, Lu Xingyu only 400,000, how’s that fair? Yang Yue had to smash at least 1,000,000 to live up to his little tyrant reputation. If any of them did less, how could they maintain status in the circle tomorrow?
After the accountant finished totaling, Gu An’an sneaked off to calculate her own cut.
Just by watching, she earned over a hundred thousand. With wages and tips, about 126,500 yuan.
Too bad! If she had sent more wine earlier, everyone could have been evened out!
Night settlement was smooth, daily pay, as promised.
Gu An’an changed, ran to the 24-hour ATM, and checked the amount.
Truly, no tax was deducted, and she got a whole sum. No matter what happened tonight, Gu An’an was ecstatic, sleeping with a smile. She thought: accidents aside, this ability to profit from chaos was actually quite good.
Otherwise, would she dare work at the next mess Su Ruan caused?
She quickly dismissed that dangerous thought. A proper person needed to work seriously.
Rolling happily on the bed, she got up, debating whether to shower. Suddenly, her phone chimed, she picked it up.
“You have a message from Xie Jinxing.”
Expressionless, Gu An’an unlocked her phone and opened WeChat, seeing the message pop up.
Xie Jinxing: [12:15, I’ll arrive.]
Gu An’an: “…”