As the sun was setting and the horizon was dyed with an eerily magnificent red hue, Luo Ran, who had been asleep all afternoon, was woken up by a wailing ringtone.
"RanRan, come pick me up, I'm drunk and can't get back from the QiMeng bar," her best friend, Ye Feiwen, was wailing on the other end of the phone.
Luo Ran scratched her head in annoyance, checked the time on her phone, and said, "Ok, I get it. Wait for me."
Half an hour later, Luo Ran arrived at QiMeng bar in the city center.
This place, which she had once passed by while shopping, was the most high-end bar in the town, frequented by the wealthy. At the very least, it was visited by the middle class like Ye Feiwen.
Luo Ran didn't know why Ye Feiwen ran off here to drink today, she only knew that since her best friend was in trouble, she had to rush over to rescue her.
Who can say that they had slept in the same dorm room for three and a half years?
After confirming Ye Feiwen's private room's position at the bar, she saw that the room door was left ajar.
Just as Luo Ran was about to open the door, it flew open and Ye Feiwen herself came rushing out.
"RanRan, you are here. Thank god. Please help me." Judging from Ye Feiwen's panicked face, this was not due to drunkenness, but seemed like she was in some kind of trouble.
"What happened? Relax, take your time."
Ye Feiwen took a deep breath and clutched Luo Ran's hand tightly. "RanRan, we are best friends, right?"
"Uh-huh," Luo Ran nodded, without any hesitation.
"So, if I'm having issues, you'll definitely help me, right?"
"Absolutely." Luo Ran beats his chest.
Ye Feiwen takes a deep breath again, "Alright then, I’ll tell you. Today, you're the only one who can save me. Inside, there are two men attempting to take advantage of me. Ran Ran, I beg you to help me just this once."
"...... Take advantage? I'll call the police." Luo Ran immediately reaches for his phone.
Ye Feiwen snatches the phone away, "No, Ran Ran, I beg you. My father's business is facing difficulties. I have to negotiate with those two bastards inside. They asked me to accompany them for a drink and sign the contract. But, they actually want... want to... you know I have been trying so hard to date Su Ran. If I lose my chastity, he, being such a nitpicker, would definitely leave me."
"So, Ran Ran, I beg you. You don't have a boyfriend anyway. Could you please sacrifice yourself for me just once?"
"I promise that as long as we get the contract, I will give you money, a lot of money. Your mother is not doing well healthwise, right? With the money, she can get medical treatment. Ran Ran..."
Effectively, Ye Feiwen's words resounded like a dull thunder in Luo Ran's ears.
Two minutes later, she finally came back to reality, staring at Ye Feiwen accusingly, "You… are you setting me up?"
"How is this setting you up? I’m helping you too. I know you need the money.", says Ye Feiwen.
At this moment, impatient voices could be heard from the private compartment behind them, "Hurry up. What are you waiting for?"
Without further ado, Ye Feiwen lowers her gaze, suddenly grabs Luo Ran's arm and drags her into the compartment.
"Brother Jiu, this is my classmate. Let me go, I’ve brought her instead. She's untouched. Never had a boyfriend."
Luo Ran couldn't believe what she was hearing, while Ye Feiwen doesn't even look at her.
Brother Jiu stands up, throws away the cigarette in his hand, comes over and touches Luo Ran's face. He bares his teeth in what resembles a smile and says, "Not bad, she’s indeed fresh."
Ye Feiwen visibly breaths in relief, "As long as Brother Jiu likes her. Then about the contract...”
"Sounds good. You can head to the company now, and I will call my secretary to arrange it for you." Jiu Ge was very straightforward.
Ye Feiwen thanked him with a nod as swift as a pecking chick, then she pushed Luo Ran into Jiu Ge's arms, "Ranran, Jiu Ge is very good. You will not suffer by being with him. I'm leaving now."
"Feiwen..."
Luo Ran yelled, instinctively reaching out to catch Ye Feiwen, but the next second, she was pulled into Jiu Ge's arms.
The door to the private room closed with a "bang", and Luo Ran's heart sank.
"Let go of me." She struggled, but the two arms circling around her body were as immovable as a vise.
"Little girl, your friend was right. You won't lose out by being with me." Jiu Ge smiled, "Honestly speaking, I quite like your fiery spirit, it's interesting."
With that, he dragged Luo Ran towards a corner sofa that was large enough to let one's imagination run wild.
Luo Ran hadn't experienced such a situation before, but she could predict what was about to happen.
With no time to think, she bit down hard on the arm around her chest.
In an instant, the taste of iron filled her mouth, making her want to vomit.
The man behind her yelled out, releasing her in response to the pain. Luo Ran seized the opportunity to break free from his grip and fled towards the door.
She opened the door and ran off without looking back.
"Darn girl, come back here." Jiu Ge roared behind her, sounding like a starved wolf.
Luo Ran gathered all her strength and bolted towards the staircase. However, she lost her footing just as she took the first step down, tumbling forward.
Oddly enough, instead of rolling down the staircase, she crashed into a 'meat-wall'.
Her head was buzzing from the impact. Looking up, she saw a man.
Luo Ran was certain that she didn't recognize this extremely handsome man, whose good looks could incite envy from the heavens, and were hard to find in the three realms.
However, the man called out to her as if he had been searching for her for three lifetimes: "Is it you?"
