Xue Rui listened to Xu Miyu's question, watched her unusually spirited expression, and felt the excitement surging through the bar's frenzied music. Suddenly, he found himself getting caught up in the mood.
Tilting his head, he saw the fiery female owner of "Night Encounter" standing behind Xu Miyu, bringing a cigarette to her lips for a drag. Her red lips, shifting between dim and brilliant lights, looked like a seductive enchantress capable of draining men's vitality.
Somehow, Xue Rui felt his soul sway within him.
He asked, "Who's all in on this 'mischief'?"
Xu Miyu pointed at herself, then gestured toward the seductive red-lipped owner behind her.
Xue Rui grew even more intrigued and immediately agreed: "Alright! So what's the mischief?"
Xu Miyu explained to Xue Rui that this "mischief" involved—teaching Duan Aoxiang a lesson by ambushing him in the dark to vent her resentment.
In the past, she had been timid and afraid of trouble, enduring Duan Aoxiang's bullying and schemes without daring to speak up, simply swallowing her anger.
But now she had changed. Her courage and mindset had transformed. She was no longer as weak and easily bullied as before, silently tolerating injustices like a mute turtle. Now, she desperately wanted to retaliate against the person who had wronged her—within her limited capabilities, she would start with a small act of revenge.
She had tentatively broached the idea with Li Qiaoqi earlier, never expecting Li Qiaoqi to immediately agree to assist her. The reason given was: "That bastard Duan is insufferable, causing endless trouble. Every slender-waisted girl here has fallen prey to his groping hands. Of course, that includes me—who told me to have a slim waist too? The guy's a total pervert, a complete waist fetishist. So we're teaching him a lesson? No problem, I'll help you. Consider it a reunion gift!"
When Xue Rui first heard what the "mischief" actually entailed, he was startled, thinking he had misheard. Xu Miyu actually wanted to ambush Duan Aoxiang?
But upon reflection, it didn't seem like such a big deal. Duan Aoxiang truly was despicable—there was no need to pick a special day to teach him a lesson; any day that suited their mood would do.
With accomplices secured, the mischief officially began.
When Xue Rui asked for the detailed plan and Xu Miyu started to explain, Li Qiaoqi interrupted with a puff of smoke: "Why ask so many questions? Knowing everything in advance ruins the mystery and anticipation—how boring! Don't worry, your Mi Yu must have everything planned perfectly. Just follow our lead."
Having worked as a personal assistant to a difficult CEO for so many years, Xue Rui was accustomed to arranging every detail in advance, ensuring all steps and logic were known and orderly. Otherwise, he would feel extremely uncomfortable.
Yet, miraculously, hearing Li Qiaoqi's words tonight, he happily abandoned steps, logic, certainty, and order.
Li Qiaoqi asked Xu Miyu what the first step was.
Xu Miyu's eyes sparkled as she said, "Let's start by getting him drunk."
Li Qiaoqi then summoned several attractive male and female alcohol promoters from the bar and sent them to Duan Aoxiang's table, instructing them to get Duan Aoxiang, A He, and Zhao Xinghua as drunk as possible.
"That table's full of fools with money to burn. Go on, don't hold back!"
The promoters eagerly headed over. While they promoted drinks and plied the targets with alcohol, Xu Miyu slipped out of the bar entrance and circled the building alone.The Night Encounter bar was located on the ground floor of a high-rise building. Above it stood another hotel, also luxurious but slightly inferior to those under the Star Century Group.
In front of the building, right at the bar’s main entrance, stretched a broad road lined with several rows of above-ground parking spaces, currently filled with a wide array of luxury cars.
Although the building also had an underground parking garage, it seemed patrons avoided parking there unless absolutely necessary, as it was harder for designated drivers to locate vehicles underground.
The side of the building originally faced a wide, unobstructed road, but recent municipal work had torn up the pavement—whether for excavation or installation remained unclear—blocking the middle section and halting traffic. This temporarily turned the road into a T-junction.
From the blocked horizontal bar of the "T," one could access a narrow, shaded alley behind the building. The alley was so tight that parking on both sides would render it impassable.
