Chapter 401 - 332: Poor Boyfriend

"You’re so ungentlemanly. A girl falls right in front of you, and you don’t even offer a hand."

Ni Bingyan had only been gone long enough to use the restroom, but when she returned, there was a beautiful girl in a gold sequin dress beside Sang Yuan.

The girl was youthful and gorgeous, looking to be just in her early twenties. When she was upset, her cheeks puffed out slightly, revealing a hint of baby fat.

She had long, wavy, light-brown hair and wore brown-toned Western-style makeup, complete with coffee-colored gradient nails that made her look a bit more mature, yet still full of life.

After taking a tumble, the girl scrambled back up without a hint of embarrassment. On the contrary, she blinked her large eyes, enhanced with cosmetic contacts, sidled up to Sang Yuan again, and pouted as she quietly chastised him.

Anyone who didn’t know the situation would have assumed the two of them knew each other.

If she had been the slightest bit petty, or if she didn’t trust Sang Yuan so completely, Ni Bingyan would have exploded with jealousy at this scene.

But she just found it amusing.

’She and Sang Yuan arrived together. She leaves for just a moment, and immediately a younger, beautiful girl pounces on him.’

’It’d be a lie to say I don’t feel a little threatened, but I know that with a partner like him, being constantly on guard would just wear me out.’

’I’d rather use that energy to improve myself.’

’What’s yours will be yours, and you can’t force what isn’t.’

It was as if Sang Yuan had radar. The moment she stopped, he immediately turned and walked toward her.

"Hey! I’m talking to you!"

Seeing Ni Bingyan smiling at him, Sang Yuan immediately waved over a nearby waiter.

The waiter was tall with long legs and crossed the distance in two strides.

"Sir, how may I help you?"

"Please call security. I don’t want to be harassed by a stranger. Thank you."

The waiter glanced at the girl, his discomfort obvious. He looked completely at a loss, a rather pitiful sight.

Clearly, he didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire.

Getting mixed up in these sorts of romantic skirmishes, especially, could easily cost him his job.

"Hey?! What is wrong with you?!"

The woman felt deeply humiliated and immediately reached for his arm to argue, but Sang Yuan recoiled two steps, as if trying to avoid being touched by something filthy.

"You’re so disrespectful!"

’To think he looked so gentlemanly, but he’s completely immune to charm.’

The girl turned as well, saw Ni Bingyan, and immediately shot her a defiant look.

"Oh, so you brought a date? She’s not all that, is she."

Ni Bingyan didn’t answer. With a smile, she walked forward, took Sang Yuan’s arm, and let her gaze sweep over the girl from head to toe.

Sometimes, nothing needs to be said. Everyone understood her message.

"You!"

The girl was young, after all, and easily provoked.

Before the conflict could escalate, someone rushed over looking embarrassed and grabbed the girl’s clenched fist.

"Mr. Sang? What’s going on here?"

That day, Ni Bingyan had just finished recording the eleventh episode of her variety show on Hong Kong Island. Happening to have the evening free, she had decided to accompany Sang Yuan to a business reception.

Sang Yuan was usually very low-key and rarely attended such events. He was here this time because he had a project with a partner from Hong Kong Island.

When his partner found out he was on the island, he had enthusiastically invited him, wanting to introduce him to a few friends.

On one hand, it was bad for business to be too aloof; on the other, there was also the matter of Ni Bingyan being smeared online a few days ago.

Thanks to Sang Yuan’s masterful intervention, everything had been resolved perfectly.

He had been quite pleased, until Jiang Sheng, her "ex-boyfriend," popped up, sued that has-been singer, and then posted on Weibo to publicly cut ties, forcefully making his presence known.

This led to many people online lamenting what could have been.

They said Jiang Sheng couldn’t forget their old love, and wouldn’t it be so sweet if the two of them got back together?

When someone had previously claimed Ni Bingyan was his sugar baby, Jiang Sheng had gotten so angry he’d beaten up the paparazzo, almost landing himself in jail. That was true love for you!

Compared to Sang Yuan, the current boyfriend who was so low-key he was practically invisible, Jiang Sheng, the domineering ex with "boyfriend power" to spare, was just so much more appealing to the masses!

And so, a bunch of clueless fans started predicting their doom, hoping Sang Yuan would break up with her soon to make way for Jiang Sheng.

Unbelievable!

Little Sang was absolutely livid!

He was originally supposed to return to Beijing that day, but he stubbornly followed Ni Bingyan to Hong Kong Island instead.

The reason he was attending this business reception was to make a high-profile appearance and stake his claim.

’Childish or not, it’s still better than what a certain someone is doing—hiring a water army to flood the internet with comments about them getting back together.’

’Yes, in my eyes, all those comments are part of a scheme orchestrated by that wimp himself.’

’I absolutely refuse to believe that anyone in the world besides Jiang Sheng could possibly want us to break up.’

’In my view, a man who doesn’t even dare to show up in public with his girlfriend is a total wimp!’

’How could a muddle-headed fool who doesn’t even know what he wants possibly be mentioned in the same breath as me?’

The business reception was quite high-end. The guests were all tycoons and celebrities from the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The companions they brought along were mostly handsome men and beautiful women, and many legitimate media outlets were also present.

The couple made a perfect entrance, and their business discussions went smoothly. If follow-up communications went well, they were sure to sign a few deals.

But halfway through the reception, things unexpectedly went sideways.

The man who ran over was an acquaintance; their business partner had just introduced them in the first half of the reception.

Sang Yuan sighed. "My apologies, Mr. Zhang. This person, whom I don’t know, kept trying to fall onto me. A proper distance should be kept between men and women, so I took a couple of steps back. She then took a nasty spill, got angry, and started hounding me relentlessly. It’s quite vexing, so I wanted to call security."

Mr. Zhang understood the situation at a glance. His face flushed beet red with embarrassment. He grabbed the girl’s hand and started to lash out.

"Didn’t I tell you to have some poise! To be more reserved! How could you be so rash just because you admire Mr. Sang and want to befriend him? Look! Now you’ve caused a misunderstanding!"

The girl looked aggrieved, but no matter how he scolded her, she didn’t dare say a word in rebuttal.

After laying into her, Mr. Zhang turned to explain to Sang Yuan, "So sorry about that! Ah, it’s all my fault. I’m always praising you at home, and my niece has heard so much that she got a little overexcited seeing you in person."

Ni Bingyan raised an eyebrow.

’Oh, my poor boyfriend!’

’He’s practically a walking piece of Tang Seng’s flesh!’

’The man’s intentions were so obvious they might as well have been abacus beads bouncing on his face. Anyone with half a brain could see what was happening.’

Sang Yuan gave him a meaningful look, chuckled dryly, said a simple "Excuse us," and walked away with Ni Bingyan.

After such an incident, the mood was ruined. The two of them took their leave before the reception ended.

The reception was held at a five-star hotel, and the dinner had been delicious. Having eaten their fill, they stepped out into the beautiful night and decided to take a stroll along the coast.

As they walked, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Do you run into situations like that often?"

Sang Yuan was very honest. "Not that often. It’s probably similar to your situation. A lot of people want to pursue me, but most of them know their own limits. The ones who actually make a move are either very well-qualified and confident, or they have no brains and are blinded by lust."

"Hahaha!"

’That summary was pretty narcissistic, but also incredibly astute.’

The waves lapped gently as the two of them walked and laughed in the soft night breeze, feeling a sense of peaceful bliss.

Little did they know, the internet had once again exploded in an uproar.