Chapter 028: Bullying

Cheng Xiao's sudden surge in loyalty stemmed from her naive belief that Lu Yuan's choice to prioritize her over the others proved genuine care. To Lu Yuan, this was a welcome but baffling development.

After exiting the club, Lu Yuan summoned the hotel's Rolls-Royce Phantom.

"Wow! A Phantom!" Fei Fei gasped theatrically, flanked by equally performative oohs from Li Ke'er and Du Juan.

"Xiao Zhao," Lu Yuan instructed the driver, "take these three to the Waldorf. I'll handle the rest."

The driver's envious glance at the trio went unnoticed as they piled into the luxury vehicle. Li Ke'er pouted through the window: "Don't keep us waiting too long, Brother Lu!"

"Order whatever you want at the hotel," Lu Yuan replied, grazing her cheek.

The moment the Rolls-Royce disappeared, the trio's wistful expressions evaporated. Phones emerged like drawn weapons, their screens flooding with angled selfies against leather seats.

——

Arm-in-arm with Lu Yuan, Cheng Xiao tilted her head. "Where are we staying, then?"

"Another presidential suite, obviously," Lu Yuan chuckled.

Her eyes widened in delayed comprehension. "Oh! Right!"

The artless reaction stirred something protective in him. "Hungry? Want to grab a bite first?"

Cheng Xiao brightened. "There's a 24-hour barbecue joint around the corner!"

The smoky eatery buzzed with midnight diners. Cheng Xiao navigated the tablet menu with practiced ease. "Their prices are student-friendly," she explained. "My broke days relied on this place."

"Why choose club work?" Lu Yuan probed gently.

Her fingers stilled on the screen. "Rebellion, I guess."

Before he could question further, she squared her shoulders dramatically. "Brother Lu, do you think my figure's good?"

The loaded question hung between them as sizzling skewers arrived.

"Yes," Lu Yuan answered honestly.

Cheng Xiao's laugh held razor edges. "I'd carve these off if I could."

His chopsticks froze mid-air.

"Third grade," she began, staring at the lamb fat dripping onto hot coals. "Taller than every girl. Developed earlier." Her voice flattened into clinical detachment. "'Vixen' became my nickname before I knew what it meant."

Lu Yuan's knuckles whitened around his utensils.

"By fourth grade," she continued, "the PE teacher enlisted me for track. I thought…maybe winning would make them like me." A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Trained alone after school…until the boys came."

The barbecue smoke thickened.

"At first, I thought they were cheering me on." Her chopsticks stabbed a mushroom violently. "Turns out they were timing my…bounce."

The vulgar mimicry of boyish voices followed:

"Cheng Xiao's tits actually jiggle!"

"Look at that slutty fox spirit panting!"

Lu Yuan's stomach churned. These weren't hormonal teens—they were fourth graders weaponizing cruelty.

"I quit the race," she shrugged. "Started hunching to hide these." Her palm smacked her chest bitterly. "Didn't work. Still 'vixen' in college. Still their jerk-off material."

The skewers lay forgotten as her gaze sharpened. "So I took the club job. Let them see their fantasy's unattainable."

Lu Yuan recognized the lie—this wasn't empowerment but self-flagellation. Her loyalty metric flickered to [Loyalty: Level 3] as she spoke, the system detecting subconscious relief at being seen.

"They're idiots," Lu Yuan stated with finality. "Your body's not a sin."

Cheng Xiao blinked, vulnerability piercing her hardened facade. For the first time all night, she looked her age—a wounded fawn masquerading as a tigress.

The system chimed:

[New Quest: Heal the Wounded]

[Objective: Restore Cheng Xiao's Self-Worth]

[Reward: ???]

Lu Yuan signaled for the check. The real battle wasn't in boardrooms or nightclubs, but in dismantling the poison ivy of shame strangling this girl's soul.