Meanwhile, in a private room at Yunfan Club.
Gu Jingyu helped Su Mianmian sit on the sofa in the room, using tissues to stop the bleeding while wiping away her tears. In the center of the room, disheveled Song Zhi was yelling at the club manager.
"Give me back my phone! Why won't you let me call the police? They beat my friend until she bled! This is illegal!" The club manager was a man in his forties, dressed in a suit and tie, his hair neatly combed.
When Song Zhi stopped Lin Jiaojiao and her group from leaving, the woman who swung the bottle made a phone call, calling out "uncle." A short while later, the club manager arrived.
Just as Song Zhi was about to call the police, the club manager ordered his security guards to immediately snatch her phone. The club manager was none other than the woman who hit Su Mianmian—Lin Can's uncle.
When he entered and saw that someone was bleeding, he knew the situation could be serious or minor. Based on his experience, whether for the sake of the club or for his niece Lin Can, he definitely wouldn't let Song Zhi call the police.
He forced a half-smile, "Madam, please calm down. We've already called an ambulance. The most important thing right now is your friend's injury. Calling the police is completely unnecessary; it was just an accident. The medical expenses can be paid by the person in question."
Lin Can, having recovered from her initial fear of injuring someone, crossed her arms and scoffed, "Exactly! I already said it wasn't intentional. Why are you so insistent? Besides, I don't think your friend is seriously injured; at most, he's just scraped his forehead. If you want to extort money, just say so!"
"Who the hell wants to extort your stinking money!" Song Zhi was furious and was about to hit him again, but the manager stopped her. "Ma'am, let's talk this out calmly; no physical violence, please."
Song Zhi gritted her teeth in fury. "*They* were the ones who got physical first—why didn't you say anything to *them*?" The manager offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "My apologies, but I only witnessed *you* attempting to strike someone. As for what transpired beforehand, I am entirely unaware."
Song Zhi let out a loud "Fuck!"—at this point, even a complete idiot would have grasped the situation. "You're playing favorites? Oh, I get it now. Don't tell me you're actually this moronic woman's uncle?" Lin Can spat disdainfully. "Who are you calling a moron? *You're* the moron!"
The manager made a half-hearted gesture to restrain Lin Can. "Can-can, don't go picking up bad habits like using profanity."
Was that an admission? Song Zhi planted her hands on her hips, nodding as she repeated the word "Fine" three times. "So that's how you want to play it? You're acting pretty high and mighty—aren't you afraid I'll take this straight to your boss?"
Having worked at the establishment for over a decade, the manager had seen every type of person imaginable. A quick glance told him that Song Zhi and her companions were merely college students who hadn't yet stepped out into the real world; dealing with them would be child's play.
"My apologies, but our boss is a very busy man who rarely concerns himself with the day-to-day affairs of the club. I am the head manager here—the one in charge of everything."
Upon hearing this, Song Zhi's face instantly turned ashen. A classic movie line flashed through her mind: *Is there no justice left? Is there no fucking law?!*
In all her years, Song Zhi had never suffered such a blatant injustice. She rolled up her sleeves—manager or "Koi Princess," she didn't care—and lunged forward, unleashing a furious barrage of kicks and punches!
The manager hadn't expected the girl to be so unhinged. He stumbled back a few steps and shouted to the security guards: "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and pin down this woman who's deliberately causing a scene!"
As she watched the burly security guards quickly subdue the flailing, struggling Song Zhi, Su Mianmian—despite her throbbing headache—secretly gave Gu Jingyu's thigh a sharp pinch. "Jingyu! Use your phone to call the police—now!"
Gu Jingyu, having never witnessed such a chaotic scene in her entire sheltered life, was already on the verge of tears from fright. Only after hearing Su Mianmian's urgent prompt did she finally manage to pull out her phone, her hands trembling uncontrollably. No sooner had the three digits been entered than a sharp-eyed security guard spotted the action. In three quick strides, he closed the distance, seized Gu Jingyu's hand, and applied a forceful squeeze; the strength instantly drained from Gu Jingyu's grip, and her phone clattered to the floor.
"I told you not to call the police. Do none of you understand basic human speech?" His movements were so rough that he inadvertently twisted Gu Jingyu's wrist, causing her to cry out in immediate pain.
"Let go of me! If you treat me like this, just wait until my big brother gets here—he's going to make you pay!" "Big brother? And who exactly is this 'big brother' of yours? Why don't you tell us so we can have a good scare?"
The guard sneered, tightening his grip on Gu Jingyu's hand even further until her voice cracked with agony. "It hurts! Sis-in-law, it hurts so much!"
Su Mianmian broke out in a frantic sweat; dizzy and nursing a throbbing headache, she braced herself against the sofa and rushed over to pry the guard's hand away. "Let her go! Let her go right now!" "Let go? So you can just go call the police the moment I release her?"
Still pinning Gu Jingyu with one hand, the guard shoved Su Mianmian away with the other.
Su Mianmian, already petite in stature, was no match for the guard's brute force. She staggered backward, her knees slamming into the coffee table; the sharp pain made her legs go weak, and just as she was about to collapse onto the floor—which was now strewn with shards of broken glass—a large, warm hand suddenly reached out to cup her waist, drawing her securely into a protective embrace.
