The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife-Chapter 478 - 480. Anan’s gift, bar disturbance

In the restaurant, Daniel returned from the restroom, his face betraying no particular emotion. Jin Enxi glanced at him before quickly looking away, "Mr. Daniel, why haven’t you touched your chopsticks today?"

"I’m already full. I haven’t been feeling very hungry lately," Daniel replied, a faint smile on his face. "Miss Lola, please don’t mind."

Upon hearing this, Jin Enxi expressed her concern, "Why is your appetite off? Are you sick, or is it a stomachache?"

Daniel looked at her intently, "How does Miss Lola know I have a stomach condition, that I suffer from stomach pains?"

Jin Enxi inwardly cursed at her slip of the tongue and managed a slight smile, "I was just guessing. Out of ten workaholics, eight tend to have stomach issues. I didn’t expect to guess correctly."

"Oh? A workaholic? What about me made Miss Lola think I am one?"

"Haha, this is a bit embarrassing, but truth be told, after meeting Mr. Daniel last night, I went back to the hotel and looked you up online. Being able to stand out among your siblings within just two years, taking control of the family affairs, and even further elevating its status without suffering from internal struggles must not only be credited to your hard work but also to the time devoted, right?" Jin Enxi spoke casually as if it was true that she’d just looked him up the night before. What she just mentioned was available online and could easily be found with a simple search. Despite claiming to be embarrassed, her face showed little sign of actually being so.

"Miss Lola is very clever." Daniel said with a smile, acknowledging her logical reasoning.

"I’m full too. What about you, Mr. Daniel?"

"I’m full as well."

"Then let’s go." Jin Enxi waved her hand, "Waiter, check, please."

"The gentleman has already taken care of the bill."

Jin Enxi looked towards Daniel, "Didn’t we agree that it was my treat?"

"I’m practically a Beijinger myself; it doesn’t make sense for me to let you pay. Besides, as a man, how could I let a lady foot the bill? If Miss Lola really wants to treat me, then maybe next time."

Jin Enxi stared at Daniel intently. She always felt there was something odd about him, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it, so she suppressed her lingering questions, "Then, thank you, Mr. Daniel."

"Miss Lola, if you don’t mind me asking, will you be staying in Beijing for a while?"

Jin Enxi nodded, and Daniel continued, "What a coincidence, I happen to be on vacation recently. If Miss Lola doesn’t mind, I could show you around. After all, I have lived in Beijing for so many years and I’m quite familiar with it."

Jin Enxi’s gaze sharpened slightly. Was Daniel starting to suspect her? But she hadn’t shown any flaws, could he really guess it was her just from that conversation? Yet upon thinking it over, it didn’t seem likely — if Daniel truly guessed it was her, he wouldn’t have remained so calm.

Reassured, Jin Enxi smiled and said, "Sure, I hope I won’t be too much trouble for Mr. Daniel." She then sent him a flirty glance, causing Daniel to stiffen slightly, the certainty in his eyes turning into doubt.

After seeing Jin Enxi back to her hotel, Daniel continued to ponder on his way home, this woman named Lola, could she really be Jin Enxi? It seemed ridiculous now— if Jin Enxi had really come back, she wouldn’t hide her identity from him. Moreover, Lola’s smooth skin on the lower back bore no birthmarks; she couldn’t possibly be Jin Enxi. Yet there were moments when Lola seemed so much like Jin Enxi — not in appearance, but in feeling.

Could this completely different face belong to Jin Enxi? Daniel was unsure and also didn’t dare seek confirmation, because if it wasn’t her, he thought he would be disappointed. Moreover, mistaking another woman for Jin Enxi, Daniel felt, was a desecration of Jin Enxi.

Two years ago, Daniel had only known that Jin Enxi had suffered severe injuries, requiring a long period of treatment to heal, but he hadn’t known that she was burned all over her body. Had he known, he wouldn’t be doubting now; he would be certain.

After Daniel left, Jin Enxi lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling. Time truly was the most magical thing in the world, changing people beyond recognition when they least expect it, like her, like Daniel.

