Yong Zhixu snapped back to reality and looked at the glass of wine that had suddenly appeared in his hand, feeling utterly bewildered.
When he raised his eyes and saw Chen Zui frantically winking in Tangxi Li’s direction, he suddenly understood.
But he didn’t move.
His lashes lowered slightly, and his fingers traced the frosted pattern on the glass, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Chen Zui grew impatient and whispered in his ear, “Third Brother, this opportunity won’t come again!”
“…” Yong Zhixu thought he was overthinking it. “It’s not what you think.”
How could he assume that just because he’d complimented her, he was interested in her?
That was far too hasty.
“At the time, I was just saying it casually, nothing more,” he explained.
“Really?” Chen Zui didn’t believe him, his peach-blossom eyes glinting shrewdly. “Then why did your ears turn red when you locked eyes with Little Rainbow just now?”
Chen Zui had been in countless relationships—he could recognize Heartbeat at a glance.
He’d stake his reputation on it: if Third Brother wasn’t interested in Little Rainbow, he’d eat shit on live stream!
“…” Yong Zhixu froze for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Had his ears really turned red just now?
“You didn’t know?” Seeing his expression, Chen Zui understood immediately.
“Then tell me, what did you feel when you saw her just now?” Chen Zui adopted the demeanor of a love expert offering online consultations.
What did he feel… Yong Zhixu tightened his grip on the wine glass, brought it to his lips for a sip, and lowered his gaze as he recalled.
In that moment, his heartbeat seemed to skip a beat, and his mind went blank.
Even under her direct, unflinching gaze, he’d inexplicably felt a flicker of panic and confusion—completely irrational.
“I felt nothing,” he said calmly, taking another sip of wine.
Chen Zui wasn’t convinced. “Really? Are you sure you’re telling the truth?”
“Nothing,” Yong Zhixu repeated, his tone firmer this time.
“Fine.” Chen Zui nodded. “If you say that, then I’ll make my move.”
Without the slightest hesitation, he stood up and walked over to the opposite side.
Under Yong Zhixu’s stunned gaze, he nudged Su Jinglun aside and squeezed into the seat between him and Tangxi Li.
“Miss Tangxi, do you have a boyfriend?” Chen Zui asked bluntly.
Tangxi Li, scrolling through her phone distractedly, replied, “No.”
“Good that you don’t.” Chen Zui relaxed and poured himself a glass of wine.
Su Jinglun, who had been shoved to the floor, heard Chen Zui’s question and immediately concluded that this bastard was interested in Tangxi Li.
He sighed, got up, and moved to the side. Since Chen the Fourth liked her, he’d back off.
There were plenty of women out there—no need to compete with a brother.
The others, seeing this, understood the situation and automatically categorized Tangxi Li as someone off-limits.
They all felt varying degrees of regret. After all, beautiful women were common, but celestial beauties were rare—especially one as cool and aloof to the bone as her.
Yong Zhixu watched Chen Zui’s actions and understood everything.
He hadn’t expected that Chen Zui, who’d been egging him on, would have such intentions toward Tangxi Li.
First, he was stunned, and then, for some reason, an indescribable, ambiguous emotion began to stir within him.
It felt as if something was clogging his lungs.
Chen Zui had been observing Yong Zhixu’s reaction out of the corner of his eye—that flicker of astonishment hadn’t escaped him.
So, he pressed on, “Miss Tangxi, what are your usual hobbies?””Does murder count?” Tangxi Li looked up from her phone, her gaze devoid of emotion as she glanced at him.
Her expression showed no hint of jest.
“Haha…” Chen Zui let out an awkward laugh and familiarly switched his address, “Miss Tangxi, you’re so humorous. What do you like to eat? Chinese cuisine? Western food? Japanese dishes?”
“I don’t like any of them.” Tangxi Li was growing irritated by the questions but held back out of consideration for Zhou Zhou.
However, since she had her head lowered, Chen Zui didn’t notice the impatience in her eyes. He shifted closer, “Then do you play tennis? Or golf?”
“…” (Is he insane? Does she even know him?)
“What do you like then? Rock climbing? Racing?”
Yong Zhixu watched as the two drew increasingly closer, the breath trapped in his lungs suddenly rising to his throat.
He felt inexplicably stifled.
He stood up and strode out of the private room on his long legs.
Chen Zui had been covertly observing Yong Zhixu all along. Seeing him leave, he smirked slyly.
But when he turned back, he unexpectedly met Tangxi Li’s weary, irritated, murderous glare.
“Get lost!” Tangxi Li could no longer contain herself and finally erupted, coldly spitting out the word.
She then picked up her clutch and left the room.
The night deepened, but the music on the first floor grew even livelier. Men and women let loose, indulging in revelry.
Finding it too noisy, Tangxi Li turned into the restroom.
Her phone in the clutch suddenly rang. She took it out, glanced at the caller ID, and answered, “What is it?”
Ji Fuzheng’s voice came from the other end, “Sister, we’ve intercepted that shipment from the An Family passing through the South Seas.”
“Excellent.” Hearing this news, Tangxi Li’s mood instantly brightened, a wicked smile creeping into her eyes. “Let them know I was the one who did it.”
“Huh?” Ji Fuzheng was taken aback and strongly objected, “I disagree! Sister, that’s nearly several billion worth of goods. If the An Family finds out, they’ll come after you with everything they’ve got!”
Tangxi Li remained silent.
Both sides fell into a stretch of quiet.
After a moment, Ji Fuzheng relented, “Alright, alright, I’ll make the call, I’ll make it.”
This woman always meant what she said; no one could change her mind.
“City folks sure know how to play!” Grumbling, Ji Fuzheng hung up and then ordered someone to relay the message to the An Family.
At the same time, the An Family was gathered at the old residence having dinner together.
An Minghe had only taken a few bites when he received a call from his secretary: all their goods passing through the South Seas from the Atlantic had been hijacked.
“Pfft… cough cough…” An Minghe choked on his soup, spraying it everywhere as he broke into violent coughs.
This startled the entire An Family.
Gu Yuqing hurriedly brought water to An Minghe, “Honey, don’t get agitated. Take deep breaths.”
An Minghe drank a few sips of water, took a couple of deep breaths, and finally calmed down. Pressing the phone to his ear, he urgently said, “Secretary Li, say that again.”
Secretary Li on the other end had no choice but to repeat it.
“Whoosh”—An Minghe’s face instantly turned pale. Billions worth of goods, gone.
He staggered, feeling as if he’d been struck hard over the head, his fingers trembling slightly.
Seeing his ashen expression, the An Family members crowded around, concerned, asking what had happened.
“It’s our…”
Before he could utter the word “goods,” his phone rang again. Dazedly, he answered the call.
In those brief seconds of conversation, An Minghe’s expression went through a spectacular range of emotions.
First disbelief, then shock and uncertainty, and finally, thunderous rage.”Ah—” With a sudden roar from him, the An Family members all trembled in fright.