After tossing the wallet back to Li Xuan, Chen Shang pulled out his card.
"Pay for the table," he said.
"Oh, no need! I'll cover the table for everyone as an apology for our lack of oversight," the bar owner quickly interjected, a nervous smile on his face. The last thing he wanted was for Chen Shang to mention any of this to Qijie. Everyone who dealt with Qijie knew that while she was easygoing about most things, she was utterly unyielding when it came to matters concerning Chen Shang.
Chen Shang shrugged, putting his card away, and turned to leave. A group of students hurried to follow him out, with Su Qiluo running up to grab his hand.
"Chen Shang brother, you were amazing!" she exclaimed, her large eyes sparkling as she gazed up at him with admiration.
Wink, wink.
Before he could respond, Shen Xiaowen quickly clung to Chen Shang's other arm, her voice sweetly chiming in, "Senior, you're so cool!"
Following closely behind them was Li Xuan, who quickly ran up to Chen Shang. Taking a deep breath, Li Xuan stood in front of him, gratitude evident on his face.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Chen Shang was a bit surprised and gave Li Xuan an appraising look. It seemed this kid, despite his temper, wasn't inherently bad.
"No problem. Just avoid picking fights with drunkards next time," Chen Shang advised casually.
"But they were the ones who started it…" Li Xuan muttered defensively.
Chen Shang shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Kid, you're still too young. Why bother arguing? Next time, just throw money at their faces."
His words seemed to trigger a revelation in Li Xuan, whose eyes widened with realization.
"Can I call you 'Big Brother' from now on?" he asked eagerly.
"Get lost!" Chen Shang retorted without hesitation.
The mood of the group had soured after the bar fight, and no one really felt like continuing the celebration. So, after leaving the bar, everyone went their separate ways.
"Senior, I'm a bit scared. Can you walk me home?" Shen Xiaowen asked, batting her eyelashes as she clung to Chen Shang's arm.
"I have something to do, so I can't," Chen Shang replied with an apologetic smile, shaking his head.
Rejection caused Shen Xiaowen's expression to stiffen for a moment before she dropped her gaze, feigning disappointment.
"Okay…"
Chen Shang hailed a taxi and helped her inside. Then, pulling out his phone, he said, "But you can give me your contact information. If you run into any trouble, give me a call."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaowen's spirits immediately lifted. She eagerly pulled out her phone to exchange contact info with him, her previous dismay completely forgotten.
"Stay safe," Chen Shang said as he closed the taxi door behind her.
As the taxi drove away, only Chen Shang and Su Qiluo were left on the street. (Li Xuan had long since been sent on his way by Chen Shang.)
"Chen Shang brother!" Su Qiluo still had that adorable, innocent look on her face as she tugged on the hem of Chen Shang's shirt.
"Huh? You're still here?" Chen Shang turned to her with a look that said he was genuinely surprised she hadn't left yet.
Su Qiluo's cheerful expression faltered for a split second, her smile becoming noticeably strained.
"Aren't you going to walk me home, Chen Shang brother?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of expectation.
"Nope. I already said I've got things to do," he replied matter-of-factly.
Su Qiluo's expression finally cracked. She had assumed that when Chen Shang told Shen Xiaowen he was busy, it was an excuse to walk her home instead. She had even been a bit smug about it. Now, realizing it had all been in her head, her face fell, and her posture slumped in disappointment.
Looking defeated, Su Qiluo muttered a goodbye and walked away, looking like a lost, heartbroken puppy.
Chen Shang watched her leave, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
After walking a short distance, Su Qiluo turned around to sneak a glance, only to find that Chen Shang had already disappeared.
"That jerk!" she cursed under her breath, clearly irritated.
"What's that? Just a moment ago, I was 'Chen Shang brother,' but now I'm a jerk?" Chen Shang's voice suddenly sounded right behind her. Startled, Su Qiluo whirled around, only to come face-to-face with Chen Shang's glowing red eyes.
Her body stiffened momentarily, but Su Qiluo quickly regained her composure, forcing herself to smile innocently once again.
"I wasn't talking about you, Chen Shang brother," she lied sweetly.
Chen Shang chuckled, but this time his smile wasn't the charming, gentlemanly one he usually wore—it had a distinctly mocking edge to it.
"Why are you laughing, Chen Shang brother?" Su Qiluo asked, feigning confusion.
"Cut the act. Isn't it exhausting to keep pretending, you sly little thing?" Chen Shang teased.
Su Qiluo's facade finally cracked. Her expression turned cold and indifferent as she stopped playing the innocent girl.
"So, you're assuming all this just because I called you a jerk?" she asked icily.
"No, of course not," Chen Shang replied, still grinning as he grabbed her wrist gently.
"For example, you said you were too scared to go into the bar alone but had no problem approaching a complete stranger. Don't you think that's a bit odd?"
"Oh? And what if I'm just naturally sweet and naive?" Su Qiluo cocked her head, her tone playful again, though her eyes were anything but.
Chen Shang raised her wrist slightly. "Do you know why I grabbed your wrist and not your hand?"
Su Qiluo stayed silent, staring at him coldly.
"It was to check your pulse. When a girl who's supposedly afraid of strangers gets led into a bar by one, why wouldn't her heart rate increase?"
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]