Compared to when they first met, the current Daniel seemed even more gentlemanly, exuding the supreme air of nobility from ’Y country.’ All his indifference and ruthlessness were hidden behind that seemingly gentle face, with a hint of detachment and coldness always lurking in the depths of his eyes.

This was something that had never existed in the former Daniel; the former Daniel was a warm person who, regardless of who it was, might not have warmth in his eyes but would definitely not be indifferent. Despite Daniel’s meticulous concealment, Jin Enxi noticed it at a glance. This new Daniel made Jin Enxi feel both familiar and strange. Maybe she should first try to interact more with Daniel, at least to make him understand the person she was now; after all, the change in her was even greater, wasn’t it?

"An, do you think what I’m doing is right?" Jin Enxi looked at Shen Qinglan sitting opposite her and asked softly. In this world, the people she could talk to were few and far between, and in Beijing, Shen Qinglan was the only one she could talk to.

"Enxi, no matter what Daniel becomes, he is still your Daniel, and that has never changed," Shen Qinglan spoke indifferently, her spoon gently stirring her coffee without taking a sip. Coffee is not good for pregnant women, and although it was not yet certain if she was pregnant, what if she was?

"I know," Jin Enxi said with a light smile. "I just suddenly became fearful. After all, his change is actually because of me." If it wasn’t for seeking her out, Daniel would have never returned to his family and accepted his father’s arrangements. For so many years, he had drifted outside, and his identity was unknown to most; it was clear that he disliked his family.

"Enxi, you shouldn’t dwell on it too much."

"An, I want him to recognize me on his own. I want him to understand the person I am now."

"What if Daniel becomes angry when he knows the truth?"

"Then I can only coax him," Jin Enxi said with a laugh. Whether it was the Daniel of now or before, she was confident in her ability to soothe him when he was angry.

This was a matter between Jin Enxi and Daniel. Shen Qinglan did not make any additional judgments. She also wouldn’t take the initiative to inform Daniel that Lola was Jin Enxi since Jin Enxi hoped for him to discover it on his own. So, that was that.

"An, did you just say you received an invitation to Catherine’s wedding?"

Shen Qinglan nodded. Jin Enxi frowned, "What is this Catherine trying to do? Why would she send you an invitation to her wedding? Are you two that close?" Regarding Catherine, Jin Enxi felt extreme distaste; she had never seen such a shameless, vicious woman.

If it were any other daughter from a wealthy family with Catherine’s tactics, she would have been tormented countless times by now.

Shen Qinglan’s eyes were clear and calm, "No matter what she wants to do, it’s best to remain passive."

"You’re really planning to attend?" Jin Enxi asked in surprise.

"They’ve invited me with such sincerity; it would be too impolite not to go. Besides, I want to see what she’s up to. If Catherine tries anything, even if it were Daisy, I wouldn’t give her face."

Well, the latter point was the key.

"Then I’ll go with you," Jin Enxi said, and Shen Qinglan did not refuse.

Since Fu Hengyi was at home, Shen Qinglan did not stay out too long. After discussing everything with Jin Enxi, she went home.

********

Today was Shen Qinglan’s birthday. Fu Hengyi got up early in the morning, and because they had engaged in a "midnight exercise" the previous night, Shen Qinglan slept soundly in the morning, totally unaware that Fu Hengyi had gotten out of bed.

"Shh, Mommy is sleeping. We can’t disturb Mommy, okay?" Fu Hengyi whispered to his son, who was about to knock on the door. Anan nodded his head and also made a shushing gesture.

"Let’s go prepare Mommy’s gifts first, and when Mommy wakes up, we’ll give them to her."

Anan agreed with delight, "Okay. Daddy, what gift shall we prepare for Mommy? I haven’t thought of anything yet." Anan was worried; he knew today was Mommy’s birthday, which Daddy had told him last night during his bath. The last time when it was his birthday, Mommy had prepared a gift for him, so this time Anan wanted to prepare a gift for Mommy too, but he had thought for a long time and still hadn’t decided what to give.

"How about we make a birthday cake for Mommy together?"

Anan’s eyes lit up as he nodded repeatedly, then asked in a hushed voice, "Daddy, can I eat this cake? Just a tiny bit."

