Сhарtеr 4: He Tооk the Initiativе to Aррrоасh
А solо rесitаl, lasting neаrly an hour and а hаlf.
Aftеr реrfоrming thе final рiесe of thе еvening, Yin Еn Yu rose from thе piаno bench, tоok twо steрs fоrward, and bоwed in gratitude.
Тhе аudiеnce bеlоw rеsрonded with еnthusiastiс apрlause.
А reprеsentative frоm thе оrganizеrs stеpped оnto thе stаge to рresent hеr with a bоuquеt оf fresh flоwers.
Yin En Yu аccерtеd it with both hands, smiling. As she saw the typеs оf flowers, a flickеr оf surprise pаssеd through her eyes.
Magnolia paired with white tulips—pure and flawless, emitting a faint floral fragrance.
Both were flowers she loved.
After Yin En Yu left the stage, the audience gradually stood up and began to disperse.
An Manling picked up her crocodile-skin handbag from beside her and asked the person to her left, “Leaving together?”
He Yu Zhou leaned back casually in his seat. “I still have matters to attend to. I’ve already arranged for a driver to wait for you outside.”
Hearing this, An Manling couldn’t be bothered to press further and left on her own.
He Yu Zhou stood up and took two steps forward, only to run into two familiar faces.
Before he could speak, the other party beat him to it. “He Gou, what are you doing here?”
He Yu Zhou retorted, “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”
The two before him were his so-called friends—Cheng Ziyan and Lu Jun.
Cheng Ziyan didn’t hold back. “We’re here for the piano recital, of course. This is En Yu’s first performance since returning to the country. We had to show our support.”
He Yu Zhou glanced at them with a faint, mocking smile. “Didn’t realize you had so much free time. Did your companies go bankrupt?”
“Bah,” Cheng Ziyan retorted irritably. “Not a single decent word comes out of that mouth of yours.”
Lu Jun chimed in, “Don’t blame us for not telling you. We were mainly worried you’d get emotional and upset.”
“If we’d known you’d rush over to watch your ex-girlfriend’s performance, we definitely would’ve invited you.”
He Yu Zhou let out a light, disdainful scoff. “How thoughtful of you.”
Cheng Ziyan grinned cheekily. “Of course. No need to thank us too much.”
He Yu Zhou didn’t respond. Instead, he rested one hand on the nearby seat and asked, “Does she know you’re here?”
The “she” in question was self-explanatory.
Lu Jun replied, “No, we were just planning to head backstage and say hello to En Yu.”
“Does she want to see you?” He Yu Zhou questioned.
“Why wouldn’t she want to see us? We’re not her ex-boyfriend.”
Cheng Ziyan added another jab, “Whether she wants to see us or not, we don’t know. But she definitely doesn’t want to see you.”
With those words, the atmosphere around them instantly grew tense. He Yu Zhou’s expression darkened. “Get lost.”
After tossing out those three words, he didn’t waste any more time on them and strode forward.
However, the two behind him weren’t intimidated. “Where are you going?”
He Yu Zhou shot back, “Mind your own business.”
Seeing this, Cheng Ziyan and Lu Jun quickly followed him.
They had a feeling something interesting was about to happen.
Backstage.
Yin En Yu handed the bouquet to her assistant and walked along the corridor toward the dressing room. Her high heels made no sound on the soft carpet.
The train of her mermaid-style gown swayed gently with each step.
Her assistant, Yu Yu, looked down at the flowers in her hands. “Boss, the organizers here are really thoughtful too. They gave you flowers you like, not just the usual roses.”
Yin En Yu hummed softly in acknowledgment.
For every one of her performances, the bouquet presented by the organizers always included her favorite magnolias.
They must have done their research in advance.
While still some distance from the dressing room, Yin En Yu spotted someone standing at the door.The other person immediately walked towards her upon seeing her.
“En Yu, congratulations on the successful completion of your solo recital, and welcome back to the country.” The man smiled, holding a vibrant bouquet of roses, and offered it to Yin En Yu.
His gaze held clear admiration as he looked at her.
Yin En Yu did not rush to take the flowers from his hand, asking with some surprise, “Lu Jing, what are you doing here?”
The person before her was her university classmate.
Lu Jing stared at her. “Of course, I came to watch the performance of the great pianist.”
Knowing she had a performance after returning to the country, he had immediately purchased tickets online.
He also knew that she had broken up with He Yu Zhou two years ago.
It was just unfortunate that he had already returned to the country by then, while she had gone to the UK for her master’s degree.
But now that she was back, he would not miss the chance to pursue her again.
This scene of their conversation was witnessed by several people not far down the corridor.
“En Yu is as popular as ever.” Cheng Ziyan, never one to shy away from drama, remarked, “Is that man in front of her her suitor?”
“Definitely,” Lu Jun added fuel to the fire. “He’s holding such a large bouquet of flowers.”
As he spoke, he observed the expression of the man beside him. He Yu Zhou’s brows were furrowed, exuding an intimidating aura.
