<h4>Chapter 199: The Young Lady Is Drunk</h4>


    Li Xiaofei hesitated for a moment before answering the call.


    "Hey,e out and have a drink with me," said Tan Qingying. Her voice sounded somewhat weary, with a hint of something off.


    "Alright. Send me the location," said Li Xiaofei without hesitation.


    It was perfect timing, as the massage was almost finished.


    ***


    <i>At the Sweetheart Bar, a high-end, private lounge in the city center.</i>


    "Miss, care to join me for a drink? It''s on me." A man, who fancied himself as suave, approached the beautiful girl sitting alone at the bar and drinking in silence. He tried to sound gentlemanly.


    Tan Qingying coldly replied without turning her head, "Get lost."


    "Haha, a feisty one. I like that." The man chuckled lightly as he slid into the seat beside her. "Do you have any idea how many women dream of getting into my bed? Haha, myst name is Ye. Would you like to know who I am?"


    "Do you know who she is?"


    A voice interrupted him. Li Xiaofei had just arrived. When he witnessed the scene, he decided to step in. The man turned to size up Li Xiaofei.


    When he saw Li Xiaofei’s ordinary clothes, he felt a wave of disdain and sneered, "And who is she?"


    Li Xiaofei calmly responded, "Herst name is Tan."


    "So what if herst name is Tan?" The man sneered, then suddenly froze. "Tan...?"


    He suddenly paled. He had heard stories about a beautiful girl with thest name Tan with pink hair and a rebellious aura. It didn’t take long for him to put two and two together.


    Instantly, his body was covered in cold sweat. He stood up and apologized, "I''m sorry... I didn''t know..."


    "Just leave," Li Xiaofei waved him off dismissively.


    The man nced at Li Xiaofei, a flicker of resentment shing deep in his eyes.


    <i>I''m afraid of the Tan family heiress, not you. How dare you, in those shabby clothes, talk to me like that?</i>


    He silently memorized Li Xiaofei''s face as he turned and left unwillingly. However, instead of leavingpletely, he settled into a dimly lit booth nearby, quietly observing them from the shadows.


    Li Xiaofei took a seat next to Tan Qingying and asked, "Why are you out drinking alone sote?"


    This Sweetheart Bar was located in the prime area of the Liuhe Base City''s core central business district. Only luxury cars lined the entrance, and the patrons were all wealthy and influential.


    Li Xiaofei had followed the navigation for quite some time before finally finding the ce. When he arrived at the door, the security guards had stopped him, iming that his attire was inappropriate for entry. He had had no choice but to use his mental maniption technique to gain ess.


    Once he was inside, he was greeted by a scene of extravagant indulgence. It was an opulent den of excess. Luxuries that were nearly impossible to find outside were casually disyed here. Even various types of alcohol were in abundance, a rare sight in this era where bars themselves had be symbols of luxury.


    "Not in a good mood," Tan Qingying said, pulling off her pink wig to reveal her sleek ck hair. "But let''s not talk about that. By the way, did you get your matters sorted out?"


    Li Xiaofei nodded.


    He waved to the bartender, ordering two sses of a threeyered cocktail, and said, "All sorted. What''s bothering you? Tell me about it."


    Tan Qingying rubbed her head and said, "My family wants me to go to university."


    "That''s a good thing," Li Xiaofei replied.


    He had never asked whether Tan Qingying was in school or just idling away her time. After all, she always seemed to have plenty of time since she was always cheerful and carefree.


    "Good? What''s good about it?" Tan Qingying grumbled, "Going to university means I have to leave Liuhe Base City."


    "I see. But leaving temporarily for your studies isn''t the worst thing," Li Xiaofei suggested.


    Tan Qingying shot him a fierce re, clearly displeased with his answer.


    Li Xiaofei asked, "What does Uncle Tan say?"


    Tan Qingying huffed, "The old man wants to keep me here, but the problem is, he doesn''t have any say in the matter."


    <i>Even the city leader doesn''t have a say?</i>


    Li Xiaofei was taken aback. But then he recalled what Xiao Hongye had mentioned. Tan''s family belonged to a Saint’s lineage. Tan Qingying''s mother''s side was also from a Saint family. If even the city leader had no say in the matter, it was clear this involved the internal decisions of a powerful and influential family.


    "Still, going to university is a good thing," Li Xiaofei said.


    Tan Qingying messed with her hair as she vented her frustration, "Good? What''s good about it? Once I''m there, it’ll be like keeping a pet. I’ll be groomed every day, dressed in clothes I don''t like, forced to wear a mask and interact with people while saying things I don''t mean. In the end, I''ll be trained to be a thoughtless puppet, and nothing more than a pretty vase to show off to outsiders. Eventually, I''ll have to marry someone I don''t even like, just to fulfill the family''s will."


    "That does sound pretty awful," Li Xiaofei admitted as he pushed the three-colored drink toward her. "Here, let’s drink together."


    "Aren''t you going to tell me to drink less?" Tan Qingying asked, her eyes slightly zed.


    "Could I actually stop you?"


    Tan Qingying tilted her head,ughing softly. "Why don''t you try?"


    "Alright then, drinking is bad for your health. How about not drinking?" Li Xiaofei offered.


    "I''ll drink if I want to," Tan Qingying said fiercely. "Who are you to tell me what to do? What are you to me, anyway?"


    She snatched the ss and downed it in one go. Li Xiaofei just stood there, speechless.


    <i>If it weren''t for the fact that your father is Tan Zhenwei, I''d probably be spanking you right now.</i>


    When he saw how drunk she was, Li Xiaofei felt slightly uneasy. His gaze swept across the bar. Sure enough, he spotted the tall, thin man in a dimly lit booth near the dance floor. He was dressed in a ck tailcoat suit and wearing a tall party hat indoors. The dim lighting barely revealed his face, though Li Xiaofei could make out the faint outline of a small mustache at the corners of his mouth. He was lounging on the booth sofa, puffing on a cigar, with two beautiful women in his arms.


    This man was one of Tan Qingying''s personal bodyguards. The first time Li Xiaofei had seen him was outside the slum, on the night he had shared a meal of old Chen''s stew with Tan Qingying. Since then, Li Xiaofei''s strength had increased many times over and far surpassed where he had been at that time.


    But when Li Xiaofei nced at the strange man in the formal suit and top hat, it still felt like he was staring into an abyss. There was a sense that he might be pulled into a terrifying ck hole at any moment.


    He quickly averted his gaze.


    <i>What realm is this man in?</i>


    After sharing a few more drinks with Tan Qingying, she finally sumbed to the alcohol and copsed into his arms,pletely drunk. Li Xiaofei turned his head to check on the mysterious man, only to be shocked to find that he was no longer in the bar.


    <i>What the...?Where''s the bodyguard? Did he take those two women somewhere to have some fun? </i>


    <i>This is way too irresponsible, abandoning his post like that for a quick fling.</i>


    With Tan Qingying clinging to him like an octopus, Li Xiaofei found himself in a bit of a predicament.


    <i>What should I do now?</i>