Xu Miyu noticed a thick layer of dust on the cars parked here, indicating this was a spot for long-term parking.
Further observation revealed that luck was on her side tonight.
Due to the roadwork blocking the intersection, the surveillance camera there was also out of commission. Until repairs finished and barriers were removed, the back alley would remain a blind spot, free from camera coverage.
The opposite side of the building, parallel to the T-junction, was separated by a fence and trees, creating a buffer zone between the building and an office complex. That area was unlikely to have any foot traffic and could be disregarded.
So, as long as she could lure Duan Aoxiang into the back alley and ensure no one strayed into the T-junction, she could ambush him unnoticed.
After surveying the area around the bar’s building, Xu Miyu headed back inside.
As she approached the bar, her gaze drifted toward the adjacent building’s main entrance—which led to the lobby of the other hotel. For a moment, she thought she glimpsed a familiar figure sitting on one of the lobby sofas.
But when she looked more closely, the sofa was empty—no person, no ghost.
She raised a hand to her forehead, attributing the illusion to the alcohol.
She returned to the bar.
In the neighboring hotel lobby, someone slowly straightened up from the sofa.
The moment he realized someone was watching from outside, he had bent over, pretending to tie his shoelaces.
He had been standing outside earlier, waiting to see if Xue Rui safely escorted Xu Miyu away.
But after a long wait, neither of them emerged.
Unable to resist, he texted Xue Rui: "Have you taken her back yet?"
Xue Rui replied honestly: "Not yet. Mi Yu said she wants to stay a bit longer with her friend and have a few drinks."
He put away his phone, his mood neither good nor bad but stifled, as if holding back anger. He considered hailing a taxi and leaving immediately.
Let them stay as long as they wanted.
But just as he was about to raise his arm, his resolve wavered, tangled in that suffocating frustration.He simply wasn't leaving. He was determined to see just how long they planned to stay and keep drinking.
Going back into the bar was out of the question—his pride wouldn't allow it.
Glancing at the guest sofa in the neighboring hotel lobby, he strode inside.
After returning to the bar, Xu Miyu informed Li Qiaoqi of their next move.
Li Qiaoqi then summoned the valet who had parked Duan Aoxiang's car and instructed him to tell Duan that his vehicle needed to be moved—specifically, to the narrow alley behind the bar.
The valet blinked in confusion. "Boss, there's still space out front. Why move it to the back alley?"
Xue Rui chimed in, "Yeah, why move it to the back when there's room upfront? Isn't that too obvious?"
Li Qiaoqi patiently enlightened the valet with a well-reasoned explanation: "Just say this: The front is crowded with cars and people, and drunkards stumbling by. Mr. Duan's car is so luxurious—if some careless passerby or vehicle accidentally scratches it, we wouldn't be able to take responsibility. Remember those two times before when his car got scratched? He was upset, and we felt guilty too, right? So this time, as soon as we remembered that, we immediately decided to move his car to the back alley. Fewer people pass through there, so it's much safer."
The valet completely accepted this reasoning and praised Li Qiaoqi with genuine admiration: "Boss, you're the boss! Your thinking is always more thorough than ours! Alright, I'll go ask Mr. Duan for the keys and move the car right away."
After the valet scurried off cheerfully, Xue Rui couldn't help but give Li Qiaoqi a thumbs-up.
He truly admired her ability to spin blatant lies so effortlessly and convincingly.
The alcohol salespeople Li Qiaoqi had selected were all seasoned veterans with exceptional skills. While selling drinks, they managed to get both A He and Zhao Xinghua completely drunk.
But Duan Aoxiang was surprisingly resilient—his alcohol tolerance was remarkably high, so much so that one couldn't help but wonder if he was secretly channeling some Duan Yu-style Six Meridian Divine Sword technique through his little finger, expelling the alcohol from his body as he drank. That would explain why he never got fully drunk—not even to the point where he wouldn't be able to recognize who was hitting him.
