I have to say, Zhao Xiaoting truly was a professional actress; the art of performing had seeped into every aspect of her daily life.
She even looked beautiful when she cried.
Her expression, a mixture of suppressed grievances and pearly tears, was truly a pitiable sight.
"Alright, if you keep crying, you’ll ruin your meticulously applied makeup."
Yan Feifan reminded her, then immediately asked, "What on earth happened?"
"At a party like this, would someone really dare to cause a scene?"
Zhao Xiaoting quickly used the pad of her pinky to gently dab the corner of her eye. She then took a small compact mirror from the handbag slung in the crook of her arm, checked her reflection, and finally seemed to relax.
"I ran into a senior from a few years above me. He... was being a complete jerk, and the things he said were horrible."
Yan Feifan’s expression darkened. Just then, the handsome Youth beside him suddenly asked, "Did he hit on you before?"
"And you turned him down?"
Zhao Xiaoting glanced at the Youth, then at Yan Feifan, and said hesitantly, "We went out in a group two or three times, but he started getting handsy with me, so I stopped talking to him."
"I hadn’t seen him for a year."
"We happened to run into each other at the party tonight, and he tried to get handsy again. When I dodged him, he just suddenly started insulting me."
Yan Feifan looked around and said, "Where is that bastard? Point him out. I’ll go teach him a lesson for you."
Joy flashed across Zhao Xiaoting’s face, but she immediately shook her head. "No, it’s fine, Mr. Yan. Let’s just forget it."
"In our line of work, it’s common to have to put up with some mistreatment."
But Yan Feifan said assertively, "How can we just let it go?"
"We’re friends. How can I just stand by and do nothing after finding out you’ve been bullied?"
"Zhao Xiaoting, don’t worry about this getting out of hand."
"I’m not in your circle. If this blows up, he’s the one who’ll get hurt the most, not me."
Zhao Xiaoting realized he was right. Pointing toward the southwest side of the courtyard, she said with a hint of excitement, "He was just over there..."
Yan Feifan strode in the direction Zhao Xiaoting had pointed.
Zhao Xiaoting hurried to keep up.
Seeing there was a scene to watch, the handsome Youth also tagged along...
With Zhao Xiaoting’s guidance, Yan Feifan quickly found the bastard who had bullied her.
This guy, Cao Yan, was tasting wine and chatting with two other young men.
When Yan Feifan saw one of the men, he felt both pleased and relieved.
It was Shao Jun, an acquaintance of his.
Despite his bold words, Yan Feifan was still a little unsure how to handle the situation.
’Should I try reasoning with him first?’
’Or should I just start swinging and give him a good kick?’
When it came to fighting, Yan Feifan didn’t have much experience.
However, thanks to his detailed knowledge of human anatomy and his quick reflexes, Yan Feifan was quite confident in his ability to win a one-on-one fight.
The only problem was that fighting was always a Pyrrhic victory. If he accidentally injured his hands, it just wouldn’t be worth it.
’Since Shao Jun is here, I should show him some respect and try to reason first.’
Besides, Yan Feifan noticed that this Cao Yan was the pretty-boy type—handsome, but with a build that was no better than his own.
’In a one-on-one fight,’ Yan Feifan thought confidently, ’with my buffs, there’s a ninety percent chance I could knock him out.’
Yan Feifan strode up to Cao Yan, pointed a finger right at his nose, and demanded loudly and forcefully.
"Were you the one who was just getting handsy with my friend, Zhao Xiaoting, and insulting her?"
Cao Yan looked at Yan Feifan, then at Zhao Xiaoting beside him, who was glaring daggers. He feigned surprise. "What are you talking about? I don’t understand."
He explained, "I’m Xiaoting’s senior. We knew each other from before, we’re friends. It’s just been a long time since we last met."
"I was just so happy to see her, so I might have been a little overly enthusiastic."
"Could it be..."
Cao Yan put on an expression of sudden, remorseful realization. He gave Zhao Xiaoting a slight bow. "My dear junior, I’m so sorry."
"I was just so happy to see you again, I couldn’t help but greet you with an enthusiastic hug, just like we always did."
"I didn’t expect to cause a misunderstanding with your boyfriend."
"I’m sorry, I..."
Zhao Xiaoting was absolutely furious. "Cao Yan, shut your mouth!" she yelled.
"You know perfectly well what you just did to me! Don’t stand there twisting the truth!"
Cao Yan snuck a glance at Yan Feifan, then put on a hurt but understanding expression. "Okay, okay, my dear junior. In front of your boyfriend, whatever you say, goes."