“Let’s not go over there. We can catch up next time—”
Before Cheng Ziyan could finish his sentence, he saw He Yu Zhou beside him stride purposefully forward.
Cheng Ziyan was startled by this sudden move and called out in a low voice, “Wait, what are you doing?”
He Yu Zhou replied nonchalantly, “Going to say hello to my ex-girlfriend.”
“What are you doing, barging in at a time like this?” Lu Jun tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
Cheng Ziyan shook his head and cursed, “That troublemaker really doesn’t mind stirring things up.”
With that, the two of them quickly followed.
A scene like this, once in a hundred years, would be a shame to miss.
“What a lively scene. It seems my timing isn’t great.” He Yu Zhou’s indifferent voice echoed in the empty corridor.
The two behind him couldn’t help but inwardly scoff: knowing he shouldn’t be here, yet he still stepped forward.
Playing the gentleman.
The familiar voice and presence approached Yin En Yu from a distance, the scent wafting from him pulling her back into once-familiar scenes.
Ambergris blended with the crisp scent of cedarwood—this men’s fragrance was one she had chosen for him, thinking it suited him perfectly.
A unique sexual tension with an irresistible wild allure.
She hadn’t expected him to still be using this perfume.
He Yu Zhou naturally positioned himself behind her, one hand in his pocket, his tall frame like a wall, enveloping her in his shadow.
Yin En Yu could even feel the warmth radiating from his body, the scorching heat settling over her head.
She was not short, standing at 168 centimeters, and with the six-centimeter heels she was wearing, she appeared even taller.
But next to He Yu Zhou, who was 190 centimeters tall, she seemed somewhat petite.
Yin En Yu’s body tensed, her mind suddenly going blank.
She instinctively turned to look at him, their gazes colliding in the air. Unprepared, she met the depths of his profound eyes.
It seemed… he had been watching her all along.
Yin En Yu’s hands, hanging at her sides, lightly clenched her skirt as she quickly averted her gaze.
His presence was overwhelming.
And… why was he here? Had he also come to watch the performance?Lu Jing was taken aback when he saw He Yu Zhou suddenly appear.
Weren’t they already broken up?
He Yu Zhou didn’t even glance directly at the man opposite him, merely giving a faint look at the bouquet in his hand before commenting, “Red roses, not bad.”
His tone sounded casual, but it couldn’t hide the powerful aura he exuded.
In front of him, Lu Jing felt overshadowed.
He was still as unrestrained and arrogant as ever.
A sudden surge of competitiveness rose in Lu Jing, and he deliberately raised his voice, “En Yu, these are for you.”
His words carried a clear provocation toward He Yu Zhou.
So what if He Yu Zhou was wealthy and powerful? Yin En Yu didn’t like him anymore.
He Yu Zhou sneered, the corner of his mouth curling into a mocking arc as he spoke before Yin En Yu could, “Don’t you think you should learn about someone’s preferences before giving them flowers?”
“She doesn’t like roses.”
With that, he glanced sideways at Yin En Yu beside him, “And you’re planning to accept flowers from someone so insincere and perfunctory?”
“Every bouquet you’ve received before was better than this one.”
Yin En Yu: “…”
She hadn’t intended to accept them in the first place—he had just stolen her line.
The smile faded from Lu Jing’s face, his expression gradually stiffening, his outstretched hand caught in an awkward position, “En Yu, I…”
Yin En Yu cut him off, “It’s fine, the flowers are lovely, but they shouldn’t be given to me. You should give them to someone more suitable.”
Whether Lu Jing knew her preferences or not didn’t matter to her in the slightest—he was just an ordinary classmate to her.
Perhaps feeling the situation wasn’t awkward enough, He Yu Zhou chimed in again, “Why not give them to me?”
“I quite like them.”
Cheng Ziyan and Lu Jun, leaning against the wall watching the scene, shook their heads in disbelief.
He truly had no shame—how could he say something like that so shamelessly?
Lu Jing acted as if he hadn’t heard him, speaking only to Yin En Yu, “En Yu, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”
With that, he turned and walked away, still holding the bouquet.
He Yu Zhou let out a cold laugh—what a ridiculous notion.
With him around, that meal would never happen.
After Lu Jing left, the scene fell into an eerie silence.
Cheng Ziyan and Lu Jun quickly slipped away without a word, while Yin En Yu’s assistant, sensing the tension, quietly opened the door and entered the lounge.
The long corridor was now empty except for the two of them, so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing.
Yin En Yu instinctively took two steps back, pressing against the cold, hard wall.
Her movement didn’t escape He Yu Zhou’s notice, and he let out a self-deprecating smile.
Was she feeling uncomfortable just being a little closer to him now?
Her neck, fair as frost and snow, was exposed, glowing under the corridor’s soft light.
Her back looked frail.
She was always afraid of the cold.
He Yu Zhou sighed helplessly, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders.
Even after two years, the gesture felt as natural and practiced as ever.
The residual warmth from his body enveloped Yin En Yu tightly, the familiar scent washing over her.
It was a long-lost sense of security.