12: Chapter 12 gives the villains an opportunity.

The evening breeze carried the cold scent of hydrangeas, making Tang Wanqing shiver.

She sat on a bench, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the texture of her leather handbag, as the alcohol surged up, causing the streetlights before her eyes to blur into double images.

The drinking party just now felt like a nightmare.

The client, CEO Wang, had taken advantage of a toast to rub against her hand, saying, "CEO Tang is so young and beautiful; no wonder you manage the company with such a 'firm' hand."

The vice president beside him joined in the jeering, demanding she down three glasses in a row before he would agree to sign the contract.

She responded with a smile, downing glass after glass of hard liquor, her stomach feeling as if it were on fire, yet she had to maintain an impeccable smile on her face.

The term "career woman" sounded prestigious, but who knew how much filth was hidden behind it?

And the way those people looked at her, their eyes filled with lust and challenge, as if they saw her as nothing more than a milestone to be achieved in their lives—it was truly disgusting!

Of course, she didn't show any weakness; she had experienced countless such scenes and could be considered a veteran.

Having struggled and fought in the business world for ten years, she had long since forged an invulnerable exterior, but only she knew that every time she finished dealing with such events and returned to her empty villa, what she shed was not just her makeup, but also that layer of forced armor.

Yet deep down, Tang Wanqing still hoped that she, too, could have a sturdy shoulder to lean on.

Especially at a time like this...

As Tang Wanqing thought about this, she leaned back against the bench.

She only intended to rest for a moment.

"If only you were here..." she murmured toward the empty lake, her voice so soft it was swept away by the wind.

When Gu Jingshen's father was alive, he never let her touch these drinking parties, always saying, "I can afford to provide for you; you don't need to look at others' faces."

Back then, she thought it was a sweet nothing, but only after he passed away did she realize what an extravagant protection that had been.

The wooden back of the bench dug into her spine, and as she leaned back to catch her breath, her eyelids felt as heavy as if they had been glued shut.

The aftereffect of over a pound of white liquor finally hit her fully, and before her consciousness blurred, she seemed to see her younger self standing in the hydrangea bushes wearing a white dress, with Father Gu holding up a camera and calling out to her, "Look over here."

"Mmm..." she groaned softly and sank completely into a deep sleep.

In the distance, Zhang Fan, who was watching this scene, frowned slightly.

This woman was too careless; having drunk so much alcohol, she actually came to this park with almost no lighting to sober up—wasn't she just giving villains an opportunity?

Zhang Fan stared at the time ticking on his phone—12:14 AM, with only one minute left until the "time of the incident" warned by the system.

He could see that off-white figure leaning on the bench from afar, but there was no way he could rush to her side in time.

Between them was a dense patch of hydrangeas, the waist-high plants tangled together, looking like a prickly wall in the dark night.

To get there, he would have to go around to the stone path on the east side—that would mean walking at least two hundred meters more, making a U-turn, and along the way, there were several steps washed away by rain, making it stumbling work to run.

He gritted his teeth and picked up two bricks from the ground nearby because he saw two people sneaking toward the bench.

Yet he was firmly blocked by this patch of flowers; every step felt like treading on a red-hot iron plate.

The night was too dark, and there were no streetlights here, so as the two men moved in the dark, it was truly difficult to make out their appearance.

He saw the two men test the waters by calling out a few times, and discovering that Tang Wanqing had no reaction at all, it was clear she had passed out from drinking too much and wouldn't wake up no matter how they disturbed her in the short term.

The two let out lewd chuckles and immediately stepped forward, preparing to lift her up, one on each side.

Perhaps it was because the two were making too much noise, or perhaps it was because she had always maintained a strong sense of vigilance, but Tang Wanqing opened her eyes in a daze.

She saw two men actually trying to lay their hands on her, and she immediately began to struggle, about to cry out.

"Don't scream! Don't scream!"

These two men, with their shifty eyes, were quite quick; they immediately reached out to cover her mouth to stop her from making a sound.

At this moment, Tang Wanqing was extremely anxious.

As a woman, even under normal circumstances, she would find it hard to contend with the strength of two men, let alone now, having drunk too much alcohol, she could barely control her own body, and even her struggles felt weak and powerless.

She simply couldn't break free from the control of these two lechers!

Tang Wanqing despaired.

She already anticipated what would happen to her next.

If she were lucky, she would be taken to some unknown place by these two lechers, and after being raped, she would be left there to fend for herself.

Then, when she sobered up, she would return home on her own.

If she were less lucky, they would film a video and spread it, and then she would be caught in the grip of someone with malicious intent...

By then, let alone being a CEO or a career woman, her whole life would be ruined!

At this very moment, she regretted immensely why she hadn't just gone home properly instead of choosing to come out for fresh air to sober up and clear her head.

Sigh, could this be fate!

But now that things had come to this, what on earth should she do?

This Xiouqiu Park was pitch black, and at this hour, it was impossible for anyone to come and save her!

Tang Wanqing had already prepared for the worst.

This was a habit she had formed from years of struggling in the business world.

She closed her eyes, as if resigning herself to fate.

Under the influence of alcohol, her physical strength was already minimal, and she was no match for the strength of two men.

What else could she do?

Pray with all her heart that a hero would appear to defeat the villains and save her?

That was nothing more than a fairy tale to coax little girls, completely unrelated to her...

Bang!

"Ah!"

"Ouch!"

"It hurts!"

"Kid, you're looking for death!"

"Ow! Stop hitting, stop hitting!"

"Ah! It hurts! Stop hitting! I was wrong!"

Suddenly, intense sounds came to her ears, mixed with the wails and pleas for mercy from those two lechers?

The four hands that were originally gripping her had all let go?

Tang Wanqing opened her eyes.

She saw two dark figures in the distance scrambling and crawling away from here, looking as if some terrifying monster were chasing them from behind.

Shifting her gaze, she saw the person who had caused all of this.

Despite the dim light, Tang Wanqing could still judge that this person, who was over 1.8 meters tall, should be a young man.

It was he who had beaten those two lechers away!

She only heard him say, "Are you okay? Why are you here alone in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid of the dark?"

Hmm, the voice was indeed very young.

Just as Tang Wanqing was about to speak, waves of pain came from her body, causing her to let out a low cry and gasp in cold air.

"Hiss!"

Zhang Fan quickly said, "Are you hurt? I'll take you to the hospital!"

Saying that, without waiting for her consent, he directly carried her on his back and trotted quickly toward the gate of Xiouqiu Park.

Such a broad and solid back, such reliable shoulders, such firm and powerful arms...

It was different from Old Gu's back in her memory.

He had carried her on his back before, but he couldn't walk more than a few steps before panting like a bellows, and he would laugh and say, "If you get any heavier, I'll have to hire someone to carry you."

But this person's back was very steady, and even through his shirt, she could feel the firm muscle lines; he must exercise often.

Alcohol and exhaustion washed over her again, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she gradually fell asleep on his back, a hint of peace curving her lips.