Chapter Fifty-Five: Delivered Right to the Door

Another high school reunion!
It has been less than a week since the last one. Tonight is yet another gathering, still organized by Chen Feiyang. The difference is, last time Chen Feiyang had something to ask of her—a pursuit; tonight, it’s she who has something to ask of him—a plea for help.

Chen Feiyang was clearly doing this on purpose. Was he trying to reclaim the dignity he lost last time at her expense?

Lin Yuxin wanted so badly to turn around and leave, but it was only a wish; she could not actually do it. If she had known earlier that Lin Yufei would add another 880,000 to her guarantee debt, she would have abandoned her principles and shamelessly withheld the 990,000 she returned to Hong Chen to resolve the immediate crisis. At least then, her family could scrape together the 3,880,000 owed. Now, even selling Lin’s shares and the house wouldn’t be enough, and since Linfeng Trading had already been mortgaged, even if she were ruthless enough to sell her shares, her family would never take over. She understood this clearly.

Thus, her family was, in reality, already insolvent.

With only one day left, Chen Feiyang had become her last hope, her final lifeline.

“I need to talk to Chen Feiyang about something. Let’s go in.” Because of what happened that night, Lin Yuxin’s feelings for Lu Ke’er had slipped from best friend to mere acquaintance. She didn’t say much, just casually brushed her off.

Lu Ke’er smiled slightly, leading the way. Instead of heading straight to the private room upon entering the nightclub, she went to the second-floor public restroom, handing a bag to Lin Yuxin.

Lin Yuxin rifled through the bag, frowning. “What’s this supposed to mean?”

Inside was a blue-and-white uniform, and a set of black lace lingerie, including a thong.

Lu Ke’er’s smile abruptly vanished. She said coolly, “When a man reaches a certain level, it’s all about a certain kind of thrill. Some things lose meaning if Feiyang says them himself, so I’ll be the spokesperson. Put on the white—the no-interest loan is possible. Add the black—anything is possible.”

Lin Yuxin’s face turned cold. Lu Ke’er continued, “Yuxin, since we were once close, I’ll be frank. Your sister owes a huge gambling debt. You’re here tonight to ask Feiyang for help, so you need to have the proper attitude. Last time, Feiyang was humiliated by you; at the very least, you should let him regain his dignity. As for how low you’re willing to go, that’s your own decision. What you give is always proportional to what you receive.”

With that, she turned and left.

In that instant, Lin Yuxin found Lu Ke’er utterly unfamiliar, and her words left a burning sense of humiliation in Lin Yuxin’s heart.

Yet, after a few deep breaths, Lin Yuxin did take out the blue-and-white uniform—a Japanese-style short-sleeved, short-skirted sailor suit.

After she changed, Lin Yuxin stood before the sink, gazing at the mirror. Gone was her usual poise and elegance; instead, her reflection was fresh and lovely, and the sense of shame grew even stronger.

She could imagine that, in a nightclub setting, this cute “kawaii” look was even more alluring than heavy makeup and revealing clothes.

She spent a minute calming herself. Everything comes with a price. Since she’d decided to come tonight, she was mentally prepared. If all Chen Feiyang wanted was to reclaim his pride, then this humiliation—she would accept it.

Lu Ke’er waited outside the restroom. When Lin Yuxin emerged, she glanced at the black lace tucked in the bag’s corner and smirked teasingly. “Yuxin, you still can’t let go, huh?”

She reached out to lift Lin Yuxin’s chin with her finger, but Lin Yuxin slapped her hand away and said coldly, “Lu Ke’er, show some respect.”

She didn’t call her by her nickname, but her full name. When Lu Ke’er had spoken those words earlier, her tone and expression betrayed not a shred of friendship—not even the warmth of a regular acquaintance. From that moment, Lin Yuxin had drawn a clear line between them.

Lu Ke’er merely smiled, refraining from further gestures, and led Lin Yuxin to private room C7.

Inside, three men and three women. Aside from Chen Feiyang, Shi Jie and Li Chen were there. Among the women, besides Liu Qian, there were two others, both pure-looking but dressed provocatively.

As soon as Lu Ke’er and Lin Yuxin entered, all eyes were drawn to them. Seeing Lin Yuxin’s attire, Shi Jie, Li Chen, and Liu Qian were all astonished; they’d only heard she would come, unaware of any deeper context.

A flicker of desire flashed in Chen Feiyang’s eyes, but he still stood up with his usual elegance, smiled, and nodded, “Yuxin, you’re here.”

