Persuade With Reason

"Mr. Xie, Mr. Xie." A female server who recognized Xie Lisu stood up and blocked Jin Fei, preventing Xie Lisu from laying a hand on her. "I didn’t expect you to be here. Let me have a drink with you..."

"Get lost!" Xie Lisu didn’t dare to touch Jin Fei, but he had no qualms about being rough with the servers who entertained guests with drinks and songs. With anger, he shoved the server aside, his movements harsh and unapologetic.

Jin Fei reached out and pulled the young server into her arms. The girl seemed stunned, clinging to Jin Fei’s shoulder, unable to snap out of her shock.

"Ah!" Someone screamed in fright. The table was filled with glasses and hard plates. If someone had fallen onto it, a bump would have been bad enough, but the real danger was the shattered glass that could cut someone’s face.

Zhao Yue couldn’t hold back her anger. "Xie Lisu, you’re out of your damn mind! If you’ve got rabies, go bite someone else, not here!"

"Are you okay?" Jin Fei held the server with one arm while gently patting her back with the other.

The server shook her head slightly, still trembling.

"Go rest on the sofa." Jin Fei bent down and, to everyone’s surprise, picked the server up in her arms.

The girls in the room watched this scene unfold, their hands covering their mouths, their eyes sparkling with admiration.

After placing the server on the sofa, Jin Fei gently tucked the girl’s disheveled hair behind her shoulders. She then turned to face Xie Lisu, her disdain barely concealed. "Get out!"

With so many people watching, Xie Lisu felt humiliated. He pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and threw it onto the sofa. The bills scattered across the sofa and floor.

"Consider this compensation for her shock," Xie Lisu said coldly, his expression unreadable. "Jin Fei, this isn’t a place for someone like you."

What kind of image did she think she was projecting, surrounded by so many men and women?

A decadent ruler lost in a world of indulgence?

"What does it have to do with you?"

The people at the entertainment venue had never seen Jin Fei look at anyone with such icy contempt. But at this moment, it was clear to everyone that Jin Fei despised Xie Lisu to the core.

"I..." Staring at Jin Fei’s cold expression, Xie Lisu was reminded of the days they had spent together. As the heir to the Xie Family, he had always been the center of attention. But whenever he was with Jin Fei, people only saw him as "Jin Fei’s boyfriend" or "the lucky man who won the goddess’s heart."

The initial infatuation and awe had eventually turned into exhaustion and resentment.

Jin Fei was just a woman, a woman whose family background paled in comparison to his.

The glory of the Xie Family heir shouldn’t be overshadowed by a woman.

By now, his relationship with Jin Fei had ended in disgrace the moment he chose to be with Xiao Xiao.

He had expected Jin Fei to confront him, to hate him. But even when she saw him holding hands with Xiao Xiao, she remained the untouchable goddess she had always been.

Jin Fei didn’t spare him another glance. She bent down to pick up the scattered money and handed it to the server, who was still sitting silently on the sofa.

"I can’t..." The server shook her head, refusing to take it.

"He pushed you. Compensation is only right," Jin Fei said with a reassuring smile, pressing the money into the girl’s hand.

"Xie Lisu." Jin Fei stood up and looked at him expressionlessly. Xie Lisu instinctively took a step back.

"You’re a man. I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of so many people. But I’m not your responsibility, and I won’t keep indulging your nonsense." Jin Fei poured a glass of wine and handed it to Xie Lisu, then poured one for herself.

She raised her glass and looked at him. "I don’t like you, and I won’t think more highly of you no matter how much you pester me. Stay away from me, and don’t show up in front of me again."

Xie Lisu held his glass but didn’t move.

"Clink." Their glasses touched lightly. Jin Fei’s expression remained indifferent. "After this drink, let’s consider the past settled."

With that, Jin Fei tilted her head back and drained her glass.

She turned the glass upside down, a single drop of wine clinging to the rim, threatening to fall but never quite doing so.

"Drink."

Her tone was slightly gentler now.

Meeting her gaze, Xie Lisu sneered inwardly. Was this her final act of kindness before they went their separate ways for good?

The friends who had followed Xie Lisu stood outside the door, stunned into silence by what they had just witnessed. Two years ago, Xie Lisu had gone to great lengths to pursue the goddess Jin Fei, earning himself the title of the "true love role model" among the wealthy elite. No one could have predicted that things would end up like this.

Xie Lisu raised his glass and downed the wine in one go.

Damn, what kind of cheap wine was this? It burned his throat.

Xie Lisu clutched his throat, coughing violently. He set the glass on the table, blinked away the tears that had welled up, and turned to leave without a word.

"Lisou..." His friends, waiting outside, looked at him with concern.

"What?" Xie Lisu scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Finally got rid of that trouble. Let’s go back and have a few more drinks to celebrate."

His friends quickly chimed in, slinging their arms around his shoulders and leading him away.

If this kept up, it wouldn’t look good if word got out.

The last friend to leave glanced back and saw Zhao Yue tossing Xie Lisu’s glass into the trash. Jin Fei, who had been speaking softly to the server, seemed to sense his gaze and suddenly looked up.

Her eyes shimmered with an unconscious allure.

For the first time, he understood why Xie Lisu had been so obsessed with her.

