The night fell silently, the evening breeze teasing the pointed edge of the moon. Xu Si’s hair had grown too long, resting on the fluffy, soft pillow. Her delicate and fair legs were curled up beneath the covers, and she slept quietly. The air occasionally rippled, brushing the stray locks on her forehead, resembling a painting of a serene beauty.
She slept hazily through the night. Xu Si woke up with a splitting headache. Trembling, she raised her hand before opening her eyes and rubbed their sore corners. Propping herself up, the blanket slid to her thighs.
The surging heat in her stomach made her uncomfortable, and there was a bit of a painful sting on her lips.
Recalling the events of yesterday, Xu Si admitted that having drunk less these past two years, her alcohol tolerance had indeed decreased sowhat.
She had thought that with Anshi by her side, everything would be fail-safe; even if she were utterly drunk, Anshi and the bodyguards could escort her away safely.
Life, however, is full of variables. Pei Zhen was the biggest variable in her life.
Although she didn’t know why he had suddenly co to Hong Kong Island, his re appearance was enough to derail her established plans. It was disrupted to the point where even soone as complex-minded as Xu Si would willingly allow herself to be taken to such an unfamiliar place.
What surprised Xu Si even more was that although he had seed incredibly angry last night, speaking many harsh and unyielding words, after a single kiss, he seed to have rationalized it to himself and forgiven her easily, without needing any explanation.
This gave Xu Si an illusion—the illusion that no matter what she did, she would ultimately be forgiven.
The light outside the window flickered, and the air still carried a lingering, muddled scent of alcohol. After composing herself for a mont, she got up, went to the bathroom, and took a warm shower, finally ridding herself of the sll of alcohol.
She then took out a cooling lip balm from her handbag, squeezed so onto her fingertip, and carefully applied it to the cut on her lip while looking in the mirror.
Staring at such an intimately suggestive wound, she didn’t blush or feel her heart race, nor did she feel elated. Only her beautiful, bright eyes stared intently at her own fragnted reflection in the mirror.
"That was quite a bite, like a Vampire." Xu Si frowned. She redid her disheveled hair, smoothed out the wrinkles on the clothes around her slender waistline, and only walked out of the bathroom once she was neat and tidy.
KNOCK KNOCK—
Soone was at her door.
The waiter ca to the door pushing a dining cart. While delivering the al, he said to her, "A certain ’boss’ has requested your presence after you finish eating."
At first, Xu Si didn’t know who this "boss" was. After pondering for a mont, however, it beca clear: apart from Pei Zhen, no one else knew she was here and would want to see her.
Rembering her drunken loss of composure the night before, Xu Si ate her al bite by bite. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the high heels neatly placed on the floor. Resignedly, she picked them up, put them on, and stepped out of the hotel room, ready to switch into "placate Pei Zhen" mode at any mont.
If she wasn’t mistaken, Anshi was likely still in his hands.
She really had to do a good job of placating him.
The waiter led her to an area resembling a partitioned garden. To reach its landscaped center, she had to cross a series of solid wood steps.
This place had distinctive features. Its ancient charm made one feel as if they had arrived in Jiangnan. According to the waiter, the designer was from the southeast coastal region, and this type of courtyard on Hong Kong Island was designed for the exclusive experience of a select few.
Against the backdrop of Hong Kong Island’s mist, Xu Si quickened her pace, and soon she was approaching the teahouse.
It seed there was so movent ahead.
Xu Si slowed her steps. In the square teahouse ahead, she saw more than one person seated.
As always, her gaze was drawn to Pei Zhen first.
He held a tal Scepter in one hand, seated at the head of the long tea table. His long legs were crossed and resting on a wooden footrest, his left fingertips idly tapping behind his ear. Tendrils of steam swirled around his face, and his grey eyes gazed off in so inscrutable direction.
Shifting her gaze slightly, Xu Si noticed several middle-aged n at the tea table. Their bearing and aura didn’t resemble those from the Underground City; rather, they seed to be Hong Kong Island locals. They were looking at Pei Zhen with an expression that was eager, fawning, and imploring.
