At 10:40 PM, Song Xiyu had just stepped out of the 'Shi Qingcheng' when she was blocked by Xue Kang.

"Are you off work? I'll give you a ride home."

When Xue Kang spoke, he leaned closer, his eyes glued to Hai Zhiyou's collarbone, directly and blatantly.

Song Xianyu frowned and took a step back, avoiding Xue Kang's strong smell of alcohol. Her voice was cold: "I can go home by myself."

Even with a seemingly cold face, the innate charm in his eyes still captivates the heart.

Xue Kanglong stared at Song Xianyu with burning eyes, his hand reaching out to embrace her slender waist. "I'm your fiancé, who else would I send you off with?"

Song Xianyu evaded Xue Kang's grasp without a trace, her face growing even colder. "I am not your fiancée."

Xie Kang's displeasure was evident, "The fact that you're rejecting me makes me very unhappy. Your mother mainly married you to me as compensation for marrying into our family. My father already promised that he would officially promote your sister next year. So, are you now going back on your word?"

Song Xianyu's face turned pale, her ten fingers suddenly retracted, pinching so hard that her palm ached.

Xue Kang was a notorious playboy in the capital city. He was indolent, addicted to alcohol, and according to unreliable rumors, he even dabbled in narcotics. No respectable family would allow their children to associate with such a person.

But his mother tried every means possible to get her married off to him.

Song Xianyu felt a chill run down her spine. After a moment, she looked up defiantly at Xue Kang, "As you said, this is all my mother's idea. I never agreed to it."

After chasing Song Xiayu for half a month, he still couldn't win her favor. This made Xue Kang, who was originally at an advantage, feel resentful. Now that Song Xiayu so resolutely severed ties with him, Xue Kang's patience finally wore thin.

He grabbed Song Xianyu's drooping hair with a violent force, and said almost savagely: "I, Xue Kang, want what I want. There is nothing I can't get. You refuse to drink my toast, insisting on drinking the penalty, I have already prepared the room. Tonight, I will take you!"

Song Xianyu's face turned pale, her neck veins bulged, and gritting her teeth, she endured the pain and said, "This is illegal!"

"Illegal?" Xue Kang gritted his jaw, his sharp chin contorting. He was very pleased with the terror in their eyes and sneered, "In this capital city, I am the law!"

As soon as the voice fell—

"Young Master Xue, what a big mouth you have." A low, magnetic male voice followed Xue Kang's words.

Song Xianyu searched for the sound and looked over, seeing a tall and imposing man walking towards her.

He was wearing a simple white shirt and black suit, with the top two buttons undone. He had one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette at his side, appearing nonchalant. However, as he approached, a powerful aura followed him.

Song Xianyu stared at him, a glimmer of longing in her eyes. She recognized this man, Vinci Group's current head, Ji Linbian. He had attended her birthday party before.

Xue Kang saw Ji Lin'yuan and immediately let go of Song Xianyu. He changed from his previous arrogance and swagger, nodding and bowing to meet Ji Lin'yuan, "Mr. Ji, what a coincidence to meet you here."

Ji Lin's gaze swept across the bustling scene before finally landing on Song Xianyu, who stood quietly beside Xue Kang. He offered a perfunctory handshake to Xue Kang, exchanging a few polite greetings before turning his attention to Song Xianyu. His eyes lingered for a moment on her crimson fingertip print, his gaze sharpening perceptibly.

Song Xianyu has delicate skin, and her fingerprints are very visible.

Ji Linbian casually threw his cigarette and crushed it at the edge of his leather shoes. He grasped Song Xianyu's arm and pulled her in front of him, his voice steady and intimate: "Why haven't you gone home yet so late?"

Song Xianyu was surprised by the intimacy in Ji Lin's words, but she quickly understood that he was probably acting for Xue Kang. She swiftly concealed her surprise and, following suit, took Ji Lin's arm and smiled up at him, her tone equally affectionate: "I was just about to go home."

"I'll send you back," Ji Linyuan said, then turned to Xue Kang and said, "I'll take my leave first."

Xue Kang, seeing the two of them like this, was somewhat surprised. Watching the food about to fly away, although he feared Qi Lin's power, he still opened his mouth: "Xiaoyu..."

Ji Lin's eyes turned back, and he asked softly, "Is there anything else?"

His speech was not slow, his eyes were calm, but there was an air of authority in this composure that made Xue Kang's scalp tingle. The question he was about to ask changed into, "Farewell," before it could even leave his lips.

Ji Lin's eyes flickered, and he nodded. He escorted Song Xianyu onto a low-key black SUV.

The driver looked like an assistant.

Song Xianyu and Ji Linbian sat together in the back seat. The presence of the man beside them was too strong, creating a feeling of being watched. Yu didn't glance at the man's deeply cold profile.

Before tonight, I had only seen him twice: once at his tenth birthday party and once at his coming-of-age ceremony.

The first time, I couldn't remember his form. The second time, I remembered it clearly. His words, "Congratulations on growing up," were filled with an inexplicable warmth.

Song Xianyu never understood where his fondness came from. He and that person weren't related, nor were they acquaintances; they were strangers, in fact.

