Chapter 74: Dinner Party
The magnificent and luxurious hall was brightly lit, resplendent in gold and jade. The intricate and splendid chandeliers hung high, casting a warm light. The slow and gentle melody was mixed in with the gradually enlivening atmosphere, hazy and indistinct.
Tonight was Qingchuan’s annual charity dinner. There was no tense and tedious business, nor were there any scheming and probing. The atmosphere among the crowd was leisurely and comfortable. The guests had arrived early. The men in suits and leather shoes were clinking glasses and responding, while the women were gathered in twos and threes, wearing gorgeous and grand dresses, competing with each other in beauty. They covered their lips and laughed lightly, their demeanor elegant.
A plain black fishtail long dress, and black high heels landed gracefully on the bright red carpet, parting the crowd of guests. The hem of the dress swayed lightly, and her graceful and shapely curves were fully revealed.
Gu Zhi smiled and greeted the people who came up to talk to her. Two exquisite and translucent black diamonds were hanging on her earlobes, swaying gently, dazzling under the light. She had put on a light makeup, and she was graceful and luxurious, but she did not look too bright. This was her first time attending a banquet after she had taken over the Gu family after the turmoil a few years ago, and everyone was a little suppressed.
The curious gazes were more on the young man who was intimately held by Gu Zhi. The two of them had almost no free space between them. The woman who was in charge of the Gu family’s lifeline, who should have been high and mighty, was leaning softly on the young man’s shoulder. She was slightly tilted, and her long, narrow eyes were squinted. The deep love in her eyes was as overflowing as the gentle and lingering spring water.
Everyone present was a discerning person. Without a word, they could guess seven or eight out of ten. Gu Zhi had been studying abroad for two years, and the next time she appeared in the public eye, she was with another man. The young man in front of them was dressed in a well-fitting and exquisite suit, his dark eyes lowered, his temperament cold and clear. He seemed to be completely unable to fit into the world around him, which was filled with the smell of alcohol and the flow of desire.
“Are you very hot, Xiao Yu? Why is your palm full of sweat…”
Gu Zhi turned over Su Yu’s wrist, and her ten fingers were deeply clasped in his palm. She tilted her head and smiled at him, her eyes full of a deep love, like an invisible shackle, imprisoning his body, and he could not break free at all.
He stared at the woman’s dark brown pupils and suppressed the unstoppable throbbing in his heart. His gaze went to the corner of the hall. The lights there were dim, and a few sofa chairs were silently sunk in the shadows.
He did not find the girl’s back. The dinner party had been going on for a long time, and the gradually cooling night outside the window was getting darker and quieter. She might not be coming. He was secretly relieved, but he also felt a little indescribable sourness, which was far greater than the pain of being whipped. He closed his eyes, and his long and neat eyelashes trembled slightly, barely enduring the cramping pain in his chest.
Gu Zhi understood Su Yu’s meaning and smiled and nodded. She took him out of the crowd and sat down in a remote corner. The hot gazes were still chaotically on Su Yu’s body, and they were so hot that his whole body was burning.
What was he now?
He was just a barely surviving body, a half-dead identity. He was imprisoned by the life and death of the living, and he could not even give up his life to seek death. “Let me go, okay? Let me leave here…”, Su Yu held Gu Zhi’s cold wrist. Even though he was covered in wounds, he was no longer begging for mercy. At this moment, his tone was pleading. “Let’s go back, okay? It’s fine to stay in the basement. You can do whatever you want. I don’t want her to see me like this… please.”
Gu Zhi looked at Su Yu’s anxious face, a slow smile still on her lips. But her heart felt as if it had been cut into pieces, a piercing pain. The corners of her eyes were sore and wanted to well up with tears, but she was constrained by her graceful and luxurious attire. She would not cry. She stubbornly held her unsteady breath.
“Really?”
“Yeah… really. Let’s go back. Let’s not stay here anymore, okay?”
