Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Spending the Night at My Place
Lan Yan arrived at the Gold-plated Club and gave Su He a call.
“Boss, I’ve arrived.”
Su He was standing on the balcony of the master bedroom at that moment, her beautiful eyes fixed on the bright moon hanging in the sky.
She responded with a soft “Hmm”: “Get the item and leave right away, don’t linger.”
Lan Yan replied, “Alright, I understand.”
The Gold-plated Club was Jiang Yan’s territory, so Su He wasn’t too worried that anything unexpected would happen.
However, since the other party chose this location for the transaction, Su He had to remind Lan Yan to stay vigilant.
“Be careful yourself.”
“Got it, Boss.”
After hanging up the call, Lan Yan walked through the lobby on the first floor, took the elevator, and headed directly to the fourth floor.
She approached the doorway of a private room, where two bodyguards in black stood guard.
Lan Yan’s gaze was cold as she looked at them and said, “My name is Lan. I’m here to see your boss.”
The two bodyguards exchanged glances upon hearing this.
One of them turned to the side and opened the door to the private room.
“Miss Lan, please come in,” the bodyguard said.
As soon as the door opened, ear-splitting noise blasted from within.
Lan Yan furrowed her brows and stepped inside.
Inside, multi-colored lights flickered incessantly, dizzying anyone who looked at them.
There was also a cacophony of off-key singing, while people swayed their bodies incessantly in the chaos before her.
Is this what counts as entertainment?
To Lan Yan, it was nothing short of torture.
She stood near the door, turning her head to glance at the switch on her right.
Without hesitation, she raised her hand and flipped the lights on.
With a crisp “click,” the originally dazzling lights instantly changed to stark and glaring white light.
The room’s occupants froze as if someone had hit a pause button, all of them staring at her.
Lan Yan ignored their gazes.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, finally landing on the man seated at the center.
“Hey beauty, who are you, and why did you turn the lights on?”
One of the women complained loudly at Lan Yan.
Lan Yan didn’t respond to her.
She walked up to the coffee table and looked directly at Yun Yi seated in the center, saying, “Mr. Yun, did you bring the item?”
The man signaled to another man opposite him using a glance.
The man immediately stood up and said, “Everyone, please step outside for a moment. My boss has matters to discuss.”
In less than a minute, the room cleared out.
The silence was palpable.
Yun Yi curved his lips into a smile, saying, “Miss Lan, please have a seat.”
Lan Yan showed no intention of sitting.
Her face was expressionless as she replied, “No need. I’ll leave right after the transaction.”
Yun Yi remained unhurried, saying, “Is Miss Lan in a rush?”
He had seen Lan Yan a few times before; she was always cold and aloof.
But that didn’t take away from her beauty.
For men like him who had a strong desire for conquest, women like her—an ice queen—were especially captivating.
Lan Yan didn’t want to waste time engaging in pointless chatter.
She pulled the USB drive out from her pocket, bent over, and placed it on the table.
“Mr. Yun, let’s not waste anyone’s time. I certainly don’t want to take up your leisure time,” Lan Yan said coldly.
Yun Yi pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and said, “Miss Lan’s life must be quite boring, wouldn’t you say? Why not stay tonight and have some fun?”
His words sounded normal, like a casual invitation to hang out.
Yet his eyes seemed like a swirling palette of colors.
Lan Yan replied, “Mr. Yun, if I stayed, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle it!”
Yun Yi burst into laughter upon hearing this.
“Miss Lan is quite amusing. I like it,” he said.
At this remark, Lan Yan frowned tightly.
She hadn’t expected Yun Yi to be this troublesome!
“Mr. Yun, are you looking to spar with me?”
Lan Yan wasn’t one to take things lying down.
She didn’t shy away from trouble.
Yun Yi sized her up and said, “With that frail figure of yours, are you sure you want to spar with me?”
