Chapter 43: Golden Shield

(Thanks to the book friend [Sai Clan’s Little Fish] for being promoted to Elder, here’s an extra Chapter in acknowledgment!)

Zhang Songyang’s pursuit of Wen Qianyi has been going on for quite some time; everyone in the friend circle knows this. Chen Qitao, the fairy, and others obviously understand that Wen Qianyi doesn’t like him.

So when Wen Qianyi got together with Li Yan, whether true or not, they understood. But now seeing Zhang Songyang a bit out of control, they were all tense, trying to hold him back without success. As Chen Qitao spoke and reached out to stop him, he had already walked towards the two of them.

"What do we do? Are they going to fight?" The fairy’s eyes widened, her tone sounding worried, but there was excitement in her eyes.

Chen Qitao gave a wry smile, "Let’s go over and try to talk to him!"

"Uh... I think it’s better to let them sort it out themselves. The more outsiders interfere, the more chaotic it gets."

"Nonsense! How’s that possible? It could escalate into a fight; if someone talks some sense, they might calm down." Chen Qitao stood up to go over, pondering for a moment, deciding it was better to have an excuse, so he picked up a drink.

The fairy, however, stopped him, "Tao, don’t go. Women care about face with clothes, jewelry, and trends, but men care most about face with women. If no one is watching, they might calm down; if there’s an audience, especially with acquaintances, you’ll just make him lose face. What was just an argument could turn into a brawl to show off masculinity. Look, his two friends already stepped back on their own."

Listening to this, Chen Qitao felt there was some truth in it. If it were him, he might accept the loss better when no one was around. But with people and friends present, he’d persist even in defeat, or be labeled a coward, not a real man!

"But Songyang and Qianyi are both our friends. Just watching them have a conflict without intervening seems unworthy of being their friends."

"That’s true. But since they’re all friends, if they have a falling out, who do we side with? Siding with Zhang Songyang would be unfair to Qianyi, and siding with Qianyi could offend Zhang Songyang. We might as well stay here, you give Zhang Songyang moral support, and I’ll cheer Qianyi on emotionally."

While they were trying to convince themselves, Xu Ping and Sun Hui, who went directly to the bar to get drinks and create an opportunity for Li Yan and them, saw the two getting cozy right after ordering a bunch of drinks.

"Old Xu, do you still think there’s nothing between them? I think they’ve been at it for a while. Wen Qianyi’s rise has been so quick, and Li Yan’s been rising just as fast—it’s not unrelated, right? Seems like picking the right field or career isn’t what’s key; the key is to pick the right girl!" Sun Hui said enviously.

"From what they’re saying, they’ve been drinking in private quite a bit. Are there fewer group activities at the company? Men put women before friends!" Xu Ping sighed.

"Tch! Don’t act so self-righteous. You’ve got a girlfriend now too, and won’t you skip group stuff in the future? You were always skipping out before."

As the two were chatting, they saw Zhang Songyang carrying a drink heading towards their table and immediately paid attention: "That guy’s pursuing Wen Qianyi too. Is he looking to provoke?"

Xu Ping clenched his fists, "Three against three, we’re three guys, and they’re two guys and a girl—we’re sure to win!"

Sun Hui sneered, "This isn’t a fistfight; it’s about attraction. If we help Li Yan win a fight, in Wen Qianyi’s eyes, it’ll just earn him pity points, but make Li Yan lose points for violence."

"So... we just watch and not interfere? Let Li Yan not fight back and get beaten? Damn! Isn’t that chickening out?"

"Well... let’s watch closely and decide. The key is seeing how Li Yan handles it." These two didn’t share the fairy’s thoughts, but they also opted to observe.

...

Both Li Yan and Wen Qianyi were socially graceful people; while chatting, they were also aware of the situation over there. They had been joking around, but when they finished and Wen Qianyi settled down, they noticed Zhang Songyang approaching.

"Hey! That admirer of yours is coming over to provoke me again. This time, he might not be so polite. How should I deal with it?" Li Yan quietly asked Wen Qianyi.

"How should I know? It’s your business, it’s not like I asked him to come over." Wen Qianyi replied with a look gleeful in someone else’s misfortune.

"If I keep putting him down hard enough so that he doesn’t dare bother you anymore, will you be mad at me?" Li Yan asked again.

Wen Qianyi chuckled lightly, "Wasn’t I quiet for a while before, and now I’m being harassed again? If you can really put him off so he doesn’t dare to bother again, then I’ll decree you as the Golden Shield!"

"..."

