Chapter 8, Chapter Eight: Wine

Did she just glance at me?

Gazing in the direction where she had disappeared long ago, Fu Zhiheng remained troubled by this question.

Yes, there are, right?

Even if it was only for a second or two, when she turned her head, her gaze must have been focused on him, right?

It wasn't 100% certain, but Fu Zhiheng's heart still fluttered with this guess.

But the thought of Li Shuyi's provocative smile when he pushed him away made his heart sink even further.

Did she just leave with him so easily?

Didn't you leave me a single word?

Even just a goodbye?

Recalling her sharp yet relaxed demeanor when facing Li Shuyi, and contrasting it with her tense and defensive attitude when talking to him, Fu Zhiheng bit his lower lip in a daze.

Why don't you want to talk to me?

Is it because I am just a stranger to her now, someone she's meeting for the first time?

Does she treat all other strangers like this?

Or is it...?

I have absolutely no attraction to her whatsoever?

Similar thoughts grew wildly in his mind, his face hidden in the flickering shadows of the flowers, and he unconsciously and almost self-destructively bit his lips back and forth with the tip of his teeth.

The lower lip, which had just revealed its original color, quickly regained its gaudy, blood-red hue.

After Li Shuyi appeared, her gaze was fixed on him and she hardly looked away. Why?

Why do you keep looking at him when you clearly seem to dislike him so much?

Was it because his blue-gray hair was too eye-catching? Or was it because he had unbuttoned his shirt all the way up to his chest? Or perhaps it was his sweet, almost smoky voice and his shameless, fawning smile?

Fu Zhiheng frowned, unwilling to think too deeply, but some wildly growing thoughts were like him stepping into a swamp, struggling and sinking deeper and deeper.

So, is it because he seems too 'proper' that she finds him boring and can't muster any interest?

Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered in a short time.

He pinched his brow, looking tired, and turned to lean against the railing where Luo Xincheng had just been. Her scent seemed to linger in the air, mixed with the rich floral fragrance, so faint that it was almost indistinguishable without careful sniffing.

He carefully sniffed, but then, remembering that more than just the two of them had been there, he abandoned the idea of ​​doing something so shameful.

Why would a guy wear so much perfume?

It masked all other smells.

He suddenly felt a headache and couldn't help but bend his knuckles and press his temples.

His elbow, which was resting on the railing, unexpectedly touched something cold. He lowered his eyes, and his casual glance suddenly froze.

A breeze was blowing, and scattered petals trembled and drifted down the slightly bulging side of the wine glass, piling up haphazardly at the base.

Why didn't you take it with you?

He stared blankly at the wine glass, and after what seemed like an eternity, he saw a petal fall precisely into the glass.

Then it slowly sinks to the bottom of the glass, soaking in a thin layer of wine, with a ring of fine bubbles spreading around the edge of the petals, as if it were sealed in a pool of amber.

He blinked and glanced around discreetly.

A few seconds later, he confirmed that this was indeed a good place to find some peace and quiet.

I don't know how they found that blue hair clip.

He picked up the wine glass without changing his expression, his lips precisely touching the blurry red mark on the rim of the glass, and slowly drank.

He swallowed the last two mouthfuls, his throat as thin as a needle's point, drinking with considerable slowness.

He downed the champagne in one gulp, then held the wet petal in his mouth. As if succumbing to the alcohol, the skin on his cheek and earlobe burned intensely.

The tulip cup, carefully placed down, was empty and spotless.

*

Wang Jiayan is probably the person with the widest network of connections among the people Luo Xincheng knows. It seems that every time they meet, the people surrounding him change.

He had sharp eyes; before Luo Xincheng even got close, he spotted her from afar and came over to greet her.

"I thought you'd continue to recuperate at home." He affectionately bumped Luo Xincheng's shoulder, then raised his hand to smooth his slicked-back hair, grinning smugly: "How about it, isn't my new look handsome?"

Luo Xincheng looked him up and down very carefully, feeling that his hairstyle made him look several years older for no reason, and couldn't help but show a strange expression of slight disdain.

This immediately made Wang Jiayan lose confidence. "Doesn't it look good?"

He gently brushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead, and after a brief moment of self-doubt, his words were filled with confidence in his appearance: "But they all say I look good, that I'm very different from usual, and that I have a unique and fresh quality."

Luo Xincheng's lips twitched slightly. "Then why are you asking me? It's unnecessary."

Wang Jiayan said with a grin, "I wanted to hear you praise me, but who knew you'd be so clueless."

Speaking of being clueless, another person also had a lot to complain about, "Sister Chengcheng is just so clueless. It's harder than climbing to heaven to hear any praise from her."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Wang Jiayan's smile faded, and he glanced at Li Shuyi as if he had just noticed his presence.

"Oh, you're here too." He paused, then chuckled and said, "Nice new hairstyle."

After saying that, he didn't bother with any more pleasantries and pulled Luo Xincheng into his circle of friends, teasingly saying, "You haven't been back for two years, everyone has missed you so much."

As she finished speaking, a short-haired girl in a black strapless dress smiled and raised her glass to Luo Xincheng, "Especially seeing Miss Luo appear in front of everyone so energetic and healthy, I feel so gratified."

Luo Xincheng stared at her expressionlessly for a moment, then turned to Wang Jiayan and asked, "Who is this person? Do I know her?"

Mo Qiaoyi's face instantly turned bright red. "Hey! Don't think you can humiliate me with such petty tricks!"

