Chapter 28

The young girl had a delicate, cool, and harmless face. She was not very old, at most twenty, yet she had come alone to a chaotic place like a bar.

Whatever she was asked to do, she obeyed obediently, wearing a calm and composed expression. Her alcohol tolerance should not have been poor either.

Ye Chunxi said, "I saw an acquaintance."

If one looked closely, a trace of panic could be read in her eyes.

Chi Yi chuckled instantly. "A guardian, or a boyfriend?"

Ye Chunxi shook her head. "A security guard."

Chi Yi frowned, then burst out laughing, unable to understand why such a daring young girl would be afraid of a security guard.

The next second, he was put in a chokehold.

"Chi Yi?" Upon recognizing the face, the newcomer exclaimed, "Why is it you?"

Startled, Chi Yi batted away the hand and snapped resentfully, "Who else could it be if not me? Why did you only just get here?"

Ling Qiao ignored him and frowned deeply as he looked at Ye Chunxi, who was sitting close to Chi Yi.

"Why would you come to a place like this?"

Ye Chunxi raised her gaze, her eyes innocent. "To have fun."

Ling Qiao was momentarily at a loss for words.

He had assumed that a big shot in the medical world would never frequent such places, but now it seemed his prejudice had been far too severe.

Chi Yi's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, finally resting on Ling Qiao.

"You know each other?"

Ye Chunxi answered first. "My family's security guard."

Chi Yi: ??

He looked at Ling Qiao in disbelief. "Did your family really kick you out? You've actually been reduced to this state."

Ling Qiao: "..."

He wanted to deny it.

Yet upon careful reflection, at Deer Garden, he indeed seemed to hold just about that role.

The young girl's identity was special, and Jin Yuchuan was worried about her safety, assigning him to be responsible for her travel security; otherwise, he wouldn't have been allowed to live in Deer Garden either.

"None of your business!" Ling Qiao shot Chi Yi a lethal glare, then walked over, grabbed Ye Chunxi by the arm, and pulled her outward.

By the time Chi Yi recovered his senses, the two of them had already covered some distance.

He shouted, "Aren't you going to drink anymore?"

Ling Qiao possessed extraordinary hearing, and even in such a noisy environment, he caught his words.

He didn't reply.

Because Chi Yi wouldn't be able to hear him anyway.

Out of the bar, he came to a halt, his gaze fixed unflinchingly on Ye Chunxi.

That posture was very much like an adult reprimanding a disobedient child.

Just as he was about to speak, Ye Chunxi cut in first.

"I didn't do anything. That guy was the one who insisted on buying me a drink."

Ling Qiao's brain short-circuited for a moment, and then a wave of righteous indignation washed over him.

"That bastard Chi Yi actually dared to harbor improper thoughts about you!"

It was bad enough that he couldn't even sleep peacefully downstairs, but the guy had actually brought her over to drink with him!

Knowing Chi Yi's character all too well, Ling Qiao naturally assumed that Chi Yi had taken a fancy to the young girl's beauty and brought her to a bar with ulterior motives.

Good thing he had shown up; otherwise, if Lord Jin found out, wouldn't he have broken that kid's legs?

Ye Chunxi had no idea he had misunderstood to such a profound degree.

Ling Qiao glanced at the time; it wasn't too late yet.

"I'll send you back to school first."

He would settle accounts with that punk Chi Yi later!

Ye Chunxi nodded.

...

...

Blues Bar.

Seeing Ling Qiao return unexpectedly, Chi Yi felt a flicker of surprise, though he only glanced briefly before looking away and continuing to drink.

"I thought you weren't drinking tonight."

"I really am not." Ling Qiao's expression was grave.

Chi Yi asked, "Then what are you back for?"

Turning his head, he saw Ling Qiao shedding his jacket, revealing powerful and well-defined muscles.

As if triggered by something, Chi Yi sprang up by reflex, staring at Ling Qiao's movements from a distance.

"What do you want?"

