"An'an!"
Qin Wang caught up with her and grabbed Ning An's arm. "Tang Meng and I aren't what you think."
"You saw it yourself, Tang Meng is Gu Ximian's friend. She won an award yesterday, and Ximian asked her over to celebrate and have a drink."
"Ximian doesn't want people knowing about his private villa. I arrived late, so I just happened to bring her in along the way, but I didn't expect the paparazzi tracking her to take pictures."
Ning An looked at him expressionlessly. "When we were on the phone last night, I heard her voice."
Tang Meng's voice had only piped up right before they hung up.
Among the photos exposed by the media, one of them showed Tang Meng lifting her skirt and running toward Qin Wang.
That was more than enough to prove he hadn't just brought her along on the way—they had planned it, and Qin Wang was waiting there for her.
Qin Wang's expression shifted slightly. "That was..."
"Yet both you and Tang Meng claimed you hadn't seen each other since breaking up." Ning An looked at him in disappointment. "Just how long are you going to keep lying?"
"In your eyes, am I just some easy-to-fool idiot?"
Qin Wang was left speechless.
Even so, their engagement couldn't be canceled just like that.
He didn't genuinely believe Ning An was going to call off the wedding either.
All her abnormal emotions had only started after Tang Meng arrived; every word she uttered was just venting her anger over him lying about Tang Meng.
Qin Wang patiently waited for her to catch her breath. Just like he used to do whenever she threw a little tantrum and he wanted to coax her, he leaned down slightly, bringing his face right up to Ning An's. "Jealous?"
"..."
Ning An stared in disbelief.
Was this shameless man really the Qin Wang she loved?
His lies had been exposed in public, yet how was he capable of maintaining a completely straight face as if nothing happened, while still insisting she was just making a fuss over nothing?
Unaware of Ning An's inner turmoil, Qin Wang pulled her stunned self into his arms. "You're my fiancée, now."
"Our wedding date is about to be set any second now. Do you really think I can back out of it?"
Ning An: "..."
"Stop being mad, okay?" Qin Wang coaxed in a gentle voice right against her ear.
He lowered his head to kiss her.
Reflexively, Ning An tilted her head away. "Dirty."
His lips brushed past her cheek.
The look Ning An gave him was filled with unmistakable revulsion, and her soft, gentle voice delivered words of absolute ruthlessness.
"I have no use for dirty things."
"Ning An!" Qin Wang glared at her, his face dark. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
Meeting his anger head-on, Ning An countered, "Weren't you the one who fought tooth and nail refusing to admit we were engaged?"
"How come you can say it now?"
Back in the private room, he would rather rope all his friends into lying for him than admit a single word about their engagement in front of Tang Meng.
When Tang Meng wasn't around, neither "fiancée" nor "engagement" scalded his mouth anymore.
He wasn't genuinely acknowledging her as his fiancée at all.
He was simply terrified she would cause a scene at the Qin family home—especially in front of his grandmother—and wanted to shut her up.
"You—"
Her phone suddenly rang.
Qin Wang clicked his tongue lightly and impatiently fished out his phone.
Seeing the caller ID on the screen, his expression shifted slightly, and he sobered up considerably, his eyes filled with worry.
He didn't even need to guess; it had to be Tang Meng calling.
Qin Wang pressed the silent button, but said, "I'll go tell Ximian and the others. We'll talk about the rest when we get back."
Ning An stopped him in his tracks: "Qin Wang."
Qin Wang was momentarily taken aback.
She had called him "Brother Awang" since they were kids, and "Awang" after their engagement. This was the very first time she had ever addressed him by his full name.
Ning An spoke with a firm, unyielding tone. "The engagement is canceled."
"I'm not joking with you."
Qin Wang lowered his head to meet her gaze, his expression gradually turning serious.
Just as he was about to speak, the ringtone blared once again.
Right in front of both of them, Tang Meng's name flashed on the screen.
Like a death warrant urging them on.
Tang Meng was desperate to reach him, undoubtedly because of the scandal.
If they missed the best window for clarification, the effectiveness of any future PR efforts would plummet drastically.
That would be terrible for Tang Meng.
"Stop messing around." Qin Wang took a deep breath and shoved the car keys into her hand. "Go wait for me in the car. We'll properly talk the rest over when we get home."
Ning An had held a secret crush on him for so many years and loved him to the marrow of her bones.
They were getting married soon; how could she possibly be willing to actually call off the engagement?
Saying things like this right now was nothing more than a tactic to force him to stay and keep her company.
Once he finished dealing with Tang Meng's situation, he would come back and coax her properly, and everything would be fine.
Without looking back, Qin Wang left.
Ning An went downstairs, left the car keys at the front desk, and walked out of the club.
The private club was located in a secluded area, requiring a fair bit of walking before reaching the street.
Without calling a cab, Ning An walked aimlessly while pondering how to handle the aftermath.
Her father dreamed of marrying into a wealthy elite family; he would definitely refuse to let her cancel the engagement. How was she supposed to convince him?
