Addicted to Pampering His Wife

Chapter 4: Our Second Encounter

Mu Hongxiao had always loved making trouble for Jing Ning, constantly finding ways to pick on her.

But right now, Jing Ning wasn’t in the mood to deal with her. She pulled some cash from her bag and paid the bill.

Mu Hongxiao, however, stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

"Where do you think you're going? Come on, let me see... is it some lucky coin set you're handing out, or are you selling oil to grease your way?"

She reached out to snatch Jing Ning's bag.

Jing Ning took a step back, her gaze cold.

"Mu Hongxiao, don’t push it!"

"Push it? Haha..." Mu Hongxiao laughed, as though she’d heard the funniest joke. "Jing Ning, do you still think you’re my brother’s girlfriend? You two broke up! You’re nothing now, so why are you acting all high and mighty?"

Jing Ning kept her face blank, not showing any emotion.

Mu Hongxiao waved her hand dismissively. "Someone grab her bag!"

"Who cares about the bag?" one of her lackeys said. "Isn’t she the one who sells... let’s just say ‘special’ items? It’s late, and she’s still out delivering—who knows if she’s delivering goods or herself?"

"Exactly. And judging by how stiff and cold she looks, no one would want her anyway. How about we just strip her and see what we find? Maybe we can clear your brother’s name."

Mu Hongxiao’s eyes lit up. "Yes! That’s the plan."

Several of them started moving toward Jing Ning, cracking their knuckles. Her expression shifted.

Taking advantage of their distraction, she suddenly turned and ran.

She was still drunk, her steps unsteady, and she couldn’t even tell which direction she was going. In her foggy state, she saw a door with two characters on it and rushed inside.

Inside the restroom, a voice rang out: "What the hell?!"

There were only two men in there—one was smoking, the other was at the urinal. They were so shocked by her sudden entry that they nearly wet themselves.

Jing Ning, equally stunned, paused for a second before realizing she had walked into the wrong place. Her face turned bright red.

"Sorry, sorry! I—I must have gone into the wrong room!"

She stumbled backward, trying to leave, but then she heard Mu Hongxiao’s voice from outside.

"Where did she go? Where is she?"

"I saw her run this way. How could she have disappeared?"

"She must be in the restroom! Let’s go check!"

Jing Ning’s face went pale. She looked up and vaguely recognized the man who had been smoking.

"Excuse me, sir... Can I hide here for a moment?"

It was an awkward request, but she knew she had no choice. She couldn’t let Mu Hongxiao catch her.

Lu Jingshen gave her a cold, expressionless look before turning his gaze to the other man, Su Mu, who was hastily pulling up his pants. "Get out."

Su Mu, frightened, was quick to leave.

Jing Ning felt dizzy. Without thinking, she reached out to steady herself, but just as she did, her legs buckled, and she tumbled forward.

She instinctively braced for impact, closing her eyes in anticipation of the pain.

But instead of hitting the ground, she felt a strong arm catch her, pulling her up.

She found herself pressed against the man’s chest, her head spinning even more. Her body started to slide downward.

Lu Jingshen quickly put out his cigarette and, with both hands, lifted her up. Looking at her drunken state, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Jing Ning, how much did you drink?"

Hearing him call her name, she realized he knew her. She was confused and asked, "You know me?"

Lu Jingshen’s expression remained impassive, his eyes unreadable. After a long pause, he gave a thin, detached smile.

"I don’t."

...

Lu Jingshen carried Jing Ning out of the bar.

She clung to his neck, her face flushed from the alcohol. Her eyes were half-closed, completely intoxicated.

He gently placed her in the back seat of the car, then sat next to her.

Su Mu, who was driving, asked politely, "Where should we go, Mr. Lu?"

"Lu Garden."

"Yes, sir!"

The car drove through the quiet, empty streets. Jing Ning, feeling uncomfortable from the alcohol, leaned her head against the window, too tired to think.

When she was drunk, she had one habit—she was quiet. She didn’t argue or make noise. She just wanted to sleep.

This meant that she didn’t even realize the situation she was in, nor did she notice the man sitting beside her.

Her mind was hazy, her head aching from the alcohol. She barely felt the discomfort.

At that moment, her phone buzzed in her bag.

She frowned, reaching for it and fumbling for a while before finally pulling it out. She pressed the answer button, still a little dazed.

"Hello?"

"Jing Ning, I heard from Hongxiao that you left Lihua bar with a man?"

It was Mu Yanze.

She opened her eyes, her blurry gaze tinged with confusion. "What? Did she tell on me?"

Mu Yanze’s voice was cold and sharp. "I know I messed up today, but you can’t just let yourself go like this. A bar? How could you…?"

Jing Ning didn’t have the patience to listen to him anymore. She interrupted, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Where are you? I’ll send someone to pick you up."

"Does Jing Xiaoya even allow you to do this?"

"Xiaoya’s not as bad as you think. She’s always considered you a sister. If anything happens to you, she’d be devastated."

Jing Ning scoffed.

For the first time, she realized how shameless some people could be.

Jing Xiaoya had truly reached new lows.

"Then she must not have told you that half an hour ago, she called me to gloat about finally stealing my boyfriend and showing off her pregnancy to rub it in my face."

Mu Yanze immediately denied it. "That’s impossible!"

Jing Ning sneered, her laugh dripping with sarcasm.

Mu Yanze, taking a deep breath, his patience wearing thin, said, "Jing Ning, what do you want? From the beginning, Xiaoya has never said anything bad about you. She knew you were at the bar, so she had me call you to make sure you were okay. But you? You keep assuming the worst about her. I admit, some things were wrong on our end, but don’t you think you’ve made mistakes too?

You’ve always acted like you’re superior to her because of your background, bullying her every chance you got. Every time I had a social event, I asked you to come with me, but you refused. I told you to stop doing that business, and you acted like the industry was beneath you.

Jing Ning, I have my own reputation too. I can’t let people find out my girlfriend is someone who sells... whatever it is you do.

Jing Ning was trembling with rage.

She never thought Mu Yanze would think this way about her.

She bullied Jing Xiaoya?

She refused to go to his social events?

She embarrassed him by selling whatever it was?

Her eyes filled with red-hot anger. After a brief moment, she suddenly let out a low laugh, one full of bitter irony.

"So this is what you think, huh? Fine! Well, remember what you just said. I won’t forgive either of you. One day, you’ll regret this."

With that, she hung up the phone.

The car was filled with a thick, suffocating silence.