Chapter 67 The Feast at Hongmen Gu Qingyan caught a glimpse of Zhou Xubai's focused profile...

As dusk settled and the hotel entrance was ablaze with lights, Gu Qingyan stepped out of the car and saw Lin Yuwei and Zhou Xubai walking side by side. The three of them joined together and entered the hotel.

One side of the corridor leading to the private room is a huge floor-to-ceiling window, like a giant picture frame, offering a panoramic view of the garden outside.

A romantic wedding has just concluded here. Thousands of warm yellow lights, like stars, adorn the branches, making the night gentle and dazzling. Joyful laughter and the lingering notes of melodious music still drift in the night breeze. The bride's white wedding dress shimmers with a soft glow, and her face radiates undisguised happiness. The groom's gaze upon her is more intense and bright than all the lights around them.

The golden light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, captured the two figures embracing, creating a scene as beautiful as a meticulously composed movie still.

Zhou Xubai, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped. Lin Yuwei also stopped. Gu Qingyan caught a glimpse of Zhou Xubai's focused profile and looked out the window, a knowing look flashing in her eyes.

Zhou Xubai seemed touched by this heartwarming scene. His tone was gentle and smiling as he turned to look at Lin Yuwei beside him, lowering his voice slightly: "Using starlight to decorate the wedding is indeed unique and romantic. Yuwei, what do you think of this kind of outdoor ceremony?"

Lin Yuwei's thoughts seemed to drift a little away. She paused for a second before subconsciously responding from a professional perspective: "From a planning point of view, outdoor weddings are more free in form and have a more relaxed and natural atmosphere, making it easier to stir up the emotions of the guests and also making it easier for photographers to capture real and touching moments."

However, Zhou Xubai was clearly not satisfied with this businesslike answer. He leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Lin Yuwei, and asked in a soft but undeniably intimate tone, "I'm not asking about the planning ideas. I want to ask you yourself, do you prefer the outdoors or the traditional indoors?"

"...Me?" This sudden question caught Lin Yuwei off guard. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. "I...haven't thought about this question too much." After she finished speaking, she turned her gaze back to the window, quietly gazing at the happy scene, but her eyes seemed to be separated by an invisible mist, carrying a hint of detachment.

Gu Qingyan stood half a step behind them, taking in Lin Yuwei's subtle hesitation and tactful avoidance. His lips twitched almost imperceptibly before he calmly looked away, his expression unreadable and his thoughts impossible to decipher.

"Distinguished guests, this way please." The timely appearance of the waiter broke the brief silence. The three men snapped out of their reverie and followed him toward the reserved private room, each lost in their own thoughts.

After taking their seats, Zhou Xubai gracefully pushed the gold-plated menu toward Gu Qingyan with a generous and proper demeanor: "President Gu, you are the most important guest today, please don't stand on ceremony, see if it suits your taste."

Gu Qingyan did not refuse and calmly accepted the order: "President Zhou is too kind to refuse." He flipped through the menu with his slender fingers and quickly ordered several dishes without much thought: golden millet sea cucumber, wasabi-baked lobster, smoked silver cod... All of them were light and fresh seafood flavors, which perfectly matched Lin Yuwei's dietary preferences.

Exquisite dishes were served one after another, and the atmosphere at the table seemed relaxed.

Zhou Xubai lightly wiped his mouth with a napkin, as if he suddenly remembered something, and looked at Gu Qingyan in a gentle tone: "President Gu, speaking of which, I saw you and Xueqing together at my and Yuwei's engagement banquet last time. You were a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Years ago, Xueqing's family was my parents' old neighbor. She's like a younger sister I watched grow up. She has a cheerful personality and outstanding abilities. My father still speaks highly of her."

He paused slightly, his eyes filled with brotherly concern and approval, before continuing naturally, "I wonder how things are going for you two lately? Perhaps good things will happen before Weiwei and I do."

Hearing Zhou Xubai's question, Lin Yuwei unconsciously tightened her grip on her water glass. Although Gu Qingyan had clearly told her that night that her relationship with Qi Xueqing was just a charade to facilitate her entry into the engagement banquet, hearing Zhou Xubai connect them so naturally still brought a bittersweet feeling to her heart. She remained outwardly calm, taking small sips of water, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at Gu Qingyan, hoping for his response.

Gu Qingyan slowly put down her silver chopsticks, calmly meeting Zhou Xubai's gaze, a faint and composed smile appearing on her lips: "Mr. Zhou, you are very kind. However, I'm afraid I will disappoint you. Miss Qi and I are college classmates. At her engagement banquet, she invited me to be her temporary male companion, just to deal with her elders' pressure to get married. In short, we are not the kind of relationship you are thinking of, Mr. Zhou."

He clarified things directly and thoroughly, without any ambiguity or concealment. His phrase "disappoint you" was a double entendre, causing Zhou Xubai's perfect smile to freeze for a moment.

Lin Yuwei's heart felt like it had been gently bumped. Although she already knew, hearing him so decisively and openly deny it still stirred up a complex mix of emotions within her... a slight sense of relief, but also a deeper unease.

Zhou Xubai was a man who had seen it all before. His smile only faltered briefly before returning to normal. He reacted quickly and smiled apologetically, saying, "I see. It seems that I, as the older brother, was too concerned and acted rashly. Please don't take offense, President Gu. It's just that Xueqing is indeed outstanding, and I always hope that she can find a good match."

