26: She is his, and always will be. No one else can covet her.

He was distracted during the drinking session, and Shang Zhi kept glancing at him with her eyes. He saw through her, but didn't say anything.

She had intended to get him drunk, but as he drank one glass of wine after another, he remained calm and showed no signs of getting drunk. Shang Zhi herself, however, felt a little dizzy.

She later felt as if something had broken, and then she fell asleep.

When I woke up, I had a splitting headache.

The room was a mess, with broken wine glasses scattered everywhere, and the servants were cleaning up.

"What did you do to me last night?" Shang Zhi asked the man who was standing by the window admiring the scenery, rubbing her head.

Pei Yanxiu paused for a moment, speechless, as if he had expected her to do this, and took out his phone to play a video for her.

In the video, Shang Zhi is crying and jumping around, genuinely having a drunken rampage, and the mess in the room is all her doing.

"Uncle Pei, I..." Shang Zhi's face was burning.

"I know what you want from me, Xixi. I'll arrange the performance venue; you can just give it to the dance troupe," Pei Yanxiu said with a sigh. He hadn't actually planned to get involved. What did it matter to him whether He Yuqing lived or died? He was hoping the performance would be canceled and he could leave Hong Kong as soon as possible. But Shang Zhi had begged him for help last night, and he couldn't bear to see the young girl like that.

"Are you serious? You're so kind? Did the sun rise in the west today?" Shang Zhi's eyes lit up when she heard him say that.

"What are you saying? You little ingrate, when have I ever lied?" He laughed and flicked her head.

"Thank you, Uncle Pei. I thank you on behalf of the dance troupe."

"But you shouldn't spread what happened last night."

"Keep it a secret, don't damage my reputation! Otherwise I'll sue you!" Shang Zhi's eyes curved into crescents as she tilted her head to look at him. Pei Yanxiu shook his head; he could never do anything about her.

For the final rehearsal before the official performance, Yu Qing invited Shang Zhi to watch. It was an original modern dance by the school's dance troupe called "Spring Tide," a dance the two of them had once danced together. Shang Zhi was very familiar with every note and melody.

"You danced so well." As the rehearsal ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

"Want to give it a try?" Yu Qing reached out to Shang Zhi, extending an invitation.

"I haven't practiced in a long time," Shang Zhi said with a smile, waving her hand in refusal.

"It's okay, you remember. Those movements have long since become part of you, haven't they?" Yu Qing turned on the music, took Shang Zhi's hand, and walked onto the stage. He was right; she remembered.

How could she not remember? Hundreds of practice sessions and meticulous thought about every little detail had long been ingrained in her very being.

Having not danced for so long, Shang Zhi felt as if every cell in her body had been opened up when she suddenly performed a piece on stage with great enthusiasm.

Transparent.

She was like a butterfly, twirling and fluttering on the stage. She hadn't danced for a while, so her movements were a little stiff, but they were very powerful.

She didn't notice that Pei Yanxiu had also arrived, sitting in the corner, his red-soled leather shoes pointing upwards as he watched her. He had assumed she would come to the last rehearsal before the performance, but he hadn't expected to witness this scene upon arrival.

His feelings were somewhat complicated.

This is the life she should have had. To bloom and laugh freely in the prime of her youth.

But now she's trapped here, trapped in this high-rise building, trapped on this construction site. Watching her spin around under the lights, he felt a little dazed, and tears welled up in his eyes.

It's heartbreaking.

"Uncle Pei, what are you doing here?" After a dance ended, Shang Zhi noticed him, came down from the stage, and walked to his side.

"Nothing, just came to take a look." He stood up, his gaze lingering on her clothes. The green skirt accentuated her alluring figure, making her look like a newly sprouted flower.

So bright and beautiful.

He reached out and fastened the top button of her skirt.

Shang Zhi pouted, slightly dissatisfied.

"Would Mr. Pei like to come and watch the performance tomorrow?" Yu Qing felt displeased watching Pei Yanxiu and Shang Zhi's actions. He had liked Shang Zhi for so long, and they were clearly such a perfect match and so harmonious. If it weren't for this old man in front of him, he and A-Zhi would definitely be very happy!

