Nian Ueno

Jiang Weixi didn't rush to push the door open and stood quietly outside to listen.

"What if that girl keeps pestering you and refuses to break up with you?"

"Your girlfriend is so smitten with you, she's crazy about you. Do you really think she'll agree to break up with you?"

"If Zhenzhen hadn't gone abroad, how would she have had this opportunity? A little pheasant who flew out of some remote mountain village... Did she really think she could climb the social ladder and become a phoenix?"

"Xingzhou, if you break up with her, I reckon she'll cry her eyes out and beg you not to leave. Will you soften then?"

Jiang Weixi's legs were numb from standing, and her lower abdomen twisted again.

Then, she heard Ji Xingzhou say two words in a casual voice: "No."

What don't you know?

Does he think she won't cry her heart out, or does he simply not have a soft heart?

She clenched her fingers, her eyes filled with a melancholy.

"When you break up with her, remember to call your buddies. We want to see how she reacts when she's dumped in public."

"Hahaha...that must be so much fun..."

Everyone thought Jiang Weixi was head over heels in love with Ji Xingzhou because she was obedient, docile, and always willing to grant his requests.

But in reality, she was only after his money; she didn't love him as much as they imagined.

Ji Xingzhou still harbored feelings for his ex-girlfriend, and was only with her to spite her.

They had been together for a year and a half, but they had never done anything like couples do, not even holding hands.

She knew that Ji Xingzhou was waiting for Xu Manzhen to return to China, so she was prepared to break up from the very beginning.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to cast a wide net to catch fish.

Now that she's found someone else, Jiang Weixi isn't afraid of breaking up with him at all.

Those who want to see her fail are destined to be disappointed.

She's not that fragile.

A waiter carrying a tray of wine walked from the end of the corridor.

Jiang Weixi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that the person seemed to be delivering wine to the private room.

She quickly pressed the doorbell and then pushed the door open to go inside.

The private room was dimly lit, with a floor-to-ceiling window behind it framing the city night view like a flowing painting.

Dark brown leather sofas formed a semi-circle, and on the two-meter-wide marble coffee table in the center were scattered a dozen or so opened bottles of foreign liquor, an ice bucket, a cigar box, and more...

The eyes of everyone in the private room all turned to her.

Those lazy, nonchalant expressions changed subtly the moment they saw her, turning into a look of disdain and amusement.

Jiang Weixi clenched her fists, lowered her eyelashes, and forced herself to ignore the gazes coming from all directions, her face maintaining its usual docile demeanor.

No one greeted her, not even a perfunctory smile.

The delivery guy followed her in, and as he put down the wine and passed by her, he subtly glanced at her.

Ji Xingzhou sat in the center of the sofa, his eyes slightly narrowed, a thin layer of drunkenness on his face, and patted the side of the sofa.

"come over."

His tone was as if he were calling to an obedient pet.

Jiang Weixi slowly walked over and sat down next to him, placing her hands properly on her knees.

Today she wore a white Peter Pan collar shirt and denim mini skirt, her long, straight, fair legs crossed, and her hair was braided in a side braid, making her look playful, cute, and gentle.

A boy wearing glasses was glancing at her seemingly casually.

Jiang Weixi didn't recognize him; she'd never seen him before. Perhaps he was a new friend someone had brought along.

She tried to look back, but the boy with glasses looked away.

Jiang Weixi is beautiful, that much is undeniable, and even those who dislike her cannot deny her beauty.

There are just too many good-looking people; people like them are never short of beautiful women around them.

So, when she sat next to Ji Xingzhou, she was just a beautiful little wildflower in other people's eyes.

Who would really care about a wildflower picked from the roadside just to amuse someone?

It's nothing more than a passing fancy; after playing with it, I'll just throw it away.

The atmosphere in the private room was very relaxed.

Jiang Weixi listened quietly as they discussed Hong Kong stock market liquidity, sector rotation, capital flows, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, London real estate, and Swissquote's family trust...

Unfamiliar words drifted in and out of her ears, gently stirring a small ripple in her heart.

Those tiny ripples gradually surged into waves, then into huge ocean waves, and finally piled up into a raging torrent, constantly washing over her desires and igniting her longing.

They were all in their early twenties, sitting in the same private room, but Jiang Weixi felt that there was an invisible but insurmountable chasm between her and them.

So beneath her quiet and obedient exterior, her blood was boiling and raging, yearning for a different life as outlined in their few words.

It's as if getting closer to these people brings you closer to your dream life.

The group started talking about the stock market, and Jiang Weixi listened intently.

"Have you guys been paying attention to that chip packaging and testing company? Their orders are fully booked for the fourth quarter, and their performance will definitely exceed expectations."

"That market is too small, and the liquidity is poor. Large funds still need to look at lithium batteries and photovoltaics; the industry has a long enough track record and a large enough capacity."

"I just acquired an inverter manufacturer last month. The boss had dinner with my dad and said they plan to double their production capacity next year."

"Ningwang has adjusted its shipment guidance for next year. Someone has obtained first-hand data, which shows that it is 15% higher than the market expectation."