I, the Empress Dowager, decree you to be the Golden Human Shield... Li Yan felt a bit awkward. Seeing Zhang Songyang approaching, he leaned in a bit closer and continued in a low voice, "This counts as me doing you a favor, right? So, you have to promise to help me with something. I haven’t thought of what it is yet, but it won’t be anything against justice."

Wen Qianyi saw Zhang Songyang almost upon them. With her understanding of Li Yan, she knew he wouldn’t go overboard, and he wouldn’t need her as a human shield anyway, so she said, "OK."

Zhang Songyang came over with a wine glass. Despite the rage within him, he maintained his demeanor, racking his brain on how to handle the situation. As he approached and saw the two whispering intimately, it seemed even more like Wen Qianyi was intentionally trying to provoke him with this human shield. He thought this couldn’t just end today!

"I remember this guy, you’re Qianyi’s friend. Named Li... what was it again?" Zhang Songyang stood in front of them, not sitting down immediately but greeting Li Yan with a thoughtful look. He genuinely couldn’t remember what Li Yan’s name was, only his surname. Typically, one would say hello like Chen Qitao did, but he purposely exaggerated a thoughtful expression.

"Li Ao..."

"Li Ao?" Zhang Songyang thought the name Li Ao sounded familiar. Is that the name? But who cares?

"It’s Leonardo." Li Yan continued seriously.

When Wen Qianyi heard him say "Li Ao," she knew this guy was about to mess with people again. As Zhang Songyang seemed to somewhat believe it, she found it even more funny. And when Li Yan corrected "Li Ao" to "Leonardo," she couldn’t help but smile.

Saying "Li Ao," Zhang Songyang might believe it temporarily, thinking the name was two characters. But saying "Leonardo," he knew he was being played. It reminded him of the last time, not only being fooled, but also being tricked into buying Louis XIII and Lafite. This guy insisted he didn’t know much about wine, just that a few thousand per glass was a thrill.

He brought a glass of wine over not just as an excuse but wanted to splash it on Li Yan’s face to vent his anger! Now with old grudges and new resentments, Zhang Songyang’s anger was stirring, on the verge of bursting.

However, in front of a lady, directly splashing wine would be quite ungentlemanly. He needed a reason!

"Mr. Li, long time no see. You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?" Zhang Songyang mustered a forced smile, moved a bit forward, getting closer to the table, planning to deliberately pretend not to sit properly, causing the wine glass to spill over accidentally onto Li Yan’s face.

"I don’t mind. Please, sit down!" Li Yan gestured with his hand.

Zhang Songyang began to execute his plan, carefully moving to sit down, but intentionally bumped into the table a bit, briefly exclaiming as his wine glass started an arc.

His eyes were fixed on Li Yan, aiming at this detestable target. However, he witnessed a major change!

As Li Yan gestured for him to sit down, his other hand reached out, wrapping around Wen Qianyi’s neck, pulling her head close to his!

This action made Zhang Songyang even more furious! But he had to change his plan. His hand, pretending to be accidental, was about to dump the wine, needed to alter course abruptly to avoid spilling it. Since Wen Qianyi’s head was next to Li Yan’s, splashing the wine would inevitably include her, offending Wen Qianyi terribly.

Luckily, at the critical moment, he steadied his hand, barely managing to sit down. The wine only spilled a bit without splashing on anyone.

Li Yan disrupted his wine-splashing plan, making Zhang Songyang unable to maintain even a forced smile. Looking at Li Yan across from him, his hand trembled slightly, struggling to keep from splashing the wine, trying to stay calm.

"Qianyi, I know you and he have nothing going on. To test me, you let this jerk take advantage? After all these years we’ve known each other, don’t you see my heart? Stop playing, be my girlfriend!" Zhang Songyang put down his wine glass, ignoring Li Yan, and looked sincerely at Wen Qianyi.

Wen Qianyi was a bit surprised by Li Yan suddenly pulling her close, but thought he was just pretending to be intimate to hit Zhang Songyang, so she didn’t mind. "Zhang Songyang, we’ve known each other for so long, you should know my heart too. The two of us are impossible. Don’t say things that go too far, or we won’t even be friends."

She was speaking quite rationally, but Li Yan used actions to prove a point.

Wen Qianyi felt her mind buzzing, not expecting this guy to go so far! Especially in front of her friends and colleagues!

She struggled vigorously, but Li Yan wouldn’t let go, kissing her passionately in front of everyone.

Humiliation! This was humiliation for him! Zhang Songyang couldn’t control himself, stood up quickly, picked up his wine glass aiming to pour it over Li Yan’s head. He needed to vent, vent his anger at Li Yan! To humiliate him in public!