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Just as that hand was about to touch Su Wanqing.

"Wanqing, have you been waiting long?"

A calm, slightly apologetic, and perfectly timed male voice sounded beside Su Wanqing.

At the same time, a strong arm reached out and steadily embraced her shoulder, which had been slightly unbalanced due to shock and anger, gently leading her into a warm embrace, which also conveniently separated her from that disgusting hand.

Su Wanqing trembled violently, looking up in astonishment to meet a pair of deep, calm eyes. It was Lei Guoliang. When did he arrive? How did he...?

There was no time to think it through; her survival instinct and quick wit in grabbing a piece of driftwood in a desperate situation made her make a choice in an instant.

Instead of pushing him away, she took advantage of the embrace, turned around abruptly, wrapped her arms around Lei Guoliang's waist, buried her face in his chest, and choked out in a voice that was both tearful and a performance, but loud enough for those around to hear.

"Guoliang... why did you take so long to get here... this person has been bothering me, I'm so scared..."

The tight, dependent embrace, and the affectionate "Guoliang," made Chen Hao's eyes widen instantly, his face contorted with rage: "You...you guys! Su Wanqing! You bitch! You were cheating on me all along!"

Lei Guoliang's arms were firmly wrapped around Su Wanqing. He could feel her body trembling slightly and her rapid heartbeat through her shirt.

He looked down and met her gaze as she looked up, her eyes filled with a complex mix of fear, resolve, and a hint of pleading.

She was begging him to cooperate and to play the part to the end.

He nodded almost imperceptibly, turning his gaze to Chen Hao, his calm demeanor tinged with a hint of displeasure at being disturbed: "Sir, please show some respect when you speak to my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Chen Hao reacted as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world, then erupted in fury: "Bullshit! I'm her boyfriend! Who do you think you are? Let go of her right now!"

Su Wanqing lifted her head from Lei Guoliang's embrace, her face still wet with tears, but her eyes turned cold and sharp.

She knew that drastic measures were needed to completely eradicate this persistent problem. She looked at Chen Hao and said clearly, word by word:

"Chen Hao, look carefully. This is my boyfriend, Lei Guoliang. We've been together for a long time, and our relationship is great. So, please, never, ever appear in front of me again!"

To maximize the effect, and driven by a desperate determination to completely sever ties with her sordid past, Su Wanqing made a move that even shocked herself.

She tiptoed, and under Chen Hao's almost fiery gaze and the dim, hazy light of the bar, closed her eyes and pressed her lips, with a desperate courage and a barely perceptible tremor, against Lei Guoliang's lips.

It felt cool and soft to the touch, carrying the faint scent of her lipstick, and separated almost instantly. Like a declaration, a ritual, clumsy yet resolute.

Lei Guoliang's body stiffened for a moment. He lowered his eyes, looking at the woman in his arms with her tightly closed eyelashes and her ears that were blushing rapidly, feeling the complex emotions contained in that light, fleeting touch.

Fear, resolve, exploitation, and perhaps a trace of dependence on powerful protection that she herself was unaware of.

A few seconds of silence. Chen Hao's breathing was heavy as a bull's, his face turning from red to green, then from green to white, the humiliation and rage almost driving him to madness.

Just before Chen Hao roared again, Lei Guoliang made his move.

He tightened his grip on Su Wanqing's arm, raised his other hand, and gently stroked her burning cheek, his thumb softly wiping away the trace of moisture remaining at the corner of her eye.

This slightly pitying gesture made Su Wanqing open her eyes in surprise, meeting a pair of unfathomable black eyes.

Then, under Su Wanqing's astonished gaze and Chen Hao's almost explosive stare, Lei Guoliang lowered his head and precisely captured her slightly parted lips in surprise.

This time, it wasn't just the corners of her lips; it was a deep, possessive kiss.

Warm, powerful, with the subtle aroma of whiskey and his refreshing scent, instantly overwhelmed her senses.

