Volume 1, Chapter 22: It Is Not I Who Was Frightened, Nor Is It I Who Should Be Begged

"Dr. Cheng, come in! Why have you been standing there for so long without coming inside?"

A male teacher, having just polished off two beers, was heading to the restroom when he spotted Cheng Xiuming standing at the entrance, busy on his phone.

His voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in the private room. Aside from the few who were too drunk to notice, swaying and singing with their arms around each other, everyone turned to look.

Ning Yu was no exception.

The male colleague beside her stood up at once and beckoned to Cheng Xiuming, "Come, let me introduce you all! This is Dr. Cheng Xiuming from the People's Hospital. He’s a deputy chief physician at such a young age! And, of course, he’s my senior from university, ha ha ha..."

The party was in full swing, and in such an atmosphere, more guests were always welcome. Everyone greeted Cheng Xiuming with genuine warmth.

Everyone, that is, except for one.

Ning Yu’s expression shifted the moment she saw Cheng Xiuming. Their eyes met briefly, and both immediately looked away, a movement so natural that no one noticed.

"Dr. Cheng," Ning Yu murmured in greeting. She put down her glass of orange juice with a faint smile and stood up. "Please excuse me, everyone. I’m going to the restroom."

With that, she walked toward the door without looking back. As she passed the threshold, she found herself right next to him. "Dr. Cheng, excuse me."

Just as she was about to leave, he let out a soft laugh. "Teacher Ning... are you really not going to wait a bit longer? Who knows? You might just run into some unexpected fate if you stay."

Ning Yu looked calm on the surface, but inside, she was cursing. She had gone to such lengths to avoid the Ning family today, and she certainly didn't want to step onto that man's turf. Yet, despite all her calculations, she never expected to run into this person!

If Cheng Xiuming was here, how was that any different from Li Shiyan seeing her?

Last time, she had simply gone for a medical check-up, and within moments, this man had summoned Li Shiyan to her side.

At this rate, Li Shiyan was probably already blocking the entrance.

*What kind of fate?*

It was nothing but a cursed entanglement!

Ning Yu didn't respond; she merely gave a slight nod and hurried away.

Watching her fleet-footed retreat, Cheng Xiuming raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue.

Judging by that reaction, there was no doubt she was the one who had made a monk break his vows. Just how ruthless must their Dr. Li be to scare someone like this?

Ning Yu cautiously avoided the main entrance—she had no intention of bumping into Li Shiyan before she could even leave. After asking for the location of the service exit, she made her way there quietly.

The Zhuyu Club was arguably the most prestigious establishment in the capital, catering to both the sophisticated and the mundane. The lower three floors were a KTV open to all members, while the upper three levels were an exclusive high-end club reserved for the elite.

The two sections had separate entrances and exits. The service exit of the lower floors led to a narrow alleyway surrounded by a jumble of dive bars and chaotic nightlife.

As soon as Ning Yu stepped out into the alley, she stood in place, afraid to wander too far, and tried to hail a ride.

The surrounding bars were drenched in neon light, casting long, flickering shadows. Suddenly, the sound of messy footsteps approached from the distance. Within seconds, Ning Yu was surrounded by four drunken men.

"Coming out of the Zhuyu service exit? Trying to keep a low profile, are you? And you're so pretty—don't tell me you're a hostess from the upper floors?"

"Look at that qipao, the slit goes all the way to her knees. I bet she’s a wild one in bed. Since the big shots have already had their fun, what’s wrong with letting us brothers take a turn?"

The four men spewed lewd remarks, their gazes sweeping over her like X-rays, as if they were trying to strip her bare.

A chill ran down Ning Yu’s spine. She stepped back cautiously, planning to bolt back into the club—even the lower floors had security.

But she didn't get two steps before they blocked her path, closing in from all sides. Ning Yu raised her self-defense pepper spray, but she was quickly cornered against the wall.

"Bang!"

A beer bottle smashed vertically onto the head of one of the men. It shattered instantly, glass shards scattering across the ground.

A stream of bright red blood began to gush out immediately.

The four drunks turned like rabid dogs, lunging toward the tall, slender figure standing at the mouth of the alley.

Ning Yu huddled in the corner. The figure slowly merged with the image of the young man deep in her memories.

The distance between them was so vast—eight years had passed—yet it felt so close, as if nothing had changed at all.

Li Shiyan had spent ten years in underground boxing. Unlike ordinary people, he fought as if he were fighting to the death; every punch and kick landed squarely on vital points.

Let alone four men, even fourteen would have struggled to be his match.

Soon, the men were beaten to the ground. One of them, hidden in a blind spot behind Li Shiyan, scrambled up with blood covering his face, gripping a jagged piece of the broken beer bottle. He lunged toward Li Shiyan’s back.

Ning Yu’s eyes widened. Her instinct was far faster than her thoughts.