He further held the woman’s forearm. His always-indifferent and lifeless gaze slowly melted, and a softness like rippling spring water appeared. His fingertips caressed her smooth and greasy skin with a fawning look. Before he could finish his words, he was pushed away by Gu Zhi. A gloomy voice sounded in his ear, and he couldn’t help but shiver.
“You really are pathetic. You have to resort to such vile tricks just to make yourself obedient.”
Gu Zhi grabbed Su Yu’s collar and stood up. The neat collar was crooked and fell down, revealing his slender collarbone. The bright red and purple kiss marks and fingerprints were faintly visible in the shadow of his clothes.
“I gave you a chance. Since you didn’t dare to do it yourself, then just give up. Then let’s go…”
The crisp sound of her heels hitting the floor drowned out her voice. Gu Zhi looked back at the tall woman behind her and recognized her at a glance. She lightly let go of Su Yu’s collar, straightened his tie, and leaned in, whispering a low warning in his ear, “Go with the bodyguards outside and wait for me in the car. I’ll be down soon. Be good.”
“Miss Gu?”
Yun Meiman, in a knee-length red dress, curved her round eyes, a lazy smile on her lips. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“There’s nothing to introduce. I don’t like to reveal my private feelings. But you, Sister Yun, long time no see.”
Gu Zhi smiled in response, and the atmosphere fell into a strange harmony.
“Yes, it’s been a long time, sister. The last time was in the capital, right?”
“I’ve been wanting to come and see you, little sister, ever since I came to Qingchuan. Unfortunately, when I finally found the time, I heard the news that you had gone abroad. What a pity…”
“It’s okay. I’m fine. Thank you for your concern, sister.”
“Is that so? That’s good. Unfortunately, I’ve recently taken on a student and have been a bit busy. I’ll be taking her to the capital in a few days. The Gu family’s annual banquet… I’m afraid I’ll have to miss it.”
“As long as your heart is in the right place, sister. But you must teach your students well. Being a teacher comes with responsibilities.”
Yun Meiman curled her lips nonchalantly and said softly.
“Don’t worry about that, Miss Gu. She’s a very smart little girl. I don’t think I’ll need to tell her too much.”
…
He walked through the long, narrow corridor outside the hall, his neck limp. The thick night air clung to his tense muscles.
With the girl, in the past, they brushed past each other in the hallway.
The fluffy, frosted surface of the skirt, cinched at the girl’s slender waist, brushed against his well-fitting trousers. The retro, court-style sleeves swayed gently, touching the skin on the back of his hand, the sensation cool and soft.
He couldn’t help but take a sniff. The rich, expensive perfume still couldn’t mask the soft, sweet scent of gardenias on the girl. He didn’t dare to turn back and linger. His entire face was hidden in the darkness, his back covered in a thin layer of fine sweat. Desolation pressed on his spine, forcing him to continue forward.
The girl was wearing a pair of shiny black leather shoes, her slender calves wrapped in translucent white lace stockings. The moonlight smeared a layer of sweet honey frost on her fair skin. A faint smile played on her lips. The moment it entered his eyes, it was full of charm, captivating his heart. She was at the peak of her youth, and her entire body exuded a bright and dazzling light that he could not reach.
Just like that, they brushed past each other, unnoticed, like two strangers who had never met. His heart sank to the bottom without any warning. He thought to himself with some self-deprecation, what was he expecting?
“Wait…”
The girl’s cold and clear voice came from behind. Su Yu’s whole body was stiff, and he stood still. His ankle moved, and his body turned. He probably wanted to turn his head and take a serious look at the girl. Even if it was the last look.
“Miss, is there something you need?”
The burly bodyguard stood in front of the girl’s frail body, leaving no gap, completely covering Su Yu’s back.
“Oh… nothing. I just suddenly thought that that boy looked a bit like a friend of mine. I must have been mistaken. I’m sorry.”
Xia Qiange shook her head and smiled apologetically. She stared at the boy as he quickly disappeared into the darkness at the end of the corridor. Her dark eyes flickered slightly, and the icy coldness slowly melted, and a little bit of a bright spring atmosphere bloomed.
