Shen Yueran sat there quietly, holding her glass as she drank one mouthful after another.
After a whole day of boredom, she had finally found some real relaxation.
The familiar taste of whiskey spread through her mouth and down her throat, slowly easing the restlessness inside her.
Seeing her immersed expression, Lin Xueyao and Su Wanqing both thought she was seriously thinking about something important.
So although they wanted to talk to her, neither of them disturbed her.
The two women simply stayed seated on either side of her, quietly accompanying her.
Nearby, several male employees kept glancing at Shen Yueran. They clearly wanted to speak to her more.
But every time one of them tried to move a little closer, Lin Xueyao would casually lean toward Shen Yueran first, while Su Wanqing quietly shifted her chair and closed the gap from the other side.
One passed her fruit without asking.
The other reached for the bottle when her glass became empty.
The two women stayed close on either side of her, blocking off the space around her so naturally that it did not even seem deliberate.
By the time the others noticed it, Shen Yueran was already being guarded tightly between them like a treasure they did not want others to approach too easily.
Even Lin Xueyao and Su Wanqing themselves did not seem to realize it. This was clearly only the first day they had met Shen Yueran.
Yet after spending just a little time with her, both of them had already begun to treat her differently from everyone else.
After some time, the others at the table gradually started talking more and more.
The topics moved from casual chatter to things happening inside Huo Corporation.
Some were discussing work matters.
Some were talking about recent incidents in the company.
Others lowered their voices and discussed rumors that had been spreading around. The atmosphere at the table became lively again.
Yet in the middle of all this noise, Shen Yueran remained quiet, still drinking silently.
From upstairs, a group of men looked down and watched the scene below. From their position, they could clearly see the open seating area in the club.
And among the many tables, one figure quickly caught their attention.
It was a top-class beauty sitting among a bunch of ordinary office employees.
She sat there quietly, drinking with lowered eyes, as if the noisy club around her had nothing to do with her at all.
Her expression was calm and immersed, as though her entire world was hidden inside the glass she held in her hand.
The more they looked, the more eye-catching she became. Among that whole table, she was the one who drew all the attention.
Upstairs, Ma Desheng narrowed his eyes as he watched her.
He stood there with several men behind him, staring at Shen Yueran with undisguised interest.
Then, with lust already rising in his eyes, he said to the assistant beside him, "Today, I must get this woman recruited."
Ma Desheng was a middle-aged man with a bald head. He owned a media company on the surface and had some status in certain circles.
But behind that respectable appearance, he was rotten to the bone.
Over the years, he had ruined many girls' lives with the same dirty tricks, trapping them in exploitative contracts.
As for the woman downstairs, Ma Desheng had already started judging her group from their clothing and behavior.
In his eyes, they looked like ordinary employees without much background. People with real status usually booked private rooms or VIP rooms in a club like this.
They would not be sitting out in the open with so many others.
That thought made him even bolder.
Around him, several others also noticed where his gaze had landed.
One of them sneered and muttered, "This Baldie is targeting another girl again."
Another person sighed inwardly.
Lately, Ma Desheng had become more and more lustful.
Whenever he saw a beautiful woman, he wanted to get involved.
Looking at the scene below, more than one person silently felt that another girl would probably be ruined tonight.
Not far from them, two men from Black Tide Gang were also watching.
The moment they saw who Ma Desheng was targeting, both of them smirked.
Then one of them leaned toward the young man standing beside them and said in a low voice, "Boss Xie, this time Baldie is going to kick an iron plate. Just wait and watch."
The two of them laughed quietly to each other, clearly hiding something as if waiting for a good show.
Hearing this, the second young master of the Xie family, Xie Rongchen, raised an eyebrow slightly.
His interest was immediately piqued.
He turned his gaze downward and carefully looked toward the woman they were talking about.
What kind of person could make these Black Tide Gang men react like this?
Downstairs, the people at Shen Yueran's table were still discussing among themselves.
No one had noticed that trouble was already approaching.
After finishing the drink in her glass, Shen Yueran poured herself another one.
At this moment, even Lin Xueyao and Su Wanqing became quieter, perhaps because they felt that Shen Yueran in this state had a strange charm that made people unwilling to disturb her.
Then, all of a sudden, the noise near their table changed.
A group of men began coming straight toward them from not far away.
Before anyone at the table could react, those men had already started shouting loudly.
"Move!"
"Move aside!"
"Make way for our boss!"
Their voices were rude and overbearing.
Several employees from the security department frowned at once.
The lively atmosphere around the table was instantly disrupted.
The men brought by Ma Desheng forcefully pushed people aside and cleared a path through the crowd.
Their manner was arrogant and imposing, as if they feared no one.
People nearby quickly moved away, unwilling to get involved.
Soon, Ma Desheng himself walked over with his men.
He carried an imposing air, and his face was full of the confidence of someone who was used to throwing his weight around.
His gaze swept over the table first.
Then, in the very next second, it landed directly on Shen Yueran.
The security department employees all noticed his gaze immediately.
Their expressions changed slightly.
Even Lin Xueyao and Su Wanqing stiffened.
This group had clearly not come with good intentions.
Yet in the middle of the table, Shen Yueran remained sitting there.
She still held her glass in one hand, her posture unchanged, not even bothering to look up.
The amber liquid in her glass swayed gently under the colorful club lights.
Meanwhile, Ma Desheng had already walked to the front of their table with his men surrounding him.
His eyes were fixed on Shen Yueran like a wolf staring at prey.
And just like that, the peaceful mood around the table was completely shattered.