Even when A He and Zhao Xinghua were slumped unconscious like dead weight, Duan Aoxiang could still stand on his own and stagger unsteadily to the restroom.
Returning from the restroom, Duan Aoxiang looked at the two lying motionless on the sofa, unable to even groan, and felt thoroughly disappointed. He tossed a stack of cash to the attractive saleswoman and said, "This is boring. I'm done drinking. Have the staff book me a room at the hotel upstairs and haul these two deadweights up there. Keep the change as your tip."
After giving instructions, he called for the valet and told him, "Go get my car and call me a designated driver."
The valet hesitated awkwardly. "Mr. Duan, I'm really sorry, but there's a whole row of cars parked outside the bar right now—no empty spots. It's not easy to bring your car over right away, and there's no place for it to wait for the driver. Would you mind walking to where your car is parked tonight? Sorry for the inconvenience!"
Duan Aoxiang grumbled irritably for a moment before snapping, "Then hurry up and show me where my car is! Don't just stand there like an idiot!"
With that, he stood up and stumbled drunkenly out of the bar.The waiter led him to the back alley of the building. As they circled the structure, Duan Aoxiang staggered along, reeking of alcohol and grumbling, "Why is it so far?"
The waiter quickly explained, "Your car is the most expensive of all the parked vehicles—we didn’t want it to get scratched!"
Duan Aoxiang snapped at him, "Alright, I get it. You already said that once. Wait, did you say it before? Right? See, my alcohol tolerance is pretty good—I even remember that!" He let out a wild laugh, but his expression suddenly darkened, and he started cursing again. "I’m tired of walking! Tell your boss that if they park my car this far again next time, they’d better have a shuttle ready for me!"
The waiter repeatedly assured him, "Yes, yes," and finally led him to his car before hastily retreating back to the bar.
On his way back, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen a shadow flit across the T-junction.
After the waiter returned to the bar, Xu Miyu, Li Qiaoqi, and Xue Rui emerged from behind a large tree by the roadside.
They hurried toward the back alley. Xu Miyu carried a wooden club, Xue Rui held a large cloth sack, and Li Qiaoqi was tugging at the collar of her shirt, pulling it down from a round neckline to an off-shoulder style.
Xue Rui couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her dazzling bare shoulders.
Just as the three were about to charge into the alley to carry out their ambush plan, a harsh, straight beam of light suddenly flashed behind them, accompanied by the sound of an electric motor.
They quickly ducked back to the roadside, hiding themselves again. Turning to look, they saw an electric delivery scooter speeding recklessly toward them.
As it drew closer, they realized it was a food delivery rider, charging determinedly into the T-junction before swerving past them and heading straight into the back alley.
A few seconds later, a loud "thud" echoed, followed by a pained cry. Immediately after, a stream of "I’m sorry"s, tinged with tears and fear, rang out.
The three peered into the alley and saw that the delivery rider, realizing he’d taken a wrong turn, had tried to make a U-turn. But his wheels slipped, and in the commotion, he ended up scraping Duan Aoxiang’s car parked by the curb.
Xu Miyu, Li Qiaoqi, and Xue Rui exchanged bewildered glances. "..."
He actually scratched it. Even hiding all the way out here, it still got scratched.
This was truly a case of "the wicked will be punished by their own deeds"!
The delivery rider steadied his scooter, flustered and apologizing nonstop.
He was terrified by the car emblem gleaming behind Duan Aoxiang.
Duan Aoxiang leaned against his car, lit a cigarette, and took a drag while cursing, "Are you blind?"
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry!"
"I parked in this shady spot specifically to avoid getting scratched, and you still managed to ride here and scrape it? Did you do it on purpose?"
"I’m really sorry, I’m sorry!"
"Get lost."
"Sorry, I—huh?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? I said get lost, don’t you understand? Or what, you think you can afford to pay for this?"
The delivery rider, overwhelmed with gratitude, sputtered dozens of "thank you"s in rapid succession before leaping onto his scooter and speeding away as if shot from a rocket.
Xu Miyu, Li Qiaoqi, and Xue Rui exchanged another look.