By the time she realized what she had done, the glass shard was already embedded in her palm!

The pain was excruciating, shooting straight to her heart. As she turned pale, a pair of arms caught her.

Li Shiyan held her with one arm while delivering a final kick that incapacitated the remaining men.

The pig-like shrieks drew the Zhuyu security team. When the captain saw Li Shiyan, he began to tremble uncontrollably. "Fifth... Fifth Master, why are you here?"

"Clean this up," Li Shiyan said without blinking. He swept Ning Yu into his arms and carried her straight into the club.

"Yes, yes, of course!" The captain’s face was ghost-white as he nodded frantically.

The area was packed with bars, and every night, predators scavenged for vulnerable, lone women—luring them in with tricks, all for the same sordid purpose.

The staff usually looked the other way, not wanting to get involved. How could they have been so unlucky as to cross paths with someone untouchable?!

...

Ning Yu remained in Li Shiyan’s arms as he kept his expressionless face, entering the club and taking the private elevator to the third floor.

She felt completely enclosed by him. The throbbing pain in her palm clouded her judgment as she absently toyed with the blood on her hand.

She had tried so hard to avoid him, only to end up being rescued by him. If word got out, it would be a laughingstock.

Adding that to the fact that she had pretended not to see his message earlier, she wisely chose to remain completely silent.

Li Shiyan kicked open the door to an empty private room, tossed her onto the sofa, and loomed over her.

The room was dim, the lights unlit.

His tall, dark shadow swallowed her whole.

Ning Yu couldn't see his face, but his intense gaze made the hair on her arms stand up.

*Tick, tick, tick—*

The room was so quiet she could hear the steady rhythm of the man’s wristwatch.

The air in the room seemed to have been sucked out; it was suffocating.

Ning Yu swallowed nervously and tried to speak. "Thank you for today, Fifth Master."

She couldn't read his expression, only hearing his cold scoff. "Don't mention it. A great artist like you is so capable—I’m sure you didn't need my help."

He was genuinely angry. Ning Yu couldn't think of a response, but then she heard footsteps approaching the door.

"Knock, knock."

Two short, sharp raps. The person outside sounded very hesitant.

"Get in here." Li Shiyan sat down in the shadows, his long legs crossed casually as he lit a cigarette.

A man in a sharp suit entered, followed by several beautiful, stunning women. He spoke with a sycophantic tone.

"Fifth Master, I’ve heard about what happened from my staff. It was our negligence that allowed..."

The man looked at Ning Yu and paused for a second. "...that allowed this young lady to be frightened. We truly failed in our duties. I hope you can show us some grace..."

Li Shiyan tapped his fingers against the armrest. "I wasn't the one who was scared, and I'm not the one who needs to be asked for forgiveness."

The manager had worked at Zhuyu for years and had seen every type of person; he was a seasoned veteran. It was impossible for him to miss the subtext.

He quickly dismissed the idea of bringing the hostesses forward and turned to Ning Yu, bowing repeatedly. "Miss, please rest assured. We guarantee we will replace our security staff immediately and upgrade the entire security system. This will never happen again! As a token of our apology, your future visits to Zhuyu will be completely on the house. Please, let your anger go."

Ning Yu couldn't handle being pleaded with, and truthfully, it was her own oversight that led to the situation; it had little to do with the club.

She looked toward the man in the corner and called out, "Fifth Master..."

The man exhaled a puff of smoke, staring at her through the hazy ring of white fog. "Leave the medical kit."

"Yes, yes! Please, enjoy your time at Zhuyu!" With that, the manager and the women scurried out.

Before leaving, the manager carefully closed the door behind them.

Silence returned to the room.

Ning Yu felt a bit guilty and reached out to open the medical kit on the coffee table, intending to bandage her hand herself.

The drunkard had been brutal. Her left hand was a mess of blood, with shards of glass firmly embedded in her skin.

Forget bandaging it with one hand; she could barely even open the medical kit.

A flurry of clumsy movements ensued. Either the gauze unraveled, or she nearly spilled the iodine. Gauze scattered across the table, and iodine mixed with her blood in a messy puddle.

It looked like a crime scene. Ning Yu was in a frantic scramble, using her one good hand to do things that required two, having no idea what she was actually achieving.

It was safe to say she was as clumsy as she was eager.

The man in the corner let out a hum—it was hard to tell if he was amused or just irritated.

Ning Yu’s face burned. She looked up, but the man was half-hidden in the shadows, his cigarette sending up thin wisps of smoke that made it impossible to read his expression.

Feeling restless under his gaze, she muttered under her breath, "What are you laughing at? Never seen someone use one hand before?"

She said it quietly, but she had forgotten that it was just her and Li Shiyan in the room.

"Hmph."

He let out a scoff and crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. "Nothing else you want to say?"