She pursed her lips, turned to look at Ji Lin'yuan, and smiled slightly: "Thank you for what happened just now, Mr. Ji."

Her tone was distant and respectful, completely devoid of the intimacy she had shown when holding onto Ji Lin's arm earlier.

Ji Lin's eyes swept over, carrying a deep sense of authority.

The child wore a simple sleeveless long dress. Her slightly curled long hair hung over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with life, and her face was unusually clean and delicate. She was very thin.

Realizing he was looking at her, Song Xianyu's hand unconsciously fidgeted and her eyes darted around, her heart beating faster.

As if seeing his discomfort, Ji Lin's eyes quickly moved away. He then handed over a business card.

Song Xianyu, not knowing the reason, raised her eyes to look at Ji Linbian.

Ji Lin's voice was calm: "If you encounter anything else, give me a call."

Song Xian's fish-shaped eyes drooped slightly, she fell silent for a moment, then took the object.

The car quickly arrived at the villa district where Song's family lived. Song Xianyu said, "Just let me off here."

After getting off the bus, he stood on the roadside and watched Tian Yue drive away.

I always feel that Ji Lin's attitude is a little strange.

Back home, just about to change shoes in the hallway, a 'crack' sound of whips hitting something came from the living room, accompanied by the dog's yelps.

Song Xianyuyu's hand holding the slippers paused.

Then, a torrent of angry insults came: "You're a damned beast! No matter how you raise it, it's useless. Other people's dogs wag their tails and please their owners, but yours only acts like this against me!"

Song Xianyu changed her shoes and walked into the living room, seeing Yang Zhen angrily whipping Chong Sa with a whip. Chong Sa tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered in the corner.

Seeing Song Xianyu, Na Sa rushed over like seeing a savior and hid behind her. Yang Zhen was furious and lashed out with her whip.

Slap!

Song Xianyu dodged ineffectively, the whip landing precisely on her left cheek.

"Wings, huh? You don't even listen to me anymore!"

If Song Xianyu couldn't hear the thinly veiled criticism, she would have wasted her twenty years of life.

I think Xue Kang called Yang Zhen.

Half of her face burned with pain, Song Xianyu's eyes turned cold as she sneered, "Mom, you said AU is a beast. Why bother lowering yourself to his level? Isn't that degrading?"

"You!" Yang Zhen hated this aloof expression the most. She raised her hand and lashed out with a whip again.

Song Xianyu had just been unprepared and hit before. This time, she dodged lightly, "You're gravely injured because of your rage, you still want to watch your elder sister climb higher and higher? I will stop you."

Xue Kang is the son of the secretary. Yang Zhen gave Song Xianyu to Xue Kang, intending to use the power of the Xue family to pave a smooth path for her own son's future.

Yang Zhen glared hatefully, her eyes sharp and cutting. "Arrogant! Don't think that just because Ji Linbian helped you once, you've actually hooked up with him. With your fox-like appearance, you'll only end up as a mistress. The fact that Xue is willing to marry you is pure luck from your past life!"

Song Xianyu smiled sarcastically: "Since it's good fortune, why not give it to your elder sister? Once she becomes the daughter-in-law of the Xue family, she will surely receive their protection. In the future, she won't just climb the ladder step by step, she might even reach the top in one leap."

Yang Zhen was furious. "If it weren't for Zi Ming rescuing you from the trash heap back then, would you even have this pathetic life? I raised you for over a decade, and this is how you repay me? You're not even as good as a dog! No wonder your mother wanted to throw you away; if I had a son like you, I wouldn't want him either!"

Song Xianyu's fingers suddenly retracted.

"Luckily, you're not my real mother. With your temper, it would be a misfortune to have you as one."

After that, he didn't look at Yang Zhen's face that had turned iron-blue and went upstairs without turning back.

Then came the sound of porcelain shattering.

Song Xiyu returned to the room and stood in front of the washstand, looking at herself in the mirror.

Xue Kang's fingerprints from being pinched hadn't faded completely, and there was another red, swollen whip mark.

However, Wu's beauty was so outstanding that it not only did not detract from her appearance but instead brought out a touch of pitiful charm.

After a quick shower, without even bothering to blow-dry her hair, Song Xianyu wrapped a towel around her head and went straight to bed.

As soon as I closed my eyes, a pair of bottomless eyes appeared before me.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly remembered something. He turned on the light and took out a watch box from under his bedside table drawer. Inside was a diamond-studded wristwatch.

This was a gift that Ji Linbian gave on his coming-of-age ceremony.

At first, I thought this watch was worth at most a few thousand dollars. Because I liked it, I wore it for a while until I met Xiao, who came from a wealthy family. Then I found out that this watch was actually a customized million-dollar piece.

After that, he never wore it again.

Who would send such a valuable gift to someone they don't know? That man is really strange.

---Aside---

Ding ding ding ding —

Uncle Ji is here.

Why is Uncle Ji so protective of us little fishes? Of course, there are special reasons for that. He doesn't protect everyone like this.

As for the reason, Yao naturally wants to keep it a secret.

New articles need the protection of everyone to grow, please collect them, qwq——

(Editor in charge：fate/stay night novel)