Chapter 39
The foreign guy shook his finger and then pointed at her drink, saying:
"Yours is Belgian beer. It's supposed to be light in flavor. It would be more refreshing if served chilled, but now that it's at room temperature, it's not that great for drinking." (To make it easier to read, I won't write the English here, just imagine the guy is speaking English!)
Qin Wei didn't argue with him anymore. She glanced at the drink he ordered for her and said "Thanks" before going back to her book.
Looking around the bar, this side of the counter was the only place with lighting suitable for reading. But in the entire bar, she was the only one reading a book.
Seeing that Qin Wei had no intention of drinking, the guy took the initiative to say to her:
"How about we make a toast together?"
Qin Wei looked at him apologetically:
"I'm really sorry, I don't feel like drinking today."
The guy frowned, but still looked sincere:
"This is mainly orange juice and sprite, very low alcohol content. I think you're very beautiful and you captivated me. I want to buy you a drink and dance with you. I want to get to know you better."
He was clearly lying. From the moment the drink was served, Qin Wei knew he had ill intentions. She just thought to herself that she was in a foreign country on a work trip and didn't want to cause trouble, which was why she stayed silent. But the guy persisted.
"Just one sip! Pretty lady, my sincere affection for you is in this drink."
The guy was good-looking and spoke sweetly. Other girls might have been moved.
But...
Qin Wei remembered her previous life as a trainee in the company, when she heard about her senior colleagues going to bars, picking up girls with their handsome looks, getting them drunk and then taking them back to a hotel room.
Back then, Qin Wei was plain-looking. By chance, she got to know one of these seniors and he never saw her as prey. So when they chatted, he openly talked about these things, not hiding anything.
At that time, Qin Wei didn't have the power to do anything about it. Although she felt disgusted listening to the stories, she had no evidence and couldn't say much.
The senior had said before that he would order the girls a drink that looked harmless but actually had a high alcohol content. Just one small cup could get a girl drunk, and then she would be at his mercy. They called this kind of drink a "date-rape drug."
The senior had generously told her that these drinks had such an effect. He even mocked her, saying "It doesn't matter if you know, no guy would order a drink like this for someone who looks like you anyway."
What a coincidence. The orange-flavored cocktail that was placed in front of her now was exactly the "betweenthesheets" drink the senior had introduced.
But today, there was a man willing to have ulterior motives just because of her good looks.
Qin Wei took out her thermos from her bag, opened the lid in front of the guy, and drank a mouthful. Then she told him:
"I only drink hot drinks."
Perhaps due to cultural differences, the guy was at a loss for words seeing her drink hot water.
He had clearly been rejected, but still didn't give up. He begged and pestered Qin Wei to drink with him. In the end, he drank two glasses himself and got drunk.
Once drunk, he became even more unruly. Sensing something was wrong, Qin Wei just wanted to get away from him and got up to leave. But he grabbed her wrist.
"What are you doing?"
Qin Wei was shocked by his actions and immediately yelled loudly. But the bar was noisy to begin with, and the music had already drowned out her voice.
There weren't many people on this side of the bar either. The bartender seemed used to these kinds of situations and didn't want to cause trouble for himself. So he had slipped away early to tidy up the shelves.
The guy wasn't scared at all. On the contrary, he became even more unbridled. He reached out to grab Qin Wei's waist.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but he was very strong. Qin Wei couldn't break free at all.
Splash—
The orangey alcoholic scent entered her nostrils. When Qin Wei came to her senses, the guy had already let go. A man walked up to her and used his tall stature to shield her behind him.
"Hayden?"
Only then did Qin Wei realize it was her teammate, Gu Minghua, who had come to her defense.
Looking back at the foreign guy, his face was splashed with alcohol and his clothes were wet too. But he had sobered up quite a bit as well.
He glared angrily at Gu Minghua, yelling at him not to meddle in other people's business. But Gu Minghua still looked at him impassively, not intimidated at all.
The foreign guy threw a punch at Gu Minghua, but Gu Minghua easily dodged it and pressed him to the ground instead.
Gu Minghua was 1.85 meters tall and worked out regularly. Subduing a drunkard was effortless for him.
This attracted quite a bit of onlookers.
The foreign guy warned Gu Minghua to let him go or he'd make him regret it. But Gu Minghua still held him firmly on the ground, telling him that the woman he had harassed was his friend, and not only would he call the police, he would also press charges. Hearing this, the foreign guy's face turned red with rage. As he struggled, he said to Gu Minghua:
"You little punk, you better mind your own business! Girls who come to bars to play around are all fair game. I have a gun in my car and if you don't let me go, I might do something you'll regret."
Gu Minghua's face remained cold as he replied:
"Go ahead. Let me tell you, I live in Kensington. You're welcome to come look for trouble anytime. Not only will I send you to jail, my lawyer will come see you too. If you want to find me, you'll have to get out of jail first."
Kensington was a traditional upper-class district in London where the residents were either wealthy or noble. The security guards there carried loaded guns. Looking at Gu Minghua's Rolex watch, he was probably telling the truth.
These rich guys weren't to be trifled with, let alone someone of his status.
Hearing this, the foreign guy seemed a little scared. He yelled that it was a misunderstanding and continued shouting for Gu Minghua to let him go.
Gu Minghua looked up at Qin Wei, his eyes full of concern. Then he asked her:
"He harassed you, right?"
Qin Wei nodded solemnly.
Yes, she had indeed been harassed just now.
Gu Minghua freed one hand to make a phone call. Very soon, a few policemen arrived.
Gu Minghua said a few words to the police, and one of them handcuffed the foreign guy while the other came over to ask Qin Wei about the situation.
Qin Wei looked hesitantly at Gu Minghua. Gu Minghua nodded at her and said in English:
"Tell the police officer what happened just now. You can trust him."
At first, Qin Wei chickened out a little. After Gu Minghua's encouragement, she recounted the incident to the policeman in English. One policeman took notes while the other went to retrieve the surveillance footage.
Gu Minghua made another call to the side, then told the police:
"My lawyer will handle everything from here on. Here is his contact information. He will take the initiative to contact you at the police station tomorrow morning." After getting everything in order, the police took the suspect away from the bar. Only then did Qin Wei breathe a sigh of relief and sit back down on her chair.
"It must have been scary. I was careless. I shouldn't have left you here alone."
Gu Minghua said apologetically.
"It's not as safe here at night compared to China. Even though I live in London, I overlooked these details. If anything had happened to you, I would feel guilty for life."
Qin Wei shook her head, saying it was fine. She then took out her thermos and drank some water to calm herself. Seeing her thermos, Gu Minghua was startled for a moment before laughing out loud.
"So Miss Qin likes Strawberry Bear?"