Shi Xue was beyond shocked because she heard her own name coming from his mouth.
'Did he figure out my identity??? But wait.. that's impossible, I never took off this mask!! Then why..." she struggled and finally broke free from his embrace.
Ze Yang chuckled, "Sorry, you reminded me too much of my ex-girlfriend. She died from an accident and I miss her dearly. Your aura and figure is too much like hers. Actually, even the way it feels when I hug you is very similar to her. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself earlier, my name is Ku Ze Yang. May I have the pleasure to know your name?"
Shi Xue looked at him coldly and shook her head. She placed her hands behind her back and quickly dialed for Zhi Hei's number. She saved him as his favorites so when she presses the number 1, her phone would quickly dial his number. She made sure that her back was leaning onto the wall so Ze yang had no chance of snatching her phone or grabbing her again.
Ze Yang sensed her strong guard and looked at her amusingly, "Oh? Are you trying to play Cinderella? Leaving at a certain time and disappearing from the prince? Are you going to leave after leaving me a hug and then disappear from me to catch my attention? Well, you've already caught my attention, so you've succeeded, princess." he smirked.
Shi Xue's body began to tremble as she started recalling memories of them in the past. She was afraid of this man because of his sadistic actions in the past and abusive nature to the point that he would kill her.
After the call went through and Zhi Hei picked up, he sensed something was wrong. Hui Yan had accompanied Shi Xue to the restroom, so unless there are emergencies, Shi Xue wouldn't have called him. He picked up the call and waited for a response from Shi Xue's side. His expression turned cold and murderous when he heard Ze Yang's voice on the other side of the call. Zhi Hei quickly excused Shen Qi from the business partners and informed him of the emergency. Both of them raced to the restroom hoping to find Shi Xue and Hui Yan unharmed.
When they turned the corner that reached the restroom hallway, they ran into two familiar figures.
Zhi Hei and Shen Qi stopped just in time before bumping into the two girls.
Zhi Hei quickly examined Shi Xue all over and asked her anxiously if she was alright. She looked slightly pale and reacted with a tight hug around his waist. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair to calm her down. "It's alright.. everything is alright now.."
Seeing Shi Xue this frightened, Shen Qi quickly checked Hui Yan's condition. From Zhi Hei's short description, Shi Xue was alone with Ze Yang. In order for them to be alone, then that meant there is a chance that Hui Yan was harmed or wasn't there. After confirming that she was alright, Shen Qi hugged her tightly and gave a sigh of relief. "Seems like even when you two go to the restroom, one of us should accompany the both of you."
Hui Yan moved slightly and groaned a little in pain. Shen Qi loosened his hug and examined her "What's wrong? Where does it hurt??"
Hui Yan rubbed her reddened knee and looked at Shen Qi for comfort. After examining her knee and ensuring that it was alright, he carried her to the resting lounge for VIP guests. Zhi Hei also followed along to the resting area because Shi Xue was still in shock.
-Resting Lounge-
Zhi Hei never let Shi Xue out of his embrace. He felt her body trembling and his heart ached. He blamed himself for not following along. "what happened?" he whispered gently.
Shi Xue bit her lips, "I'm sorry. I'm weak. I got scared when he approached me while I was waiting for Hui Yan outside of the restroom. He tried to make a move on me when I remained silent. He pulled me in for a hug and I struggled to break free. Afterwards he mentioned... my name and said I looked like his dead girlfriend... of course I do, I am her."
Hui Yan interrupted her story, "That's where I came into the picture. I walked out to see sister in law being cornered by that bastard! So ~ I made him pay. Gave him a pleasurable knee aim straight on the balls. He groaned in pain and still dared to hold onto sister in law's ankle, so I brutally slapped his face. My knee went red from scraping against his poorly made pants. Such low quality clothing. Ah right, we pushed him into the girls bathroom too. He should have some fun in there!"
Shen Qi helped Hui Yan sanitize her hands and knee before hugging her tightly.
Her ears were on his chest hearing his racing heartbeat. "Your heart's racing."
"I was worried."
"Hehe, Don't worry... how many men bowed beneath my foot huh? he won't be an exception. Only you would ever be an exception."
Shi Xue looked at the silent Zhi Hei, "It's good that I encountered his shamelessness again. I will make myself grow stronger from each encounter. I won't let myself feel fear again. Against these wicked people, fear will only be my weakness. I will make them fear me instead."
Zhi Hei replied, "mmm. I'm always here for you. Sorry, I should've gone with you earlier."
She smiled slightly, "What's with the sorry? I would have to encounter them either sooner or later so why not get used to it right now. Right now, I still have a mask on. When the mask comes off, there'll be more trouble rushes to my side. I should learn to confront them. I can't always be a pretty flower in a protective cage right? I need to match up with my beauty and become stronger. This way I'll match you perfectly."
"You're already perfect. No need to change." he kissed her forehead and tightened his embrace.
"Let's head back to the party later."
"Why?"
"Because the Shi's didn't reveal their motives for the invitation yet." she smiled wickedly.