Chapter Thirty

The bar was filled with loud music and a cacophony of voices.

Lu Yizhi leaned closer to Huo Yuzheng, his face full of gossip: "Hey buddy, before your girlfriend arrives, tell me what's going on between you two? How far have things progressed?"

Huo Yuzheng gently pushed the glass in front of him, and the ice ball in the drink bobbed up and down.

He glanced at Lu Yizhi sideways, then downed his drink in one gulp. "I say, what happened to your profession after you went abroad? You became a paparazzi?"

Lu Yizhi clicked his tongue a few times and shook his head. "You're wrong about that. I've been like this every single day of all these years."

"Dude, I'm giving you a chance, so you can also learn from me, understand?"

"Think about it, how many relationships have I had? You, a bachelor, only have this one chance to share with me."

Huo Yuzheng's cool voice lowered a few decibels, "Are you still going to listen?"

"Listen to me! Tell me!" Lu Yizhi suddenly perked up, leaning forward with his eyes shining.

Huo Yuzheng put it succinctly: the elders arranged a blind date, and if both parties felt it was suitable, they got engaged. It wasn't until recently that he accidentally discovered that Mo Wansheng was an online gaming buddy he'd played with since college.

Lu Yizhi was stunned. "Fate! This is fate!"

He couldn't help but clap his hands, drawing sidelong glances from those at the next table.

Then, with a face full of emotion, he feigned melancholy and sighed to the heavens, "Heavens! When will I meet someone I'm destined to be with!"

Huo Yuzheng didn't reply, but simply picked up his wine glass.

The amber liquid swirled gently in the glass, reflecting in his unreadable eyes.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lu Yizhi leaned closer to Huo Yuzheng again.

He lowered his voice, "No, brother, no. You still haven't told me how far things have progressed between you two. You can't just get the marriage certificate and then leave me here to pretend we're just having a 'pure marriage' relationship."

Huo Yuzheng paused slightly as he rubbed his wine glass. He looked up and met Lu Yizhi's burning gaze.

He neither admitted nor denied it.

He simply spoke slowly and deliberately, "Guess."

Lu Yizhi was speechless at those two words. This guy was playing this trick on him again.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Guess? How am I supposed to guess? Are you even a brother?"

Before he could finish complaining, Huo Yuzheng had already stood up and was about to leave.

Lu Yizhi became even more anxious and grabbed his arm, "Where are you going?"

Huo Yuzheng sighed speechlessly and waved his lit phone in front of Lu Yizhi.

The messages on the screen are concise and clear.

"I have arrived."

"She messaged me saying she had arrived, and I went to the door to meet her."

As Huo Yuzheng's figure disappeared into the noise, only Lu Yizhi remained in the booth.

The noise of the bar and the deafening electronic music made him feel decades older.

He suddenly became quite dramatic, collapsing onto the leather sofa with an exaggerated gesture, covering his forehead with his hand, and wailing at the ceiling, "God, all my brothers are married, and what about me? What about me? I'm so handsome and dashing. How come I'm still destined to die alone..."

Lu Yizhi hadn't finished his act and was still immersed in the melodramatic play he had created.

Huo Yuzheng interrupted him expressionlessly, "Stop acting. I bet you went abroad and studied acting."

His wailing stopped abruptly.

Seeing that Mo Wansheng had arrived and was standing next to her brother, she was pursing her lips slightly, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

Lu Yizhi sprang up like a spring and stood up straight.

Like a Sichuan opera face-changing act, it instantly becomes serious.

"Sister-in-law is here, hello, hello." He stepped forward, extended his hand, and gently shook it.

"My name is Lu Yizhi. I'm one year younger than Yuzheng and a few months younger than you."

"Sister-in-law, you can call me whatever you like, 'Yizhi' or 'Xiao Lu' is fine, or if you want to be more affectionate, you can call me 'brother'."

Lu Yizhi paused, then changed the subject, a smirk playing on his lips, "Of course, I have no objection to being called 'brother'."

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuzheng glanced at Lu Yizhi indifferently, feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Lu Yizhi felt a little guilty, and the "brother" image he had just put on instantly collapsed.

Mo Wansheng watched the back-and-forth eye contact between the two, finding it both amusing and intriguing.

Seeing Lu Yizhi's "backing down" expression, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Excuse me. Hello Yizhi, I'm Mo Wansheng. Me too, feel free to address me as you like."

The three sat down again, leaving Huo Yuzheng to the side by the two talkative men.

Lu Yizhi and Mo Wansheng chatted enthusiastically, laughing continuously.

"My sister-in-law is indeed my sister-in-law. Look at how beautiful she is and how well she dresses up."

His gaze fell on her dark purple dress, the hem of which shimmered under the bar lights, exuding a quiet elegance.

"Fashion!"

"Look at this guy, wearing a three-piece suit, he doesn't understand anything about style or fashion."

Huo Yuzheng gave Lu Yizhi a look, and he didn't dare to continue complaining.

Lu Yizhi glanced at Huo Yuzheng, who was drinking alone, and couldn't help but curl his lips, saying sourly, "Boss Huo is really lucky."

Mo Wansheng was amused by him and covered her mouth to laugh.

She subconsciously shifted her gaze to Huo Yuzheng, wondering how he would react.