Luo Xincheng covered her lips coyly, "I'm sorry, darling, I just didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had to extend your studies."

Mo Qiaoyi: "???"

Mo Qiaoyi: "Who do you think you are!"

The surrounding area immediately erupted in laughter.

I won't say who caused the redness.

"Don't do that, maybe it's too hot?"

"Then the temperature control system in Ning's family isn't working either."

"What's so funny?" Mo Qiaoyi glared around fiercely, gritting his teeth. "Is it that funny?"

The group of people who had been laughing and joking exchanged knowing glances and politely withdrew their smiles.

Mo Qiaoyi's expression improved somewhat.

She took a deep breath and glared fiercely at Luo Xincheng.

Just as he was about to retaliate, the other party preemptively said, "I heard you've been telling everyone that I was paralyzed after a car accident?"

"?!" Mo Qiao's face flushed red with anger again. "Who are you insulting? Am I the kind of scoundrel who gossips behind people's backs? Who is slandering me behind my back? You believe them?!"

Luo Xincheng didn't say whether she believed it or not, only replying, "Li Shuyi told me."

As she spoke, she glanced back instinctively, only to find that she had missed her target.

Where was the other person in the magnificent banquet hall?

“They ran away long ago.” Wang Jiayan shrugged, unsurprised. “That kid is very slippery. He runs faster than anyone else as soon as he senses trouble. It’s not easy to trip him up.”

Luo Xincheng looked away without any surprise. "Oh."

"Hey! I'm talking to you, don't ignore me!" Mo Qiao poked Luo Xincheng's shoulder with his fingertip, forcefully drawing her attention.

Luo Xincheng impatiently slapped her hand away, "Listen, I'm not deaf."

What she disliked most about Mo Qiaoyi was this: he was too self-centered. Whenever he spoke, he would try to capture everyone's attention, and if anyone was distracted, he would call them out to express his dissatisfaction.

But to put it bluntly, who in this circle isn't a pampered young master or heiress from a wealthy family? Everyone here is spoiled and pampered, with an extremely strong sense of ownership. Why should everyone listen to you? Who do you think you are?

However, in this circle, there are countless NPDs who are more self-centered than Mo Qiaoyi. If we have to compare, she is still considered better. At least she only talks a lot. So, although Luo Xincheng doesn't like her and will bicker with her when they meet, that's all she does.

"That petty bastard Li Shuyi is still holding a grudge about me making him fall flat on his backside during the equestrian performance at the high school sports meet," Mo Qiao said mockingly, swirling his wine glass. "I didn't mean it. The main reason was clearly that he wasn't as skilled as others, okay? Instead of reflecting on his own actions, he just hates me. He's really narrow-minded..."

Luo Xincheng responded perfunctorily with "uh-huhs" as she walked to the dessert section, grabbed a plate of rum cake, and slowly began to eat.

Mo Qiaoyi relentlessly followed, "Let me tell you, it must be that guy Xu Shengmin spreading rumors about you. At first, I even heard people say you were dead, but then I didn't see your family hold a funeral, so the rumors changed. By the way, how's your injury healing? You seem to be walking briskly, so you must be fully recovered, right? You shouldn't have any hidden injuries, right?"

Chattering away incessantly, Luo Xincheng had no idea where this person got so much to say to her.

Fortunately, after chatting with her for a while, Miss Mo ran out of patience and went off to gossip with other people.

Luo Xincheng listened quietly from the side, silently catching up on the gossip. She made notes, planning to have a good chat with Jiang Wei and Xu Peiyi next time.

She returned home exhausted after the dinner.

As soon as I entered the door, my mother assigned me a new task.

"Your dad is in the hospital. Go see him whenever it's convenient for you in the next day or the day after."

Upon hearing the devastating news, Luo Xincheng's expression went blank for a moment before she exclaimed in shock, "Is there really nothing wrong with our family's ancestral graves? I just recovered and he's back in the hospital?"

She kicked off her high heels and said worriedly, "I remember he was quite healthy, why did he suddenly end up in the hospital?"

"Well..." Luo Anjiu was also somewhat amused and exasperated, "Your grandfather has an overseas cooperation project that your father is very interested in. It just so happens that your uncle is busy with another big project, your aunt is not in the country, and your uncles and aunts are always unreliable..."

"Without any brothers or sisters to stand in the way, your dad thought the project was a sure thing, definitely his. He happily carried the gifts to the old house to find your grandfather, and came out happily. That very night, he opened a bottle of his treasured wine to celebrate."

"Before we even finished our drinks, the old housekeeper called and said that after he left, your uncle went to see your grandfather with lots of bags and packages. He threw a tantrum at home and kept pestering your grandfather until he had no choice but to give in and immediately decided to give the project to him."

"You really angered your dad! He almost fainted from being unable to catch his breath."

Luo Anjiu sighed heavily, "But you also know that your dad is very concerned about his image. He was afraid that if he went to the hospital right after the person in charge of the project was finalized, your uncle would laugh at him. So he stubbornly refused to go to the hospital. Later, it took your Aunt Ji and the family doctor a lot of persuasion to finally convince him to go in."

"..."

After hearing the whole story of her father's hospitalization, Luo Xincheng was deeply shocked and remained speechless for a long time.

Luo Anjiu: "Don't you have anything to say?"

Luo Xincheng: "..."

She hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, before finally unable to resist complaining: "...So, opening champagne halfway through is a bad idea."

A note from the author: