Chapter 1 Go Home With Me

The night in A City was filled with bright lights and bustling with activity. And there was a heavy traffic of cars and buses passing through the streets as the neon signs flashed on and off. During these long and lonely nights, a lot of people were trying to find ways to relieve stress and blow off some steam, which in turn made the city so alive.

In an upscale private club in the city's central business district, scantily clad beautiful hostesses walked around. Inside this exquisite place, the scent of alcohol and all kinds of expensive perfume pervaded the air. Those women passing by wore such gorgeous and revealing clothing and had heavy makeup on their faces.

Surprisingly, a girl in a beige dress stood by the door of a private room, looking so innocent and out of place. She didn't have any makeup on, and sure enough, her big eyes caught the people's attention in such a boisterous place.

Her eyebrows were deeply knit and her face seemed a bit pale. And she was tightly clenching the chain of her shoulder bag with her right hand.

"Miss, is there anything I can do for you?" a waiter who was passing by gave her a curious look and politely asked.

However, the girl simply gave the waiter a quick glance and said, "No, thanks." Her bright eyes were filled with sadness, which made the waiter's heart skip a beat. And despite her hoarse voice, it was rather calm, with a hint of despair in it.

Hearing her response, the waiter immediately walked away from her.

Taking a deep breath, Ivanka Su stretched out her hand and grabbed the door handle. And after she opened the door just a little, blaring music and laughter came out. Biting her lip, she pulled the door open with all of her strength. The blaring music, the men's wild laughter, and the charming women flirting with them. These things, along with the smell of cigarettes and wine, welcomed Ivanka.

No one seemed to have noticed her come in, and everyone in the room kept talking, eating, and drinking. On the long sofa, a handful of beautiful women were all over a disheveled man. The man was exceptionally handsome, with his straight nose, tantalizing eyes, and a charming smile on the corner of his mouth. He was much like a hunter who could easily get whatever he wanted, and no woman could ever hope to escape him.

At that moment, his face was a bit flushed. He held a woman in each arm, kissing and touching them all over.

Ivanka walked up to him without saying a word. Then, she stared at him, with disappointment written all over her face.

A pretty lady next to the man gently patted him. He looked at Ivanka with his glossy eyes. As his face turned into a frown, he said, "Well, it is the good daughter-in-law of the Xu family!"

Staring back at him, Ivanka tried her best to hold back her anger and said straight away, "Bruce, you have to go home with me."

Brushing her off with a sneer, Bruce Xu shouted, "What did you say? I can't hear you!" Upon saying that, he wrapped his arm around the waist of the woman beside him, and the people around them burst into laughter.

Despite this, Ivanka managed to keep her calm. Raising her voice, she calmly told him again, "Bruce, go home with me."

"Go home?" With a faint smile on his face, Bruce looked at her and replied, "Which home are you referring to?" Kissing the woman on his left, he continued, "Is it Mary's home?" Then, he kissed the woman on his right and said in a rather playful tone, "Or is it perhaps Candy's home?" Then, he looked up at Ivanka and said in quite a provocative manner, "I have a lot of homes. If you're not clear, how will I know which home you want me to go to?"

At this point, Ivanka's face had turned pale, but the lights in the room shined upon her, which made her face bright blue.

Looking at Ivanka, Bruce simply sneered again and said in a mocking tone, "Ivanka, do you actually think that you're a part of my family just because we got married?"

"Come home with me," Ivanka repeated for the third time.

"Okay!" Bruce yelled out as he patted on the thigh of the beautiful woman right next to him. Everyone's eyes were on them at this moment. Someone turned the music off and the room was suddenly filled with silence.

As a faint smile crept onto Bruce's face, he looked at Ivanka and pointed at a dozen glasses of wine on the table. Then, he went on and said, "If you can drink twelve glasses of wine, I will go home with you."

Stunned, Ivanka's face became even paler than it was before. Twelve glasses? She had never even taken a sip of wine before!

Raising his eyebrows, Bruce scoffed at her and asked, "So, can you do it? If you can't, then you should just get out of here!"

Closing her eyes, Ivanka took a deep breath. After mustering up the courage, she grabbed a glass of wine and gulped it down. It felt so uncomfortable for her, as though the wine had set her throat on fire. Finishing one glass was already so difficult, let alone twelve.

"I'm only drinking one." Looking at her, Bruce simply smiled and said, "Didn't you hear what I said? You have to drink all those twelve glasses!" All of a sudden, the people around them became so excited, and the crowd began to cheer. Their screams and applause were so loud that it kept ringing in Ivanka's ears.

Put on the spot, she had no other choice now but to drink them. As the minutes ticked away, more empty glasses could be seen on the table. With every sip that she took, she felt more and more uncomfortable.

"Six..."

"Seven..."

"Eight..."

"Nine..."

"Ten..."

"Eleven..."

The crowd continued to cheer and shout, not noticing that Ivanka was starting to act weird.

Little by little, her vision was getting hazy. Her stomach felt so hot, and it didn't take too long for her entire body to get feverish as well.

Needless to say, she couldn't drink anymore.

'No, I can't give up! Bruce has to go home! Because...' If he didn't go home with her tonight, she wouldn't be able to forgive him for the rest of her life.

Gritting her teeth, she stared at the last glass of wine on the table. As her hands shivered, she reached for the last glass and looked at Bruce. Her face was red all over because of the alcohol.

Seeing this, Bruce's face darkened in an instant. Everyone watched with excitement as Ivanka drank the final glass. All of them couldn't help applauding for her courage.

However, in contrast to everyone who looked like they were having the time of their lives, there was nothing but coldness on Bruce's face.

Ivanka turned the empty glass over, and not a single drop of wine was left. Then, she looked at Bruce and shot him a faint smile, as though she was teasing him.

"There. I did it. Now, you have to come home with me." She carefully said this, word by word, as if she wasn't drunk at all. She had her head held high, as calm and proud as she ever was.

This made Bruce so infuriated, so much so that he was raring to tear up the fake calm mask she was wearing and trample on it. He wanted to see her cry in disappointment and beg for mercy. If it weren't for this woman, he would have been able to be with the love of his life. Moreover, he wouldn't have to live like this every single day.

All of a sudden, Bruce sneered and said, "Ivanka, it looks like you can hold your liquor after all. But, why did you act so innocent before?"

"Bruce..." Before Ivanka could finish her words, Bruce cut her off. "Enough! Stop uttering nonsense! You said you want to go home, right? I'll go back with you!" he said, completely losing his patience. After saying that, he held a beautiful woman in his arms and kissed her passionately. Then, he gently caressed her face and regretfully said, "Baby, I have to go home for now. See you tomorrow." The beautiful woman gave him a coquettish smile and glanced at Ivanka, as if she was mocking her for not even being able to get a man's love.