Qin Wang's grandmother had always treated her like her own granddaughter. How was she supposed to face the old lady?
And the orphanage—she had to make sure they settled the funding or got the new orphanage built...
"We're just out having fun, what are you putting on airs for?"
"Dressing like this, aren't you just trying to catch our eye?"
At the mouth of a small alley, two girls were being cornered by a group of drunk men.
Wherever the young girls tried to go, the men blocked their way, making it impossible to slip past.
Without a second thought, Ning An whipped out her phone and called the police.
Then she switched on the video recording function and raised her voice. "I've already called the police."
The drunkards peered at her through hazy eyes. Seeing Ning An's striking facial features, which still retained their breathtaking beauty under the dim lighting, their eyes lit up as they greedily rubbed their hands and advanced toward her.
"Such a pretty, kind-hearted young lady. Why don't you come join us for some fun?"
One of the drunk men impatiently reached out a hand.
"The police station is three kilometers away. It takes the police at most five minutes to get here. Since time is so short, I won't bother playing with you guys—though recording some evidence of your crimes for you is totally doable," Ning An threatened.
"We just wanted to chat with you, what's there to call the police about?"
The drunks simply assumed she was trying to scare them.
Ning An discreetly took a step back, but suddenly collided with a solid "wall."
A hand reached out from beside her ear, a large palm clamping onto the face of the man lunging toward them, mercilessly shoving his face straight into a nearby tree.
"Ah!!"
Accompanied by a scream, a familiar voice chuckled softly right by her ear, muttering somewhat incoherently, "Why are you still charging forward so recklessly without a second thought... Never learning your lesson, huh."
Ning An shuddered. She turned her head and happened to catch the eyes of the man looking down at her.
Those amber eyes were brimming with helpless amusement. Xi Siyuan curved his eyes. "Though you actually learned to be smart this time and knew to record evidence first."
Back in the day, in order to save the younger boys and girls at the orphanage, she wouldn't hesitate to pick up a paving brick and charge right into a mob of thugs.
Ning An: ?
They were meeting for the very first time today. The way he spoke made it sound like he knew her inside and out.
"Who the fuck are you..."
With his companion's head bashed against a tree, the remaining drunkards grew even fuzzier in the brain as they swung their fists and charged at Xi Siyuan.
"Do you even know who I am?!"
"I'll peel the skin off you tonight and make you spell your name backwards!"
"Oh my, these people are so terrifying." Xi Siyuan put on an act, pulling Ning An back a few steps while asking her with feigned unease, "If I fight back now, does it count as self-defense?"
Before she knew it, he had shielded her entirely within his embrace, his tall physique separated from hers by barely a finger's width.
Through their clothes, Ning An could even feel his body heat.
Instantly, her nerves tightened, her body freezing up in place, too afraid to move a muscle.
Yet for some reason, with him there, Ning An inexplicably felt a sense of security.
"Mhm, it counts."
Giving it some thought, Ning An answered him in all seriousness.
She kept her phone camera aimed at the three drunk men closing in on them. "I recorded it all. They outnumbered us and threw the first punch."
"That's wonderful, then." Xi Siyuan let out a breath of relief, smiled at her reassuringly, and nudged her behind him.
He raised his arm and, with a single fluid grappling maneuver, effortlessly dropped the man in the lead to the ground.
Within moments, the thugs were all dropped, curling up on the ground and howling in pain.
As if that wasn't enough to vent his frustration, Xi Siyuan gave one of the men on the ground an extra kick after finishing. "Three guys bullying just one of me, what kind of men are you!"
Ning An: "..."
Noticing Ning An staring, he looked back at her with a smile, patted his hands as if he had narrowly escaped death, and rejoiced, "Good thing they were too drunk to muster any strength, otherwise I'd have been in trouble."
Ning An: "..."
He was clearly trained. Even if ten more showed up, they might not even scratch him.
Who on earth could possibly bully him?
Ning An wore a skeptical expression, clearly not buying it.
Looking deeply wounded, Xi Siyuan rubbed his wrist. "Actually, my hand really hurts, you know."
"..."
Ning An couldn't help staring at him with curiosity.
Xi Siyuan—from the illustrious Xi family, the eldest son of Commander Xi.
He had been the center of attention since birth. At twenty-three, he inherited Shengshi Group, becoming the undisputed, universally revered crown prince of Lincheng.
Yet because of his cold disposition and ruthless methods—rumor had it he once beat his maternal cousin until he was crippled—everyone also feared him, dubbing him the Living Hades.
The man in front of her had just talked about being scared in one breath and having a sore hand in the next. Was he really the legendary Xi Siyuan?
Although not a single trace of actual fear could be detected on him.
Still, the Xi Siyuan standing before her contrasted far too sharply with the cold and ruthless persona of the rumors.
Unless he had multiple personality disorder, how could someone's personality vary so wildly from one moment to the next?
Besides, they weren't even close. Why on earth did he keep stepping in to help her over and over again?