Qiao Tian looked extraordinarily handsome after an elaborate makeover. The plaster on the side of his forehead did not affect his charm at all.
There he stood, with a bouquet of red roses.
Tang Youshi followed suit. “Who are you?”
Instantaneously, Qiao Tian tossed the bouquet on the floor. He then pulled Tang Youshi by the collar and gave him a solid punch in the face.
“Who are you?”
“Qiao Tian, stop it!” Ning Jing cried out loud while trying to force them apart.
Qiao Tian shook Tang Youshi off so that he could look at Ning Jing properly. It must have been an illusion. Ning Jing would never smile at anyone else so affectionately.
“Love, did your family continue to pester you with blind dates again?” Qiao Tian’s heart ached for her.
Ning Jing was reduced to silence for a moment. It was difficult for her to explain, now that both of them were present.
The slightest mistake would cause her to lose both men.
“What blind date? Jing Jing is my girlfriend!” Tang Youshi howled his displeasure at the intruder who had just wounded his lips. Hurriedly, he picked up the phone to lodge a police report.
Girlfriend? Qiao Tian was completely lost. “Ning Jing, what’s going on?”
“Qiao Tian, I… I…” Ning Jing stammered while looking at him with a miserable expression.
Meanwhile, Qiao Tian still thought that she was here under duress. “Don’t worry. I know that you must’ve been threatened! Let’s leave this place now!”
Tang Youshi saw their interaction and was alarmed. He fixed an unwavering stare at Ning Jing and said, “Jing Jing, why are you afraid of this gangster? Don’t worry. The security will be here anytime soon.”
After a moment of thought, Ning Jing finally shook off Qiao Tian’s restraining hand. “Qiao Tian, you should go back!”
“Are you really friends with this gangster?” Tang Youshi felt as if he had been fooled.
“Youshi, it’s not what you think. I…” Qiao Tian watched in bafflement as Ning Jing tried to explain to Tang Youshi. That was when the security finally came to interrupt them. Under Tang Youshi’s insistent request, they proceeded to remove Qiao Tian from the property.
“Don’t touch me! Ning Jing, talk to me! What’s happening here?” Qiao Tian cried.
“Qiao Tian, can’t you see it already? She’s dating both of you at the same time!” Ye Qiao showed up just in time. Her brother had been terribly blinded by love that he could not see what was going on right under his nose. She then glanced at Ning Jing, who looked angelic in her white top. She acknowledged her presence with a condescending sneer.
Tang Youshi was astounded by Ye Qiao’s beauty the moment she walked through the door. She looked remarkably radiant, though she was only dressed in a simple top-and-pants outfit.
He took another look at Ning Jing and finally had a clue of what was going on. “Ning Jing, you two have been together for long, haven’t you?” Tang Youshi questioned her with a hint of sarcasm.
“They’ve been together for three years,” Ye Qiao added.
“I…”
“Very well played, Ning Jing! I was never told that you had a boyfriend! You were the one who invited me here tonight!” Tang Youshi added to the insult.
Ning Jing flushed crimson with embarrassment and stood abashed at their criticism. Helplessly, she glanced at Qiao Tian for a way out.
Qiao Tian cursed out of rage before flipping the dinner table. Impulsively he seized Ning Jing by the throat. “Why? Ning Jing, what am I to you?”
He risked everything for her, even putting his college diploma and his life at stake.
“Qiao Tian! Let go of her!” Ye Qiao was worried that he might actually kill Ning Jing out of impulse. By then, his life would truly be over. He should not trade his life for the death of a woman who had never loved him.
Nonetheless, Qiao Tian was already clouded by hatred to the point where Ning Jing was beginning to experience severe difficulty in breathing.
Without any other choice, Ye Qiao took the baton from the security guard and hit Qiao Tian on the back.
The pain finally reminded him to let go.
Ning Jing fell to the ground and started coughing violently. Meanwhile, Qiao Tian wanted to choke her some more, but Ye Qiao immediately stepped in. “Brother, do you want to make more mistakes? You’ve stopped going home and even ignored your parents. Did you know that our father almost lost his life?”
