章 36: Chapter 36
編集者: Dragon Boat Translation
Jiang Moxi went to the eighth floor and indeed saw Yu Dingding.
She wore a sapphire blue gown, with her hair styled into a fluffy ponytail cascading over one shoulder, exuding a captivating charm.
Even when she didn't deliberately display her allure, every smile and frown had a captivating effect on people.
Not to mention her current makeup, which emphasized her allure even more.
Almost all the men who came to the eighth floor for entertainment couldn't help but have their eyes fixed on Yu Dingding. Numerous guests wanted her company for drinks.
Just after Jiang Moxi arrived, a guest became forceful, unwilling to let Yu Dingding go to another table after just sitting down, and grabbed her hand.
"I opened so many bottles of wine for you, and you only want to have a few sips with me. Is that appropriate?"
The man puffed out his large belly and his greasy hand tightly grasped Yu Dingding's hand.
Clearly, his rude and boorish behavior was not appreciated by Yu Dingding.
She kept her brows furrowed, but her voice remained polite, and smiled.
"I apologize, but I have too many guests tonight. How about I come over and have a drink with you after I finish this round?"
However, some people, who relied on their wealth and thought highly of themselves, acted arrogantly.
"No, your time tonight belongs to me!"
The portly man spoke and forcefully dragged Yu Dingding towards his reserved area.
Jiang Moxi couldn't bear to watch and was about to step in to pull Yu Dingding back.
However, at that moment, the Nightless City staff intervened.
Even the manager came over to the reserved area.
With persuasion and some intimidation, they finally managed to convince the portly man to let go of Yu Dingding.
When she left that reserved area, Yu Dingding was still rubbing her wrist.
The man's rough actions left a large red mark on her skin, causing some discomfort.
Seeing this, the manager said, "Dingding, go to the rest area and apply some ointment. If we need you later, I'll call you over."
Yu Dingding was often by Ye Chen's side, not just at Nightless City but also at various evening events Ye Chen attended.
Media and magazines even captured photos of Ye Chen openly kissing Yu Dingding at public events.
As a result, rumors spread, claiming that Yu Dingding was the favorite blossom in Ye Chen's bountiful garden.
Regardless of how much Yu Dingding meant to Ye Chen personally, the staff at Nightless City knew well that she must not encounter any mishaps.
After all, there have been incidents in the past where Yu Dingding was asked to accompany Ye Chen to the eighth floor.
But after a few days, Ye Chen would still bring her back to his side.
So, all of them felt that Yu Dingding wouldn't stay here for long.
However, if she were to be harmed here, they would have a hard time dealing with the consequences.
Yu Dingding felt genuine pain in her wrist from the twisting, so she refrained from resisting or pushing him away.
As she walked towards the rest area, she saw Jiang Moxi and was slightly surprised.
"Why are you down here?"
"Young Master Ye told me you were here and asked me to find you."
"That's good. I thought you might have been sent to the eighth floor too." Yu Dingding visibly relaxed.
"Are you okay?"
Jiang Moxi held Yu Dingding's hand and checked; underneath the red marks on her fair wrist, there were faint traces of purple.
Yu Dingding shrugged it off. "It's nothing. A little foundation will cover it up tomorrow."
Then, Yu Dingding took Jiang Moxi to the rest area, and they chatted while sipping their fruit juices.
During their chat, Jiang Moxi couldn't help but ask the question on her mind.
"How did you end up on the eighth floor?"
Though the people on the eighth floor were also wealthy and influential, they were generally unreasonable characters.
Staying here was risky and dangerous.
If one accidentally offended them, they could face anything from a mere beating to life-threatening consequences.
Besides, from what Jiang Moxi had observed, even though Yu Dingding and Ye Chen weren't involved romantically, there seemed to be some feelings between them.
"Since I didn't sleep with him, I'm bound to be suppressed!"
Yu Dingding maintained her nonchalant demeanor, even adding a playful tone to her response.
Seeing Jiang Moxi's puzzled expression, she added, "I'm just kidding. My relationship with him is not as good as you might think. Working at Nightless City is all thanks to him!"
Perhaps it had been a long time since she had made a friend, and encountering someone like Jiang Moxi, who didn't look down on her, made her want to confide in her.
Maybe it was also because she was once again forced by Ye Chen to accompany guests on this deceptive floor, leaving her filled with dissatisfaction and grievances.
Yu Dingding shared her past with Jiang Moxi...
As it turned out, Yu Dingding used to be the young miss of the Yu Family in Di City.
Though the Yu Family wasn't considered a top-tier noble family, they were still at a relatively high level.
Yu Dingding was the only daughter of the Yu Family and was considered quite beautiful, which made her a prime target for numerous suitors among Di City's socialites.
Among those suitors was Mo Yifeng, whose family background was on par with Yu Dingding's. They got along well and quickly entered a relationship.
However, Mo Yifeng had a crazy pursuer from a top-tier noble family, Qin Shuang.
Upon learning that Mo Yifeng and Yu Dingding were in a relationship, Qin Shuang went mad, even attempting suicide by cutting her wrists.
After pulling Qin Shuang back from the brink of death, the Qin Family began to ruthlessly suppress the Yu Family.
In the end, the Yu Family went bankrupt.
The Qin Family thought that with the Yu Family's bankruptcy, Mo Yifeng would naturally break up with Yu Dingding.
However, this only strengthened Mo Yifeng's determination to stay with Yu Dingding, and they even eloped together.
Qin Shuang, once again, resorted to crying, causing scenes, and even attempting suicide. Her admirer, Ye Chen, was thoroughly provoked.
Using a radical measure, Ye Chen made Yu Dingding's father shoulder billions of debts, leading him to end up in jail.
Unable to bear seeing her father, who had turned white-haired, suffer in prison, Yu Dingding agreed to accompany Ye Chen to Nightless City, becoming a courtesan to repay the debt and completely severing Mo Yifeng's fantasies about her.
"Where's Moyi Feng? Didn't he come to find you?" Jiang Moxi inquired.
"No, he didn't. I heard that half a year after I arrived in Yan City, he got engaged to Qin Shuang. They might even have children by now," Yu Dingding mentioned, her gaze drifting to the bustling city lights outside the window, looking somewhat absent-minded.
"Do you feel sad about it?" Jiang Moxi asked her.
"At first, I was a little sad, and there were moments when I shed tears in the quiet of the night. But later, I came to understand that being sad and shedding tears are as useless as love itself."
Yu Dingding turned to look at Jiang Moxi and smiled, saying, "I'd rather use this time to strengthen my relationships with clients and earn more money to get my father out of prison sooner!"
Listening to Yu Dingding's words, Jiang Moxi couldn't help but feel a sense of belated connection.
"Indeed. If you don't have something, you won't worry about losing it. If you don't possess it, you won't struggle to let go." Yu Dingding immediately picked up her juice glass and clinked it with Jiang Moxi's.
"That's right, not expecting love means no man can hurt us."
It was on this night that the friendship between the two girls was once again elevated.
-- 贈り物
が届きました