Lan Yan indifferently replied, “If Mr. Yun wants to try, I’m happy to oblige. But if I win, perhaps Mr. Yun could hand over the item to me.”
Yun Yi suddenly found himself intrigued. He snapped his fingers and said with a smile, “Alright, no problem.”
Yet in the next moment, he added slyly, “But if you lose… how about spending the night with me?”
Lan Yan didn’t hesitate in her response: “Alright. But if you can break through even one of my moves, I’ll count it as your win.”
Yun Yi froze momentarily, “You’re not going to think this through?”
Lan Yan took a step back and said, “Let’s begin.”
“Interesting,” Yun Yi remarked with a smile.
But what Yun Yi didn’t know was that very soon, he wouldn’t be smiling anymore.
Within five minutes.
Yun Yi hadn’t even managed to grab the hem of Lan Yan’s clothes.
On the contrary, he had been kicked several times by her.
It was only at this point that Yun Yi realized Lan Yan’s combat skills were exceptional.
Pressing his tongue against his cheek, he performed what he thought was a charming gesture and said, “It seems I underestimated Miss Lan.”
Determining that time was running low, Lan Yan didn’t want to drag things out.
She only wanted to finish this quickly.
Just when Yun Yi prepared to attack once more, Lan Yan moved so swiftly she was like a bolt of lightning, appearing right in front of him in an instant.
He froze, stunned.
And in that moment of shock, Lan Yan kicked him hard in the chest.
His entire body flew backward, landing heavily on the coffee table behind him.
Everything on the table scattered to the floor, producing a cacophony of sounds.
Yun Yi let out a muffled groan, clutching his chest as his face contorted in pain.
People outside heard the noise and quickly rushed in.
“Young Master, are you alright?”
The bodyguards hurried to his side, helping him up.
Lan Yan stood there, her gaze cold as she said, “Apologies, Mr. Yun. I forgot to hold back just now. I’ll control my strength better next time.”
This was the first time Yun Yi had been hit by a woman—other than his own mother.
But today, Lan Yan had kicked him several times.
If there weren’t more pressing matters, she would have surely kicked him a few more times.
“Can I have the item now? Young Master Yun, if this incident escalates to Old Mr. Yun, I doubt it will end well for you.”
Yun Yi originally hadn’t wanted to let her off so easily, but she brought up his family patriarch.
And so, he could only swallow his indignation for now.
Lan Yan didn’t initially want to get physical—she could have simply leveraged his family head. Unfortunately for Yun Yi, he was asking for trouble.
Yun Yi shouted, “Ah Yuan, give her the item!”
The man called Ah Yuan took out a small wooden box from inside his jacket and handed it to Lan Yan.
Lan Yan accepted it, opened it to check, and inside were a key and a transparent card.
Yun Yi, propped up by his subordinates, sat down at the table once more.
He looked at Lan Yan, saying, “My old man said the reward for your boss has been placed in Vault No. 10. Here’s the key and the entry card for it.”
Lan Yan stored the wooden box, thanked him, and turned to leave the private room.
“Young Master, she hit you, and you’re just letting her walk away like that?” one of the bodyguards asked.
Yun Yi’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the man, his tone sharp: “What now? You think I haven’t suffered enough yet and want the old man to come beat me too?”
The bodyguard stiffened in terror. “Certainly not, sir.”
That was when Yun Yi recalled the USB drive Lan Yan left on the table.
He lowered his head to search but didn’t see it.
It must have fallen onto the ground.
He bellowed in annoyance, “Find that USB drive immediately! If it’s lost, I’ll make sure you’re the first to regret it!”
…
Lan Yan left the private room and called Su He.
“Boss, I’ve got the item, but Old Mr. Yun gave a key and card for Vault No. 10.”
“Good, noted. Just keep it safe for now; retrieve what’s inside later.”
“Alright, Boss.”
Lan Yan then recounted the earlier events to Su He.
“Boss, I ended up hitting Yun Yi. Will it cause any issues?”