Fu Hengyi couldn’t help but chuckle; neither he nor Shen Qinglan were big eaters, so how did their son become such a foodie?

Holding Anan’s hand, they walked into the kitchen, where Aunt Zhao had just started making breakfast. She was surprised to see Anan up so early, "Eh, why is Anan up so soon today?" Usually, he wouldn’t want to get up before eight, and now it was only a little after six.

"Aunt Zhao, today is Mommy’s birthday. I want to help Daddy prepare a birthday gift for Mommy," Anan said in his sweet childish voice.

Hearing this, Aunt Zhao’s face broke into a loving smile, "Our Anan is so good, already thinking of preparing gifts for Mommy. Have you decided what gift to prepare?"

Anan’s small eyes twinkled as he said, "I won’t tell you, what if you tell Mommy? Daddy said we can’t let Mommy know, to give Mommy a... a..." Suddenly, Anan got stuck, forgetting how to say "surprise."

Aunt Zhao couldn’t help but laugh, "Alright, alright, you can tell me later after you’ve finished, okay?"

Anan nodded and looked up at Fu Hengyi, "Daddy."

Fu Hengyi had already started preparing the ingredients. Seeing this, Anan also wanted to help, but he wasn’t tall enough to see the countertop, so Fu Hengyi brought him a small stool to stand on and stayed close by, just in case he fell and needed support.

Anan’s hands were now clean, and Fu Hengyi gave him a small bowl with eggs in it, "Stir the eggs like this," as he demonstrated.

Anan imitated him quite convincingly, but his small size meant he wasn’t stirring very well. However, Fu Hengyi wasn’t really expecting him to do it. He just wanted him to participate and understand the significance of making a gift for Mommy with his own hands.

Fu Hengyi swiftly prepared the other ingredients. He had made a cake before, and although it had been a while, he still remembered the basic steps, and all the ingredients were ready at home, so it was not troublesome.

Half an hour later, the sweet scent of the cake base spread through the kitchen.

Anan twitched his little nose, "Daddy, it smells good." He gazed at the cake base with sparkling eyes, but didn’t reach out for it.

"Don’t get too close. It’s hot," Fu Hengyi cautioned, beginning to prepare the cream.

Anan stared at the cake, not moving an inch, and Fu Hengyi, seeing him almost drooling, couldn’t help but smile, handing him a small cake base he had put in the oven earlier as a treat.

"Can I eat it, Daddy?" Anan didn’t bite into it right away but looked up at Fu Hengyi.

Fu Hengyi nodded, "Go ahead." It was prepared for him anyway; Fu Hengyi hadn’t given it to him earlier for fear it would be too hot.

Anan’s face lit up with joy as he took a bite.

The cake decoration was done by Fu Hengyi holding Anan and completing it together with him.

"It’s beautiful," Anan commented as he looked at the finished cake.

"Let’s hide the cake for now and give Mommy a surprise tonight," Fu Hengyi suggested.

Anan bobbed his little head in agreement, "Okay."

With the cake ready, it was about time for Shen Qinglan to wake up. Just as Fu Hengyi was about to tell Anan to call her, Shen Qinglan came downstairs.

Her eyes lingered on Anan’s face before turning to Fu Hengyi, "What are you two up to so early in the morning? Anan has turned into a little kitty."

It turned out that while they were making noodles earlier, Anan had created a mess, getting his face covered with flour, and Fu Hengyi had been too busy with the other tasks to clean his little face.

Anan didn’t care whether his face was clean or not. Seeing Shen Qinglan, he ran over and took her hand, "Mommy, Daddy and I prepared a gift for you."

Shen Qinglan followed Anan to the dining table and saw a bowl of noodles with some greens and a beautifully fried sunny-side-up egg on top.

"Mommy, happy birthday," Anan said earnestly.

Shen Qinglan felt a warmth in her heart, squatting down to gently hug her son, "Thank you, my treasure. Mommy loves it."

Standing to one side, Fu Hengyi said softly, almost jokingly, "Wife, what about me?" He had made the noodles after all, and this naughty little one had only caused trouble.

Shen Qinglan laughed and hugged Fu Hengyi, "Thank you, husband."

