"Ginny Deng needed me for something," I lied casually.
By the time I arrived at the Zenith Hotel parking lot late at night, Julian Qi was already a mess of injuries.
Three or four heavyset men with thick gold chains were standing around, cigarettes dangling from their lips. When they saw me, they burst into laughter. "Kid, is this the backup you called? A chick?"
"Don't tell me you brought her here to sleep with us to pay off your debt?" another one said, his words even more vulgar.
I walked over to Julian Qi and helped him up. The handsome young man had been beaten black and blue, his face swollen beyond recognition. He looked utterly pathetic.
"Sis Zoe, I was working part-time here as a valet. I accidentally scratched their car," Julian Qi whispered, explaining the situation. "I said I could pay for it, but they demanded a hundred thousand... I don't have that much..."
"What kind of car? Let me see," I asked.
Julian Qi pointed to a white Tiguan parked in the distance, barely visible under the dim lights.
*This?* I couldn't help but frown. The car was worth just over two hundred thousand in total. A minor scratch, and they were demanding a hundred thousand? What kind of racket was this?
"Well, little lady? Figured out how you're gonna pay up?"
"You're so scrawny, your chest is smaller than mine. One round with you won't even cover the cost!"
Hearing the thugs' vile words, Julian Qi surprisingly forced himself to stand up, pointing a bloody finger at them. "Watch your damn mouths! At worst, you can just beat me to death..."
I was a little surprised. Do all college kids have this much grit? I thought he'd just hide behind me, waiting pitifully for me to solve his problem.
Julian Qi's bravado clearly enraged the men. I stepped in front of him, my expression cold. "Give me three minutes."
With that, I dialed a number.
This was the Zenith Hotel's territory, and Julian Qi was a part-time employee. The hotel management should have stepped in, but there was no sign of them.
"Oh, calling for backup? Honey, the three of us are pretty well-known figures in A-City. Go ahead and ask around, who doesn't know Ah Long? You call ten guys, I'll call a hundred. Believe it?" The man's tone was arrogant, but I'd honestly never heard of him.
Just a bunch of street thugs. I hung up the phone and smiled.
In less than three minutes, the general manager of the Zenith Hotel appeared before me. He greeted me politely, "Miss Xu, what brings you here?"
"My friend works part-time at your hotel. He was beaten up by these men," I said coolly. "You know what to do, don't you?"
"What? Someone dared to bully Miss Xu's friend?" The manager immediately turned to the three thugs. "You three?"
The men seemed stunned. The Zenith Hotel was a five-star establishment, one of the largest in A-City. They knew they couldn't afford to cross it.
Sometimes, power is incredibly useful. No matter how brutish someone is, they have to bow their heads.
The thugs, who had been so aggressive just moments ago, were now, under the manager's intimidating presence, respectfully apologizing to me without even knowing who I was. They even compensated Julian Qi for his medical expenses.
As they were about to slink away, I spoke up again. "Wait a minute."
I turned to Julian Qi. "Go on. Slap each of them across the face."
"Sis Zoe..." Julian Qi froze. Through his blood-caked, swollen eyes, I could see a flicker of fear and hesitation. Getting medical expenses was already a win; he'd never imagined hitting back.
"What are you afraid of?" I grabbed his hand and pulled him in front of the men. "Watch and learn!"
I landed a hard slap across one of the men's faces, then did the same to the other two.
Their eyes burned with fury, but they didn't dare retaliate.
"Get lost," I said, my palm numb and stinging. I waved the scum away impatiently.
The parking lot quickly fell silent. The hotel manager invited me for a cup of tea, but I had no interest in having tea with a stranger in the middle of the night, so I declined.
Julian Qi, however, was completely dumbfounded. He seemed to have been in a daze ever since I started hitting those men.
"Let's go. I'll take you to the hospital." I naturally took his hand and led him out of the parking lot to where my car was parked.
"Sis Zoe, I can go by myself!" Julian Qi said hastily.
"Don't talk nonsense," I said, intentionally glaring at him.
On the way to the hospital, Julian Qi and I chatted. I learned that his father had injured his foot a couple of days ago and was hospitalized. That's why he was trying to work a few more days before school started to cover his tuition.
He said he called me for help because he had a gut feeling I could handle it.
I suddenly understood why Lila Wei had gradually fallen for him in my past life. When you're facing a crisis you can't solve, and someone comes along and clears the skies with a wave of their hand and a few words, who wouldn't be moved?
No one can choose their background, but you can always choose a shortcut.
After helping Julian Qi get his wounds treated at the hospital, I dragged my exhausted body home. Pulling all-nighters was really taking a toll.
Hugh Pei was sleeping on his side. I took a shower, slipped under the covers, and prepared for a wonderful night's sleep.
"Did you have fun?" Hugh Pei's voice, slightly hoarse, suddenly cut through the silence.
My eyes, which had just closed, snapped open. "Did I wake you? Just put up with it for two more days. Once your parents leave, this won't happen again."
"Zoe Xu, don't test my patience," Hugh Pei said. That tone meant he was in a bad mood.
"What did I do to you?" I was dead tired and in no mood for guessing games.
"My parents are at Mapleview Manor, and you still dare to go out and fool around? Are you looking to die?" He turned over, his eyes blazing with anger.
We stared at each other for a few seconds before I suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Had he found out I wasn't with Ginny Deng?
It made sense. Even a libertine like Hugh Pei had reined himself in for the past two days. Yet here I was, bolder than him, rushing out in the middle of the night to back up a college kid, then thoughtfully taking him to the hospital.
"Okay, I get it. No posting on social media, and no going out to play when your parents are here. I'll be more careful next time," I summarized.
I tried to go back to sleep, but Hugh Pei, in a fit of madness, rolled on top of me. His arms braced on either side of my head, the muscles tensing. That, combined with his handsome face, was a hormonal onslaught.
I was instantly wide awake, because I felt something hard pressing against me.
"Hugh Pei, were you drugged?" I remembered the last time he'd teased me like this. The small wave of arousal that had just started to build inside me instantly subsided. "Do you even see who I am?"
Hugh Pei was no celibate saint; otherwise, he wouldn't have tabloids full of scandals.
The fire in his eyes seemed to change, and his long fingers hooked the strap of my nightgown.