Chapter 25: Trap

ave these two siblings the chance to spend time together, allowing Yán Luoxī to take Zhou Guangtao for a walk in the garden.Lǐ n evilly watched as Yán Luoxī took Zhou Guangtao to the garden, sarcastic...Chapter 25 Trap

Lian felt that the proposition Ming Zixi suggested was quite grand, and he needed to think it over carefully. However, he didn't explicitly express his opposition.

The hotel staff delivered authentic Hunan cuisine, with rich broth and steaming hot dishes filling an entire table. Though Lian deliberately wanted to get back at Ming Zixi, he wasn't completely insensitive to the ambiance; the shrimp was simply boiled in its most basic form, served with chopped ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, etc., making for a delicate presentation.

Ming Zixi loudly instructed his secretary to bring two cases of beer and four bottles of red wine, insisting that he would celebrate Lian's discharge by getting thoroughly drunk today.

Everyone took their seats. Yan Luoxi glanced at Shao Meizhuo sitting beside Lian like a dominant lady of the manor and tactfully chose a spot slightly farther away from him.

Sitting on Lian's left, Ming Zixi slyly glanced around before standing up brazenly. "Miss Yan, you are our Lian’s dedicated caretaker; come sit next to him, I can't serve this young master."

"I can take care of him from here," said Yan Luoxi, holding her bowl and shaking her head firmly as she received a sharp look from Shao Meizhuo. She quickly moved her chair back.

Seeing that Yan Luoxi wouldn't give him any face, Lian was furious. He coldly said, "If you don’t come over, I’ll go to you." His voice wasn't loud but his aura was imposing.

Frustrated, Yan Luoxi held her bowl and moved closer. Still angry, Lian ignored her, using chopsticks to put a piece of meat in her bowl. After thinking for a moment, he turned around and used his chopsticks to pick up another piece of meat for Shao Meizhuo and Wu Tiantian beside him.

Sao Meizhuo had never been treated like this before; she just stared blankly at Li An, her eyes brimming with joy, as if there was no one else in the world besides him.

Ming Zixi sat between Yan Luoxi and Zhou Zhou. He was quite considerate toward Zhou Zhou, fetching a small plate for her and personally adjusting the vinegar and ginger for her taste before picking several shrimp for her.

Turning around to see Yan Luoxi eating alone, he did for her what he had done for Zhou Zhou. On purpose, he bent down close enough that his lips nearly touched Yan Luoxi's earlobe as he explained gently and warmly, "These shrimp are wild-caught and very tasty. Eat more."

Seeing Ming Zixi being unrestrainedly attentive to Yan Luoxi, Li An was displeased and pushed him away with an outstretched hand, saying, “Move further away from her; you’re not satisfied enough already Don't think that all these dishes will keep your mouth shut!”

Ming Zixi shrugged helplessly. "No good deed goes unpunished!" His eyes were filled with hidden meaning.

Yan Luoxi paid no mind to them and lowered her head, focusing on eating the shrimp. As expected, these wild-caught shrimp were indeed fresh and tender, full of flavor.

Sao Junhe seemed less talkative today than usual; his mood wasn’t very high either. In contrast, Ming Zixi was in high spirits, enthusiastically directing his girlfriend to toast drinks for everyone present.

There weren't many dishes on the table that Zhou Zhou enjoyed eating, yet this didn’t detract from her ability as a social mastermind to charm every person present with eloquent speech and warm-heartedness. She managed to have all at the table laughing heartily, even coaxing teetotaler Yan Luoxi into drinking a glass of red wine.

Upon seeing this, Ming Zixi lightly clapped his hands and smiled, saying, “Ms. Yan, what great tolerance for alcohol you have! What great tolerance!” He glanced around at everyone present, adding, "It’s rare to see Li An out on a day like today; even Ms. Yan is so willing to drink. How can the rest of you bear not drinking Come on, let's toast!"

The atmosphere at the dining table gradually became lively. Shao Meizhuo and Wu Tiantian both had some drinks, while Zhou Zhou kept flattering Yan Luoxi. The originally alert Yan Luoxi was no match for her; a few words from her idol and she downed another glass of beer.

Shao Junhe noticed that Zhou Zhou used small tactics on the naive Yan Luoxi, pouring drinks for her alternately. It seemed that today Zhou Zhou would mainly focus on Yan Luoxi.

Zhou Zhou was a shrewd and smooth woman; she wouldn’t無緣無故地向顏落夕發難，她做的一切必然是受了身邊那位壞種的唆使。發起難給 Yan Luoxi without reason, everything she did must have been instigated by the scoundrel beside her.

Ming Zixing dared to openly incite a woman to set traps for Yan Luoxi; behind it all was today's host Li An.

Shao Junhe glanced at Li An. Although Li An had injured legs, he still followed everyone in drinking a few cups of wine. He seldom showed any effects of alcohol, but his face looked slightly flushed today.

Li An seemed to be in good spirits today; he calmly accompanied Wu Tiantian while eating and could even respond politely when Shao Meizhuo spoke to him. His slender fingers lightly tapped on the table.

Based on years of acquaintance, Shao Junhe was more certain that Zhou Zhou's behavior had Li An’s tacit approval, and Li An seemed determined to have Yan Luoxi too.

Shao Junhe liked Yan Luoxi for her simplicity and kindness, but in today's situation, everything seemed set. Friends' wives should not be trifled with; he didn’t even get a chance to protect or help her out of the awkward situations.

Yan Luoxi wasn't forgetful, she remembered both being treated unfairly and getting hit; she clearly recalled that last time in this very room, Li An had taken advantage of her after drinking. From the moment she sat down at the dining table today, alarms were ringing in her mind.

She had long made up her mind not to drink, and she wouldn't drink no matter who asked her to, especially not Li An; if he asked her to drink, she definitely would not.

However, the one who ended up getting her drunk wasn't Li An but her idol... Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou was approachable and down-to-earth, without any of the airs typical of a celebrity. She smiled warmly at her, complimenting her on how cute she looked, and even offered to toast with her!

Yan Luoxi felt honored by Zhou Zhou's attention and affirmation; overcome with emotion, she downed the red wine in one go. Then Zhou Zhou poured her some beer, and without realizing it, Yan Luoxi gulped it all down.

By the time she had drunk four glasses of beer, Yan Luoxi felt dizzy and couldn't hold back a belch—not very loud but still noticeable enough to earn Li An an eye roll and his muttered curse: "An embarrassment."

Yan Luoxi found it rather embarrassing herself. She glanced around subconsciously, wondering how many people had noticed her faux pas. At that moment, she met Shao Junhe's gaze; his eyes were dark and deep like a pool.

Shao Junhe didn't drink much alcohol, so he was still sober-minded with a straight nose and sharp features. His bright yet serious eyes stared at her intently, causing Yan Luoxi to feel spellbound by them.

Ming Zixi liked to tease her about Li An, but Shao Junhe never mentioned the subject; in fact, he sometimes even shielded her from such teasing, sparing her a lot of awkwardness. In Yan Luoxi's vulnerable state, this kindness was especially precious. As she saw Shao Junhe looking at her like that now, there was something off about it, but with her head spinning, she couldn't quite figure out what.

Feeling too tipsy to continue drinking, Yan Luoxi wanted to leave. Seeing this, Ming Zixi immediately jumped up; he couldn’t afford to let all his efforts go to waste!hat transpired. Seeing Yan Luoxi's frightened and ashamed expression made his heart ache; if only he had known earlier that she had been humiliated in such a manner, he would have declared his love to...