Fu Hengyi kissed her on the cheek, "You eat your noodles first; I’ll take Anan to wash his face."

"Mommy, are they good?" Anan asked as he watched Shen Qinglan eat. She nodded, "Do you want a bite?"

"Yes."

Shen Qinglan fed Anan a bite, and his eyes brightened, "Daddy’s noodles are delicious." Shen Qinglan smiled faintly, of course they were; your daddy is a much better cook than your mommy.

Fu Hengyi watched mother and son share the big bowl of noodles bite by bite until it was finished, his gaze tender. These were the times of peace and happiness he desired most.

After they finished eating, Fu Hengyi somehow produced a bouquet of fresh flowers, "Wife, happy birthday."

Shen Qinglan accepted them and took a sniff, "When did you go buy these?"

Fu Hengyi just smiled, not saying a word. He had gotten up at five in the morning and gone out to buy flowers, then came back to wake Anan and make the cake.

Anan looked up thoughtfully at the fresh flowers in Shen Qinglan’s hands, "Mommy, I want to go to Grandma’s house."

"Okay, Mommy will take you there after a while," Shen Qinglan replied, first finding a vase to arrange the flowers.

When they arrived at the Shen Family home, they ran into Shen Junyu, who was just about to leave, "Brother."

"Junlan, you’ve come at the right time; I was just about to look for you," Shen Junyu said, then took a car key out of his pocket and handed it to her, "Happy birthday."

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow, "Brother, are you giving me another car?"

In the last few years for her birthdays, Shen Junyu’s gifts were either cars or houses. No creativity at all.

Shen Junyu looked slightly embarrassed, "This model is the latest of the year and performs very well. Give it a try."

Shen Qinglan was speechless, "Brother, my garage is already full." Fu Hengyi hadn’t bought any cars in the past few years; all the cars in the garage were hers, and all were gifts from Shen Junyu.

"Then I’ll build another garage for you," Shen Junyu declared boldly, which left Shen Qinglan speechless.

"I told you Qinglan wouldn’t like your gift," Wen Xiyao said with a laugh and a teasing tone. She walked over and took Shen Qinglan’s hand. "Don’t mind your brother, he actually prepared something else for you."

Shen Junyu touched his nose and glanced at the car keys. Sigh, other people’s sisters liked houses and cars, but his sister had no particular hobbies; even if he wanted to give her something, he couldn’t figure out what to give.

Following Wen Xiyao inside, Shen Qinglan had only walked a few steps when she stopped; Anan had run off somewhere.

"It’s fine, he must still be in the house; he can’t have gone far," Wen Xiyao said.

Shen Qinglan thought it made sense, but just as she sat down, she saw Anan running in with a few gardenia flowers in hand. "Mommy, happy birthday."

Looking at the handful of gardenias, Shen Qinglan immediately understood; this little guy must have run off to pick flowers. Fu Hengyi had given her flowers in the morning, and Anan must have taken that to heart, probably planning since then to pick flowers at the Shen Family home.

Wen Xiyao couldn’t help but giggle, "Anan, those were great-grandfather’s favorite flowers you picked; great-grandfather is going to be upset." Those were planted by Granny Shen before she passed, and Old Sir Shen treasured them greatly, always personally pruning, watering, and fertilizing.

Anan looked puzzled, "I can’t pick them?"

"You can’t pick them," Shen Qinglan confirmed. "Anan, hasn’t mommy told you? You shouldn’t pick flowers off the trees."

Anan hung his head, "But I wanted to give mommy a gift, and daddy also picked some." And they were so big, so many flowers, mommy was so happy.

Shen Qinglan lifted Anan onto her lap and patiently explained, "Those were bought by daddy, not picked."

Anan understood the concept of money but not how much it was worth, "If it’s bought, it’s okay?"

"Right, bought is okay, but you can’t pick them yourself, okay? Flowers feel pain too."

Anan didn’t quite understand, but he did remember one thing: mommy liked fresh flowers that were bought.

When Old Sir Shen came downstairs, Anan proactively admitted his mistake. How could Old Sir Shen bear to blame Anan? "It’s okay, it’s just a few flowers. If Anan likes them, he can pick them."

