One Wrong Step, Eternal Perdition

"It's quite rare for you to hang out with us today, old Ao," Huang Fei joked half-heartedly.

"Yeah, usually after your workout, you disappear. We thought you weren’t coming back today. Spill it—did your girl kick you out after a fight?" Li Longlong chimed in with a laugh.

"I bet that’s it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t look so down," Xu Shuai punched Long Aotian’s arm playfully. "Cheer up! You’ve still got us!"

Long Aotian sighed. He had been about to head home when he got a message from his girl, and now the three of them had roped him into staying out.

They’d only just gotten together, and already he was living the "no going home" life. Long Aotian couldn’t help but feel helpless.

"You promised to introduce us to your girl ages ago. Did you forget?" Huang Fei glanced at the restaurant in front of them. "Let’s just eat here. It’ll do."

"Give it some time. I’ll have her cook for you guys," Long Aotian replied without looking up, typing a quick response to his girl.

The moment he said that, Huang Fei and the others perked up instantly. "What? Your girl can cook?"

Long Aotian suppressed a smirk, feigning nonchalance. "What’s the big deal? She’s just decent at it—like, barely passable."

"Honestly, it’s just slightly delicious. No need to make a fuss."

Then, glancing at Xu Shuai and Li Longlong, he raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Wait… don’t tell me you’ve never had a homemade meal from your girlfriends?"

Xu Shuai froze for a second before forcing a laugh. "Of course I have! Hahaha, good joke..."

Li Longlong cleared his throat awkwardly. "You know how busy my senior is. I always want her to rest when she has time..."

"Oh!" Long Aotian nodded sagely. "No worries. When the time comes, I’ll let you taste your sister-in-law’s cooking. Just slightly amazing."

Seeing Long Aotian’s smug face, the three immediately ganged up on him.

Laughing and shoving each other, the four of them walked into the restaurant.

......

Shen Mengjie glanced up as the four men passed by the café.

With a mocking smile, she turned to Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua, who were hiding under the table. "They’re gone."

Only then did the two cautiously peek out from beneath the table, confirming that the group had indeed left before finally relaxing. They straightened their clothes and sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Shen Mengjie watched them with amusement. "Are you two really that scared of Long Aotian?"

Ye Liangchen slowly closed his eyes.

Xue Shaohua, however, answered bluntly, "Old Ye had a little… disagreement with Long Aotian not long ago."

As Xue Shaohua finished speaking, Ye Liangchen reopened his eyes and looked at Shen Mengjie. "Just a minor misunderstanding. Nothing to worry about!"

Curious, Shen Mengjie pressed further. "What was the disagreement about?"

Ye Liangchen wiped his face with a hand, his expression tinged with disdain. "I met up with a friend I’ve known for nine years. Apparently, that made someone feel threatened. Pathetic."

He took a deep breath. "He couldn’t handle my presence, so he attacked me out of nowhere. Caught me off guard—just a single punch, no big deal."

"But he didn’t walk away unscathed either." Ye Liangchen smirked. If he’d stayed down for two more seconds, Long Aotian would’ve lost his mind!

Shen Mengjie rolled her eyes. They were clearly terrified of Long Aotian, yet they kept making excuses to cover up their cowardice. How ridiculous.

"Wasn’t the plan for you two to stay away unless I contacted you? So why are you here today?" Shen Mengjie rested her chin on her hand, blinking coquettishly.

The gesture, coming from her, was deliberately provocative.

"Change of plans," Ye Liangchen said darkly. "The original setup stays, but after you get Long Aotian drunk and take the photos, we’ll handle the rest."

Originally, the plan was for Shen Mengjie to get Long Aotian drunk, take compromising photos, and then stage a scene where she’d pretend he had taken advantage of her—complete with the classic line, "No girl would joke about her own innocence." That way, he’d have no choice but to admit guilt.

But now, they had a new idea. Shen Mengjie would just take the photos as backup, and they would personally ensure Long Aotian was "ruined" before taking more incriminating shots. Double the leverage!

The thought of Long Aotian’s smug face when he punched him made Ye Liangchen burn with the urge to retaliate—to prove once and for all who was truly weak.

Beside him, Xue Shaohua’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

Shen Mengjie suddenly felt like the two men before her had changed.

They usually reacted very differently to her charms. She knew how to use her beauty to her advantage, yet just now, neither had even blinked at her teasing. Strange.

Not long ago, they’d been so infatuated they’d probably call even her farts fragrant...

Had something happened recently that she didn’t know about?

Then, she noticed something odd—Ye Liangchen’s hand brushed against Xue Shaohua’s, and both jerked away as if electrocuted.

Why were they blushing?

"Mind explaining why? The original plan was solid. If we mess this up now, all our effort goes to waste," Shen Mengjie pressed.

Ye Liangchen and Xue Shaohua exchanged confident smiles.

They weren’t worried about failure.

If a girl’s innocence was compromised—even if forced—the gossip alone could drown a person.

That was why Hu Yuying had stayed with Long Aotian without resistance.

And the same logic applied to men. If word got out that Long Aotian had been "deflowered," the humiliation would be unbearable—especially for someone as prideful as him. It’d be worse than death!

At that thought, Ye Liangchen decided he should call Gao Quan and invite him to the capital for a visit.

If Long Aotian snapped and tried to kill someone, Gao Quan could take the hit for him.

Not only would he avoid repaying the 200 yuan he owed Gao Quan, but he’d also have proof of Long Aotian’s crime. From then on, Long Aotian would be under his thumb—forever.

The plan was flawless. One misstep from Long Aotian, and he’d be doomed.

Then, they’d force Long Aotian to call Hu Yuying to a hotel. Lights off—Ye Liangchen would make his grand entrance.

He couldn’t wait to see the look on Hu Yuying’s face when she realized it was him.

And Long Aotian? Forced to watch from the sidelines, even helping—what kind of expression would he make?

Just the thought of it made Ye Liangchen laugh out loud in excitement.