At so distance from Pei Zhen sat a beauty with the distinct allure of Hong Kong Island. Her makeup was dramatic and rich, devoid of any youthful innocence. She was as sensual as the heart of a flower that had blood in a bygone year; at first glance, she resembled a recent Miss Hong Kong pageant winner.
One of the middle-aged n, perched on the edge of his chair, flicked the ash from the cigarette butt in his hand. As the ash fell, his eyes signaled the beauty, "Yinyin, light Mr. Fei Yi’s cigarette."
Hearing this, the beauty rose. She toyed with a petrol lighter before walking slowly to Pei Zhen’s side. Picking up a cigar from the table, she placed it between her lips and lit it. After taking a puff and slowly exhaling, her eyes full of seduction, she crouched down to offer the cigar to Pei Zhen.
"Mr. Fei Yi, please."
Her posture was deferential, her voice neither subservient nor arrogant, yet tinged with a lingering intimacy.
The middle-aged man was extrely satisfied.
It had been quite an effort for them to discover that this magnate, newly erged from the Underground City, had a penchant for mature won. So, they had specially brought one to try their luck. They hadn’t expected that when the magnate passed by, he would actually have his attendants allow them in. It seed their efforts might pay off.
Water trickled from the rockery in the courtyard, splashing onto the plump head of a red-and-white koi. The fish flicked its tail and darted away, the resulting ripples bending the stalks of the lotus leaves.
Xu Si stood a short distance away, her gaze fixed on the lipstick-stained cigar. Her expression was outwardly indifferent, yet there was a hint of unnaturalness about it.
Although they had already done everything a couple might do, there was, in reality, no official relationship between them; she still hadn’t given Pei Zhen an answer. Yet, seeing Pei Zhen being openly seduced by the beauty, her fingers couldn’t help but curl excitedly at her sides. An inexplicable possessiveness welled up in her heart, but paradoxically, she also felt the thrill of watching a drama unfold.
How strangely stimulating.
Inside the teahouse, boiling water roiled, sending up wisps of steam that blurred the air above the green plants.
Pei Zhen’s gaze hadn’t shifted, yet he had already caught sight of a graceful figure strolling over from beside the rockery out of the corner of his eye.
No, his tranquil heart had begun to race from the very mont she stepped into the courtyard.
The irritation and gloom in his eyes vanished. The corners of his lips curved into an utterly captivating smile as he reached out his ring-adorned hand to take the cigar.
Xu Si raised an eyebrow. Her fingers clenched so tightly they felt rigid, and her mouth soured as if she were sucking on a lemon drop.
Such a subtle reaction couldn’t possibly have been perceived in the teahouse.
Yet, Pei Zhen’s fingers actually trembled almost imperceptibly. He pressed down on the tal dragon-head Scepter in his right hand, suppressing the urge to throw back his head and chuckle, and passed the cigar to one of the middle-aged n beside him. "I have matters to attend to shortly. I won’t smoke."
The middle-aged man accepted it, stunned, then ecstatic. "Excellent! Thank you! Declining the smoke doesn’t diminish the gesture of the lovely lady lighting it. Mr. Fei Yi is indeed considerate of won."
Pei Zhen remained silent.
He rely turned his head, his gaze—languidly indolent yet captivatingly soul-stirring—finding Xu Si with unerring accuracy, without needing to search.
His eyes shone brightly, as if he were looking at a Rose with sharp, poisonous thorns.
His exquisitely shaped lips, pleasing to the eye, curved slightly upward.
"Xu Si, care for so tea? To sober up."
Finally, everyone else noticed Xu Si’s presence. The middle-aged n were montarily surprised and then struck by her beauty. Driven by their own interests, their expressions imdiately shifted to suspicion and wariness.
Who was this woman? Her aura was relaxed yet elite, not at all like that of a mistress. So, was she here to compete with them for connections?
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