But Anan looked up seriously, "Mommy said not to pick, they will hurt."

Old Sir Shen couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, "Alright, then we won’t pick."

After returning, Shen Qinglan told Fu Hengyi about the incident. Fu Hengyi patted their son’s head, "What a silly boy."

Anan covered his head, glaring at daddy, "Anan’s not silly." His little mouth pouted, clearly not happy with daddy calling him silly.

Fu Hengyi looked at him, "If you’re not silly, who is?"

"Anan’s not silly." The little guy insisted. His vocabulary wasn’t rich, so naturally, he couldn’t outtalk Fu Hengyi. He just stared with big eyes waiting for daddy to react. But after a while, his eyes tired, and with no response from Fu Hengyi, Anan turned around, turned his back on daddy, and sulked on his own.

Shen Qinglan found it amusing to watch; Fu Hengyi always liked to tease Anan. She didn’t know when he developed this bad hobby; he wasn’t like this before, always so loving towards Anan.

"Fu Hengyi, bullying your own son. What would your subordinates think if they saw you? Don’t you care about your image?" Shen Qinglan’s tone was indifferent. Fu Hengyi smiled lightly, "I’m educating him."

Shen Qinglan chuckled and walked away from there. This man always had excuses, and she couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

Fu Hengyi rubbed his nose, glanced at his angry son and wife who didn’t want to bother with him, then turned around to chase after his wife.

Today was Qinglan’s birthday, so naturally both families were going to have dinner together. Anan was still angry with Daddy in the morning, but by the afternoon he had forgotten all about it, and together with Daddy, they brought the birthday cake to Qinglan.

"Mommy, this is the cake Daddy and I made for you, happy birthday," Anan said.

Qinglan looked at the exquisite birthday cake, which was topped with an icing depiction of a family of three, Daddy and Mommy holding their baby, harmonious. A warm smile graced her face as she kissed Anan on the cheek, "Thank you, baby, Mommy loves it."

Anan’s brows lifted in joy, and he cast a triumphant glance at Fu Hengyi as if to say, see, Mommy kissed me and not you, Mommy likes me more.

Fu Hengyi understood his son’s smug little look and felt an itch in his hand. How could he resist the urge to drag the little guy out and spank him?

Shen Junyu’s birthday gift to Qinglan was a loose diamond, a blue diamond with high purity at that. Qinglan only had to think about it to know it must have been Wen Xiyao’s idea; her brother never gave her anything other than houses and cars.

"Mommy, this is my gift to you." Anan ran to get a sheet of paper for Qinglan, on which there was a drawing. It still depicted the family of three, but drawn rather crookedly as if by an unskilled hand. It was clear enough to understand the meaning, it was something Anan had done in the afternoon with Jun Yu’s help.

"This is Daddy, this is Mommy, and this is Anan. Mommy, do you like it?" Anan watched Qinglan with hopeful eyes. Qinglan had thought Anan only prepared gardenias and a cake, she had not expected he would also draw a picture himself, saying she wasn’t affected would be a lie.

"Mommy loves it, this is the best gift Mommy has ever received," Qinglan embraced her son. Anan kissed Qinglan on the face, "Mommy, I love you."

"I love you too, my treasure."

Fu Hengyi watched a certain child sucking up, grinding his teeth secretly, thinking of him as a little apple-polisher.

That evening, Anan refused to go to his own room to sleep and staked his claim on their room instead. Fu Hengyi, coming out of the bathroom, saw the little usurper taking over his side of the bed and snuggling into his wife’s arms, and felt his hand itching again.

Seeing Daddy come out, Anan hugged Mommy’s neck tighter, "Mommy, I want to sleep here." The volume was quite loud, obviously meant for Fu Hengyi to hear.

Fu Hengyi gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, really wanting to toss this little brat out of the room, what could he do?

"Wife, he is already three years old," Fu Hengyi remarked to Qinglan.

Qinglan nodded, "Yes, just three years old."

Okay, so that was consent for Anan to sleep here. Fu Hengyi had no choice but to compromise. Who could defy a wife’s command? But this little rascal, daring to compete with him for his wife’s affection when he so rarely came home, made Fu Hengyi think that little Anan was asking for a spanking.