Su Mianmian was so dizzy she could barely keep her eyes open, yet she instantly recognized the familiar scent of sandalwood.
The very next second, she heard the dull thud of a heavy impact. Peeking out from the safety of Gu Yizhou's arms, she saw that the guard who had been twisting Gu Jingyu's wrist just moments before had—at some point she hadn't noticed—been sent sprawling to the floor by a single kick from Gu Yizhou. His hand appeared to have landed right on the broken glass, eliciting a pained howl of agony.
Hearing the commotion, the other guards in the private room immediately surged forward, intending to rush Gu Yizhou. Sensing their approach, Gu Yizhou swept a gaze over them—an icy glare as sharp as shards of ice. Never having encountered such a powerful, intimidating aura before, the guards were instantly cowed; they froze in their tracks, hesitating and daring not to take another step forward. Since Gu Yizhou had his back turned to the manager, he failed completely to see who had just entered. Assuming it was merely an accomplice summoned by Song Zhi and her group, he shouted at the security guards: "What are you standing around for? Grab this guy, now!"
No sooner had the words left his lips than the guards—who took their orders from him—began to stir once more. Just then, Gao Ze arrived on the scene; upon seeing the situation inside, he let out a booming shout: "Manager Cen! What on earth do you think you're doing?"
The mere mention of "Manager Cen" sent a sudden tremor of fear through the man who, moments before, had been swaggering with such arrogance. Manager Cen had never imagined that such a trivial matter would end up catching Gao Ze's attention; bowing slightly at the waist, he scurried forward obsequiously to approach him. "Assistant Gao?"
"Assistant Gao—what brings you..." *...here today?* Before he could finish the sentence, Gao Ze brushed past him without so much as a glance, walking straight toward the man who had been the first to enter the room.
Manager Cen felt a sudden pang of foreboding. He braced himself for the worst-case scenario: perhaps the man who had just arrived possessed a background of considerable influence. His mind raced as he frantically tried to figure out how to extricate himself from this mess.
However, before he could formulate a plan, a voice rang out from the otherwise silent private room. Gao Ze was addressing the man with the utmost respect: "President Gu—are you alright?" "P-President Gu?"
In all of Jiang City, the only person Gao Ze would address with the title "President Gu" was their ultimate boss—the head of the entire corporation. Manager Cen dared not entertain any other possibility. Instantly, his legs went weak, and a cold sweat broke out across his back.
"P-President Gu... please, let me explain..." Manager Cen's words were cut short as Gu Jingyu—who had been cowering in the corner—burst into tears and cried out: "Big Brother! Big Brother, you're finally here! They were bullying us—they grabbed my hand and even snatched our phones so we couldn't call the police!"
"B-Big Brother?" Manager Cen felt his blood pressure skyrocketing. He stumbled backward a few steps, though fortunately, Lin Can was there to steady him. "Uncle, who are these guys? Why are you so terrified of them?" Lin Can's voice was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Manager Cen repeatedly shook off Lin Can's hand. "Stop spouting nonsense! Who's your uncle-in-law?" Lin Can's slender brows furrowed; just as she was about to speak, Manager Cen took a few steps forward and approached Gu Yizhou.
"President Gu, things aren't quite how they appear. Earlier, your sister came out to summon security, claiming there was a brawl in the private room; I came over specifically to mediate." "You call *that* mediating—letting a bunch of hulking security guards lay hands on a few defenseless young women?"
Gao Ze's words were undeniably scathing! At that very moment, Song Zhi finally managed to break free from the two security guards pinning her down and declared indignantly, "Brother-in-law, he's lying!
He didn't come to mediate at all; he just came to cover for his niece—the very woman who just smashed a wine bottle over Mianmian's head!" *Brother-in-law?*
Upon hearing this, Manager Cen felt on the verge of tears. *What is the deal with these women? Aren't they just ordinary college students? Why are they addressing President Gu as "Big Brother" one moment and "Brother-in-law" the next?*
His legs trembling, he stole a furtive glance at Gu Yizhou. He saw a man with a cold, stern demeanor—his gaze like blades of ice, slowly scraping over Manager Cen and Lin Can inch by inch.
Then, President Gu—who had remained utterly silent since his arrival—finally spoke, though his words were directed at Gao Ze. "I'm taking my people outside to wait for the ambulance. As for everyone currently inside that private room—every single one of them—you are to handle them personally. I expect to hear a satisfactory resolution before dinner!"
Having delivered his instructions, Gu Yizhou cradled Su Mianmian in his arms and walked straight out of the private room. Watching Gu Yizhou about to leave, Manager Cen belatedly realized exactly what kind of "resolution" he was expecting.
He had worked at Yunfan for so many years, finally managing to climb the ranks to manager; how could he possibly let his promising career be ruined over a single incident like this? The thought struck him with such force that he cast all other concerns aside, rushing forward to block Gu Yizhou's path.
"President Gu! President Gu, please—give me a chance! I can explain! I really can explain!"