His kissing skills were superb and aggressive, yet he skillfully controlled them within the limits of comforting his frightened girlfriend, using his body and angles to block most of the prying eyes.

Su Wanqing's mind went blank; all her thoughts, grievances, and anger were shattered by this sudden, scalding kiss.

She passively endured it, her body going limp, only able to cling helplessly to his shoulder, letting him lead her into this dizzying vortex.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe only a few dozen seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Lei Guoliang finally released her. Su Wanqing's eyes were glazed, her cheeks were flushed, her lips were slightly swollen, and she leaned against him, breathing heavily, almost unable to stand.

Lei Guoliang had already regained his composure, but his arm around her remained firm, like the most reliable support.

He looked up at Chen Hao, who was completely stunned and pale as a sheet, his voice calm and even, yet each word was like an ice pick:

"Have you had enough of the show?" he asked, his gaze lingering for a moment on the gleaming but cheap-looking Rolex on Chen Hao's wrist and the obviously counterfeit Polo shirt on his body. His tone was as calm as if he were stating a perfectly obvious fact.

"Wearing fake watches, wearing counterfeit clothes, and finding a sense of existence by harassing and threatening women... If I were you, I would disappear right now."

Chen Hao's legs went weak, his lips trembled, and when he looked at Su Wanqing, whose face was cold and resolute, and then at the man who was holding her with indifferent eyes that sent chills down his spine, his last bit of bravado vanished.

"You...you guys...Fine! You win!" Chen Hao squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. Under the disdainful or curious gazes of the surrounding customers, he staggered out of the bar without looking back, his back view disheveled.

Only after that repulsive figure had completely disappeared did the jazz music in the bar seem to flow back into my ears.

Su Wanqing slowly stepped back half a step from Lei Guoliang's embrace, lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her shirt, her cheeks burning, and dared not look at him.

"Not bad acting." Lei Guoliang spoke first, his voice revealing little emotion. He walked back to the bar, picked up his drink, and gestured to the bartender: "Give this lady a glass of warm water with a slice of lemon."

Su Wanqing followed him and sat down on the bar stool next to him, holding the glass of warm water in both hands. The warm touch came from her palms, but it could not dispel the shock in her heart and the shock on her face.

His hot breath and strength still seemed to linger on her lips.

"Thank you, Mr. Lei... Just now, I..." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, unsure how to explain that inappropriate kiss.

"You're welcome. You reacted quickly and knew how to leverage the situation." Lei Guoliang interrupted her, took a sip of his wine, and turned his gaze to the stage, where the old musician was engrossed in his performance, his profile clearly defined in the dim light.

"However, turning a fake relationship into a real one can sometimes cause unnecessary trouble. Next time, don't be so impulsive."

His words clearly characterized the intense scene just now as a case of acting out a real situation, an impulsive act, and a reminder to draw a clear line.

The subtle, inexplicable flutter and secret anticipation that had quietly grown in Su Wanqing's heart because of that kiss cooled down quickly, as if doused with a bucket of cold water, leaving only a faint bitterness and embarrassment.

Yes, he was just playing along, trying to get out of a tight spot. I actually... almost took it seriously.

"I understand, Mr. Lei. It won't happen again," she replied softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Good that you understand." Lei Guoliang turned his gaze back and glanced at her. Her lowered eyelashes cast a faint shadow under her eyes, and her cheeks, which had just lost some of their blush, appeared somewhat fragile and beautiful under the light.

"How did you get involved with that kind of person?"

Su Wanqing smiled bitterly and briefly recounted the process of her family introducing her, the other party's disguise, and the relentless entanglement after she saw through their disguise, omitting the unpleasant details.

"...I never expected him to be so shameless, even threatening to cause trouble at the company. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"Hmm." Lei Guoliang remained noncommittal, downing the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp, the ice cubes clinking.

"I heard your mother isn't in good health and needs surgery?"

Su Wanqing looked up abruptly, staring at him in astonishment. How...how did he know?