It seems that every time they meet again, Zhou Wang becomes more handsome.
Xiaoxi knows that it’s because the defenses in her heart have always been crumbling, never truly solid.
Drifting off for a few seconds, Xiaoxi suddenly awakens, realizing she cannot stay any longer; Zhou Wang is the "Demon," and she is just a mere mortal, how could she resist the Demon’s temptation?
So she suddenly stands up, avoids eye contact and says hurriedly, "I... I need to take a call."
Without waiting for Zhou Wang to respond, she grabs her phone and rushes outside.
"Hey, there’s a lounge right next to us..."
Zhou Wang hadn’t finished speaking before Xiaoxi had already left the private room, and he could only helplessly withdraw his hand.
...
Ignoring the greetings from the hostess and the waitstaff, Xiaoxi pushes through the elevator doors until the noise fades away and she’s met with the open night sky and dense foliage, and she gasps for air like a drowning person escaping the binds.
She needs to leave here now.
She knows Zhou Wang wouldn’t agree, so she ran out without her bag... after all, her cousin is still inside; she’ll let her grab her belongings later.
Xiaoxi lifts her head to gaze at the stars, her eyes becoming resolute in an instant.
A priest once urged her to contemplate her inner feelings, and Xiaoxi believes she has reached clarity.
She can’t untangle the feelings she has for Zhou Wang, but she knows she can’t fall into decadence anymore.
She can’t betray Chen He, can’t betray that former resolve of wanting a lifelong commitment from a simple hand-holding, can’t betray the years of her parents’ earnest teachings, and most of all, she can’t... abandon her beliefs.
At this moment of enlightenment, Xiaoxi feels utterly relieved, walking briskly towards the manor’s exit, fixing her hair, then picks up her phone to video call Chen He.
She wants to apologize and then tell him that now that she’s done, the time before sleep tonight is wholly his; she can chat with him uninterrupted.
Yet, amidst Xiaoxi’s anticipation, the call is quickly disconnected.
Xiaoxi is taken aback, hesitating on whether to call again when a message from Chen He arrives first.
Chen He: [Sorry, Xiaoxi, the investor of our production team just arrived, and I’m currently entertaining in the private room. It’s too noisy here; maybe I’ll call you tomorrow?]
Although slightly disappointed upon seeing the message, Xiaoxi can understand, and she starts typing:
"Alright, I’ll go home and rest early then, it’s been quite tiring today, don’t drink too much..."
Before Xiaoxi finishes editing her message, Chen He sends another one, a selfie [photo], presumably to prove he wasn’t lying to Xiaoxi.
Xiaoxi glances at it, and indeed it’s a photo from inside a KTV room, Chen He holding a microphone in a deliberately flamboyant pose, a pose Xiaoxi recognizes from when he first tried to chat her up.
Xiaoxi smiles knowingly, just about to continue editing her message when her gaze suddenly freezes.
Her fingers halt, she clicks on the image sent by Chen He, zooms in, and finally freezes the frame at the back wall in the photo.
On the wall with luxurious textures, there are two artistically rendered characters shining in white light—
"Heavenly Palace."
Xiaoxi repeatedly checks, and yes, it’s identical to the logo of the private room she was just in.
She types: "Are you in White City?"
Chen He replies quickly: "Yes, didn’t expect White City to have such upscale KTVs. Next time you come to White City, I’ll take you to have fun, haha, but only if I can afford it..."
Xiaoxi’s breath catches as she turns to the security at the roadside.
"Let me ask you, is this KTV a chain?"
"Uh, I don’t think so... haven’t heard the owner opened other KTVs elsewhere."
Xiaoxi’s heart aches slightly, but she quickly begins to reassure herself.
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence...
After all, Huaxia is vast, and there should be many KTVs with the same name, but could it be a coincidence that even the logo is identical?
Or, perhaps the KTV Chen He talked about in White City is merely a counterfeit of this place?
Xiaoxi struggles to find a reasonable explanation, yet nothing seems to fit, her steps falter, and moments later, she suddenly turns around, heading back towards the interior of the building cluster.
She needs an answer.
...
"Mingninggangya, biyouzhai saw-min, chuangyo dou gaibin, yugua yaohang weimin, wa-zhai tongben shenfende xingyin..."
In the Bixiao Palace private room, unable to resist the crowd, Zhou Wang finally activated his Karaoke Cantonese skill, pouring his heart into singing "Tomorrow’s Love." When he sets down the microphone, he immediately receives cheers from the men and screams from the women.
Undeniably, the nearly million-dollar sound system is outstanding; Zhou Wang himself is astonished by his own vocals, as long as one isn’t terribly off-key, they could regain quite a bit of confidence here.
With Xiaoxi’s temporary departure, the girls sitting beside Zhou Wang become instantly bolder; taking advantage of the clamor, Lin Yue directly gives him a bold kiss on the cheek.
Zhou Wang neither refuses nor takes responsibility, only smilingly raises his glass, clinking with the girls crowding around.
He turns to look, Xiaoxi hasn’t come back yet, feeling puzzled, thinking to himself that the call surely shouldn’t take this long?
Just as Zhou Wang is about to think it over, another girl squeezes in, wanting to drink with him.
Zhou Wang initially intends to refuse, looking up only to find it’s not one of the room’s girls, but Xiaoxi’s cousin Cheng Xueqing.
"Uh, Mr. Zhou, th... thank you for today’s hospitality, may I offer you a toast..."
Cheng Xueqing stammers through her words, causing Zhou Wang to give her a surprised glance.
Due to being distant cousins, Cheng Xueqing and Xiaoxi have dissimilar features, but she is actually a pretty girl among average people, exuding a delicate beauty.
Uncertain if it’s the alcohol, her cheeks are flushed, adding a touch of charm.
Nevertheless, Zhou Wang doesn’t linger on her, simply smiling and nodding, "Sure, enjoy yourselves... everything’s great!"
After clinking glasses with Cheng Xueqing, she doesn’t leave, initially making Zhou Wang think she has something to say to him, especially since he had overheard about Li Fei looking for a job in the car earlier.
Yet, after waiting a while, Cheng Xueqing still hasn’t spoken, only nervously twisted her fingers, unclear if she’s brewing some thoughts.
By now, Zhou Wang, having downed quite a bit himself, grows slightly hazy with drunkenness, feeling a pressing urge, and leaving Cheng Xueqing, he heads towards the restroom.
In the restroom, he sends a message to Xiaoxi without a response, then tries calling, only to find it engaged. After washing his hands, he mulls over whether to go outside and search for Xiaoxi when suddenly, passing by the lounge door, a snow-white hand stretches out, pulling Zhou Wang.
Caught off guard, Zhou Wang is dragged inside, before he can react, a soft body already clings to him.
Beside his ears, gentle whispers mixed with sighs:
"I... I feel dizzy, let me lean on you for a while..."
Zhou Wang instinctively holds onto the other’s slipping waist, the delicate skin emitting surprising warmth.
He initially thought it might be a girl from the private room seizing the moment to flirt with him, since the scene certainly had an intentionally engineered vibe. But when Zhou Wang looks down, shocked, his hand releases like a bolt.
"Cheng Xueqing?"