Cheng Ningxi watched as the guy took out his phone, ready to scan her WeChat, so she dropped a bombshell, or rather, a surprise that would shatter his worldview.
Lowering her voice, she mimicked a man’s tone and said, "Dude, you’ve got it wrong. I’m a guy too."
"Holy shit." The guy cursed.
But what he said next nearly threw Cheng Ningxi off balance.
The handso guy looked her up and down, raised his phone again, and said, "Even if you’re a guy, it’s cool."
Cheng Ningxi stood there, stunned. Kids these days were really open-minded.
She thought she’d scare him away, but ended up trapping herself.
She had to refuse again, weaving a huge lie, "My husband is on his way. He won’t be happy."
"Soone’s playing? Well, bye then."
This tactic seed more effective, and she finally got rid of him.
Cheng Ningxi pulled out her phone again to dial Liang Lei’s number. It rang for a long ti before being answered.
"Hello, Ning Xi. I was just about to call you. I can’t make it."
Cheng Ningxi raised an eyebrow, "You can’t do this. What’s up?"
Liang Lei said, "I just left the neighborhood and barely got far before getting grazed."
Cheng Ningxi imdiately asked in concern, "Are you okay?"
Liang Lei replied, "I’m fine. The car’s front bumper got scratched. The other car’s door is dented."
"I’ll co over. Wait for ," Cheng Ningxi said.
"Don’t co. It’s pretty far, and the traffic police are on their way." Liang Lei lived on the east side of Danjiang while the bar was on the extre west.
"Is it that troubleso that it needs police intervention? Can’t you just go for a quick claim?"
Liang Lei let out a mocking laugh through her nose, "Don’t even ntion it. The other party refuses to admit full responsibility. I was driving properly, and he claid I didn’t give way when he illegally changed lanes. Really never t soone so unreasonable."
From Liang Lei’s description, the other party seed quite difficult. Worrying she might suffer a loss, Cheng Ningxi insisted on going over.
"Ning Xi, don’t co. My brother just got off work and is on his way. With him there, I won’t suffer any losses."
Liang Lei’s brother was a lawyer, so he’d handle the scene just fine.
After hanging up, Cheng Ningxi prepared to pay and leave. As she stood up, the handso guy blocked her again, this ti with two friends, who looked a bit older than him.
"Heard you’re a guy?" one of them asked.
Cheng Ningxi finished paying, intending not to stay any longer, ignored them, and walked away.
"Hey..." Another man grabbed Cheng Ningxi’s arm, pulling her into a dimly lit hallway, "Don’t leave."
With the advantage of numbers, the handso guy revealed his true nature, speaking lewdly to Cheng Ningxi, "Let feel if it’s fake."
Just as Cheng Ningxi was about to cry for help while protecting herself, she watched the hand stretching toward her get grabbed and yanked aside.
"What do you want to do?" Cheng Qiaobei shielded Cheng Ningxi.
The handso guy smirked disdainfully, "Isn’t it fine to get acquainted?"
Cheng Qiaobei’s face was dark as he said, "Who the hell are you? Is it necessary to get acquainted?"
"Isn’t coming here all about having fun? If she’s not here to have fun, what’s she doing in a bar?" The handso guy retorted to Cheng Qiaobei, "Didn’t you co for the sa reason? Oh... are you her husband?"
Cheng Qiaobei: "..."
Cheng Ningxi was so embarrassed she wished she could bury herself underground.
"If you’re out to have fun, don’t pretend."
"Who are you calling a pretender!" Cheng Qiaobei clenched his fist tightly.
Worried that Cheng Qiaobei might be at a disadvantage if a fight broke out due to being outnumbered, Cheng Ningxi hurriedly pulled on his arm and persuaded him:
"Forget it, let’s go."
Cheng Qiaobei shook off the hand holding him, giving Cheng Ningxi a look that said not to worry. He warned forcefully:
"When you have a filthy mind, everything else looks dirty. Dare to spout nonsense again, soone will teach you a lesson."