Jiang Weixi took out her phone, dimmed the screen, and pretended to send a message, silently memorizing the keywords.

The man with glasses stared at her hand for a few seconds.

Jiang Weixi noticed and turned off the screen.

Someone suggested playing some games.

The waiter came in and opened two more bottles of wine, bringing in five young ladies to accompany him.

The young ladies, dressed in fitted short skirts, sat down on the sofa with smiles on their faces, skillfully pouring drinks, handing out cards, and striking up conversations.

The atmosphere immediately became lively as soon as the cards and dice were placed on the table.

They play a card game where the winner has to drink alcohol or draw a penalty card, which contains many outrageous contents.

Ji Xingzhou pressed his brow with his hand, his head felt heavy, and there were obvious red veins in his eyes, indicating that he hadn't slept well.

"You guys have fun first. I'm a little tired after getting off the plane. I'm going to rest for a bit."

Jiang Weixi also stood up.

The bespectacled boy suddenly spoke, a gentle smile playing on his lips: "Xingzhou, why don't you let this young lady stay and have some fun?"

Jiang Weixi clenched her fingers, about to refuse, "No need, I..."

Ji Xingzhou raised his hand and waved at her, not caring much: "Then you stay and play with them for a while, I'm going to rest for a bit."

He made the decision for her so casually, without caring whether she wanted it or not.

Jiang Weixi paused for two seconds, then sat back down on the sofa.

The man with glasses moved to sit next to Jiang Weixi and slipped his business card into her hand.

Jiang Weixi looked down.

Song Jingming, CEO of Zhicheng Media

"I heard Ms. Jiang is still in university? I wonder if she's interested in becoming a star?"

Song Jingming is currently preparing to shoot a period drama film, and he felt that Jiang Weixi was the chosen leading lady at first sight.

Unfortunately, Jiang Weixi was not interested in becoming a star, and she shook her head and refused almost without hesitation.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Song, I'm still a student and I want to focus on my studies right now."

Jiang Weixi made an excuse to politely refuse, and Song Jingming did not insist, still smiling gently.

Games start.

The young lady shuffled the cards and dealt them in order.

The cards are flipped over to compare sizes, and the person with the lower number is penalized.

Jiang Weixi was lucky; the game went on for more than ten rounds, and each time her score was exactly in the middle, allowing her to avoid punishment.

Until she pulled out the two of spades.

It undoubtedly became the lowest score of the entire game.

The punishment card she drew was: sit on the lap of the first man on her left and kiss him for three seconds, or punish herself by drinking five cups.

The person to her left is Song Jingming.

Some people started making noise.

Even though she is still Ji Xingzhou's girlfriend, they still encourage her to kiss Song Jingming.

It's unclear whether they underestimated Ji Xingzhou or Ji Xingzhou never took her seriously.

A hint of sarcasm flashed in Jiang Weixi's eyes. Naturally, she was unwilling; she didn't want to give her first kiss to a man she had only known for less than an hour.

She was about to drink five glasses of wine when Ji Xingzhou, awakened by the noisy laughter, walked over and stood beside her.

Seeing Jiang Weixi's troubled expression, Song Jingming took the initiative to relax the restrictions on punishment.

"How about we change it to kissing any guy in the room for three seconds?"

This way, she could ask Ji Xingzhou to complete the task, and Song Jingming didn't want to make things difficult for a young girl.

Ji Xingzhou had just woken up, his hair disheveled and hanging over his forehead, with a few strands sticking up. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his peach blossom eyes were full of indifference, showing no intention of cooperating with her to complete the task.

He stood there with one hand in his pocket, his eyelids slightly lowered, and said three words in a cold and indifferent tone: "Let's drink."

Jiang Weixi's expression remained unchanged. She said nothing, tilted her head back, and drank five cups of wine in a row.

Fortunately, she had seen through their relationship long ago, and fortunately, she had never had high expectations of Ji Xingzhou from the beginning.

Song Jingming watched the couple interact with great interest, his gaze lingering on the girl's slightly flushed cheeks.

The alcohol flowed down her throat, burning her stomach and making her eyes water. Jiang Weixi's stomach ached even more, and her face turned red and then white.

Seeing that she looked uncomfortable, Ji Xingzhou waited for her to finish the five cups of wine as punishment, then told the others that he was leaving first so they could continue playing.

After getting in the car, Jiang Weixi closed her eyes and huddled in the back seat. The pain from her period combined with the dizziness from being drunk made her feel extremely unwell.

The car drove directly into the school and parked downstairs in front of Jiang Weixi's dormitory building.

Ji Xingzhou paid the driver to leave, his handsome face hidden in the shadows, and he didn't seem to be in a high mood.

At times like these, Jiang Weixi would take the initiative to help him relieve his emotions and act as his emotional dumping ground.

But she was feeling unwell today and wasn't in the mood to be a caring confidante.

She paused to catch her breath until the dizziness subsided, then prepared to get out of the car. "I'm going upstairs."

Ji Xingzhou spoke up: "Wait a moment."

Jiang Weixi paused.

Ji Xingzhou's voice was weary: "She's coming back."