CHAPTER 570: CHAPTER 570: DATE

The situation suddenly seemed to reach a stalemate. When the man said they’d talk another day, he hadn’t meant to apologize to Xu Ke and Ariel. He just wanted to gracefully exit the situation with Wen Xin in front of everyone else, never expecting Xu Ke to say such a thing.

At this moment, if he didn’t apologize, it would clearly show Wen Xin that he was just brushing her off. But apologizing publicly would be like putting his dignity on the ground for everyone to trample on. Neither choice was advantageous for him.

The expression on the man’s face immediately grew solemn.

"It seems the apology you just mentioned wasn’t sincere, so in that case, we’ll be leaving." Seeing that the man remained silent without any intention to speak, Xu Ke slightly curled his lips, let out a faint scoff from his nose, and was about to leave with Ariel, only to be held back by the man’s grab on his arm.

"Don’t push things too far. Show a little kindness when you act, so you can meet again with goodwill in the future." The man’s face held a smile, but his words came out between gritted teeth one syllable at a time into Xu Ke’s ear.

Because the man’s lips didn’t move much and his voice was low, only Xu Ke heard what he said.

Upon hearing what sounded like a threat, Xu Ke blinked, and the look of disdain was practically tangible, ready to leap from his eyes.

"Don’t think just because Miss Wen is backing you, you can act arrogantly. Friends can fall out, and you’ll find yourself alone someday." If the earlier words were akin to a veiled threat, now the man was overtly threatening.

"Then when that day truly comes, you can come show off in front of me." Xu Ke whispered in reply.

"Using borrowed power comes with a price, a price not everyone can afford," the man’s words were delivered with an unmistakably thick sense of gritted teeth.

"I think I can afford that price. No need for you to worry on my behalf. Are you going to apologize or not? If not, then step aside; my girlfriend and I need to leave." Xu Ke glanced at the man’s hand still on his arm and said.

The man’s anger from Xu Ke’s words almost left him breathless, "You are ruthless!" The last two words were squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an uncountable amount of fury.

The man looked at the gently smiling Wen Xin standing behind Xu Ke, then at the others focusing on the situation, his lips quivered twice. Although he thought about closing his eyes and just trying to apologize to avoid angering the Wen Family, it was as if his mouth was sewn shut, and he couldn’t open it to speak.

"It seems you still don’t intend to speak, so let’s just leave it." Xu Ke moved his arm slightly and easily freed it from the man’s grasp.

This time, the man didn’t stop Xu Ke, and the people around them made way for the pair. It could be said that Xu Ke and Ariel had become famous in Yunzhou’s upper society overnight, but the two involved seemed entirely unfazed by the result.

"Why was she standing up for us earlier? Could it be Stockholm syndrome? Or gratitude for helping her restrain her father so she could beat him up?" After leaving the party, the evening breeze was a bit chilly on their bodies. Xu Ke took off his suit jacket and draped it over Ariel to keep her warm.

"Just because she spoke for us doesn’t mean she was standing up for us," Xu Ke replied.

"What’s that supposed to mean? Do you think she has some scheme?" Ariel asked, contemplating carefully and recalling the details, trying to figure out where Wen Xin might be acting oddly and planning revenge against them. Unknown things always held a certain allure for Ariel.

"I don’t know if there’s any scheme, just that her reaction today seemed very off." Xu Ke confessed he didn’t know what Wen Xin intended to do, but he had a gut feeling that her reactions today were odd.

"Let’s forget about it; we can handle whatever comes our way. It’s just Wen Family and Wen Xin after all. They won’t be able to stir things up too much." Xu Ke pinched Ariel’s soft cheek and said.

Upon hearing Xu Ke say to forget about it, Ariel immediately erased the thoughts from her mind, and in that instant, she felt an exhilarating thrill, like a lottery draw, both stimulating and full of anticipation.

In the days that followed, the pair stopped thinking about what Wen Xin did that day, and Ariel almost forgot such a person existed when Wen Xin reappeared in their lives, one week after the party.

"The Wen Family declared bankruptcy, did you know?" When Ariel saw this news on her phone early in the morning, she almost wasted the facial mask on her face, but her quick reflexes helped her control her expression in time.

"Not just that, Mr. Wen was also arrested by the police. There are even pictures online." Ariel said while holding up her phone to show Xu Ke the pictures posted online.

"I wonder if he still has money to fix his nose now. Just thinking about him possibly living with a rotten nose makes him a bit uglier." As Ariel said this, her expression was particularly disdainful.

As if remembering something, Ariel’s eyes suddenly lit up, and her tone held a subtle excitement as she spoke, "Who would have thought she could actually pull this off? I thought she was a sweet little flower, but she turns out to be a man-eating predator flower."

After straightening his clothes in front of the mirror, Xu Ke bent down and kissed Ariel’s hair, speaking, "No matter what she is, she’s just a backdrop before you; through my eyes, you’re the truly unparalleled one in the world. Oh, your face mask time is up, you should wash it off." Xu Ke reminded Ariel after checking the time.

Ariel indeed got diverted, and with one leap, she went to the bathroom to clean off the mask, then put on makeup. Today was a rare day when Xu Ke managed to free up time for their date, and she couldn’t let anything ruin it.

Singing softly to herself, Ariel began applying her makeup.

Originally, she wanted to go for a striking look, but thinking that her usual makeup wasn’t exactly subtle, she wondered whether Xu Ke might be tired of it, though she herself was tired of it. With that thought, she moved the eye shadow brush from the red shade to the earth tones.

Perhaps due to her natural beauty, Ariel’s makeup process was quick. In no time, she finished her makeup and changed outfits, twirling in front of Xu Ke.

"Do I look good today?" Ariel asked.

"You look great!" Xu Ke nodded, confirming her with a definitive answer.

Ariel discarded her favorite lipstick shade, choosing a mauve lip gloss and applied it thinly, leaving her makeup light and airy, which made her look even younger, her skin dewy as if freshly emerged from water.