His gaze lingered on Anan who snuggled closer into his mother’s embrace, giving Fu Hengyi another round of teeth-grinding frustration.

In the middle of the night, Qinglan heard rustling sounds and instinctively woke up, only to see Fu Hengyi carrying Anan out. Qinglan called out to him, "Where are you taking him?"

Fu Hengyi replied, "Taking him back to his own room, don’t worry, I won’t wake him up."

Qinglan: ...Was this a matter of whether or not to wake him? But before she could speak, Fu Hengyi had already carried Anan out and quickly returned.

"This time, we finally don’t have a little third wheel between us," Fu Hengyi sighed.

Qinglan chuckled, "Fu Hengyi, he’s your son."

"He’s still a male. It’s improper for men and women to touch," Fu Hengyi said with utmost seriousness.

Shen Qinglan looked at the childish man in front of her and finally couldn’t help but roll her eyes, "Are you being childish or what."

"I’m only childish because of you," Fu Hengyi stated as if it was the most natural thing, not feeling ashamed at all about competing with his son for attention.

Shen Qinglan: ...

**************

It was two days later when Jin Enxi took the initiative to contact Daniel. Daniel was at Junlan Group, discussing future cooperation plans with Shen Junyu. The branch company in Country Y mainly dealt with jewelry, and so did the Chris Family, making them both partners and competitors at the moment.

Seeing the message from Jin Enxi, Daniel’s lips curled slightly, and Shen Junyu, who was across from him, was curious, "What’s got you so happy?" Although they had met quite a few times before due to Daniel once being Shen Qinglan’s agent, they weren’t very familiar with each other. Now, however, through their partnership, they had become quite well-acquainted.

Daniel chuckled and glanced at the time, "The remainder of the cooperation will be handled by the general manager of my company. He has full authority to represent me."

"You planning to go back to your country?" Shen Junyu asked, surprised.

"Not really, I’m planning to take a break and stay in Beijing for a while. I’ve been working non-stop for the past few years; it’s time to take some rest."

Leaning back on his chair with his hands clasped over his knees, Shen Junyu said, "I get the feeling that Beijing seems more like home to you." His comment was in jest, yet it unintentionally struck a chord with Daniel. To him, the Chris Family was like a vast, decaying machine, reeking of rust and utterly devoid of warmth. The longer he stayed there, the more he felt as though he was being assimilated. Now that he had the chance to come to Beijing, he naturally wanted to take a break.

After all, Daniel had lived in Beijing for so many years and had a house there, so he didn’t need to find a hotel to stay in. After leaving Junlan Group, he went home first, took a shower, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and made sure everything was in order before heading out.

Jin Enxi had invited Daniel for drinks at Charming Color that evening.

When Daniel arrived, Jin Enxi had just gotten there too; this was their third meeting.

Today, Jin Enxi wore a tight-fitting black dress and heavy makeup, which made her look entirely different from their previous encounters. Daniel’s gaze lingered on her bare back for a moment before he took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

Jin Enxi raised an eyebrow, "It’s not cold today."

"Better to wear it, just in case you catch a cold."

Jin Enxi rolled her eyes—catching a cold in June, how laughable—but did not bother to puncture the man’s pretense. A hint of a smile flickered in her eyes, "Let’s go to the bar."

"Not going to a private booth?" Daniel asked.

"You can’t get a clear view of the whole place from a booth. The bar is more interesting," she replied.

Sitting at the bar, Jin Enxi snapped her fingers and called, "Hey, handsome, give me a Vodka."

Daniel frowned, "For the lady, a sweet-tasting cocktail, please. The Vodka is for me."

Jin Enxi looked at Daniel, "Mr. Daniel, do you always make decisions for others without asking for their opinion?"

"It’s not good for girls to drink strong liquor; better to drink less," Daniel explained gently.

A flicker of confusion appeared in Jin Enxi’s eyes. She had a feeling that Daniel was acting strange tonight. Could it be that he already knew her true identity? But that didn’t seem right. She hadn’t approached him in the last two days, and even if Daniel had investigated her behind the scenes, she was confident he wouldn’t have found anything—after all, her current identity was Lola.