Huo Yuzheng had already caught the gazes of the two men. He put down his wine glass, stood up, and sat down next to Mo Wansheng.

He completely ignored Lu Yizhi's jeers and simply stared quietly at Mo Wansheng.

His voice was low and even, carrying an undeniable certainty: "Yes."

"It is my greatest blessing that Mrs. Huo is willing to marry me."

Mo Wansheng, who had originally intended to stay out of it and watch the show, blushed at this moment.

The red that spread along her ears adorned her cheeks.

Lu Yizhi burst into laughter, slapping his thigh and saying, "Alright, alright! You're so lucky!"

This was the first time he had ever heard his heartless brother say such mushy things.

There wasn't much wine left on the table; Mo Wansheng arrived late and hadn't drunk much.

Lu Yizhi snapped his fingers and summoned a waiter.

"Sister-in-law, how about trying the 'starry sky' here? Lots of girls love it."

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuzheng immediately stopped her, saying, "She has a low alcohol tolerance."

Mo Wansheng ignored her and said casually, "Did you enjoy your drink? You were here anyway."

She looked at the waiter and gave him a bright smile. "Give me a 'Starry Sky' drink, please."

The waiter responded and left.

When Lu Yizhi saw this, his mouth formed an "O" shape. This was practically a complete and utter humiliation of Huo Yuzheng.

The "starry sky" was as dazzling as the Milky Way, and the waiter carefully placed it in front of Mo Wansheng.

She picked up the wine glass and took a small sip.

Fresh and subtle, with a touch of sweetness.

The drink slid down her throat, cool and refreshing.

Mo Wansheng raised her glass to Lu Yizhi and smiled, "It tastes very good."

Lu Yizhi raised his wine glass without any hesitation, and the glasses clinked together with a crisp sound. "I'm glad my sister-in-law likes it."

He suggested, "How about we play some games? Like Truth or Dare?"

However, Huo Yuzheng ultimately made the final decision.

"No, after we finish this drink, Wansheng and I will go back. We have work to do early tomorrow morning."

Upon hearing the word "work," Lu Yizhi hunched over, his whole body collapsing like a wilted foxtail grass.

"Seriously, bro? You're still thinking about your job all the time."

Huo Yuzheng took a sip of whiskey, his expression calm. "Is there a problem?"

Lu Yizhi waved his hand awkwardly, "Of course, of course, you're a very busy person, you have so many things to do every day."

"However, it's one thing to exploit yourself, but how can you exploit your sister-in-law to work together?"

Mo Wansheng chuckled and quickly retorted, "No, that's not true. He didn't exploit me. I'm not working for him at his company; I own my own dessert shop."

"Understood, understood." Lu Yizhi made a gesture of surrender with his hands. "My apologies, my apologies. Well then, Mr. Mo, Mr. Huo, I won't disturb your business anymore. Put today's debt on my head."

Mo Wansheng didn't hold back her praise for the wine, "Thank you for your hospitality, Yizhi. I really like 'Starry Sky'."

Lu Yizhi patted his chest, beaming with pride, "You have good taste. I'll make it for you next time."

The "starry sky" is still a little bit left, and its vibrant colors bloom in the wine glass.

Mo Wansheng didn't waste any time. She raised her tall wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. "See you next time!"

Huo Yuzheng picked up his suit jacket, and Lu Yizhi escorted them to the door before diving back into the bar.

The cold wind was bleak.

Mo Wansheng sneezed.

Huo Yuzheng straightened the suit jacket in his hand and carefully draped it over her, saying, "It's winter, you should wear more."

"oh."

The driver brought the car, and it was fairly warm inside.

Mo Wansheng leaned back in her seat, turning her head to look at the bustling traffic outside the window.

Gradually, my body began to feel hot.

The sweet taste of "Starry Sky" gently lured her into a trap.

The effects kicked in, and the heavy alcohol began to numb her.

Mo Wansheng took off the coat that Huo Yuzheng had just draped over her shoulders and bumped into the solid chest beside her.

Huo Yuzheng gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead and asked tenderly, "What's wrong?"

Her lips parted slightly as she murmured to herself, "Hot...so hot..."

Those peach blossom eyes were already somewhat unfocused, elusive and unpredictable.

Huo Yuzheng reached out and tested the temperature of her arm; it was indeed very hot.

"I shouldn't have let you drink it."

Mo Wansheng leaned against him, not staying still.

She kept twisting and turning the whole way, but Huo Yuzheng was still worried that she would catch a cold, so he put his coat over her.

After it falls, pick it up and cover it again.

Repeating the cycle.

After all that commotion, her breathing gradually calmed down, and she seemed to fall asleep.

Since Qianbaidu was close to the suburban villa, he had the driver drive it back.

When he got out of the car, he bent down slightly and gently picked up Mo Wansheng, afraid of waking her.

Perhaps feeling the brief chill of the wind, Mo Wansheng snuggled even closer into his arms.

Huo Yuzheng carried her into the villa, and the butler immediately came to greet them.

"Shh." Huo Yuzheng gestured to the butler to be quiet, and the butler understood.

He carried Mo Wansheng back to the bedroom on the second floor.

Mo Wansheng, who was just asleep, became restless after falling from my arms onto the bed.