Chapter 11: Just Making Sure

Seeing the state she was in, someone immediately stepped forward, eager to take revenge for the beating they’d just received. Lin Hao spoke up: “That’s enough. Don’t actually kill her.”

The person grumbled inwardly—you weren’t worried about killing her when so many of us were ganging up on her just now—but on the surface, he smirked obsequiously: “Hao-ge is right.”

Since Lin Hao had spoken, the others looking to vent their frustration had to suppress the fire in their chests. They relied entirely on Lin Hao and his group to get free food and drinks; besides, Lin Hao had the best family background among them. With Zhao Xue gone, Lin Hao was their leader.

Lin Hao pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and let it dangle from his mouth. Through the hazy smoke, he looked down at Meng Yao.

Truthfully, this person was very different from the photo Zhao Xue had shown him. If their features weren’t identical, he would have found it hard to believe they were the same person. He didn’t let the others touch her because if she was unconscious when Zhao Xue arrived, the “experience” wouldn’t be as good. It was like s*x—what fun could a dead person provide?

The people in the booth resumed their joking, guessing how long it would take for Zhao Xue to arrive. However, in just a few minutes, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Hao narrowed his eyes. Zhao Xue? It hasn’t even been ten minutes. She got here that fast? Lin Hao stood up to open the door himself. It really was Zhao Xue.

He immediately plastered on a smile: “Xue-jie, you’re here! Quick, come in.” Even though he was three years older than her, he called her “Jie” (older sister) with practiced ease.

Zhao Xue entered the booth with a smile on her face. In the dim, hazy environment, she saw Meng Yao lying on the floor in a wretched state at a single glance. Zhao Xue’s smile widened, looking exceptionally radiant.

A flash of amazement crossed Lin Hao’s eyes. He felt like it was the same face, yet something was different. But seeing her smile so happily, he knew he had guessed right. He led her to the sofa closest to Meng Yao so she could view the girl’s misery from up close.

“Xue-jie, look. This is that Meng Yao you hate, right?”

Zhao Xue scanned Meng Yao. Her eyes were icy cold. Meeting Meng Yao’s deathly still gaze, Zhao Xue’s lips curved: “Indeed, it is… very good indeed.” Her tone was unreadable.

Meng Yao stared at Zhao Xue. Looking into those icy eyes, her heart shriveled for no reason. Hearing those words, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

The others in the booth, hearing this and seeing Zhao Xue’s smiling face, almost all believed she had been appeased by their performance.

However, the change happened too fast. The group only saw a blur before Zhao Xue grabbed Lin Hao’s hair and slammed his head violently onto the coffee table with a massive thud.

“AHHHH!!! f*ck your mother! Zhao Xue, you idiot, what are you doing?!” Lin Hao’s roar of pain echoed throughout the room.

Zhao Xue’s smile remained. Though Lin Hao was a large young man, he had no power to resist in her grip. She yanked his head up by the hair and slammed it back down onto the table. Bang! Bloodstains were already visible on the table. Watching the smiling Zhao Xue, the others felt a deep, primal fear.

“Like grabbing people’s hair? Hmm?” “Like bullying people? Hmm?”

With every sentence, she slammed his head against the table. The others were paralyzed, perhaps terrified by the sight of her smiling while bashing someone’s head. No one dared to move; their breathing became nearly imperceptible.

Lin Hao tried everything to struggle, but he found his strength meant nothing against Zhao Xue. His entire head was in agony. Seeing no one coming to help, he shrieked: “Zhao Xue, you’re crazy!”

Lin Hao’s voice woke the others up, but no one dared step forward. They couldn’t afford to offend her; they only dared to mock her in private. Someone asked in a trembling voice: “Xue… Xue-jie, if this continues, you’ll kill him.” He didn’t understand why she had suddenly gone insane.

Zhao Xue let out a low laugh. “Why on earth did you think you could touch her?”

With those words, she applied more force, and Lin Hao completely lost consciousness.

The group watched as Lin Hao, looking like a dead pig, was tossed onto the floor. A six-foot-tall man felt as light as a feather in her hands. Zhao Xue smiled and stood up gracefully. As the flickering lights hit her face, a chill ran through everyone. Some of the more faint-hearted screamed when they met her gaze, as if she were a man-eating ghost.

Zhao Xue said softly: “Don’t worry. There’s enough for everyone.”

Someone tried to bolt for the door, but Zhao Xue was faster, kicking him behind the knee and sending him crashing to the floor. The others realized she wasn’t going to let them go today. Anger flared up alongside their fear; seeing Lin Hao’s state, someone yelled desperately: “Dammit, Zhao Xue! What the hell is wrong with you? Tell us how we offended you!”

Zhao Xue crossed her arms. “How did you offend me? You still don’t understand?” Her gaze slowly drifted over the crowd and settled on Meng Yao.

That movement was like a thunderclap, making everyone realize exactly what was happening. Their faces turned deathly pale. Silence fell. Lin Hao’s condition was a vivid warning. Zhao Xue was different from Meng Yao; they didn’t dare provoke her.

Someone stammered: “You… you said you hated her.”

Zhao Xue’s eyes locked onto the speaker. Meeting her gaze felt like having a bucket of ice water poured over him; his heart went cold. He felt like she might actually kill someone.

