“No need to see me out, my assistant is just… downstairs.”
Song Wei lowered her head, meeting Zhong Wanyi’s worried and tense gaze. Suddenly, she didn’t dare to touch such sincerity and took a half-step back.
“Even if Miss Song is in a hurry, I suggest you change your dress first. When we came up from downstairs just now, there was a food blogger livestreaming in the first-floor lobby.”
Xie Siyu’s voice was gentle and soft. Thinking of something, she added, “Of course, you could also take the freight elevator on the third floor directly to the B1 garage.”
Song Wei’s fingertips dug into the soft flesh of her palm. Her silk lotus-leaf collar rose and fell with her rapid breathing, her eyelids drooping as she dared not meet Xie Siyu’s eyes.
Half a year ago, at the Xinghai Annual Launch Event.
In the top-floor corridor of a five-star hotel, Zou Xiao had been chasing after Xie Siyu to report on work, while Song Wei had been huddled by the fire exit holding her audition materials. She had overheard fragments of their conversation: “Song Wei’s public appeal isn’t strong enough. Let’s stick with Su Lin for the second female lead in ‘Chang’an Moon’…”
If she hadn’t paid a high price to bribe the hotel manager that day, hoping to find Zou Xiao for one last chance, she never would have witnessed that scene.
Xinghai Entertainment had been acquired by a mysterious person three years ago. Zou Xiao, the Vice President, had always been the public face managing the company, and there was plenty of idle gossip regarding the identity of the behind-the-scenes boss.
However, who could have imagined that the person was actually the wife of Lu Yanqing, the daughter of the Lu family, married through a business alliance?
During the period Lu Yanqing was abroad, Xie Siyu had even served as the group CEO. Rumor had it she was decisive and ruthless her gentleness was a blade that could be fatal.
“A food blogger is livestreaming?”
Zhong Wanyi’s brow furrowed. Previously, an artist had been shopping at a mall when a passerby caught a photo of a stain on her back; netizens had torn her apart and gossiped about it for an entire week.
She wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen to Song Wei. She picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number. “Bring the spare clothes from my car up to Private Box 202.”
“Wanyi, I… I should be fine. I’ll put on a mask and leave via the freight elevator on the third floor.”
Two fragrant roses were tucked into a prism-shaped crystal vase on the dining table. Ten minutes ago, Song Wei had praised their fresh scent, but now she wished for nothing more than to flee the place immediately.
After a moment of silence, she rejected Zhong Wanyi again. She really shouldn’t have been so deluded today.
Xie Siyu had hidden her identity from the outside world for three years. If Song Wei were smart enough, she should let this secret rot in her gut.
Lu Yanqing raised an eyebrow as she watched the two in their frantic state. Her fingertips tapped rhythmically against the edge of her phone. She tilted her head toward Xie Siyu behind her, her gaze lingering and inscrutable.
Xie Siyu remained composed, asking tenderly, “Why are you looking at me, Yanqing?”
Lu Yanqing shook her head and teased softly, “Miss Song’s sudden reaction certainly has nothing to do with Siyu. It must be because I look too terrifying~”
But she wasn’t blind. The flash of dread in Song Wei’s eyes upon seeing Xie Siyu was unmistakable.
However, everyone has secrets, and she wasn’t curious.
A few minutes later, Zhong Wanyi saw Song Wei now changed into different clothes off to the underground garage. Only after ensuring no paparazzi were lurking did she return to the box, feeling dejected.
After sitting down, she seemed lost in thought, hacking the steak on her plate into a mess. Suddenly, she pushed it aside, the rivets of her denim jacket scraping against the table with a harsh sound.
She leaned halfway across the table toward Xie Siyu, her voice laced with an indescribable heartache. “Siyu-jie, you don’t know. Half a year ago, in order to master the pipa scenes for ‘Chang’an Moon,’ Weiwei practiced until her fingers bled.”
She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was full of indignation. “The director had originally set Weiwei to play the second female lead. But just because of one word from the President of Xinghai, all of Weiwei’s hard work was completely negated, and the role went to someone else.”
Xie Siyu’s long, lowered lashes fluttered. The silver fork in her hand pierced the crème brûlée on her plate, and the amber syrup slowly seeped out. “Then… that President of Xinghai really is quite excessive.”
Zhong Wanyi nodded in agreement. “Right?”
Lu Yanqing slowly swirled her red wine glass, the steak knife reflecting a cold light under the lamps. “I recall Miss Song comes from a professional music conservatory background?”
“Yes, Weiwei is very talented,” Zhong Wanyi answered eagerly, making no effort to hide her admiration for her idol. “Her teacher is Master Li Rongqian the one who did the soundtrack for ‘Jin Xue Ci’.”
Xie Siyu looked up to meet Zhong Wanyi’s proud and triumphant gaze. Her grip on the silver fork tightened. She looked toward Lu Yanqing on her right and, after careful consideration, spoke up: “The ‘Yunshang’ Tea House happens to be short of an image consultant for the joint exhibition.”
Zhong Wanyi was so excited she nearly knocked over her wine glass. The peach sparkling wine, only 3% alcohol, spilled out and soaked into the tablecloth, leaving a pink water mark. “Really? Thank you, Siyu-jie!”
Hearing Zhong Wanyi’s cheers, Lu Yanqing raised an eyebrow slightly. She didn’t recall the tea house being short of any image consultant, but she quickly understood Xie Siyu’s intention.
Her eyelids lowered, and her gaze softened.
The moonlight was bright tonight. Leaving the Halo Western Restaurant to return to Jianghai Lanyuan, both had been drinking, so they called a designated driver.
In the back seat of the Bentley, Xie Siyu’s head drooped against Lu Yanqing’s shoulder. Her bright, fair face was stained with a thin layer of crimson.