But at that moment, he could say nothing.

"No need, I have important things to do and don't have the time." Pei Yanxiu didn't even look at Yu Qing, his tone was indifferent. He seemed to have noticed Yu Qing's hostility towards him, and reached out to put his arm around Shang Zhi's waist, openly declaring his ownership.

She belongs to him, and always will; no one else can covet her.

"Then I'll treat you two to a meal? After all, you helped me solve such a big problem, and I haven't thanked you yet."

"No need, it's nothing, just a small favor. I can do anything for Xixi if she needs it."

"That's what happens when we're husband and wife."

He deliberately emphasized the words "husband and wife," and Yu Qing fell silent for a moment.

"Did I dance well just now?" she suddenly asked Pei Yanxiu, looking up at him.

"Of course, there's no one more beautiful than you."

"Once we're done with this busy period, shall we go on vacation abroad together?"

"Why did you suddenly think of this?" The crowd on the street was bustling, and Shang Zhi turned her head to look at him.

Pei Yanxiu thought to himself, "I really want to go somewhere where it's just the two of us, somewhere without these rotten flies."

"Just consider it a honeymoon. You started working after we got married, so I should give you a honeymoon too."

-

Shang Zhi originally thought the performance would go smoothly, but she never expected that Yu Qing would make a mistake during the premiere.

He made a mistake while turning around, not only falling down himself but also injuring the actress who was with him.

It was a very serious stage accident.

The audience erupted in uproar, and Shang Zhi watched from below with bated breath.

"What is this?"

"This actor's basic skills are lacking. If he can't do it, he should quit and be replaced!"

"Yeah, I'm impressed."

The online reactions were similar to those in the audience that day; a deluge of insults instantly flooded around the twenty-year-old.

Only Yu Qing himself knows why he made the mistake.

Pei Yanxiu had said he wouldn't come to the performance, but he did. When Yu Qing was doing her movements, she accidentally glanced at the two people in the audience. He was whispering something to her, his expression gentle and affectionate.

Caught off guard, he was stung by the ambiguous atmosphere between them and made a mistake.

Yu Qing, are you alright?

Do you need my help?

[Yu Qing, it's okay, cheer up! It's just a performance, it's not a big deal!]

Let's start over, young man!

Shang Zhi sent him many messages, but he didn't reply to any of them.

Yu Qing had always felt that Shang Zhi was the most dazzling light in his college life. It was precisely because she was so dazzling that he had always hesitated, worried that if he confessed his secret crush, it would be awkward between them. So he had been waiting for the right opportunity, but he never expected that the news of her marriage would come before the opportunity.

Yu Qing's family background was actually quite ordinary. Part of the money for his college education came from his family, and the other part was earned by him working various jobs. He performed, filmed skits, took on advertisements, and even worked as a bar model during the most difficult time.

He was also keenly aware that Shang Zhi and he came from different worlds, and he was always enveloped by a faint sense of inferiority when he was with her.

He was supposed to get a performance fee for this show, and he planned to use the money to buy her a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet. He had been eyeing it for a long time; the red four-leaf clover would suit her perfectly.

He knew that a girl like her needed some pretty things to match her.

But now everything has been messed up.

Now that things have come to this, not only is the money for the bracelet gone, but he also has to pay the dance troupe money to make up for the losses, and he also has to visit his friend who was injured because of him, all of which will cost money.

I didn't sleep a wink all night.

"Sister Qi, what you said last time, how is it still going?" Yu Qing took a deep breath. A few days ago, when he first arrived in Hong Kong, someone introduced him to Sister Qi, saying that she was a good place to make money and that he could contact her if he needed anything.

【Okay, Xiao He, I'll send you an address. You're welcome anytime! Don't worry, as long as you work hard, you can easily make five figures a night!】

Yu Qing had worked in such places before to raise tuition fees, so he knew what he would face.

He also hung up on the voice call that Shang Zhi sent him.

"Wait a little longer. Once I've earned some fragrant money at that smelly place, I'll come find you with the bracelet," Yu Qing thought to herself.