“I can hate her if I want. What the f*ck does that have to do with you?” “Now, there are two ways to solve this. Either I give you a beating, or you get on your knees and kowtow to Meng Yao in apology.” “And don’t think about running. I’ll find you wherever you go.”

Their expressions turned ugly. Kowtowing to Meng Yao felt worse than death to them. Someone lost his temper: “f*ck this! There are so many of us. I don’t believe her family would target all of us just for her!”

Exactly. Even if they were failures, they were still their parents’ children. They didn’t believe their parents would truly abandon them.

“Old Wang is right! Dammit, I’d rather die than kowtow!!!”

The group exchanged looks and decided they had a chance. Someone moved, and then everyone rushed at Zhao Xue.

However, they found they had no power to resist her. It was worse than their fight with Meng Yao. Zhao Xue was playing for keeps. Someone clutched his leg on the floor, wailing in pain—his leg was broken. Another held his arm, drenched in cold sweat—his arm was snapped. Zhao Xue didn’t hold back against the women, either.

All twelve people in the booth were now unable to get up. Zhao Xue stepped on someone’s head, her expression unchanged. She looked down and said: “You just had to do it the hard way.”

She walked over to Meng Yao and picked her up. Meng Yao struggled: “Let go, I can walk,” her voice raspy and pained.

Zhao Xue’s smile vanished, her lips forming a flat line. She held her tighter, her eyes dark: “Don’t resist me.”

Meng Yao lowered her lashes. She was exhausted; seeing she couldn’t break free, she quieted down. Zhao Xue looked at her hair, soaked in alcohol: “Why didn’t you call me?”

Then she answered her own question: “You didn’t bring your phone because you didn’t want to use the things I gave you.”

Meng Yao’s eyes flickered. A strange feeling stirred in her heart, but she couldn’t name it. It sounded like Zhao Xue was angry that she had gotten hurt.

However, Zhao Xue’s next words snapped her back to reality.

“Meng Yao, you need to understand: you are my dog. Only I am allowed to bully you. Understand?”

Meng Yao gave a low “Mm.” She didn’t need it repeated so many times; she understood. She was just a toy for Zhao Xue’s boredom. But it didn’t matter. She didn’t care.

Zhao Xue didn’t take her to a hospital immediately. She could see Meng Yao was mostly just exhausted and didn’t have life-threatening injuries. She checked into a room at the venue.

She laid Meng Yao on the bed, leaned down, and pinched her chin. Ignoring the dried alcohol on her face, she lightly pressed her lips against Meng Yao’s, tasting the lingering bitterness of the wine. It was a brief, light kiss—almost like an act of comfort.

Zhao Xue straightened up, a shallow smile appearing on her face. Under the warm yellow light, she looked tender and doting. “Rest for a bit. I’ll come back to take you home later.” With that, she left the room. There were still things to finish.

Meng Yao’s mind went blank for a moment. She slowly reached up and touched her lips.

Going home?

Her gaze grew dark. Zhao Xue was always saying ambiguous things and performing actions that led to misunderstandings.

“Call your manager over,” Zhao Xue said to the server who had just poured a drink, sitting in a booth in the main hall.

The server glanced at Zhao Xue’s features, which looked even more alluring under the colored lights. Even in a crowded hall, she stood out instantly. The server replied politely: “You’ll have to wait a moment; the manager is busy.”

Zhao Xue smiled, then casually smashed her glass on the floor. “Then call your owner.”

The server froze. Zhao Xue narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you hear me?” She swept her hand across the table, knocking a bottle to the floor. The sound of breaking glass drew a lot of attention.

“Please wait a moment!” the server cried, running off.

At that moment, the manager was seeing Bai Jianming and his friends out. Su Xu had already left for something else. The noise caught their attention, and the manager’s radio crackled.

“Manager, someone at booth 6 is looking for you.”

The manager’s smile was sycophantic. “Well, Young Master, I…”

“Let’s go take a look together,” Bai Jianming interrupted.

The manager agreed. The group arrived in front of Zhao Xue. Seeing her, Bai Jianming’s smile widened as he stepped forward.

“Zhao Xue, you’re here to play too?”

Zhao Xue looked up at him. “Is this bar yours?”

“You’ve known that for a long time, haven’t you?” Bai Jianming said.

Zhao Xue smiled. “Just making sure.” The original host knew, but she wanted to confirm. Then she added: “When your employees are bullied here, does no one step in?”

Bai Jianming looked confused. He turned to the manager: “Did something happen today?”

The manager frowned, thinking. “I don’t think so. I haven’t heard any employees saying they were bullied.” He looked calm on the outside, but inside, he was sweating. He had a very bad feeling.

Zhao Xue watched their fake interaction. She couldn’t understand how someone like Bai Jianming could be one of the “male leads.” She didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She beckoned him over with a finger.

Bai Jianming raised an eyebrow. Has Zhao Xue stopped liking Su Xu and decided to hit on me instead? Despite the thought, his body moved closer.

Then—SLAP!

Bai Jianming’s head was whipped to the side, a handprint immediately appearing on his face. He clutched his cheek, seemingly unable to process what had happened.

Zhao Xue didn’t know if Bai Jianming was involved, so she only gave him one slap. Call it venting her anger if you like.

An owner who can’t manage his subordinates deserves a slap.