Blinded by Lust chapter 45

After pocketing his phone, Wu Bie decisively got out of the car. His anger at Huo Zhanyan hadn’t subsided yet, and as he entered the gates of Ting Shi, he almost bumped into someone.

“Sorry.” Wu Bie clasped his hands together, quickly apologizing.

The person instinctively supported Wu Bie’s wrist, speaking in a low voice, “No problem.”

Wu Bie looked up at the sound of the voice, and when he met the man’s eyes, he paused. This face… He had definitely seen it somewhere before. It looked extremely familiar.

The man didn’t seem offended by Wu Bie’s scrutinizing gaze; instead, he raised an eyebrow at him.

“What’s the matter, sir?”

Wu Bie took a step back, making room for the man to pass. “Nothing, please go ahead.”

The man smiled and didn’t hesitate to nod before striding inside.

This was Wu Bie’s first time here, and he wasn’t sure where to go, so he asked a nearby waiter for the location of his private room. He had barely mentioned the room number when the man who had walked away earlier returned.

“How coincidental, we’re in the same room.” The man extended his hand toward Wu Bie. “Huo Zhanxing, and you are?”

Wu Bie was stunned, not because they were sharing a room but because of the man’s name and appearance. Could it really be such a coincidence? How could something like this happen?

“What’s wrong?” Huo Zhanxing looked at Wu Bie with amusement. Today, he knew almost everyone who was coming, but this man was a new face.

Wu Bie snapped out of his daze and quickly shook the man’s hand. “Wu Bie.”

Wu—Bie—

Huo Zhanxing narrowed his eyes, a mysterious smile forming on his lips. He remembered this name. Huo Zhanyan had once insisted that he help gather information about him. What a coincidence.

“Hey, why are you two standing at the door?” Qin Feng interrupted their conversation with a chuckle, throwing his arm around Wu Bie’s shoulders. He said to Huo Zhanxing, “President Huo, this is Wu Bie, my shipping company’s partner. He’s usually out on the ships, so this is his first time meeting our friends.”

While talking, Qin Feng kept an eye on Huo Zhanxing’s expression. He didn’t know what the deal was between Huo Zhanxing and Wu Bie, but judging by Huo Zhanxing’s reaction, he was clearly interested in Wu Bie. Whether they knew each other or not was unclear, but interest was enough to make this trip worthwhile for Wu Bie.

“Wu Bie, this is President Huo Zhanxing.”

The way Huo Zhanxing looked at Wu Bie made him a bit uncomfortable, but out of respect for Qin Feng, he endured it. “President Huo already introduced himself earlier.”

This wasn’t the place to chat, so Qin Feng invited them both into the private room. “Good that you’ve met. Let’s go in; everyone’s waiting for dinner, and we can play a few rounds afterward.”

Since they were already here, Wu Bie couldn’t back out now. Besides, as a man, there was no need to act coy. He followed Qin Feng and Huo Zhanxing into the private room.

Inside, half a table of people stood up the moment they saw Huo Zhanxing. It was clear they were here for him. Wu Bie had initially planned to stay on the sidelines, but after Huo Zhanxing exchanged greetings with everyone, he personally introduced him.

“This is Wu Bie, a partner of Old Qin’s.”

Since Huo Zhanxing introduced him personally, everyone made sure to acknowledge Wu Bie, forcing him to awkwardly greet each person in turn.

When it was time to take their seats, Wu Bie was once again placed next to Huo Zhanxing. While he pretended to be clueless when others offered him drinks, Huo Zhanxing never seemed to leave him out. After one round, Huo Zhanxing called Wu Bie’s name again.

“Mr. Wu, shall we have a drink together?”

There weren’t many things Wu Bie feared, but drinking was something he was truly scared of. If he were to have a drink with everyone at the table, by the second person, he would probably already start acting drunk.

Wu Bie tried to keep his expression as calm as possible and clinked glasses with Huo Zhanxing. “You’re too kind, President Huo.”

Just a small sip of the liquor hit his throat, and the sharp, spicy taste made Wu Bie immediately realize it was baijiu—there was no way he could finish even half a glass.

Huo Zhanxing didn’t mean to make things difficult for Wu Bie. Seeing Wu Bie’s serious expression and his face turning red, it was clear he wasn’t used to drinking. Huo Zhanxing said, “Just drink with me; the others won’t mind as much.”

Relieved by Huo Zhanxing’s words, Wu Bie relaxed a little. With Huo Zhanxing’s backing, no one would intentionally trouble him.

But not long after sitting down, Wu Bie felt a burning sensation rise from his stomach to his head. His face was burning, and he felt dizzy. Everything he looked at had a double image, and after staring for a while, he noticed the liquor bottle said 53% alcohol. This was going to be rough.

After a few more rounds of drinking, Wu Bie’s departure from his seat wasn’t as noticeable. He glanced at the private room’s restroom, but it was occupied. Left with no choice, he asked a server to lead him to the one outside.

As soon as he entered a stall, the alcohol hit him hard, and he rushed to lift the toilet lid, holding onto the wall as he vomited.

…..

“Ge, are you sure you want to go out looking like this?”

Huo Zhanyan adjusted the long hair falling over his chest and asked with a frown, “Does it look bad? Does it seem weird?”

Huo Zhanting shook her head, “It looks great.”