Chi Yi knew all too well what Ling Qiao was capable of in a fight.

He was merely a rich heir, pampered and spoiled since childhood.

Fighting Ling Qiao meant nothing more than dutifully taking a beating.

And right after the beating, Ling Qiao would casually deliver a lethal punchline: "You collapse from a single gentle push, and you couldn't even handle it when I didn't even use my strength. And you still refuse to admit you're a weakling."

Ever since then, the terror of Ling Qiao had been deeply etched into Chi Yi's heart.

Every time he saw Ling Qiao taking off his clothes, regardless of the reason, he would instinctively back away a few steps.

Still, it was just a trauma response. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why would Ling Qiao beat him up unprovoked?

Chi Yi comforted himself thus.

Yet the next second, he heard Ling Qiao's powerful voice ring out.

"You're asking for a beating."

Without another word, Ling Qiao strode forward, grabbed Chi Yi by the collar, and slammed him onto the table.

Drinks splashed all over his body, but Ling Qiao didn't let go, firmly pinning him down.

"How dare you bring a young girl to a place like this!"

Chi Yi's back ached fiercely from the slam, and the lingering impact across his chest almost deprived him of breath. How could he possibly hear what Ling Qiao was saying?

He could only grab the other's hand and plead repeatedly for mercy.

"Brother Qiao, I was wrong. Can you please let me go first?"

Although still displeased, Ling Qiao was well aware of Chi Yi's weakling nature.

The young girl hadn't suffered any harm, and he couldn't actually cripple the guy.

With a toss of his hand, he threw him back onto the booth seating.

Ling Qiao shook his head in absolute disgust.

He hadn't even used much strength.

Yet while pitying Chi Yi, he didn't forget to issue a warning, "If you ever dare to harbor improper thoughts about that girl again, I'll break your legs!"

Even if it weren't for Jin Yuchuan's sake, he would still have done the same.

The young girl was only eighteen years old and a leading figure in traditional Chinese medicine.

Forget Ling Qiao; if the old men and women of the Medical Alliance found out about this, they would come running with scalpels to hack someone to pieces.

Chi Yi coughed violently, completely missing the warning.

By the time he recovered his wits, the person had already left, leaving him to vent his frustration: "What kind of crazy episode was that?"

"Well, well, look who it is, beaten up to such a miserable state."

A teasing laugh sounded from behind, laden with unmistakable mischief.

Chi Yi turned his head and, upon recognizing the newcomer, felt a sudden darkness cloud his vision.

What kind of bad karma had he accumulated to let her witness a scene like this?

"Miss Gu," he greeted her through grunted teeth.

Gu Guangs walked over, looking down with amused composure at his pathetic state sprawled across the booth.

"Who was so blind to dare beat our esteemed Young Master Chi?"

The corners of her lips curled upward in rich mockery, turning Chi Yi's face a shade of livid green.

As if unsatisfied, Gu Guangs delivered another metaphorical knife: "A young master suffering such profound public humiliation, and the Chi family just stands by and watches?"

Having come to Jin City to study for over two years, she had gained a fair understanding of the local landscape.

The four major wealthy families were top-tier clans, whose financial power and foundations far surpassed any other families in Jin City.

And the Chi family was one of them.

Yet right now, their young master was being beaten up in public and the assailant was allowed to walk away freely.

It naturally piqued Gu Guangs' curiosity.

Chi Yi forced a tight smile. "No matter how powerful our Chi family is, how could we compare to the clans of the Imperial Capital?"

Gu Guangs' expression paused.

She had some acquaintance with Chi Yi and knew how much his family spoiled and indulged him.

Though a playboy, he was never reckless and knew better than to stir up trouble.

So how had he managed to offend someone from the Imperial Capital?

"How many people do you even know in the Imperial Capital?" Gu Guangs asked him.

The assailant had only beaten him up, which looked more like a lesson than anything severe.

If he had truly provoked some major clan from the Imperial Capital, even violent conflict wouldn't have left him walking away this unscathed.