Guests at two nearby tables noticed the commotion involving Cheng Ningxi, as did the bar staff. Both groups gathered, quickly putting the other group at a nurical disadvantage.
"Ma’am, do you need us to call the police?" a staff mber asked Cheng Ningxi.
A few righteous regulars, pointing at the trio, cursed, "Coming here to cause trouble, don’t embarrass us guys, get lost."
Seeing this, the three left in disgrace.
Cheng Ningxi repeatedly thanked the kind helpers, who were cheerful and warm-hearted, casually responding to her thanks:
"Have fun without worry. In Danjiang, we wouldn’t just stand by and watch a girl get taken advantage of."
The two walked out of the bar, finally reaching a place without people, and Cheng Ningxi thanked Cheng Qiaobei:
"Thanks for earlier."
Cheng Qiaobei looked down at her, his face showing no emotion but conveying an aura that felt like a warning to strangers not to enter.
"Cheng Qiaobei," Cheng Ningxi called out.
Finally, there was a slight relaxation between Cheng Qiaobei’s brows as he asked coldly, "Is it worth it for him? To forget a guy, you co to a bar to seek solace. Just for a guy like him, you find any random man to shift your focus?"
Cheng Ningxi was taken aback. Did he honestly think she frequented bars to pick up n?
"Hold on, are you misunderstanding ?"
Cheng Qiaobei said, "I was just in the booth behind you. That kid asked for your WeChat, and you clearly seed like you wanted to add him. If you didn’t want to play, don’t give people a chance. If you give soone a chance, be ready to face the consequences. You’re old enough to understand this, aren’t you?"
Cheng Ningxi was about to explode. She hadn’t intended to accept at all.
"Cheng Qiaobei, if it wasn’t December, with what you just said, it could snow in June."
She was trying to assert that she’d been wronged.
Cheng Qiaobei only believed in what he saw with his own eyes, "You were lucky today, helped by . Next ti, it might not be the sa. Watch out for yourself."
He dropped the words and headed towards his car, with Cheng Ningxi catching up, trying to explain.
"I really didn’t intend to add him. I was trying to reject him by lying that I was a guy, hoping to scare him away, but he didn’t follow the script and said being a guy was also fine."
Cheng Qiaobei stopped and turned, observing her expression. It didn’t look like she was lying.
"If you’re going to make sothing up, at least stick to sothing believable. Who’d believe you’re a guy?"
Cheng Ningxi mimicked a man’s voice again, "Bro, I’m a guy."
Girls from the north apparently had two voices—a rough one and a high-pitched one. Lowering her tone, Cheng Ningxi really did sound like a man.
"Pfft..." Cheng Qiaobei couldn’t hold back his laughter, "Never realized you had this talent."
Cheng Ningxi said, "I was an announcer in high school and college. In college, I even recorded audiobooks. Switching voices is no big deal."
Cheng Qiaobei recalled the young man returning to scan Cheng Ningxi’s WeChat, realizing it wasn’t that she was playing hard to get, but the other guy was just persistent.
"I misunderstood you. Sorry."
Cheng Ningxi smiled, unbothered, "It’s nothing. Glad the misunderstanding’s cleared up."
Cheng Qiaobei noticed that even when he had a poor attitude earlier, Cheng Ningxi remained remarkably composed. Being around soone so emotionally stable was really pleasant.
"But your words earlier did hurt a bit. I ca to the bar tonight because I’d arranged to et my best friend. She had to cancel due to an ergency, and I intended to leave after settling the bill when that kid suddenly appeared causing a scene.
So, I wasn’t here for healing or to find a random man to refocus.
I didn’t carry much emotion for my ex. He can’t impact . The past is the past, and it won’t affect my present.
People change, but they’ll never revert to the past."
After Cheng Ningxi finished speaking, Cheng Qiaobei stood frozen for a mont before rembering the question the kid had asked, making him curious as well.
"Why did he say I’m your husband?"
Cheng Ningxi: "..."
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