Chapter Fifty-Six: Man Is the Knife, I Am the Fish

Lin Yuxin did not respond. Some things were understood without words. She exhaled and changed the subject. “Feiyang, lend me two million. I’ll give you three points higher interest than the bank, for a year. Consider it a favor I owe you—alright?”

She was already five or six tenths drunk, and the urge to leave had arisen. It was time for things to end.

Chen Feiyang’s expression turned cold. He knew Lin Yuxin was refusing to yield; whether he agreed or not, she’d probably leave soon. He pondered for a moment and said, “Let me check how much I have on my card.” As he spoke, he gave Lu Keyer a subtle look, picked up his phone, and walked out.

As soon as Chen Feiyang left, Lu Keyer immediately grabbed a bottle of whiskey and approached Lin Yuxin, filling two glasses to the brim. Unlike their earlier drinking games, this was straight liquor—one glass was worth three or four of the diluted ones.

“Yuxin, about last time—I asked you to apologize. If you forgive me, drink this glass.” With that, Lu Keyer downed her glass in one go, her cheeks flushing with alcohol.

Lin Yuxin frowned. “Keyer, I forgive you, but I really can’t drink any more. If I do, I’ll be truly drunk.”

Lu Keyer stubbornly thrust the glass toward her. “No, if you get drunk, I’ll take you home. If you don’t drink, you don’t forgive me.”

Lin Yuxin’s brow furrowed deeper. She reached out to push the glass away, barely using any force, but Lu Keyer’s wrist trembled and the entire glass spilled onto herself.

Lin Yuxin was stunned. Lu Keyer let out a sharp cry, drawing everyone’s attention, then abruptly turned hostile. “Lin Yuxin, I took you as my best friend, offered you a toast in good faith, and not only did you refuse—you splashed me instead! What do you take me for?”

Lin Yuxin was bewildered. She wasn’t as clear-headed as usual and thought it was her own careless mistake. She hurriedly stood to apologize. “Keyer, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I really can’t drink anymore.”

“You did it on purpose!” Lu Keyer refused to accept her apology and shoved her back onto the sofa, her gaze fierce. “I don’t accept your apology—unless you drink what’s left of this bottle.”

She set the remaining half-bottle of whiskey on the table before Lin Yuxin.

Lin Yuxin’s pupils contracted. Even if she could manage to drink this much, she’d be unconscious afterward.

Liu Qian came over to support Lu Keyer. “Yuxin, I’ll say it fairly—if you’re sorry, show some sincerity. You need to drink!”

The other two women approached as well. One, face cold, said, “Club rules—if you splash someone with liquor, it’s like slapping them in the face. To apologize, you have to drink a whole bottle.”

The other woman said nothing but nodded in strong agreement.

Seeing this, Lin Yuxin panicked. She’d done her homework before coming. The two major clubs, Paradise and King, weren’t the cleanest in Qing City, but they were the strictest about the rules. If anyone was caught drugging drinks, the consequences were dire and often involved a brutal reckoning. That was why she’d let her guard down earlier.

But if she was forced to drink until she was drunk and then taken out of the club, there would be no protection for what might happen next.

There was no way she could drink this half-bottle.

“Keyer, I’m sorry. I’ll pay for your clothes, but I can’t drink the liquor.”

Her tone was resolute. Lu Keyer’s eyes turned icy, gritting her teeth. “Who cares about your compensation? You’re about to lose everything, yet you still act tough. I warn you—don’t test my patience. I’ll ask you one last time: will you drink or not?”

“I can’t drink.”

“Fine. If you won’t, I’ll help you. Zhao Yan, Ma Li, hold her arms and legs. Liu Qian, hold her head.”

A sinister smile flickered across Lu Keyer’s face as she barked orders. The three women moved at once, holding Lin Yuxin down on the sofa despite her desperate struggle.

“Liu Qian, we’re all classmates—don’t overdo it...” Li Chen, who was closest to Liu Qian, hesitated to intervene. But Lu Keyer shot him a glare. “The women will handle this—men stay out!”

Li Chen knew about Lu Keyer’s ambiguous relationship with Chen Feiyang. Getting the cold shoulder, his expression shifted several times, and he finally stood and walked out of the room.

Shi Jie, the quietest one that night, didn’t try to intervene, but while no one was watching, he picked up Lin Yuxin’s phone from the table and slipped away to the suite’s bathroom.

“Lin Yuxin, don’t blame me—blame yourself for not knowing what’s good for you. You could have let it go, but you chose to keep up your act. When you’re nothing more than a limp fish, let’s see how long you can keep pretending.” Lu Keyer leaned close to Lin Yuxin’s ear, her words meant for the two of them alone. As Lin Yuxin stared at her in shock and anger, Lu Keyer pinched her cheeks and forced the liquor into her mouth.