He calmly brushed the minor incident aside, defusing the awkwardness with the air of an elder brother. But the hints he had tried to create earlier had quietly failed. Gu Qingyan's candor, on the contrary, proved to be the superior force in this silent contest.

At this moment, a waiter approached with three exquisite desserts, smiling as he introduced them: "Hello, these are desserts presented to all the guests by the newlyweds who are holding their wedding today. They hope to share this joy with everyone and look forward to receiving your blessings." One of the desserts even had a small chocolate plaque with the words "May you be forever united" printed on it, which was particularly eye-catching.

Zhou Xubai's gaze lingered on the chocolate plaque for a moment, then he naturally picked up the special dessert and gently placed it in front of Lin Yuwei.

His gaze fell gently on her face, his tone filled with longing: "This joy-sharing segment is really well-designed, very thoughtful and heartwarming." He paused, his voice softening even more, as if casually mentioned, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Weiwei, do you think we could consider doing something like this when we have our wedding in the future?"

Lin Yuwei's heart skipped a beat, and her hand holding the chopsticks paused. She hadn't expected Zhou Xubai to bring up that seemingly natural "future" that belonged to the two of them again in front of Gu Qingyan. The chocolate plaque that read "Eternal Union" and the exquisite dessert in front of her now seemed inexplicably awkward to her.

She paused for two seconds, then a slightly distant smile curved her lips as she gently pushed the dessert to the center of the table, calmly changing the subject: "Xu Bai, I've noticed you seem particularly interested in the details of the wedding today?" She looked up at him, her gaze clear, with a hint of subtle reminder: "Isn't it a bit too far off to discuss these things now? Don't forget, this meal is mainly to thank President Gu for his previous great help."

Despite being blocked by her, Zhou Xubai's smile remained gentle, though a shadow of gloom flashed across his eyes. He then raised the teacup beside him and addressed Gu Qingyan, saying loudly, "Weiwei is right, President Gu. Yuwei and I will toast you again with tea instead of wine to thank you for your repeated assistance."

Three teacups clinked lightly in the air, producing a crisp sound.

Gu Qingyan's gaze swept calmly over Zhou Xubai, lingered briefly on Lin Yuwei's slightly lowered eyelashes, and then withdrew, finishing his cup of tea. "It was nothing, President Zhou and Director Lin really don't need to keep it to themselves." His tone was steady, revealing no emotion.

The ensuing conversation mostly revolved around the studio and the industry, seemingly lively but actually filled with polite formalities and probing. When Gu Qingyan praised "Shiguang Studio" for its professional control over project details and unique creativity, Zhou Xubai immediately smiled with pride and replied, "President Gu, you flatter me. 'Shiguang' has been able to achieve some success in combining traditional and modern art, which is inseparable from the team's efforts, especially Yuwei. Her dedication to her work is sometimes something even I am ashamed of. It's common for her to stay up all night for projects. It pains me to see her like that, and I can't persuade her otherwise, so in the end, I can only stay up with her." His tone was firm, and his words were full of unspoken intimacy and possessiveness, cleverly transforming Gu Qingyan's praise into a demonstration of their "joint efforts."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan picked up her teacup, took a sip, and gazed at the texture of the table. Her tone remained calm: "Director Lin's professionalism is truly admirable."

Everyone had almost finished eating. The waiter cleared away the plates and replaced them with refreshing tea. Zhou Xubai felt the time was right. He took out the dark blue gift bag with the Montblanc logo that he had prepared beforehand from his side and gracefully pushed it toward Gu Qingyan: "Mr. Gu, this is a small token of our appreciation. Please accept it."

Gu Qingyan glanced at the gift bag and politely declined, saying, "President Zhou, you're too kind. There's really no need for this."

Zhou Xubai's smile remained unchanged, his tone gentle yet insistent: "President Gu, please don't refuse. Weiwei and I spent an entire evening picking this out especially for you. We thought about how you often need to sign important documents in your daily business dealings, and a good pen would be quite practical. We spent a long time choosing, just in case the gift was too expensive and you wouldn't accept it." He deliberately emphasized "Weiwei and I" and "spent an entire evening picking it out," trying to imprint this gift with the mark of their shared sentiment.

This move made Gu Qingyan frown. The last bit of polite smile on his face faded, and he seemed to have lost all interest in maneuvering. Gu Qingyan forced a smile and said in a distant tone, "President Zhou and Director Lin have gone to a lot of trouble. In that case, I will accept it. Thank you."

The dinner, filled with unspoken thoughts, finally came to an end. As the three of them left the private room, Gu Qingyan's phone rang. He answered it, said a few words, turned around and briefly said goodbye to Zhou Xubai and Lin Yuwei before striding away, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

Zhou Xubai went to pay the bill, only to find that Lin Yuwei had already paid first. He was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say something, but Lin Yuwei had already turned around and walked out of the hotel without looking at him.

Zhou Xubai quickly caught up and finally reached the hotel entrance. He gently took Lin Yuwei's wrist, his voice tinged with barely perceptible tension: "Weiwei, you look very unhappy."

Lin Yuwei stopped and turned around. Her gaze was clear and direct in the night: "Xu Bai, let's talk things out! Are you very bothered by my past with Gu Qingyan?"