Chapter 142: Invited on a Date

After Ren Xiadong and the others left, the young girl nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes and cast a timid glance at Liu Sheng.

Although Liu Sheng had a bit too much to drink, he still had his wits about him. Facing such an innocent girl, he had no intention of crossing any lines.

He therefore asked, "How is it that you're working in a place like that?"

The girl did not hide anything and answered straightforwardly, "I have classes during the day, so I only have time at night. Many of my classmates work there as hostesses and kept asking me to join them. I refused at first, but later they said there was a cashier position available, so I took it. It's basically a work-study job for me."

"Are you that short on money?" Liu Sheng felt a bit dizzy and sat on the sofa, reluctant to move an inch.

A sudden smile appeared on the girl's face as she replied, "I'm not desperately in need of money, but I just wanted to earn some through a job to make my life in college a bit more comfortable."

"I'm hungry. Come keep me company while I get something to eat," Liu Sheng said as he suddenly stood up and wobbled toward the girl.

A wave of worry washed over the girl. "If it's just dinner, I can go with you."

Knowing the girl was afraid he might try something, Liu Sheng assured her, "Don't worry, I'll send you straight home after we eat."

The reason Liu Sheng did this was that he had just heard the rumbling of the girl's stomach and realized she was hungry.

The two quickly arrived at a twenty-four-hour hot pot restaurant. Watching the girl eat with relish, Liu Sheng suddenly chuckled and called out to the waiter, "Bring me a bottle of beer!"

Hearing that Liu Sheng wanted beer, the girl abruptly dropped her chopsticks, a look of apprehension surfacing once more. Seeing this, Liu Sheng quickly added, "Relax, I'm not going to make you drink."

"I wouldn't care if you made me drink; I'm afraid of you getting drunk. The girls at work say that men lose all control once they start drinking."

Upon hearing her words, Liu Sheng shouted again, "Waiter, change that beer to a cola!"

"Looks like you're not a bad guy," the girl remarked before resuming her meal.

Liu Sheng took the cola from the waiter and told the girl, "That's only because I'm still sober. If I were drunk, you'd be in for a rough time today."

Watching the girl eat without paying him any mind, Liu Sheng asked, "What's your name? Which university do you go to?"

Between bites, the girl replied, "Wang Yufan. I'm a freshman at Chongqing University of Science and Technology."

Looking at the girl before him, Liu Sheng felt she was just a child who had yet to grow up, exuding a rare and pristine purity.

After finishing the meal, Liu Sheng walked the girl home. Because many of her classmates worked night shifts, they rented an apartment together outside; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to make it back to the dormitory by curfew.

Once Wang Yufan was safely home, Liu Sheng headed straight back to his own apartment. Since there were no classes the next day, he could finally sleep in.

In the dead of night, Xiaoya appeared in Liu Sheng's dreams countless times. Just like when she left last week, her phone number and WeChat were useless. No matter what he tried, he could not reach her. Liu Sheng relived the days of weeping tears. What used to be mere longing was now compounded by deep worry. After going through so much, would Xiaoya do something foolish? Would she abandon all restraint and change men every single day?

These questions echoed endlessly in Liu Sheng's mind, keeping him awake for the rest of the night after he woke up in the small hours.

Around noon the next day, Ren Xiadong returned home with Lao Jiu and Xiaojia. Spotting Liu Sheng, Ren Xiadong demanded, "Where on earth did you vanish to yesterday? You didn't even bother to contact us."

Liu Sheng smiled and replied, "You lot were all swimming in unhealthy thoughts. I just went straight home because I was exhausted and had far too much to drink."

None of the three believed Liu Sheng's explanation. With such a tender, green young girl around, there was no way Liu Sheng would have let her go.

Right at that moment, Liu Sheng's phone rang. Seeing Wang Yufan's name displayed on the screen, he answered it.

Before parting ways yesterday, Wang Yufan had insisted on keeping Liu Sheng's number. She felt he wasn't a bad person, respected her boundaries, and most importantly, he was the first man who had ever bought her a proper meal.

"Hello? Are you free tonight?"

"Yes."

Bored out of his mind, Liu Sheng didn't even hesitate before saying yes. Out of sheer tedium, he was willing to get involved in anything just to pass the time.

"Oh, it's like this: a few of my classmates work as hostesses at a KTV, and some regular clients want to take them out for dinner. They're a bit worried about potential trouble, but since these are frequent, loyal customers, they wanted to bring along a few male friends for protection. So, I thought of you. If you have time, feel free to bring your friends along."

