Suddenly, several drunken men gathered in front of her. One of them waved his hand and snatched off her hat.
One of the men propped his hand on the table while the other hand, in a drunken stupor, pinched Peng Shiyi's chin. He turned to his buddies and said,
"Hey, isn't this the woman who's been all over the internet lately? How can she be so vicious!"
"Doesn't she like to spend money on fun? Well, today we brothers will keep her company. How does she want to play?"
"Those eyes are fierce and spicy. I like it. I like women with some bite."
"She's so bad and has been scolded so much. If we sleep with her, it's like ridding the people of a pest..."
Peng Shiyi expressionlessly shook off his hand, picked up her handbag and was about to leave. But those men blocked her tightly, leaving no room for her to escape.
Someone took the opportunity to grope her soft breasts. Peng Shiyi glared at him immediately.
"What do you think you're doing in broad daylight? Aren't you afraid of me calling the police?!"
The drunken men burst into laughter. "Go ahead, call the police. Let's see how the police deal with a woman who hires people to commit crimes. God knows how many men she's been with. What's she pretending for?"
Peng Shiyi reached for her phone. "Get out of my way! Where are the security guards? Are they all dead?"
"Slut! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to save you today!"
One of the men said, then suddenly swept his hand across the table, sending all the plates and red wine bottles crashing to the ground. He pushed Peng Shiyi onto the table and groped her, taking full advantage.
In a panic, Peng Shiyi kicked him hard. When he started cursing and was about to teach her a lesson, she suddenly grabbed a bottle of red wine beside her. With a hard knock, the glass bottle shattered and the red wine flowed all over the floor.
She jumped up from the table, holding the broken and jagged bottle mouth, glaring fiercely at the men who were about to make a move.
"Get out of here! I'd like to see who dares to touch me!"
In her desperation, she let out a hoarse scream. Her chest heaved rapidly. She was truly scared.
The men looked at each other, momentarily intimidated and not daring to step forward.
Just then, the restaurant staff rushed over with the security guards and arrested the trouble - making men.
"I'm sorry, miss. It's our mismanagement. You've been frightened."
Peng Shiyi suddenly felt weak all over and the broken bottle in her hand fell to the ground.
She looked at the staff word by word. "I'm a customer. Is this how your restaurant treats guests? At least three minutes have passed since this incident happened, and you just now come with the security guards. If something irreversible happens, who can take the responsibility?!"
Each word she said was like a precious pearl.
The staff nodded. "Sorry, it's our responsibility. We'll bear all the losses."
Peng Shiyi was too angry to even vent properly.
During the stand - off, someone called out, "Miss Peng."
She looked up and was surprised to see Assistant Sun, who worked for Fang Jiangyi. Assistant Sun nodded and explained,
"Mr. Fang saw that you seemed to be in trouble when he left. So he asked me to come back and see if you need any help. He also asked me to send you back."
...
The buildings flashed by outside the window, their shadows mottled.
After leaving the restaurant, Fang Jiangyi didn't mention Peng Shiyi to Yan Xia again. He seemed to be deliberately avoiding any topic related to Peng Shiyi, so Yan Xia didn't bring it up either.
She lowered her head to look at her phone. Suddenly, a hand reached over and took it away.
Fang Jiangyi looked at her. "Rarely do you have a chance to be alone with me, yet you keep looking at your phone."
Yan Xia leaned back on the seat and looked at his profile. "How did you know that I was having dinner with Peng Shiyi there?"
Fang Jiangyi said, "She sent me a message asking me to pick you up."
Now, it was hard to tell what her purpose was.
Maybe because she had drunk a little wine, Yan Xia felt lazy and didn't want to move. "After we left just now, it seems that she got into some trouble. I just don't know if any media will be curious enough to secretly take pictures. If they capture the three of us together, it'll probably be tomorrow's front - page news."
Fang Jiangyi said with concern, "Her business has nothing to do with us. Your body hasn't fully recovered yet. Try not to run around. I'll handle the company affairs."
If he hadn't said this, Yan Xia might not have thought about the news of Shengshi's acquisition of Zeling Jewelry.
She remembered the questions Peng Shiyi had asked her today. She really didn't know Fang Jiangyi at all.
Reason wasn't just about revenge. She should find out the cause of the matter. So she decided to postpone her previous plan and first find out what had happened between Fang Jiangyi and the Cheng family.
"I heard that you've acquired a jewelry brand called Zeling Jewelry."
"You already know?"
Yan Xia said, "Shengshi has never been involved in the jewelry business before. Why the sudden acquisition of a jewelry brand? Is there any explanation?"
Fang Jiangyi didn't answer immediately. He just said, "I have my reasons for doing this."
She kept looking at him, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
At a red light, Fang Jiangyi stopped the car in front of the zebra crossing. When he looked back, he saw her looking at him eagerly, like a child longing for candy.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Xia said, "Peng Shiyi said something to me. I'm really confused. There are some things I want to ask you, but I don't know if you'll be willing to tell me."
Fang Jiangyi suddenly had a premonition. "Is it related to the Cheng family?"
Yan Xia nodded. She didn't expect to get to the point so quickly.
She organized her words before saying, "The Cheng family used to be very successful. Why did such a thing happen to them all of a sudden? Peng Shiyi said that she's been with you for six or seven years. What's the deal between you and her? And what's going on between you and Cheng Yanxi?"
She had a lot of doubts in her mind and urgently needed him to answer.
Fang Jiangyi frowned tightly, seemingly not ready to answer these questions.
"The Cheng family brought this on themselves. My start and end with Cheng Yanxi were all based on an agreement. As for Shiyi, she's always been by my side and helped me through a very difficult period. I feel guilty towards her, but I've also done more than enough for the Peng family."
Yan Xia seemed to be brooding. "But you gave her hope before."
Fang Jiangyi said, "Kindness can't be used for moral blackmail. Many things are based on mutual consent, so there's no right to blame others."
It seemed that she couldn't get much information from him. She still had to find out on her own.
The journey was long. Yan Xia lay on the seat and fell asleep in a daze.
When the car stopped outside the villa, the car that Wen Liang and the bodyguards were in also stopped behind them.
But Fang Jiangyi didn't wake her up immediately.
He looked at her sideways. In the darkness, her face wasn't very clear, but this person was truly in front of him.
He leaned closer. Her shallow breathing brushed against his cheek.