Su He replied, “No issues. Even if you crippled him, the Yun family wouldn’t dare complain. At most, they’ll deduct a bit off his medical expenses.”
Lan Yan relaxed after hearing this.
After hanging up the call, the elevator had just arrived on the fourth floor.
As the elevator doors opened, Lan Yan immediately smelled a heavy scent of alcohol.
Inside were two men—one sober, supporting the other, who was clearly drunk.
In a place like this, encountering a drunk person was unsurprising.
The elevator reached the first floor, and Lan Yan stepped out first.
But just after walking a few steps, her wrist was grabbed by someone behind her.
Her brows furrowed instinctively. She immediately shook his hand off and even caught hold of his wrist in return.
She didn’t like being touched by strangers!
“Do you have a death wish?”
But the moment she saw the man’s face, it turned out to be someone familiar.
“Doctor Xiao?”
Peng Yiming had hurried over from the elevator, grabbing Xiao Si’s other hand as he apologized profusely to Lan Yan.
“Sorry, Miss. My Young Master here has had too much to drink.”
Not long ago, their Young Master had unexpectedly shaken him off.
Xiao Si tilted his head to look at her and flashed a grin showing eight teeth, saying, “Dr. Lan, long time no see.”
His smile had a bit of an innocent and somewhat silly quality.
Lan Yan’s lips twitched slightly as she looked at him.
So the drunkard from the elevator was him?
It seemed this was her first time seeing Xiao Si looking this disheveled.
Lan Yan remarked, “It’s alright. I’m acquainted with your Young Master.”
With that, she loosened her grip on Xiao Si’s wrist.
Thankfully, she hadn’t used much force earlier, or his hand might have been broken.
Seeing Peng Yiming struggling to support Xiao Si, Lan Yan offered, “Need some help?”
Peng Yiming had initially intended to decline, but instead, he said, “Well, I’d appreciate it. It’s too much for me to handle alone.”
Lan Yan had no choice but to help carry Xiao Si as they exited the Gold-plated Club together.
“Where’s your car?” Lan Yan asked.
Peng Yiming replied, “Miss Lan, could you watch over my Young Master for a moment? I’ll go fetch the car.”
Lan Yan had been about to suggest they just help Xiao Si walk to the car if it wasn’t far.
But before she could say anything, Peng Yiming took off running…
Suddenly, Xiao Si’s entire weight leaned onto her.
Caught off guard, she stumbled backward a step to steady herself.
Instinctively, she held onto him, which resulted in Xiao Si’s head ending up resting against her chest. His hands somehow wrapped around her waist too.
The pose was overly intimate and suggestive.
Lan Yan froze entirely, not daring to move an inch.
Her whole body tensed, her skin crawling with discomfort.
After about ten seconds, she attempted to wake him up.
No matter how she called out to him, he didn’t respond.
She had no choice but to give up.
Two minutes later, Peng Yiming finally drove the car over.
To Lan Yan, those two minutes felt like enduring torture.
No, worse than torture.
After helping Xiao Si into the car, Lan Yan thought she could finally be rid of him.
But as she was about to withdraw her hand, the man grabbed her wrist again.
Lan Yan frowned, her expression tense.
She tried applying some force to shake him off but to no avail.
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Peng Yiming, slightly embarrassed but still polite, asked, “Miss Lan, could you… accompany us just a bit further?”
Lan Yan: “…”
Honestly, she didn’t want to.
When she tried again, she still couldn’t break free.
Was this man’s hand coated in industrial glue or something?
She figured if she persisted, either his hand or hers would end up broken.
And since he was a surgeon, his hands were fairly invaluable—and, unfortunately, so were hers.
In the end, she had no choice but to ride along.
Peng Yiming, as Xiao Si’s assistant and bodyguard, remarked that it was the first time he’d seen their Young Master being so clingy to a woman.