Then, with a shared nod, they resumed their plan.
Li Qiaoqi entered the alley first. To distinguish herself from her appearance inside the bar, she had even changed her clothes and hairstyle.As she stepped into the line of sight of Duan Aoxiang, who was leaning against his car waiting for his designated driver, she turned her back to him and theatrically cried "Aiya!" as she collapsed to the ground. While falling, one of her high heels—whose heel had been deliberately damaged beforehand—twisted backward.
Hearing the noise, Duan Aoxiang glanced over. Through his drunken haze, he saw the slender figure of a woman sitting on the ground after a fall, one leg bent backward. The broken high heel gaped at him like an open mouth, seemingly greeting him.
Intoxicated by alcohol, his reason and judgment abandoned him. Driven by primal instinct, he answered that "greeting," straightening up from the car and staggering toward the graceful silhouette.
As he walked, he let out a flirtatious, teasing whistle: "Hey beautiful, need some help?"
He circled around to face her. The woman kept her head lowered, rubbing her leg and moaning in pain. Though he couldn't see her face clearly, the hazy atmosphere convinced him she must indeed be a beauty. Fighting through his drunken stupor, he crouched down and leaned forward, trying to get a look at the face of the woman who kept whimpering with her head down.
Just then, everything went dark.
Xue Rui, with his swift and decisive actions, proved that aside from being Ji Feng's assistant, he truly doubled as his bodyguard.
Almost too fast to perceive, yet moving with silent stealth, he rushed behind Duan Aoxiang in an instant. With rapid efficiency, he threw a cloth sack over Duan Aoxiang's head and upper body, quickly cinched it tight, and delivered a sharp kick. Duan Aoxiang immediately tumbled to the ground.
Duan Aoxiang roared curses: "Who the hell is this? Damn you for messing with me! Believe me, I'll kill you! Let me go right now!"
His voice was muffled and distorted by the cloth sack, sounding hoarse and menacing.
But no one paid him any attention.
Xu Miyu swiftly rushed over as well and began indiscriminately beating the now human-shaped cloth sack with a stick.
She controlled her strength carefully, ensuring the beating served as both revenge and humiliation without causing any real injury.
Li Qiaoqi also got up from the ground, took out her phone, and started recording the stick-beaten Duan Aoxiang on the ground. Finding the scene reminiscent of Xu Miyu pounding a dirty piece of rice cake that had fallen on the floor, she stifled her laughter, trying hard not to make a sound. She handled the camera angles skillfully, capturing only the stick in the frame and keeping the person wielding it out of view.
Seeing that the timing was about right, Xu Miyu continued pounding the "dirty rice cake" on the ground while disguising her voice to sound like someone else, angrily declaring: "Duan Aoxiang, you shameless bastard! How dare you seduce my aunt! You won't even spare a woman in her fifties? Are you even human? Today I'm recording your disgraceful state. If you ever mess around again, I'll post this online for everyone to see!"
After a few more wild strikes to vent her anger sufficiently, she exchanged glances with the other two, then turned and fled the scene.
Still trapped in the cloth sack, Duan Aoxiang writhed furiously on the ground, cursing wildly, but he couldn't break free from the sack's confines.
Fortunately, before long, the designated driver finally arrived. Seeing what looked like a dirty, writhing rice cake on the ground, he kindly freed the man from the cloth sack.
Once back in the light of day, Duan Aoxiang was absolutely livid. He roared with rage toward the end of the alley, where the assailants had long since disappeared.After venting his anger, he turned his attention to the designated driver, blaming him instead. If the driver had arrived earlier, he wouldn't have been made a fool of like a complete idiot in that elaborate scam.
"Did you drop dead halfway? Why are you only showing up now?"
The driver, confirming that the disheveled, ashen-faced man in front of him was the one who had booked the service, quickly apologized and explained: "I'm so sorry! I actually arrived earlier, but this place is really secluded. I was worried I might have the wrong spot, so I asked someone for directions. That person told me your location was at the next intersection, so I rode straight there. When I realized it was wrong, I had to ride back, which is why I'm late. I'm so sorry! It's all the fault of the person who gave me directions—they must have been drunk and talking nonsense!"
