Unable to bring herself to label Chen Huaixu as such, she gave up and declared, "Let's go drinking!"

As night fell, the bar lights dimmed, casting the space in a hazy glow. The music pulsed through the dance floor, the heavy bass vibrating through the floorboards.

Listening to Yan Zhen's tearful, fragmented account between sips of alcohol, Ying Shu finally pieced together what had happened. Just days ago, at the airport, she had worried about Yan Zhen being deceived. She hadn't expected the "scumbag" to reveal his true colors so quickly. Angered, she slammed her glass on the table. "Don't be sad. I'll find someone to teach him a lesson, beat him so badly even his own mother won't recognize him."

Yan Zhen panicked. "No! You can't hit him!"

"Seriously, Yan Zhen? You're still protecting him after all this?"

Yan Zhen took another large gulp of her drink, clearly intoxicated, and slumped onto the bar, her words slurring. "I... I let him do that to me... How could he..."

Ying Shu leaned closer. "Zhenzhen, are you this upset because you really like him? Because you don't want to break up with him?"

Yan Zhen paused, her flushed cheeks illuminated by the shifting colored lights of the bar. She didn't answer but cried even harder.

Seeing her like this, Ying Shu decided to call Yan Zhao. "Hey, Yan Zhao, I'm at a bar with Zhenzhen. She's really not doing well... I'm a little worried. Maybe you should come get her?"

"I'm not in Ningchuan. I'm in the US." Yan Zhao seemed to consider for a moment. "I'll send someone to pick her up. Just wait there."

After hanging up, Ying Shu returned to her seat, trying to prevent Yan Zhen from drinking too much while offering words of comfort.

As they sat at the bar, people couldn't help but stare at the two beautiful women, especially Yan Zhen. Unaware of the attention, she slumped on the counter, her figure on full display. Several men passing by openly ogled her.

Disgusted by their blatant stares, Ying Shu took off her jacket and draped it over Yan Zhen. Unfortunately, this didn't deter a persistent man from approaching them.

"Ladies, want to join us for a drink?" A man with dyed yellow hair smirked. "It's on me. We could—"

Ying Shu cut him off sharply. "Not interested. Get lost."

The man's smile faltered, and he muttered a curse under his breath. He reached out to grab Yan Zhen's shoulder. "Playing hard to get, huh? Well, I'm—"

Before he could finish, a slender hand shot out from behind and clamped down on his wrist, twisting it sharply. He cried out in pain, his face contorted. Then, a forceful kick to the back of his knee sent him sprawling to the floor. He curled up, clutching his wrist and groaning, like a dying insect.

Ying Shu looked up in surprise to see a handsome, composed face, its features calm except for a tightly drawn mouth that betrayed his displeasure.

It was Chen Huaixu.

In full view of everyone, he placed his foot on the man's wrist and ground his heel down, eliciting another cry of agony. His expression remained impassive, deaf to the man's pleas for mercy, as cold and detached as if he weren't the one inflicting the pain.

Finally, when the man was nearly unconscious, Chen Huaixu released his foot. His voice was calm, but his words were ice. "You think you're worthy of touching her?"