Chapter 77
The car pulled up at the bar entrance.
Hearing the deafening music blasting from inside, I couldn't help but twitch my lips.
"So, this is the great place you were talking about?"
"Yeah! There are lots of people here, it's lively, and basically everyone's around our age, so we can all chat. Isn't that a great place?"
Lily smiled and nodded hard.
I stared at her suspiciously and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Of course!" Lily didn't hesitate.
Before I could say anything else, she pulled me out of the car and headed toward the bar.
"You don't have to look after Jessica today, so isn't this the perfect chance to relax? Who knows, you might even find a guy you like!" Lily said cheerfully.
Seeing I didn't seem to react, Lily narrowed her eyes, looked me over, and asked tentatively, "You're not still planning to stay faithful to Jason, are you?"
I lowered my eyes to avoid her gaze and shook my head. "No."
I just wanted to live a good life with Jessica.
As for anything else, I didn't dare hope for it.
"Alright, alright, don't be so serious," Lily came closer and gave me a gentle hug. "This isn't doing you any good. Come on, relax a little."
She whispered in my ear, "Besides, you're single now!"
I helplessly raised my hand to cover her mouth. "Okay, okay, stop talking."
If she kept going, things would get even more out of hand.
Lily blinked and shut her mouth.
Without giving me a chance to refuse, she pulled me into the bar.
Instantly, the loud music with its strong beat filled my ears.
I frowned and lowered my head, a bit uncomfortable.
Lily was a regular here. She easily led me to a booth, then casually grabbed a cute guy to chat with.
After a few drinks, her pretty face flushed slightly, looking especially attractive under the dim lights.
I didn't really like it here, but I didn't want to ruin Lily's fun, so I sat quietly in the booth drinking juice.
Just then, an angry voice cut in, "So this is where you are! What are you doing?"
Lily's arm was grabbed hard by a handsome-looking man.
The man's brows were tightly knit, his eyes practically shooting flames.
Who was this?
I turned my head to look at Lily.
Lily obviously knew him. The smile on her face had a guilty edge to it. "Having a drink, obviously."
"I've been looking for you forever, couldn't find you anywhere, and here you are chatting with another guy. Come with me now."
As the man spoke, he pulled Lily to leave.
I quickly stopped him. "Wait! Where are you taking her?"
Only then did the man notice me, a flash of surprise crossing his face. "What are you doing here? Does Jason know?"
Lily turned to look at me, confused.
I finally remembered who this guy was Ryan, Jason's friend.
I'd seen him once before at Bayflower Club.
The lighting here was dim, so I didn't recognize him at first glance.
Who would've thought I'd run into Jason's friend at a bar? Was the world really that small?
"Looks like this beautiful lady doesn't know your name yet."
Another man walked over and patted Ryan's shoulder jokingly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Richard, and this is Ryan. We're both good friends of Jason's."
Richard was clearly directing that last sentence at me.
His eyes held undisguised hostility and contempt, making me very uncomfortable.
Ryan's gaze shifted between Lily and me, then he said to Richard, "Keep an eye on her. I've got something to take care of right now."
With that, he immediately dragged Lily away.
Richard sat down in Lily's previous spot.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the juice in front of me, raising an eyebrow. "Coming to a bar and drinking juice instead of alcohol?"
"I'll drink whatever I want. What's it to you?"
I still remembered how he'd mocked me at Bayflower Club.
Richard paused, clearly not expecting me to hold such a grudge.
"If it weren't for Jason, I wouldn't bother looking after you."
I rolled my eyes. "I never asked you to look after me. Don't flatter yourself!"
He paused, then let out a mocking laugh. "I'll admit you've got some skills to make Jason so devoted to you, but I'll say it again. If you're thinking you can use this to marry into a wealthy family, give it up."
My heart stung for a moment.
I picked up my juice and stood up, expressionless, moving to a seat far away from Richard.
I couldn't be bothered to waste my energy talking to Richard.
How ridiculous! I hadn't done anything, yet I had to endure the most vicious words and attitude.
Just because he had money?
Richard's expression darkened a bit, but he didn't follow. Instead, he casually put his arm around a sexy woman who came over to chat him up.
I'd barely sat down when a man came over with two drinks. "Hey beautiful, what's the point of just drinking water? Come have a couple of drinks with me?"
"No thanks, I don't drink." I frowned and refused coldly.
"You're really funny, playing innocent in front of me?"
The man's face showed a sleazy smile. He leaned closer, his breath reeking. "Try one drink. I promise after you finish this one, you'll want another."
I didn't want to deal with him and got up to leave.
But the man grabbed my arm and pulled me toward him. "Where are you running to? I'm not going to eat you. Looking at you acting all high and mighty, I'll show you what fun is today."
As he spoke, the man actually lowered his head to kiss me.
My whole body tensed up, my fists clenched.
If he dared touch me, I'd hit him!
The next moment, the man took a hard punch to the face and fell to the ground.
I stumbled too, but was caught by someone who rushed over.
Jason's face was dark, his expression grim as he stared at the man.
He clenched his fists, veins bulging on his arms.
The noisy bar fell into brief silence because of this scene.
Jason wanted to rush forward and teach the man a good lesson.
The man was so scared he shook all over and actually crawled under the table to hide.
I didn't want things to blow up, and I definitely didn't want to be a spectacle here.
I grabbed Jason and said quietly, "Forget it."
Those two short words successfully redirected Jason's anger toward me.
"Sue! You're really something! You dumped Jessica on me to look after just so you could mess around in a place like this?!"
Jason was so angry his chest heaved, his face dark as he glared at me.
I looked away guiltily. "It's not..."
"If I hadn't come, you would've kissed him, wouldn't you?!" Jason angrily cut me off, dragging me out of the bar.
I didn't dare say anything more.
Coming out of the bar, I immediately spotted Lily and Ryan under a streetlight in the distance, kissing passionately.
I stared in shock, eyes wide.
These two...
Jason saw them too.
He only glanced once, snorted coldly, and pulled me to the car.
I unconsciously stole glances at Jason's expression. Jason gritted his teeth. "Don't look! Don't think I'll kiss you just because you're looking!"