…

In an internet café, Hong Chen and Xu Le sat side by side in a small booth. As the in-game boss dropped a VIP item, Hong Chen pushed his keyboard aside and, glancing at Xu Le, smiled wryly. “Bad luck. When we got there, the ant queen was already down to half health. They’d been at it all day; give the laborers their due. Anyway, there’s nothing good in the drops.”

Xu Le laughed. “Don’t give me that. At our usual level, even with only a third of the boss’s health left, VIP would have been ours. Something’s off, stallion. Looks like the divorce hit you harder than you claim—it’s not as easy as you say, is it?”

Hong Chen said nothing, lighting a cigarette. “It’s not as much a blow as it is… not being happy. After all, we lived together for over two years…”

He shot Xu Le a sidelong glance and saw him hunched over his phone again. He clicked his tongue. “Fatty, what’s this supposed to mean? Trying to rub it in?”

Xu Le had just started dating a singer last weekend and proudly declared his return to the world of romance. In the three hours they’d been at the café, he’d sent dozens of texts, which was driving Hong Chen crazy.

“Exactly,” Xu Le admitted, his smugness nearly overflowing. Hong Chen ground his teeth, about to bury himself in the game again, when his phone vibrated.

He was sprawled on the sofa, keyboard in front and phone on the desk—his arm wasn’t long enough, and he was a bit too lazy to check. Ten seconds later, it vibrated again. Reluctantly, he sat up, picked up his phone, and lazily glanced at the messages.

Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the desk, startling Xu Le.

“What’s wrong?”

Hong Chen’s face was dark. He didn’t answer, thought for a moment, then tossed out, “Settle the bill for me. I have something to do. Head to the night market first—I’ll find you later.”

He strode out, calling Gao Tianxiong on the way. “Paradise Nightclub, Yongfei Road, Room C7…”

Paradise Nightclub, Room C7.

Less than a fifth of the bottle remained when Chen Feiyang returned, finishing his call, with Li Chen following behind. Seeing four women forcing liquor down Lin Yuxin’s throat, Chen Feiyang put on a show of trying to intervene.

“Keyer, Li Chen told me what happened. I believe Yuxin didn’t mean it. Calm down, alright?”

His words were well-practiced. As expected, Lu Keyer stopped, tapped Lin Yuxin’s forehead, and sneered, “Remember, I let you off for Feiyang’s sake. Think carefully how you’ll repay the favor.”

Liu Qian and the others released her. Lin Yuxin’s tense body slackened, and she collapsed onto the sofa. Fueled by sheer stubbornness, she tried to stand, but her legs gave out and she fell back down.

The effects of the alcohol hadn’t fully hit, but she already felt the room spinning, her whole body wracked with discomfort.

Chen Feiyang sat beside her, slipped an arm around her fragrant shoulders. The heady mix of whiskey and her own scent made his heart race.

But he forced himself to be patient. Doing anything here was too risky; if Lin Yuxin complained to the club afterward, as a gold card member, he wouldn’t escape unscathed.

“Yuxin, you’re drenched in sweat,” Chen Feiyang said, dabbing her cheek with a napkin. His hand dropped to her neckline, deftly undoing a button. Lin Yuxin only halfheartedly tried to fend him off, a look of utter despair in her eyes—she was the fish on the butcher’s block now, her mind already growing foggy, her body limp.

“Yuxin, I said tonight would be fun. Later, I’ll take you somewhere you’ll love. Don’t worry about Yufei—with me, your brother-in-law, she’ll be fine.” He leaned in, breathing hot air into her ear. She shuddered violently, a faint whimper escaping her lips. Chen Feiyang’s eyes glinted wickedly as he beckoned to Lu Keyer and pointed at Lin Yuxin.

Lu Keyer understood immediately. With Liu Qian, she hoisted Lin Yuxin up and started toward the door.

Bang! The suite’s door suddenly burst open. A group of people poured in. The security manager, leading the way, instantly spotted Lin Yuxin being supported by the two women. He shot a look over his shoulder and two security guards charged in, knocking Lu Keyer and Liu Qian to the floor, and whisked Lin Yuxin away.

The abrupt turn of events left everyone tense. Chen Feiyang rose slowly, face grim. “What’s the meaning of this?”

The security manager ignored him, sweeping the room with a cold gaze. “No one in this suite is allowed to leave.”

Everyone’s faces changed, a wave of dread washing over them. Chen Feiyang feigned outrage. “We’re valued guests here. We haven’t broken any rules. We can come and go as we please. Get your manager here.”

He tossed a gold card on the table. “I’m a gold card member. You barge in and assault us. I demand an explanation!”

The gold card was the second-highest tier, just below the platinum card, with many privileges—even kneeling service could be requested. Normally, security would tread carefully around such a guest, turning a blind eye to minor transgressions.

But tonight, the security manager was adamant. He glanced at the gold card and said coldly, “Even if you had a platinum card, it wouldn’t matter. We don’t have the authority here. Orders from above—no one leaves. If anyone tries, we’ll break their legs. No background or connections will help you tonight.”