She unconsciously rubbed against the hollow of Lu Yanqing’s shoulder. Her pearl earring caught a strand of the other woman’s hair, tugging gently with the jolting of the car.
Lu Yanqing didn’t notice this small detail. She squeezed Xie Siyu’s fingers and asked softly, “Are you feeling unwell? Do you want some water?”
Xie Siyu’s current drunken state was entirely the fault of that reckless Zhong Wanyi. Initially, they had all been drinking very low-alcohol cocktails.
But in the short time Lu Yanqing had stepped out to take a call, she returned to the box to find Xie Siyu slumped over the table, her cheeks looking as though they’d been brushed with heavy rouge.
She was clearly intoxicated.
“I want ice water…”
The alcohol-scented murmur brushed past her ear. Lu Yanqing’s hand, which was resting around Xie Siyu’s waist, trembled uncontrollably.
The bottled water was within arm’s reach, yet she felt as if her pressure points had been struck; her entire body went stiff.
In particular, the rich orange blossom scent on Xie Siyu kept drifting into her nose, throwing her mind into a state of disarray.
She couldn’t open the car window gap too wide either, fearing that the drunken Xie Siyu would catch a cold draft and have a headache tomorrow.
Taking a heavy breath to calm her mind, Lu Yanqing helped Xie Siyu sit up. She unscrewed the cap of the mineral water and brought it to her lips, reminding her gently, “Drink slowly…”
Unfortunately, before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the designated driver’s sudden brake. The momentum sent Xie Siyu plunging into her arms.
The water in Lu Yanqing’s hand spilled, sliding down Xie Siyu’s chin and into her collar, creating a dark stain on the light gray fabric.
“Cold…”
Xie Siyu suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it against her heart. The soaked silk fabric allowed the warmth of her skin to seep through.
Lu Yanqing was stunned. She withdrew her hand as if she’d been electrocuted, the lingering soft sensation on her palm making the back of her neck go numb.
In the moment she was dazed, the rustling sound of fabric came from her ear. Xie Siyu had actually unfastened three buttons of her blouse herself.
During lunch in the CEO’s office, her knit sweater sleeves had been stained with fruit juice, which was why she had changed into this garment.
The streetlights happened to pierce through the car window at that moment, flickering over the pale pink, enchanting scenery below the collarbone the very spot Lu Yanqing had hurriedly looked away from last week when she stumbled upon Xie Siyu changing.
“Don’t move.”
Lu Yanqing wrapped her cashmere coat around Xie Siyu. Her fingertips accidentally brushed against the sensitive area of her neck, causing the woman in her arms to groan softly and curl up.
In the warm yellow glow, Lu Yanqing saw Xie Siyu’s damp eyelashes tremble as she opened her eyes. “Qingqing’s hands… are so cold.”
Xie Siyu’s soft fingertips suddenly touched her cheek, startling her into two short, sharp breaths.
Inside the car where light and shadow flickered, Lu Yanqing pressed her lips tight, her gaze deep and complex. Ultimately, she did not push away the person in her arms who was wreaking havoc on her composure.
For some unknown reason, she instead held her a little tighter.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Zhong Wanyi had sent the news about the “Yunshang” Tea House image consultant position to Song Wei, but the other party had been slow to reply she probably wasn’t looking at her phone.
The door to the private box was pushed open again. This time, Zheng Xue entered; this restaurant was owned by her family.
“Siyu-jie won’t brush us off like she did last time, will she?”
Zheng Xue jogged over to Zhong Wanyi, glanced at the mess on the dining table, and then turned her gaze back to her friend’s face.
As long as an endorsement deal isn’t set in black and white, there could be changes! Previously, they had sent Song Wei’s personal profile to Xie Siyu’s special assistant, only for there to be no follow-up whatsoever.
“Third time’s the charm.”
Besides, Qingqing had heard it with her own ears tonight.
Resting her chin on one hand, Zhong Wanyi stared blankly at the plane trees outside the floor-to-ceiling window. She crunched the mint in her mouth; the cooling sensation hit her, making her feel much more sober.
Weiwei: Wanyi, I’m so grateful for you looking out for me, but let’s stop the brand endorsement matter here~ Don’t make things difficult for your friend.] [Weiwei: I was very happy to see you and chat today.
When Lu Yanqing had left the box to answer a call, she had suddenly received this WeChat message from Song Wei. After a moment of contemplation, she understood the reason behind it.
Song Wei had clearly promised her she would give it a try, yet in the end, she found an excuse to leave because she saw Xie Siyu.
There was definitely something between them that she didn’t know about.
In her daze, she had accidentally poured whisky into Xie Siyu’s glass. Realizing it, she hurriedly warned: “Siyu-jie, this drink—”
Even if Xie Siyu hadn’t been paying attention for a moment, how could she not have noticed the taste of whisky once it hit her mouth?
And yet, she had drunk the entire glass.
The look Xie Siyu had given her just now was still fresh in her memory; she had been smiling tenderly, yet her eyes were inexplicably deep.
Zheng Xue had a question she’d been holding back for a long time. Since she and Zhong Wanyi were longtime friends and there were no outsiders in the box, she didn’t hesitate and asked directly: “Siyu-jie is only the acting CEO of the Lu Group. Now that Yanqing-jie is back, why are you taking the long way around?”
“With your relationship with Yanqing-jie, it would be much easier if you just asked her.”
Zhong Wanyi patted her cheeks; they felt a bit hot.
She was also a little drunk.
Stepping toward the box door while leaning on the table, she finally answered Zheng Xue’s doubt.
“It’s true that Qingqing and I are friends. She’s been back for a while now, yet Xie Siyu is still sitting in that position. Why is that?”
“It’s because Qingqing allows it.”