25 The Ride Offer (1/2)

”Oh ho! The heroine Joann is coming out of the woodworks to rescue the poor maiden!” Lee Mu slurred.

Behind him, Qing Qing mouthed, ”Thank you so much, Sister Joann.”

Joann smiled in acknowledgement.

Another shot appeared in Lee Mu's palm and he pushed it towards Joann, adding, ”If Sister Joann is willing to finish another shot on behalf of Qing Qing, then I will forgive the offence she has committed tonight!”

Before Joann could say anything, Xu Jing leaned forward attempting to grab the shot away from Lee Mu. The latter blocked his advance and warned, ”Back off! The challenge is extended towards Sister Joann, who are you to muddy the situation?!”

”I am her husband,” answered Xu Jing reflexively.

”Pfft, and I am her husband in the movie as well, what difference does it make?” Lee Mu challenged. This struck Xu Jing's nerve and as he was about to stand up to swing a punch at the man's jaw, Joann placed her hand firmly on his knee and said, ”Xu Jing, why are you taking him so seriously? The man is drunk out of his mind, let me handle this.”

She then picked up the glass of offered shot and tossed it back in one go.

”Sister Joann's heroism has impressed me greatly,” Lee Mu said as he joined both of his hands together into a fist like how they do it in wuxia movies, ”Take care and we will meet again on the lonely roads of Jianghu next time!”

Then, the man fluttered off to harass some other people.

Qing Qing sidled up to Joann and said with appreciation, ”Thank you so much, Sister Joann. I do not know what would have happened if you were not there to save me!”

Joann smiled and replied, ”Qing Qing, you are more than welcome, but you have to learn how to take care of yourself. In today's society, a woman has to have a bit of backbone so she would not be bullied.”

”You are right, Sister Joann. How I wish I can be more assertive and independent like you…”

Joann appreciated the compliment. She turned and saw the indignation that had not left her husband's face. She smiled, finding herself glad that her husband could still get jealous because of her even though she did find it a bit childish.

”Xu Jing, I am sure Lee Mu did not mean any harm by what he said. He is probably too drunk to even know the things that left his lips. Stop taking it so seriously,” consoled Joann.

Xu Jing turned to look at his wife before nodding with a grim expression. Then, he sighed. 'Joann is right, the man is drunk out of his mind. I should not have taken what he said to heart,' was what he told himself.

However, the brain and the heart were two different things. As irrational as it was, it still pricked him internally that his wife had decided to side with the outsider, one she had a recorded intimate moment with, rather than himself.