People hustling and bustling.
While a group of guys were partying hard, in a corner on one side, Cheng Xueqing was also immersed in this debaucherous atmosphere, unconsciously swaying her body.
She was very nervous at first, but when she realized that no one actually cared about her and Li Fei’s presence, she relaxed.
Beside her and Li Fei, there were two beautiful girls continuously pouring them drinks, handing them tissues, and chatting with them proactively with laughter. Even though the two of them were clearly on the periphery of this group and their attire was out of place, the girls remained eager and enthusiastic, showing no sign of disdain.
Cheng Xueqing had a conflicted mindset.
On one hand, she felt quite inferior, even wanting to remove the Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet on her wrist, even though it was the only decent piece of jewelry she had... because a girl next to her was wearing a similar four-leaf clover bracelet, but with a few more rubies set in it, clearly a more advanced version.
On the other hand, she was overwhelmed by the series of experiences today that surpassed her own social class, even feeling a bit intoxicated.
Just one day of interaction with Zhou Wang and the others made her clearly realize how narrow her previous imagination of a rich person’s life was.
When the girl beside her handed over a seemingly gold-mixed champagne glass, Cheng Xueqing involuntarily had a slight tremble...
Because she knew that just this small glass of wine in her hand was more than her month’s salary.
If only she could live like this all the time.
As soon as Cheng Xueqing had this thought, she couldn’t help but chuckle to herself. What qualifications did she have?
She looked up at Zhou Wang, who was sitting in the central position of the private room, raising his glass to celebrate with his friends beside him. Cheng Xueqing suddenly felt a little dissatisfied... because her cousin was still dumbfounded, curled up on the sofa playing with her phone, without knowing how to seize the opportunity.
As long as she could win over Mr. Zhou, wouldn’t such wealth and honor be easy to attain?
She couldn’t help but feel jealous, because even though Xiaoxi was so "indifferent," Zhou Wang still didn’t mind, even occasionally turning to tease Xiaoxi.
If only Zhou Wang could please me like this...
This sudden thought startled Cheng Xueqing herself. She quickly shook her head, trying to dispel those chaotic thoughts.
"Qingqing, it’s about time, shall we... leave?"
At this moment, Li Fei’s voice came from beside her.
Cheng Xueqing turned her head and saw that Li Fei was still sitting honestly on the sofa. Neither the custom-made cigarettes with indistinguishable brands nor the glass of champagne in front of him had been touched. Even amid the lively atmosphere in the room, unease and restraint were still written all over his face.
"We’re here to have fun. If you keep shrinking back like this, wouldn’t we become a joke if others see it?"
Cheng Xueqing said angrily, feeling increasingly uncomfortable inside when comparing the two.
Li Fei didn’t feel too bothered by Cheng Xueqing’s reproach; after all, he felt it was a joke for him to sit there in the first place. Such an environment didn’t put him at ease at all; he just wanted to go home quickly and play a few games on his newly configured computer.
"Let’s go home, shall we, Qingqing? We’ve already been sitting for over an hour..."
"Not leaving, if you want to go home, go back yourself!"
Seeing Cheng Xueqing’s determined attitude, Li Fei could only relent, but he still refused to drink the glass of wine in front of him, so Cheng Xueqing directly took his champagne glass instead.
"If you won’t drink it, I’ll drink it!"
Li Fei was a bit worried because he knew Cheng Xueqing had already drunk quite a bit during dinner. However, his fiancée was in a bad mood now, and he couldn’t stop her. He could only watch as Cheng Xueqing, seemingly in a fit of pique, downed one glass after another.
Since he hadn’t drunk, Li Fei wasn’t too worried. He even thought it might be good to let Cheng Xueqing get drunk so he would have an excuse to take her home...
...
While Cheng Xueqing and Li Fei were having their tiff, Ji Xiaoxi, huddled alone on the sofa not far away, was also in inner turmoil.
On the lit phone screen was her chat interface with Chen He.
Since they couldn’t video call, they were texting each other.
Chen He: [Xiaoxi, I remember your mom’s birthday is in two days. I’ve already sent a gift over, please make sure to pass it on for me. Of course, I know Auntie still doesn’t recognize me, so just say it’s from you.]
Chen He: [Also, the bag you always wanted but was sold out, I found through another channel and sent it to you as well.]
Chen He: [By the way, it’s almost our two-year anniversary next month, I’ve already taken leave from the crew to give you a surprise then.]
Most of the time, it was Chen He talking, and every time Ji Xiaoxi wanted to reply, a new message from Chen He would come in before she could hit the "send" button.
The concern and affection interwoven in those messages made Ji Xiaoxi’s gaze increasingly complex and her guilt increasingly intense.
"Hey, are you really not planning to drink at all? This brand of champagne really is a bit different from the usual Ace of Spades; it has quite a unique taste. Want to give it a try?"
Zhou Wang’s voice came from beside her, and Ji Xiaoxi looked up, meeting Zhou Wang’s gaze.
Under the hazy lights, his eyes shone like stars, and the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth seemed to flow like a river, washing into her heart.