Ji Shan covered her face, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She had been pampered since childhood, and had never been treated like this before, especially by an ordinary woman she looked down upon!

"You...you actually dared to hit me?" Ji Shan's voice was shrill and cracked, her eyes instantly reddening and tears welling up. "Who do you think you are? A shameless woman who appeared out of nowhere, relying on her looks to seduce men, and now you dare to hit me?!"

She was about to pounce on him as she spoke.

Lu Yao ignored her and didn't even glance at her again. She quickly went to Zhou Jinlu's side, wanting to reach out and help him up, but before she could move, Zhou Jinlu suddenly turned around and shielded her with his body, letting Ji Shan's fists fall on his back.

"Zhou Jinlu, you bastard, you're still protecting her!" Ji Shan's fists pounded on Zhou Jinlu's back one after another, with considerable force, making dull thuds.

Zhou Jinlu grunted, but instead of dodging, he protected Lu Yao even more tightly.

Lu Yao was held in his arms, her nose filled with his scent.

"Zhou Jinlu!" She tried to push him away. "Let go of me! She hit me!"

Zhou Jinlu didn't let go, but lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice in her ear, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I let her touch you?"

His breath was incredibly hot, spraying against Lu Yao's ear, making her tremble uncontrollably.

When Ji Shan saw this, she was furious.

She's always had everything she could want since she was little, when has she ever suffered such humiliation?

She had liked Zhou Jinlu for so many years, but Zhou Jinlu never even gave her a second glance. Now, however, he was willing to take a beating for another woman!

"Zhou Jinlu! Get out of my way!" Ji Shan screamed, clenching her fist even tighter. "What's so great about her? She's a slut! A whore! She seduces this one, then that one, and now she's seducing you! Are you blind?!"

Zhou Jinlu did not respond, nor did he even glance at her.

He simply turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Lu Yao's face, his light brown eyes now filled with apology.

Lu Yao met his gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

The banquet organizer, accompanied by several security personnel, rushed over and their expressions changed drastically upon seeing the scene before them.

"Quickly! Pull them apart!" the person in charge ordered sternly.

Several security personnel immediately stepped forward, but due to Ji Shan's identity and gender, they dared not act rashly, and carefully separated Ji Shan from Zhou Jinlu and the others.

The person in charge quickly stepped forward to calm Ji Shan down: "I'm sorry, Ms. Ji Shan, please calm down. Let's talk about it calmly... Ah!"

Before the person in charge could finish speaking, Ji Shan slapped him across the face.

Ji Shan struggled desperately, her screams echoing throughout the corridor: "Let me go! Do you know who I am? I'm Ji Shan! The eldest daughter of the Ji family! You dare touch me? I will never let you get away with this!"

The security personnel exchanged glances, becoming even more cautious with their movements, afraid of actually damaging the Buddha statue.

The person in charge covered his face, which stung, but he still had to force a smile: "Miss Ji, please calm down. We know who you are, of course, but it seems that things aren't going well for President Zhou. Please calm down, and we can talk things over..."

"What are you talking about?!" Ji Shan shoved aside the security guard blocking her way, pointed at Lu Yao who was being protected in Zhou Jinlu's arms, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice shrill, "She hit me! She's some bitch who came out of nowhere, how dare she hit me! Instead of arresting her, you're stopping me!"

The person in charge broke out in a cold sweat.

One is the eldest daughter of the Ji family, and the other is the currently popular teacher Lu Yao. He can't afford to offend either of them.

Just when they were caught in a dilemma, Zhou Jinlu slowly released his hand that was protecting Lu Yao.

He straightened up, the movement somewhat difficult, a dull ache emanating from the spot on his back where Ji Shan had hit him, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He simply raised his hand, his movements straightforward as he pulled Lu Yao into his arms.

Then he looked at Ji Shan without any hesitation.

"Ms. Li," he said, his voice hoarse but firm, "I will have my lawyer contact you regarding tonight's matter."

Ji Shan's screams stopped abruptly.

She stared blankly at Zhou Jinlu, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"What did you say?"

Zhou Jinlu did not repeat himself, and even looked away. At this moment, the person in charge said with great interest, "Mr. Zhou, we have prepared a rest room for you and Teacher Lu Yao. If needed, we can help you contact a doctor."

After saying that, he immediately gestured to the security guard next to him to take the two of them to the lounge.

The security personnel understood and immediately led the way.

Zhou Jinlu nodded slightly, but did not let go of Lu Yao's hand, and led her to follow the security personnel towards the lounge.

Ji Shan was left standing there, her face turning pale and then flushed.

Watching Zhou Jinlu and Lu Yao walk away hand in hand, and noticing the hand he had been using to protect Lu Yao's waist, she felt a surge of resentment rise within her. She pushed aside the person in charge and tried to follow them, shouting, "Zhou Jinlu, come back here! Explain yourself! You…"

"Miss Ji, Miss Ji!" The person in charge quickly stepped forward to block her way. "Mr. Zhou isn't feeling well right now. Would you please wait until he recovers before you sit down and talk in detail? I'll have someone take you home to rest, Miss Ji?"

"Get out of the way!" Ji Shan shoved the person in charge aside and was about to chase after him.

However, the moment she took a step, her wrist was suddenly grabbed from behind.

The force was astonishing, almost crushing her bones.

Ji Shan winced in pain and turned around angrily, only to be met with a pair of cold, seemingly emotionless black eyes—it was Ji Xinglan.

"Big brother."

Ji Xinglan, the heir of the Ji family in this generation, has a genetic defect. He lacks emotions from childhood and is indifferent to people and things. However, he has shown amazing talent in the field of mechanics. The Federation's most advanced warships and spaceborne systems are all made by him.

When Ji Shan saw him, all her arrogance vanished instantly. Even though she had always had an advantage because of her gender since childhood, she was always cautious and timid in front of Ji Xinglan, because Ji Xinglan would never spoil her just because she was his sister.

Ji Xinglan doesn't even indulge anyone; he's a machine without emotions. For this reason, the Federal Reproduction Bureau erased his marriage matching process, precisely because they were worried about a "murder" happening during the matching period.

Ji Xinglan didn't look at her, but simply turned her head slightly and calmly instructed the person beside her, "Send the young lady back."

"yes!"

Two bodyguards in black suits immediately stepped forward and grabbed Ji Shan's arms, one on each side.

Ji Shan struggled relentlessly, shouting, "Big brother! Let me go! Didn't you see I was being bullied? That bitch hit me! She hit me! You're my big brother, and instead of helping me get revenge, you're taking me back?"

Ji Xinglan finally turned her gaze to her face.

His eyes were as cold as stagnant water, devoid of any emotion, as if the hysterical woman before him had nothing to do with him: "Shut up!"

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