Nightmare Assault

No one was clear what happened between them. However, when Shi Jia’s consciousness faded, she took a casual glance, and her eyes suddenly focused. The next second, she immediately turned to tap her two friends beside her.

Nuan Nuan was already asleep from the alcohol. She lay on the other girl’s shoulder. However, she was still rudely shaken awake. She woke up blurrily and looked at where her friends were pointing. The images before her eyes slowly overlapped and clarified… until.

“What the fuck!” The person who gasped was a girl called Jin Xizhen. She was of Chinese and Korean descent. A biker’s leather coat hung loosely on her body. She had short hair. A snake skull tattoo was visible on her exposed collarbones. A cobra poked out of the skull’s eye socket. It was hissing.

Even though she was the youngest in the group, she acted like she was the leader. Whenever she talked about big issues and great ideas, the other three girls merely smiled. They didn’t expose her, or they’d embarrass her. She was the one who provided the ride that night.

The thing that troubled Xizhen’s mother was her precious daughter appeared to be… gay.

Calls from her private school to talk about fighting and truancy were normal. The thing that really troubled her family was the headmaster’s call about the fact that Xizhen… was teasing another girl at school. And it had happened more than once. Thankfully, Jin Xizhen hadn’t shown any romantic interest in her three close friends.

Stuck in the bar seat, the very nice Nuan Nuan shook her head to clear her mind. She confirmed that her sight was not wrong.

“I’m done.” Nuan Nuan lamented, “I’ve gone blind.”

Shi Jia pressed her lips. “Me too.”

Nan Jing, who was the shiest among them, was straddling Jiang Cheng’s legs. She held a wineglass in one hand while she held his face in the other as she looked into his eyes. The light couldn’t reach them. The scene looked so seductive.

Jiang Cheng took a sip of the wine. Then, he leaned close to Nan Jing’s ear. His lips moved. The next second, Nan Jing was taken aback. Beads of tears fell out of her eyes. She wrapped Jiang Cheng’s neck in her arms. The latter struggled for a moment before embracing Nan Jing back. The wineglass fell to the ground. The red liquid flowed on the ground.

The other three witnessed Nan Jing's different emotions. She cried to Jiang Cheng like a wronged child. Then, she became silent. Her beautiful eyes seemed to contain another world.

“What is wrong with Nan Jing?” Xizhen blinked. She had quite a bit to drink, but she was still reasonably sober. Then, she stood up and swayed over, “Let me go and see.” However, before she could take another step, she was yanked back by two powerful forces. “You…” Xizhen swallowed back the urge to vomit. She looked at her friends in confusion.

“Trust me. Don’t go over there.” Shi Jia addressed the confused Xizhen even though her attention was on Nan Jing. She continued, “If you still want Nan Jing to talk to you.”

From the beginning, Jiang Cheng played the role of a listener. He rarely spoke or offered his opinion. Over the years, Nan Jing had received too much burden, blame and education. So many people ruled her life in the name of helping her, but no one was willing to sit down quietly and listen to what she had to say.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t remember how long the conversation was. Thankfully, it was already late. Those who stayed were mildly drunk, and no one paid them any attention. Nan Jing hung her head like she was completely drained. She was not drunk, but with the explosion of emotions, it felt like she had had too much to drink.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jiang,” She whispered, “I’ve said too many things I shouldn’t. I hope that didn’t cause you any trouble. I can’t even remember where I was I. Do you…”

“Do you have cash?” Jiang Cheng raised his head. His eyes were kind and gentle, but it caused the girl’s heart to wince.

Eventually, Nan Jing reacted. She pulled over her bag. She dumped its contents on the table. An expensive lipstick rolled on the table and fell to the ground. Nan Jing took out her wallet. There was a small stack of paper bills. She didn’t have the habit of carrying cash. She handed all the bills to Jiang Cheng and looked at him with blinking eyes.

Jiang Cheng put down the wineglass. With Nan Jing and the three girls watching, he pulled off the bill on the top. He flattened it on the table and added creases to it. His fingers moved nimbly like a butterfly. His skin was reddened by the alcohol. The light shone on his face to highlight his sharp brows.

Jiang Cheng grabbed a wine bottle by its neck. His tapered fingers slowly opened. Then, Nan Jing’s eyes widened. She saw… a rose blooming on the neck of the bottle.

Then, her body trembled uncontrollably. She suddenly remembered what the man said earlier. Due to her mother’s strict education, she was always ostracised at school. She was unrealistically perfect. Her shyness made her very unapproachable. She didn’t have any romantic experience, much less receive a gift like roses. Even the prettiest princess wanted a prince.

As the bills slipped from Nan Jing’s hand, more roses appeared on the bottle. Soon, a sea of paper roses appeared before her eyes.

“Miss Nan Jing,” Jiang Cheng slowly stood up. While the other three watched dumbly, he slowly bowed to Nan Jing, “Happy birthday.”