Elena Shen had turned off all notifications, completely unaware that shortly after she saw the trending video, every related post was swiftly taken down within minutes.
She also had no idea that Ethan Jiang had spent nearly half an hour that night being scolded over the phone by his parents.
Huaizhou University was close to her apartment. After finishing her work in the lab, Elena didn't bother returning to the Jiang family estate and instead went straight to her small flat. She spent the weekend cloistered in her studies, buried in research and analyzing current financial trends, rarely stepping outside.
Ethan happened to be away on a business trip in Linshi City. Aside from the delivery drivers, no one came knocking at her door.
Alone, consumed by her academic pursuits, her sleep schedule had become completely unregulated.
By 3 p.m. on Sunday, after pulling an all-nighter and reading financial reports, she was ready to crash for the afternoon and regain some energy.
She had barely lain down and drifted into shallow sleep when her phone on the bedside table started vibrating violently.
Half-asleep, she cracked her eyes open and groggily hit the answer button. "Hello… Annie?"
The other end was a blur of noise. Annie Gu's voice, low and slightly hoarse, was carried through a haze of music and chatter.
"Elena… Are you free this afternoon? I'm at a bar on Huajiang Road. Will you come?"
Elena sat up abruptly, shaking off her drowsiness to make sure she hadn't misheard. Sensing something wrong with Annie's tone, she confirmed the bar's location again before getting out of bed, splashing cold water on her face, and pulling a dress from her wardrobe to head out.
She rarely went to bars.
Especially now, Annie had deliberately chosen a remote place far from "The Nocturne" to avoid running into anyone acquainted with Winston Gu.
Elena spent quite a while looking before finally locating the bar.
Amid the dim lighting and dizzying swirl of neon, she found Annie sulking in the corner booth, eyes full of frustration and anger.
Elena's head was still foggy from exhaustion, and the pounding music didn't help—her temples throbbed with every beat.
"What's going on, princess?"
The place was too loud for conversation. Annie stood up and tugged her toward the elevator. "It's too noisy down here. Let's go to the private room upstairs."
Elena followed her without a word.
They reached the third floor and entered the room Annie had booked in advance.
Annie slumped onto the sofa, her brows furrowed in dejection. After downing two glasses of liquor, she finally spoke:
"It's about that arranged marriage again."
It was as though she had found the perfect outlet to vent her rage. Glass in hand, she spilled her anger word by word, a bitter rant laced with alcohol.
"What kind of parents arrange a marriage for their daughter when she's just turned twenty?"
"I'm their daughter, not some tool to secure a political alliance. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, they dragged me back from The Nocturne and locked me up for three days. Now it's only been a few weeks and they're bringing it up again!"
"So what? Was I born just to be their bargaining chip?"
Annie's voice filled the entire room, her frustration pouring out in wave after wave.
Elena said nothing. She knew that what Annie needed most right now wasn't advice—it was someone who would simply listen.
Annie deeply resented the idea of a political marriage.
Then again, most children born into elite families did.
As Elena watched her friend rage and unravel, her mind drifted briefly to Ethan Jiang, who had always harbored a similar distaste for such arrangements.
Though she bore the Shen family name, she had lost her parents prematurely. Shen Corporation has since declined sharply, and during its most volatile period, it only survived thanks to the Jiang family's support.
She no longer had the power or backing to defy her circumstances. That lifelong engagement, signed into existence before she even understood the word "marriage," had always felt like an unchangeable fate—one she had long since resigned herself to.
But Annie and Ethan didn't like her.
They had power. They had the privilege of saying no.
And the older Elena grew, the more she began to understand why Ethan had always rejected the idea of their engagement.
She wondered if things had been different—
If her parents were still alive,
If the Shen family still held its former glory,
Would she have fought back against this predetermined bond too?
Annie, oblivious to Elena's thoughts, poured her another drink and flopped onto her like a sloth.
"Elena, you drink too. It's light. It won't get you drunk."
Annie truly hated the marriage looming over her. Born a beloved darling, she couldn't accept being handed over like a commodity.
She kept drinking.
As if alcohol could help her escape from an inevitable fate.
And she wasn't just drinking quietly either.