Though Xiao Si was drunk, even so, it was quite unusual.
His Young Master usually acted flippant, but in reality, he had never even had a proper girlfriend.
Both his father and mother were so anxious about it that their hair practically turned gray.
Through the rearview mirror, Peng Yiming couldn’t help but notice his Young Master’s head resting on Lan Yan’s shoulder.
To alleviate the awkward atmosphere, he proactively initiated small talk: “Miss Lan, are you a doctor at City First Hospital?”
He had heard his Young Master call her “Dr. Lan” earlier.
Lan Yan replied flatly with a curt “Yes”: “Not anymore.”
Her personality was naturally cold, and she didn’t like small talk, so she gave a simple answer.
Peng Yiming didn’t take it personally. He pressed on, “Did you transfer to another hospital then?”
Lan Yan had always worked with Su He’s medical team, not at any fixed hospital.
What’s more, being a doctor was just one of her many professions.
She calmly summed it up with two words: “Nope.”
Peng Yiming realized she didn’t particularly want to discuss the topic.
He switched to another subject, continuing to casually probe for information.
Lan Yan responded sporadically—sometimes engaging, sometimes silent.
After about forty minutes of sparse chatting, the car passed through the gates of Xiao Mansion and parked in the courtyard.
Peng Yiming was the first to exit the vehicle.
Lan Yan glanced at Xiao Si leaning against her shoulder with an expression of resignation.
She raised her hand and gave Xiao Si’s cheek a few pats. “Doctor Xiao, you’re home. Wake up.”
Her strength was neither too heavy nor too light.
Xiao Si groggily stirred awake. The alcohol clouding his mind had somewhat dissipated, leaving him a bit more coherent.
At least now his eyes held some clarity.
He blinked at the familiar face before him, puzzled. “Huh? Lan Yan, why are you here?”
Lan Yan sighed in relief upon seeing him finally awake.
“You’re awake; let go now.”
Lan Yan lowered her gaze to the wrist he had been holding throughout the ride.
Xiao Si followed her gaze downwards and saw himself clinging to her slender wrist.
He froze momentarily and then released her with an apologetic look.
Lan Yan said, “I didn’t exactly want to be here, but Doctor Xiao, your grip was too tight; I couldn’t shake you off.”
Xiao Si rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “Sorry about that. It wasn’t intentional.”
Lan Yan replied, “It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean to. Now that you’re home, please exit the car. I need to head back.”
Xiao Si glanced at the clock on the dashboard and said, “It’s awfully late. Why don’t you stay here for the night? We’ve got plenty of guest rooms anyway.”
“I promise I don’t mean anything else by it. It’s just… it’s late, and I worry about your safety getting home.”
Lan Yan said, “No need, but I appreciate the gesture, Doctor Xiao.”
Xiao Si saw how insistent she was and didn’t push further.
Opening the car door, he was about to ask Peng Yiming to drive her back when Peng Yiming suddenly said, “Actually, Young Master, Miss Lan, I might not be able to drive you back now.”
Lan Yan turned her head to look at him. What did that mean?
Peng Yiming continued, “It’s just… the car’s tire got punctured by a nail. The tire’s been gradually leaking, and I noticed something felt off on the way back. I checked after we parked, and sure enough, it’s not safe. To avoid more trouble later, it’s better the car doesn’t leave again tonight.”
Lan Yan: “…”
Xiao Si said, “Does the house have any other cars? Just take another one to drive Miss Lan home.”
Peng Yiming said, “Young Master, you may have forgotten, but the other cars were sent for maintenance and haven’t been picked up yet. This is the only one available to drive. Plus, both Sir and Madam are out tonight, so their cars aren’t here either.”
“…”
Xiao Si turned to Lan Yan, “Doctor Lan, seems like you’re destined to spend the night at my house. This is the suburban villa; it’s almost impossible to hail a taxi here—only private cars come and go.”
Lan Yan: “…”