Lin Zhuyin rarely drank, but after a few glasses, her face, ears, and neck were flushed, and she felt quite dizzy.
Emerging from the restroom, she intended to splash some cold water on her face, only to find Fang Tianyi waiting by the washbasin.
"Mr. Fang..."
After a faint greeting, she began to wash her hands.
Fang Tianyi looked at her fair and delicate hands, then leaned in and smiled, "Boss Lin doesn't seem like a florist at all."
The proximity of a stranger made Lin Zhuyin uncomfortable. She instinctively moved aside, quickly finished washing her hands, and started to leave. Suddenly, an arm blocked her path.
Fang Tianyi stood in her way.
"Boss Lin, I feel an instant connection with you. It's too crowded over there, let's find a quiet place to chat privately."
Lin Zhuyin took a few steps back and looked at Fang Tianyi coolly, refusing, "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you."
This was already a clear rejection.
But Fang Tianyi had no intention of giving up.
"People need to interact. How can you know you're not interested if you don't interact?"
Seeing that this man was clearly determined to pester her, Lin Zhuyin regretted staying even more.
If she were to fall out with this man now, what would Gao Ruolan and Shen Liubai think of her?
But she couldn't afford to worry about that anymore.
"Doesn't Mr. Fang understand human language?"
Fang Tianyi hadn't expected a florist to speak to him like that. Women had always obeyed his every whim, flattering him and catering to him.
This woman was too ungrateful.
Seeing Lin Zhuyin about to leave, he stopped caring. He pinned her against the wall, "Lin Zhuyin, it's your good fortune that I fancy you. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Lin Zhuyin's expression turned ugly as she struggled, reaching out to push Fang Tianyi, "Let go of me!"
Fang Tianyi, arrogant and self-assured, thought Lin Zhuyin was playing hard to get. He smiled and leaned his face closer, "You'd better behave. If you follow me, I'll give you lots and lots of money. You won't have to work hard running your flower shop."
Lin Zhuyin detested men who talked to themselves and possessed such arrogant confidence. However, the man's strength was too great; she couldn't break free.
As she saw Fang Tianyi's repulsive mouth move towards her, she gritted her teeth and, with a fierce resolve, bent her knees and slammed them into Fang Tianyi's groin.
"Hiss..."
Fang Tianyi was hit in a sensitive area and gasped in pain, "Damn it, you ungrateful bitch!"
He raised his hand to strike Lin Zhuyin fiercely. Lin Zhuyin tried to dodge, but she was pinned down by Fang Tianyi and couldn't move.
Seeing the slap about to fall, she closed her eyes in fear.
The expected pain didn't come. Instead, she heard Fang Tianyi's pained cry. She abruptly opened her eyes and saw Shen Liubai's stern and terrifying handsome face.
Shen Liubai was squeezing Fang Tianyi's arm painfully. Seeing that it was Shen Liubai, he angrily said, "Liubai, what are you doing? Let go of me!"
Shen Liubai roughly flung him away, "Get lost!"
Fang Tianyi and Shen Liubai knew each other through Gao Ruolan. Those who knew Shen Liubai knew that he was a man who never lost his temper.
He hadn't expected him to be so furious today.
Shen Liubai was, after all, the eldest son of the Shen family. To avoid any misunderstanding from Shen Liubai, he deliberately said, "Liubai, you might have misunderstood. Boss Lin was the one who seduced me first. She winked at me to come to the restroom, and after I came, she pretended..."
"I didn't..."
Lin Zhuyin instinctively started to explain, but meeting Shen Liubai's cold, emotionless black eyes, it felt futile to say anything. She dejectedly fell silent.
Fang Tianyi wasn't aware of the relationship between Shen Liubai and Lin Zhuyin. Seeing Lin Zhuyin with red eyes and not daring to speak, he tidied his clothes and then, as if they were good buddies, patted Shen Liubai on the shoulder.
"Liubai, there's no need for us to fall out over a woman. Besides, Ruolan arranged this gathering today. You wouldn't want her to be in a difficult position because of us, would you!"
Shen Liubai coldly shrugged off Fang Tianyi's hand from his arm, "Firstly, we are merely acquainted, not close. Secondly, Boss Lin is Ruolan's friend. Is it not a bit too much for you to be manhandling her?"
Shen Liubai's words left Fang Tianyi speechless. He hadn't gotten Lin Zhuyin and had been reprimanded by Shen Liubai. His expression was unusually grim.
"Heh... defending this woman so much, aren't you afraid Ruolan will be jealous?"
Fang Tianyi seemed to be speaking from Gao Ruolan's side, but in reality, he was resentful.
"It's none of your business. You just need to know that Boss Lin is not someone you can touch!"
Shen Liubai's expression was extremely cold, and his tone carried a chilling aura. Fang Tianyi frowned, wondering if he was mistaken.
She was just a strange woman. Why did it feel like Shen Liubai was protecting her?
"Still not leaving!"
Fang Tianyi gritted his teeth, wanting to say more but not daring to offend Shen Liubai. He left reluctantly, enduring the pain.
As soon as the man left, Shen Liubai looked at Lin Zhuyin, who was keeping her head down. He was both angry and unsure of what to do with her.
"Can't you see Fang Tianyi is persistent? When you see him, shouldn't you stay away?"
Hearing Shen Liubai's angry voice, Lin Zhuyin felt a surge of grievances with nowhere to express them. How could she not see it? How could she not want to stay away from him?
But Fang Tianyi had cornered her, and his strength was far greater than hers. She had struggled and resisted, what else could she do?
Seeing Lin Zhuyin remain silent, he became even more agitated.
"If I recall correctly, I took Gao Ruolan to your shop to buy flowers. You know who she is, so why did you stay to attend the party? Could it be... you're looking for a sugar daddy here?"
These words clearly hurt Lin Zhuyin. She looked up at Shen Liubai incredulously, "Is this how you see me?"
The moment she spoke, she regretted it.
In Shen Liubai's eyes, she was a deceiver, someone who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, someone who would even sell her body and emotions.
For such a person, finding a sugar daddy here was hardly anything.
She didn't want to hear Shen Liubai's answer. She turned to leave, but the alcohol made her legs weak, and she couldn't walk steadily.
As she passed Shen Liubai, she almost fell, but he caught her, "You know you shouldn't drink, yet you drank so much..."
"You don't need to mind me!"
Lin Zhuyin pushed Shen Liubai away. The alcohol amplified all her emotions. What was once a slight heartache now felt like unbearable pain.
Shen Liubai ignored her rejection and lifted her into his arms.
"If you don't want things to escalate, you'd better behave."
"You..."
At that moment, Gao Ruolan and Fang Tianyi walked over. As soon as Fang Tianyi returned to the venue, he began complaining to Gao Ruolan.
Shen Liubai had ruined his plans, so he shouldn't get away with it either.
Fang Tianyi had expected Gao Ruolan to be angry upon seeing the two embracing. To his surprise, her face showed an expression of amused curiosity, "Oh my, Boss Lin, what happened to you?"