A Fallen Phoenix Is Worth Less Than a Chicken

Chu Tianqing was at a loss for words, thinking she must have misheard. "You want me to ask my brother out?"

Yan Ruyu nodded frantically, her eyes shining. "That's right. Of course, I wouldn't ask you to do it for free. I'll give you a Birkin bag."

Chu Tianqing found it ridiculous. "Not interested. If you want to ask him out, do it yourself. I can't be bothered with these things."

She had already sworn never to meddle in her dear big brother's love life or marriage again.

"Shen Xixi." Yan Ruyu's face darkened, and she looked around. "This place is nicely decorated. Do you still want to open for business?"

Chu Tianqing froze for a second before realizing that Yan Ruyu was threatening her.

And really, knowing Yan Ruyu, if the girl came to cause trouble, there would be nothing she could do about it.

Chu Tianqing hastily changed tactics and asked with feigned concern, "Don't rush. Let's talk this through. First, let me ask you something: why do I have to ask him out? If you like my brother, go after him yourself. When a woman pursues a man, there's only a layer of gauze between them. It's not that hard."

Yan Ruyu straightened her back and said haughtily, "All I know is that I'll never take the initiative to ask any man out in my life. My dignity is at stake."

Chu Tianqing was puzzled. "Then wait for my brother to ask you out. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Oh, do you even have to ask? Of course it's because he won't ask me out, and I'm in a hurry to see him." Yan Ruyu shot her a sidelong glance, as though looking at an idiot.

"Why do you want to see him?" Chu Tianqing ventured a guess. "Wait, do you really like my brother? What do you like about him?"

Yan Ruyu was a little shy, but she didn't hide it. "I like that he comes from a good family, he's handsome, he speaks gently and considerately, and he can make me laugh."

Chu Tianqing's mouth fell open in shock. Who was gentle and considerate? Her dear big brother? He was clearly a cold-faced king who loved scolding people.

Beauty truly was in the eye of the beholder. Yan Ruyu's condition was no different from being lovestruck.

Chu Tianqing clutched her head with both hands, unable to speak for a moment.

Yan Ruyu pressed her. "Come on, say something! Stop acting so mysterious!"

In the end, Chu Tianqing agreed.

After all, opening the restaurant was what mattered most. No one could be allowed to cause trouble.

But instead of asking her dear big brother out directly, she asked Ye Mingchen for help, arranging an indirect date.

Ye Mingchen would naturally never refuse a request from Shen Xixi. He hosted the gathering at the Deercall Club, with Shen Heng attending as one of the guests.

Chu Tianqing told Yan Ruyu to come along. She had given her the opportunity; the rest depended on whether Yan Ruyu could make the most of it.

And so, one Friday evening, everyone gathered in a private room at the Deercall Club, happily drinking and singing.

The men included Ye Mingchen, Qiao Ruhai, Shen Heng, and several senior executives from Dingsheng Group.

Chu Tianqing recognized two of them: the legal adviser Zhao Weizhong and Shen Heng's young work assistant, Zhang Ze.

The two of them had gone with her dear big brother to get her out of the police station.

On the women's side, Chu Tianqing brought Jiang Lean, while Yan Ruyu brought her little followers, Wang Linglan and Su Feifei.

With this group of young men and women together, Ye Mingchen led the way in livening things up, and the atmosphere soon grew lively.

Shen Heng first saw his dear little sister come in and thought this was a date between Shen Xixi and Ye Mingchen.

Before long, Yan Ruyu appeared, and Shen Heng realized that they were creating an opportunity for the two of them.

Come to think of it, Shen Xixi had spoken the truth while drunk that night. Shen Heng hadn't taken it seriously at first, but somehow, later on, he had taken it to heart.

She had pointed out how despicable and cruel he was, yet worried that he wasn't happy. It made his heart run cold one moment and hot the next, tormenting him until he couldn't sleep.

Shen Heng had complicated feelings and wanted some time to cool down.

That was why he hadn't contacted Yan Ruyu recently.

But seeing her today didn't stir much emotion in him. He politely stood to greet her, looked after Yan Ruyu like a gentleman, and made small talk with her.

Yan Ruyu enjoyed Shen Heng's attentions. She stole glances at his handsome profile, thinking again and again that if he had grown up in Jincheng, the so-called four young masters of Jincheng would all be trash. He would be the only king.

Chu Tianqing watched as though observing a space station docking. When she saw Yan Ruyu successfully strike up a conversation with Shen Heng, she breathed a sigh of relief and began focusing on her own business.