"What’s going on here?"

A man suddenly appeared, blocking their path.

"Mr. Fu... Fu Yuchuan?" Seeing him, Xie Lisu’s friends couldn’t help but sneak glances at Xie Lisu.

"I heard you were causing trouble here?" Fu Yuchuan clicked his tongue. "This is a society ruled by law, and everyone is equal. Don’t think you can act like you own the place just because you’ve got money."

No one responded.

Fu Yuchuan noticed Xie Lisu with his hands in his pockets, looking like he was in a great mood, and frowned. "Who did you pick a fight with?"

"No one, no one," Xie Lisu’s friends hurriedly explained. "We were just saying hello, definitely not causing trouble."

"Is that so?" Fu Yuchuan didn’t believe these spoiled brats. He noticed an open door behind them and faintly heard someone cursing Xie Lisu.

He pushed past the group and peeked into the room.

Inside, he saw several servers who had often entertained him before, all gathered in one place.

Noticing a group of people comforting a server, Fu Yuchuan turned to Xie Lisu. "Bullying women now? How impressive."

Xie Lisu ignored him and kept walking.

Fu Yuchuan glanced around the room to confirm no one was hurt, then turned to leave.

"Jin Fei, if that bastard Xie Lisu dares to cause trouble again, just hit him!"

Jin Fei?

Fu Yuchuan couldn’t help but stop and look back into the room, catching a glimpse of a woman surrounded by young men and women.

Now he understood why Xie Lisu had been making a scene.

Back in his own private room, Fu Yuchuan took a sip of the wine handed to him by a server. "Guess who Xie Lisu was picking a fight with?"

"You know them?" Kang Jing tossed a card onto the table. He had been losing streak after streak and was in no mood for games. Hearing Fu Yuchuan’s question, he asked half-heartedly.

"Not just me. Shi Yibai knows her too," Fu Yuchuan said, glancing at Kang Jing’s hand. It was clear Kang was about to lose again.

"Who?"

"A woman," Fu Yuchuan replied with a mysterious smile. "A woman surrounded by beauty. Even Lingling, who used to hang out with me, is over there with her."

"Which woman could possibly outshine your charm?" Kang Jing didn’t believe it. "What about Xie Lisu? Did he stop causing trouble?"

"When I got there, he was already leaving. It seems he didn’t get far," Fu Yuchuan said, shaking his head. "But you should’ve seen the way that woman was surrounded. It was like... men didn’t even matter."

"Yibai, you played the wrong card," Kang Jing said, looking at Shi Yibai’s latest move. "No takebacks. This round’s mine."

Shi Yibai tossed his cards onto the table. "Is it Miss Jin?"

"What?" Fu Yuchuan was taken aback. "How did you guess?"

Shi Yibai stood up and headed for the door.

"Yibai, where are you going?" Kang Jing got up and followed him.

“I’m going to say hello to my lifesaver.” Shi Yibai paused, turning to look at his childhood friends who were about to follow him. His brow furrowed slightly before relaxing again. “It’s good for you to meet her too. In the future, if anything happens, consider it for my sake…”

He had originally intended to ask his friends to look out for Jin Fei, but given Jin Fei’s capabilities, she didn’t need anyone’s help to handle things well.

“If there’s a chance to collaborate in the future, I hope you can get along harmoniously for my sake.”

After Xie Lisu left, two glasses of wine had already been poured. Zhao Yue, who had transformed into a raging keyboard warrior, was still passionately cursing Xie Lisu, dragging the Xie Family’s ancestors eighteen generations into her tirade.

“Have a drink.” Jin Fei handed the glass to Zhao Yue. “Wet your throat a little. You’ve worked hard cursing on my behalf.”

“I’m not cursing a person; I’m cursing a dog.” Zhao Yue clinked glasses with Jin Fei and took a big gulp.

“Sis, you’re at it again.” Pei Yiqi handed a freshly mixed drink to Zhao Yue. “Dogs are good creatures. Why are you insulting them?”

“You’re right. Comparing him to a dog is an insult to dogs.” Zhao Yue took a sip of the drink her cousin had prepared and immediately spat it out. “Oh my dear cousin, what on earth did you mix? Are you trying to murder your own cousin?”

She glanced at the color of the drink, which was identical to the one Pei Yiqi had just handed to Jin Fei. She looked at Jin Fei in shock. “Girl, how did you manage to drink this?”

“How could I not finish a drink mixed by a young boy…”

“Stop, don’t say another word.” Zhao Yue reached out to cover Jin Fei’s mouth, glancing at her cousin, who was smiling shyly.

A woman like Jin Fei, who flirted without even realizing it, was nothing short of a disaster for innocent boys.

*Knock knock knock.*

A knocking sound came from the door. Zhao Yue frowned. Could it be that wretched Xie Lisu again?

“Miss, have some fruit.” A handsome young man held a fork with cut fruit and fed it to Jin Fei.

Jin Fei leaned down and took the fruit into her mouth. “Delicious.”

She smiled and praised, then tilted her head to meet Shi Yibai’s gaze as he stood at the door.

Shi Yibai glanced at the two young and good-looking boys by Jin Fei’s side. His eyes met Jin Fei’s, and his smile was as warm and gentle as the moonlight.

“Miss Jin.”