From the moment they entered the room, Annie's mouth hadn't stopped. Round after round of complaints, grumbles, and curses filled the air.
Elena, having barely slept the night before, was already exhausted. Sitting in the warm, enclosed room, her fatigue crept back in.
Rubbing her temples, she took a glass from the table and drank the cold liquor, hoping it would clear her mind.
The chilled alcohol burned down her throat, its sting jolting her awake.
That first sip broke her restraint. She continued sipping now and then, joining Annie in her drinking—not indulgently, but enough to keep pace.
What Annie didn't mention, however, was this:
While the alcohol she had brought in truly wasn't strong in proof, the aftereffects were deceptive.
Especially for someone like Elena, who had low tolerance and rarely drank.
Once the alcohol kicked in, it surged like a tide, impossible to fight off.
Meanwhile, the Gu family's bodyguards—dispatched discreetly to watch over Annie—realized she had been inside for almost two hours. They immediately called Winston Gu.
After taking the call, Winston phoned Ethan Jiang without hesitation.
"Hey, Ethan. My sister dragged her sister-in-law to a bar on Huajiang Road. Are you back from your trip yet? Can you come over?"
Ethan had just stepped out of the airport when he received the call. His expression darkened instantly. "I'm free. Heading there now."
He turned to his driver. "Change of plans. Take us to Huajiang Road."
It had been raining since 4 p.m.
Now nearing 6 p.m., rush hour was in full swing. Between the weather and traffic, even at top speed, it took the driver over thirty minutes to arrive.
Winston had left two bodyguards at the entrance to wait for Ethan.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, the men approached him quickly.
"Mr. Jiang, Mr. Gu is already upstairs. This way, please."
Ethan gave the noisy bar a sweeping glance, eyes calm and sharp, then followed them inside.
Annie had a better alcohol tolerance than Elena.
But even the strongest drinkers falter after enough rounds.
By the time Winston entered the room, both women were visibly drunk.
Annie, in particular, had atrocious behavior when intoxicated—loud, defiant, and completely out of control.
Elena, in contrast, was quiet. She slumped against the table with her eyes half-closed, calm as a sleeping cat.
But watching the scene—his own sister raising hell, and Elena completely drunk—Winston's temples throbbed.
He scowled. At least if it were just Annie, he could yell and haul her home.
But this mess now involved Elena—Ethan's person.
What the hell was he supposed to say to Ethan?
He silently thanked himself for having assigned bodyguards from the start. Thank god nothing worse had happened. Elena was just drunk. If anything had gone wrong...
He couldn't even imagine how to explain it.
"Elena, I'm not done talking yet… Come on, let's keep drinking…"
Annie shoved off her brother's restraining hand and staggered toward Elena again.
Winston grabbed her, his anger boiling. "Annie Gu, I swear, when we get home I'll throw you into the wine cellar! Drink yourself to death in there if you want!"
Seeing her still trying to crawl back toward Elena even while wasted, he nearly tied her up on the spot.
Just then, the door burst open.
Ethan Jiang strode in.
Winston exhaled in relief and gestured toward Elena.
"She's had a lot to drink. See if she still recognizes you."
Ethan glanced at the mess of bottles littering the table, then walked over to where Elena was slouched on the left.
"Elena?"
The girl stirred slightly at the sound of his voice.
The liquor had dulled her senses, her head swimming.
Hearing someone call her name, she blinked and slowly lifted her head, trying to see who it was.
Elena had never been drunk in front of Ethan.
Even at formal family gatherings, she'd only ever took the smallest sip during toasts—never more.
Annie had finally quieted a little.
Winston kept a wary eye on his sister, then shifted his gaze across the room.
Elena was struggling to sit upright, her watery eyes glazed, dazedly fixed on Ethan's face.
It seemed she didn't even recognize him.
Ethan's eyes darkened. He leaned down and pressed his hand onto her forehead.
"This drunk, huh?"
"You don't even know who I am?"
It was raining outside, and she'd clearly had too much. Concerned she might catch a chill, Ethan kept his palm on her forehead a moment longer. Sensing no fever, he began to lift her into his arms.
But as soon as his hand brushed her waist—
Before he could fully hold her—
The girl leaned back slightly, her lashes lowered, and whispered:
"Don't… don't hold me."