She proposed a toast to Zhao Weizhong and Zhang Kunze, thanking them for coming to get her out in the middle of the night last time.

Zhao Weizhong had heard about the group's heiress and had also seen her at a company reception. Back then, she had been an incomparably arrogant young lady, dressed in luxurious clothes, her pretty, striking face cold as she looked down on everyone equally.

Seeing how humble she was now, Zhao Weizhong was filled with emotion and even felt a little sorry for her.

As the saying went, a fallen phoenix was worth less than a chicken!

Chu Tianqing had toasted the two men purely to thank them. If she had known what Zhao Weizhong was thinking, she would surely have felt a stabbing pain in her heart and said, "OK, all right, you're right."

After the toast, Chu Tianqing didn't want to listen to Wang Linglan singing in a pinched voice, so she asked Jiang Lean to go outside for some air.

Chu Tianqing took her to the back hall on the first floor. She remembered there was a large leisure area here where they could play board games and pool. The bar also served a hazelnut chocolate ice cream that was incredibly delicious.

Chu Tianqing ordered two ice creams and had them charged to the private room upstairs. As though she had gotten a tremendous bargain, she happily shared the extremely expensive and delicious ice cream with Jiang Lean.

After they finished their ice cream, Chu Tianqing still didn't want to go back, so Jiang Lean suggested playing some pool.

Pool? Chu Tianqing didn't know how to play, but Shen Xixi did. She recalled the rules and thought it sounded quite fun, so she found a corner and started playing with Jiang Lean.

They were enjoying themselves when a large group suddenly arrived, making a racket, talking and laughing, utterly ill-mannered.

Chu Tianqing paid them no attention and continued bending over the table to play. After a long period of adjustment, she finally sank a ball and happily cheered for herself.

That outburst attracted the group's attention.

One person glanced casually over, then his gaze abruptly stopped on her, and a malicious smile slowly spread across his face.

"Look who it is. Why, it's Miss Shen Xixi." A roguish voice rang out as he and his companions came over and blocked her path. He asked mockingly, "Oh, wait. I should ask first: is your surname still Shen?"

Chu Tianqing froze and looked up at him. It took her a while to realize who he was.

Xiao Junyi, one of the famous four young masters of Jincheng, had once pursued Shen Xixi. She had mercilessly rejected him and publicly insulted him, saying a toad wanted to eat swan meat.

Honestly, in terms of family background alone, although the Xiao family couldn't compare with the Shen family, they were still a prominent family in Jincheng. Otherwise, Xiao Junyi wouldn't have been known as one of Jincheng's four young masters.

Shen Xixi had insulted him in public without leaving him a shred of face. She really had gone too far.

Xiao Junyi had previously been wary of the Shen family's power and hadn't dared act rashly. Now that Shen Xixi had fallen on hard times, it would have been strange if he didn't take revenge.

Holding her pool cue, Chu Tianqing swallowed nervously.

This was an important reason she wanted to leave her old social circle. Shen Xixi had relied on her family background to do as she pleased, and she really had offended plenty of people.

She smiled weakly, admitted defeat, and apologized of her own accord. "Young Master Xiao, I was young back then. Please don't hold it against me."

"Well, did I hear that right? Miss Shen actually knows how to apologize?" Xiao Junyi looked around and joked with his buddies. "You've got me to thank for this. You're witnessing something that happens once in a century."

The others burst out laughing, making no attempt to hide the mockery and contempt in their eyes as they stared at Miss Shen, who had once been so arrogant she thought herself above everyone.

Xiao Junyi took another step closer, his hands in his pockets and a casual, swaggering air about him. "Miss Shen, since you took the initiative to apologize, I'm not one to quibble over every little thing. Drink three glasses with me today, and we'll wipe the slate clean. How about it? Do you agree?"

Chu Tianqing's mind raced. With her miserable alcohol tolerance, there was no telling what sort of spectacle she would make of herself after three glasses.

But it would only be a spectacle. If it could really settle the matter, Chu Tianqing thought it was worth it.

She gritted her teeth and agreed.

Xiao Junyi was very pleased with himself. He clapped his hands and told a waiter to bring drinks. "Don't be stingy. Bring three large glasses and open a bottle of whiskey. I'll pour for Miss Shen myself."

Chu Tianqing's heart pounded as she watched Xiao Junyi pour generously, filling all three large glasses to the brim.

The man claimed he wasn't one to quibble, but he showed no mercy.

She couldn't help drawing a sharp breath. If she drank all of that, would she still be alive?