Following Huo Zhanyan’s request, she found a dress that her brother could fit into. High heels were harder to find—after all, it was rare for a woman to have size 45 feet. But even though it was difficult, Huo Zhanting still did her best to help.

Huo Zhanyan studied himself in the mirror. “Are you sure straight men like this kind of makeup?”

Following her second brother’s request, she had to create a pure yet alluring natural beauty look, which was just like he looked now. In straight men’s eyes, it probably seemed like he had no makeup on, but for someone like her who understood makeup, this was a full face. 

“Yes,” Huo Zhanting stared intently at her brother’s face. Though she had no idea what he was up to, he did look quite stunning. “You look great.”

As long as it looked good, that was all that mattered.

Huo Zhanyan checked the time and realized if he didn’t leave soon, he’d be late. Dressed like this, he couldn’t ride a bike—he was afraid the dress would tear at the seams. “Zhanting, did you call me a car?”

“The taxi’s waiting at the door.”

“Alright, I’m off then.” Huo Zhanyan grabbed his bag and hurried out, nearly stumbling.

The driver was getting a bit impatient, wondering if he should leave. Just then, the door of the villa opened, and out stepped a tall, slender beauty with long black hair. The driver’s attitude shifted 180 degrees. As soon as the “beauty” settled into the backseat, the driver eagerly asked, “Where to, miss?”

“Ting Shi.”

The low voice echoed in the car, and the driver thought he had seen a ghost. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Who was speaking?

Huo Zhanyan didn’t know what the driver was searching for. “Drive.”

The driver looked at Huo Zhanyan in shock, his expression complex, and finally managed to stammer out, “Please fasten your seatbelt.”

On the way, Huo Zhanyan tried messaging Wu Bie, but Wu Bie hadn’t blocked him—he just wasn’t responding. There wasn’t even a “typing” notification in their chat. Wu Bie likely hadn’t seen the messages.

Why hadn’t he seen them? Huo Zhanyan boldly speculated: could it be that someone else was with Wu Bie, keeping him occupied?

The more Huo Zhanyan thought about it, the angrier he got. When he got out of the car, he threw a 100-yuan bill at the driver and ignored him when he called out for change.

Huo Zhanyan had only been to Ting Shi once before and didn’t know which private room Wu Bie was in, so he called over a server.

“Excuse me, do you know which private room Wu Bie is in?”

The light sandalwood fragrance coming from Huo Zhanyan was captivating, and the female server blushed when she smelled it. But the moment she heard Huo Zhanyan’s voice, her eyes widened, blinking in disbelief. That voice came from this stunning beauty?

Seeing the dazed look on the server’s face, Huo Zhanyan thought she either couldn’t disclose the room number or didn’t know it. He was about to search for it himself when the server finally spoke.

“That gentleman is still in the restroom, I believe.” The server remembered Wu Bie because he had stood talking with Huo Zhanxing at the entrance of Ting Shi and because she had been the one to take him to the restroom.

“Which restroom?”

The server pointed cautiously at a nearby restroom. “The men’s restroom. It might be inconvenient for you to enter. Should I…?”

Before she could finish, Huo Zhanyan was already lifting his dress and rushing toward the restroom. He hadn’t yet mastered walking in heels, so his hurried steps were wobbly.

At the restroom door, Huo Zhanyan didn’t care if anyone else was inside—he pushed the door open. “Wu Bie!”

Wu Bie was slumped on the toilet seat, feeling weak. Drinking baijiu and throwing up was a miserable experience. After vomiting several times, it felt like the baijiu had seeped into his brain, and every breath he took smelled like alcohol.

If he had drunk a lot, it would have made sense to vomit like this. But he only had a glass! He’d be a laughingstock if anyone found out.

The burning sensation spread from his face to his limbs. He was now restless and anxious, but he hadn’t drunk enough to lose his senses—he still knew what he was doing.

Damn, how was he going to get back later? Should he call a driver or ask Chen Xian for help?

Before he could decide, a familiar voice broke the silence.

“Wu Bie!”

The voice was very familiar and getting closer. Wu Bie wanted to respond, but as soon as he exerted himself, his stomach began to feel uncomfortable again.

“Ugh…”

He leaned against the wall, groaning in pain. The next second, the bathroom door was pushed open from the outside, and a long-haired “beauty” in a long dress appeared in the men’s restroom.

“Hmm?”

Wu Bie squinted his eyes, feeling that this “beauty” looked increasingly familiar. He couldn’t help but blurt out, “Zhanyan?”

The pungent smell of alcohol made Huo Zhanyan wrinkle his brow. He stepped forward and pulled Wu Bie out from inside, then took him to the sink.

“How could you drink so much?”

Wu Bie had a slightly twitching expression. “I just had a glass, half a glass…”

“You know you can’t hold your liquor, yet you still came to drink.” Huo Zhanyan turned on the faucet. “Wash your face.”

With Huo Zhanyan’s support, Wu Bie leaned under the faucet to rinse his mouth and wash his face. The icy cold water stimulated his nerves, and he finally felt a bit clearer. He suddenly lifted his head and splashed Huo Zhanyan with water.

“Be careful.” Huo Zhanyan didn’t blame him; instead, his tone was full of concern.

Wu Bie chuckled, swaying as he bumped into Huo Zhanyan’s arms, cupping his face with both hands, excitedly saying, “Zhanyan?!”