The cocktails arrived, and Jin Enxi took a sip, frowned—it turned out that the sweet cocktail was really not to her taste. Vodka was more to her liking. Noticing her gaze at the vodka in Daniel’s hand, Jin Enxi licked her lips provocatively. Daniel caught her glance and after taking a drink, asked, "Miss Lola, what do you think of the cocktail?"

Jin Enxi suddenly leaned closer to Daniel, her tone ambiguous, "Why don’t you have a taste?" As she leaned in, Daniel could smell the faint perfume on her—a scent Enxi never wore, which caused the firm thoughts in Daniel’s heart to waver momentarily.

He leaned back slightly, creating some distance and raised his glass, "I prefer vodka."

Jin Enxi clicked her tongue, "How boring."

Daniel heard her and just smiled without responding before taking another sip of his drink.

Jin Enxi’s gaze swept toward the dance floor, and with a cunning glint in her eyes, she pulled on Daniel saying, "It’s so dull to just drink, let’s go dance." Saying this, she dragged him to the dance floor.

Daniel followed Jin Enxi passively and began to gently sway his body to the music on the dance floor. Daniel only knew ballroom dancing; he was clueless about the kind of dancing done in nightclubs. Seeing him looking stiff and awkward, Enxi chuckled and took Daniel’s hand, shouting in his ear, "Loosen up, you don’t dance like that. Follow me, I’ll show you."

She began to move her body, which was both supple and agile. Gradually, the people around them stopped and watched her dance. Enxi continued to dance while casting seductive glances at Daniel. Her alluring presence was like that of a heavenly creature, making the men around Daniel’s eyes glint with envy, wishing to take his place.

The smile on Daniel’s face faded, and he pulled Jin Enxi out of the dance floor. Enxi, completely confused, asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Miss Lola, do you really enjoy being the center of attention?" Daniel’s tone was sharp.

Jin Enxi was perplexed, "It’s just a dance, what’s wrong with that?"

Of course, there was something wrong, Daniel thought, but he quickly realized he had lost his composure. If Lola were indeed Jin Enxi, it would be fine, but if not, what right did he have to say such things?

"I’m sorry, I lost my composure just now," Daniel said before turning and heading to the bar.

Jin Enxi, still utterly lost, followed him, "Daniel, what exactly was wrong with you just now?" Why did he suddenly become upset? A man’s heart is deeper than the bottom of the sea.

Daniel remained silent, grabbed his glass, and downed his drink in one go, "Another one."

It dawned on Jin Enxi a little too late that she may have taken her joke too far. Just as she was about to speak up, another hand landed on her shoulder, and a drink was placed in front of her, "Beauty, let me buy you a drink."

Enxi’s gaze lingered on the hand on her shoulder for a second before shifting to its owner—a man in his twenties, dressed fashionably and with a carefree expression, who looked like a wealthy second-generation.

"Not very impressive," Enxi’s expression was indifferent. "Also, remove your hand."

The man didn’t take his hand away; instead, he tried to wrap his arm around Jin Enxi, "Don’t be like that, beauty. I saw you dancing just now, you were really good. My dancing isn’t bad either, want to dance together?"

Well, the flirtation had reached her, Jin Enxi’s gaze turned icy, ready to teach the man a lesson. But before she could make her move, Daniel had already removed the man’s hand.

"She said no. Are you deaf or didn’t you hear her?" Daniel’s tone was harsh, clearly angered.

Seeing this, the man arrogantly retorted, "Heh, trying to play the hero? Don’t you look at yourself? Just because you have the face of a foreigner doesn’t mean I’ll hesitate to hit you. If you don’t want to get beaten, then get lost. Or else I’ll show you why the flowers redden like this."

At these words, a flash of anger passed through Jin Enxi’s eyes—quickly overshadowed by the bottle in Daniel’s hand, which he smashed onto the man’s forehead with a crash. Fortunately, the man’s forehead was not cut open, but he was certainly stunned by the unexpected attack. As he came to his senses, he exploded in anger and bellowed, "Buddies, I’m being bullied here, come help me out."