"Send me the location. I'll be there on time!"

After hanging up, Liu Sheng looked at the other three and announced, "I've got a date with some beauties tonight. Are you guys interested?"

"Damn it! We just had a whole night of battle—are you trying to work us to death?"

Before Ren Xiadong could even finish, Lao Jiu chimed in, "I'm going! Definitely going! Who's ever afraid of having too much of a good thing?"

Xiaojia also wore an expression of eager excitement.

Ren Xiadong looked at the two of them and said, "How starved are you guys? Weren't two women each yesterday enough?"

Afterward, the three went to rest. Liu Sheng sat alone in the living room, staring at his phone, hoping against hope for a message from Xiaoya.

The first time Xiaoya left, it was because he had failed to protect her. This time, although her departure wasn't directly his fault, Liu Sheng still regretted not having killed Yang He on the spot and snatched Xiaoya away!

The more Liu Sheng thought about it, the angrier he grew, wishing he could murder Yang He right this second. But upon second thought, Xiaoya was no longer in Chongqing, nor did she belong to Yang He anymore. Killing Yang He now would change nothing between him and Xiaoya.

Feeling utterly lost, Liu Sheng scrolled through his phone and suddenly spotted Wang Yu's number—Xiaoya's brother. He quickly dialed it.

From Xiaoya's brother, he learned that Xiaoya had indeed returned home yesterday, informed her family of her divorce, and left early this morning without mentioning her destination. Afterward, her phone became unreachable, and every method of contact failed.

Hanging up the phone, Liu Sheng plunged back into deep contemplation. It felt as though Xiaoya's birth into this world was a tragedy; every misfortune befell her, while all good things deliberately bypassed her.

Liu Sheng had no idea when he would see Xiaoya again, or if she would by then have become someone else's wife. After all these twists and turns, when would Xiaoya ever truly belong to him?

Liu Sheng pondered these questions endlessly without finding an answer. Why wasn't he the one by Xiaoya's side? Right now, he was willing to sacrifice everything just to bring Xiaoya back.

Liu Sheng didn't care that Xiaoya was divorced, nor did he mind that she was the mother of two children. As long as Xiaoya was single, he had the courage to stay by her side for the rest of his life!

Yet these were all just his own fantasies. Xiaoya vanished from his life time and time again, setting Liu Sheng upon a path of endless waiting. Aside from Xiaoya, he no longer had any interest in other women. If he could not wait for Xiaoya, he would simply spend the rest of his days in lonely solitude.

And so, Liu Sheng sat on the sofa, thinking of Xiaoya all day long until noon melted into evening. Ren Xiadong, Lao Jiu, and Xiaojia finally emerged, sharply dressed and groomed, and stepped in front of Liu Sheng.

Lao Jiu asked, "Bro! Are we driving or taking a cab?"

Having suffered through a day of emotional agony, Liu Sheng finally cracked a smile and said, "Don't drive if you drink; don't drink if you drive. What do you think?"

"Understood, we're taking a cab!" With that, the four of them walked out of the apartment together.

Hailing a taxi, they headed straight toward the location Wang Yufan had sent.

Arriving at their destination, they found a barbecue restaurant. As the four walked inside, they spotted Wang Yufan and the others at a glance.

"Over here!!"

Seeing the four of them, Wang Yufan waved frantically and called out.

As Liu Sheng drew closer, he saw there were five women in total, including Wang Yufan. While Wang Yufan was dressed relatively normally, the other four looked less like hostesses and more like streetwalkers.

They exposed half their chests and were decked out in gaudy, flashy outfits. Wearing so little in such freezing weather, Liu Sheng felt cold just looking at them.

Yet, upon seeing these women, Ren Xiadong, Lao Jiu, and Xiaojia instantly perked up, practically itching to reach out and grope them right then and there.

Opposite the women sat three pot-bellied men with buzz cuts and tattoos, radiating the aura of street thugs who would resort to violence at the drop of a hat.

Furthermore, upon seeing the four newcomers, the three thugs wore sullen expressions. Having gone through the trouble of coaxing these beauties out, they had no intention of letting these punk kids muscle in on their turf, and thus regarded Liu Sheng's group with open hostility.

Liu Sheng understood the situation completely, but so what? At worst, they would throw punches; after all, he was in a foul mood anyway. Besides, it had been a long time since he put on an imposing front, and if these thugs dared to step out of line, Liu Sheng was more than ready to put them in their place!