Lin Yuxin nodded, forcing a faint smile, and greeted the others. She didn’t know the two women; Lu Ke’er introduced them as classmates from other sections.

Then, everyone resumed their games. There was an empty seat beside Chen Feiyang, and Lin Yuxin, not bothering with modesty, sat down. She made casual conversation, and when Li Chen and Liu Qian finished their duet, she turned to business. As soon as she started, Chen Feiyang interrupted, “Yuxin, no need to explain your difficulties. Today alone, Yufei called me four or five times, sent over a dozen messages.” He handed her his phone. Lin Yuxin read through the messages stone-faced, but her mind was turbulent. Not only had her divorce from Hong Chen been made public, but every message addressed Chen Feiyang as “brother-in-law.” To push her together with Chen Feiyang, Yufei promised to act as a spy, to cooperate in any performance, even threatening her own life.

“Yufei’s still a child. She knows she’s made a mess and is panicking. Her words are desperate and random—I honestly found them ridiculous. Don’t take them seriously.”

Before Lin Yuxin could comment, Chen Feiyang filled two glasses of XO, handed one to her, and said, “Come on, let’s have a drink.”

Lin Yuxin took the glass. When Chen Feiyang clinked it and drank first, she had no choice but to follow, then said, “Feiyang, since you already know, I’ll be straightforward. I hope you can lend me money to help my family through this crisis.”

“How much?”

“Three hundred and fifty thousand would be best. If that’s difficult, two hundred thousand. At the very least, one hundred thousand.”

“No problem. It’s rare for us all to get together—tonight, we must drink to our fill and have fun.” Chen Feiyang replied ambiguously, casting several appreciative glances at Lin Yuxin. He exclaimed, “Yuxin, your outfit tonight makes me feel like I’ve traveled back in time, seeing again the most beautiful girl from Qingshi No. 1 High. Truly, the wine isn’t intoxicating, but the person is.”

Lin Yuxin’s heart trembled inexplicably.

Chen Feiyang didn’t continue to flirt. He gave Lu Ke’er a subtle signal, and she immediately suggested a game—pairing up to play dice. Except for the winner, everyone else had to drink one, two, or three glasses, in order.

Naturally, Lin Yuxin was paired with Chen Feiyang. He let Lin Yuxin go first, but she had never played before, and in the first round came second to last. Chen Feiyang took one punishment drink for her, and everyone urged them to drink arm-in-arm.

“Yuxin, Feiyang took a drink for you. If you don’t do the arm-in-arm toast, where’s his dignity?” Seeing Lin Yuxin hesitate, Lu Ke’er whispered to her. Lin Yuxin had no choice but to reluctantly link arms with Chen Feiyang and drink.

The game lasted nearly an hour. Li Chen and Liu Qian’s team drank the least; Chen Feiyang and Lin Yuxin drank the most—almost twenty glasses in total, with Lin Yuxin taking half. Even diluted, the liquor was strong, and by the end she was dizzy, leaning on the sofa, her cheeks flushed, breath fragrant—a beauty so alluring any normal man would be entranced.

Lu Ke’er caught another signal from Chen Feiyang and announced a pause in the game. Everyone went their own way, and to create atmosphere, Lu Ke’er released some smoke.

Chen Feiyang helped Lin Yuxin to a corner, lit a cigarette, took a few draws, then leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Yuxin, it’s a bit hot in here. Let me help you undo your buttons…”

As he spoke, he naturally reached to untie the decorative knot at her sailor collar, about to undo the first button. Lin Yuxin suddenly covered herself with both hands, turned to Chen Feiyang with a complex expression, and said, “Feiyang, you’ve always been a gentleman in my eyes. Please don’t ruin that, alright?”

If it had been the old Chen Feiyang, faced with Lin Yuxin’s conflicted gaze, he might have nodded, acted like a gentleman all night, and in the end—even if he didn’t lend four hundred thousand, he might have given one or two hundred thousand for the sake of keeping up appearances.

But after last time’s humiliation, did he still care about being a gentleman, about reputation?

The answer was obvious: no. He had orchestrated this whole setup just to make Lin Yuxin yield tonight.

She came—did she still expect to leave unscathed? What a joke.

Chen Feiyang paused briefly, showing no embarrassment, and instead smiled meaningfully, “Yuxin, you’ve played me for a fool for long enough. Isn’t it time to stop?”