Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Going to the Park to Row a Boat

Not knowing how long she had slept, Gu Xiangyi stretched lazily and woke up from her slumber.

Realizing she was only in her underwear on the bed, she jumped up in fright. Seeing her neatly folded clothes at the bedside and a blanket covering her, she understood it was definitely Xu Xiangbei’s doing, and her heart felt warm.

She thought meeting Xu Xiangbei was a warm dream. The evening sunlight streaming through the window blurred the lines between dream and reality for her.

At Spring Villa, there were several times she drank too much, and it was always Xu Xiangbei who undressed her and covered her with a blanket. Only Xu Xiangbei would fold her clothes so neatly.

She put on her clothes, took out her phone, and was about to call Xu Xiangbei when the door to the room creaked open. Xu Xiangbei walked in carrying two bottles of mineral water.

Tossing a bottle of mineral water to Gu Xiangyi, Xu Xiangbei smiled and said, "You’re awake? You’ve been sleeping for quite a while, from noon until evening."

Feeling delighted inside but wearing a playful accusing expression on her face, Gu Xiangyi pouted and asked, "Did you take advantage of me while undressing me?"

Xu Xiangbei grinned cheekily, "Of course not. I am a gentleman; I wouldn’t do such a sleazy thing."

Gu Xiangyi playfully pouted, "I knew you wouldn’t dare."

"Do you feel better now? Is your head still dizzy?"

Gu Xiangyi’s tolerance for alcohol was much better than that of an average girl. Perhaps frequent drinking had developed her capacity, so even though she’d drunk half a bottle of liquor and was tipsy, she sobered up quickly, and after a nap, the alcohol was mostly absorbed.

Gently snuggling next to Xu Xiangbei, Gu Xiangyi whispered sweetly, "I feel much better. Where have you been?"

Xu Xiangbei smiled and said, "I took a stroll nearby just now and bought some Yanjing specialties to take back for my colleagues. Where do you want to go for fun? Yanjing has so many nice spots that even three days might not be enough to see them all."

Gu Xiangyi tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled faintly, "I want to go to a park with beautiful scenery, preferably one with a lake as clear as a mirror where we can row a boat."

"Rowing a boat in a park? You’re in the right place indeed. There’s Beihai Park next to the hotel, which has a large lake where we can row boats."

Gu Xiangyi’s eyes turned soft and tender, "Do you remember last year at Jiangcheng Park? That day was my birthday, and you took me rowing there. It was the happiest day, so being able to row with you is more fun than anything else."

"Alright then, we’ll go rowing at Beihai Park."

The park wasn’t far from the hotel. After walking over a hundred meters and crossing a small street paved with stone slabs, they saw the park’s fence.

Through the fence, one could see the ancient-style architecture inside the park, with pavilions and terraces, green tiles, red walls, bamboo groves swaying in the wind, and picturesque scenery.

Gu Xiangyi, like a lively child, clutched Xu Xiangbei’s arm, skipping along, occasionally resting her head on Xu Xiangbei’s broad shoulder.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiangbei gently held her small, warm hand as if leading a lost little lamb.

While they were crossing the stone-paved street, there were several quaint shops around, selling antiques, bronze incense burners, and other art pieces.

Xu Xiangbei felt a dull ache in his stomach and searched all over the street for a restroom. Finally, he found a public toilet, and hurriedly ran in.

Gu Xiangyi, on the sidewalk, admired the antique paintings in front of the shops while waiting for Xu Xiangbei.

Two young men with gloomy faces walked over from the opposite side.

The sidewalk was quite spacious, but the two young men insisted on passing by Gu Xiangyi.

Suddenly, Gu Xiangyi bumped into one of them, a guy with yellow hair.

The yellow-haired guy was holding a piece of vivid green jade bracelet, and upon collision, the bracelet fell to the ground with a crack, shattering into pieces.

The yellow-haired guy glared menacingly and grabbed Gu Xiangyi’s arm, "Hey, you broke my treasure; you’re not going anywhere."

Gu Xiangyi had been standing there all along, without the intention of leaving. The sudden turn of events left her pale-faced and stunned on the spot.

She didn’t understand how she could have bumped into the yellow-haired guy, nor how she knocked the bracelet from his hand to the ground and broke it.

The yellow-haired guy, acting like he was in the right, aggressively said, "This bracelet is worth two hundred thousand; you have to pay up."

Gu Xiangyi argued reasonably, her face flushed with anger, "I was just standing here and didn’t move. It wasn’t me who hit him."

The yellow-haired guy’s companion shouted at Gu Xiangyi, "It was you who bumped into him; I saw it. There was no one else around, just the two of you."

A crowd soon gathered, with several people shouting at Gu Xiangyi, "Miss, you broke someone’s belongings; you must pay."

"This jade bracelet is an antique, after all."

Poor Gu Xiangyi, unable to argue against several people, became both scared and angry, and started to cry, tears streaming down her face like raindrops on a pear blossom.

Several guys surrounded her, relentlessly insisting, "Two hundred thousand, not a penny less."

"Pay up."

"Hurry up and pay."

When Xu Xiangbei came out of the restroom, he didn’t see Gu Xiangyi, but noticed a commotion not far away and heard Gu Xiangyi’s cries.

He rushed over immediately.

The yellow-haired guy was still tightly gripping Gu Xiangyi’s sleeve, pointing at her, "If you don’t have the money, call your family to send it..."

Suddenly, a figure flashed by, and the hand gripping Gu Xiangyi’s sleeve was caught by Xu Xiangbei. With a cold smile, Xu Xiangbei squeezed gently.

The yellow-haired guy felt as though his wrist was clamped by a huge iron pincer, causing him to scream in excruciating pain.

The people surrounding Gu Xiangyi, who seemed to be curious onlookers, were actually accomplices of the yellow-haired guy. Seeing their colleague get hit, they raised their fists towards Xu Xiangbei.

These thugs were no match for Xu Xiangbei. Before long, each of them was clutching their wrist, squatting on the ground, crying out.

Xu Xiangbei picked up the shattered bracelet from the ground and sneered, "This piece of junk is worth two hundred thousand? You were clearly trying to scam money."

He shoved the bracelet’s broken pieces into the yellow-haired guy’s mouth, filling it with blood. The guy didn’t dare spit it out; any spit brought a forceful punch back into his mouth from Xu Xiangbei.

The yellow-haired guy and his accomplices, realizing Xu Xiangbei’s fierceness, helped each other up and fled without a trace.

Seeing Gu Xiangyi’s eyes red and swollen from crying, Xu Xiangbei took out a tissue and gently wiped her tears. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

With affection, Xu Xiangbei embraced Gu Xiangyi’s shoulder, "My big beauty, don’t cry anymore; this wasn’t your fault. Those people were just trying to scam money, and I’ve taught them a lesson for you."