Duan Aoxiang was so exhausted from his rage that he no longer had the energy to throw a tantrum. He let the driver help him into the car.
On the way home, fueled by alcohol, he alternated between fuming and dozing off until he eventually fell asleep.
The three accomplices, thrilled by their successful mischief, exchanged high-fives and prepared to return to the bar to celebrate before capping off their perfect night.
As they rounded the corner of the building, brimming with excitement and about to dash back to the bar entrance, they suddenly saw a figure slowly emerge from the shadows. The trio froze in unison, startled, and halted their steps.
Xu Miyu and Xue Rui strained their eyes to see clearly and were simultaneously shocked to discover that the person standing before them was none other than Ji Feng!
Li Qiaoqi, who didn’t know Ji Feng, assumed they had been caught red-handed and grew particularly tense.
Xu Miyu stared at Ji Feng, unsure how much he knew about the "mischief" they had just pulled off and what his attitude toward it might be.
His intentions were unclear, so she remained composed.
Xue Rui was the first to snap out of it, realizing he needed to greet his boss as if nothing were amiss. But his tongue failed to keep up with his thoughts, and he stammered, "B-b-boss, d-d-didn’t you already leave?"
Hearing this, Li Qiaoqi relaxed beside him. "Oh, he’s your boss? So he’s one of us? Then it’s fine."
Xu Miyu also greeted Ji Feng: "President Ji."
"Huh? He’s your boss too? So you and Xue Rui aren’t just friends—you’re actually colleagues?" Li Qiaoqi chimed in again with her commentary-like exclamation.
Ji Feng glanced at Xu Miyu, then at Xue Rui, furrowing his brow and speaking in a low, stern voice: "You two are quite bold."
His tone was ambiguous, leaving them uncertain whether he intended to reprimand them. After all, no matter how detestable Duan Aoxiang might be, Ji Feng might not approve of such underhanded tactics. Unsure of his stance, neither Xu Miyu nor Xue Rui dared to respond lightly.
"Do you really think you’re so clever?" Ji Feng asked coldly.
Xu Miyu and Xue Rui’s hearts sank. It seemed Ji Feng disapproved of their actions and was about to lecture them...
"Do you think your plan was flawless?" His voice grew even colder.
Xu Miyu and Xue Rui both lowered their heads, ready to apologize and repent. Even Li Qiaoqi was intimidated by Ji Feng’s icy interrogation. She almost forgot she wasn’t an employee of this stern-faced president and nearly bowed her head in remorse alongside Xu Miyu and Xue Rui.
"Can’t you use your brains and think through every detail before taking action?" Ji Feng’s voice was so cold that each word felt like it had been chiseled from ice.
Xu Miyu and Xue Rui couldn’t help but exchange a glance.—Why does it feel like although his words are cold, they don’t really seem like he’s going to hold them accountable or lecture them??
Xu Miyu couldn’t help but look up and say, “We considered every aspect before taking action…”
She had been quite confident at first, but when she met Ji Feng’s mocking gaze, her assertiveness unconsciously faded.
“Is that so?” Ji Feng slowly replied with two words, each syllable laden with what felt like thousands of tons of disdain. “Are you sure?”
Xu Miyu heard a series of puttering sounds behind her—likely an electric scooter driving along the T-shaped road to its end, turning, and then disappearing into the back alley behind the building.
Who would drive into the back alley in the middle of the night? she wondered idly.
Suddenly, her eyes widened as she turned to Ji Feng.
They had indeed overlooked a detail—the designated driver who had just passed by!
Thinking back carefully, there had been an unexpected delay during their plan today: a food delivery rider had taken a wrong turn and scratched Duan Aoxiang’s car. Timewise, the designated driver should have arrived shortly after that incident. Yet, even after they had finished dealing with Duan Aoxiang, the driver still hadn’t shown up.
So, one possibility was—
“Did you help us by intercepting the driver??”
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