Reunion
After receiving Tao Chu's message, Cen Le glanced up and saw Wen Yunsheng chatting and laughing with someone by the pool.
She turned to look at the row of bodyguards at the top-floor elevator entrance—how exactly could she get Tao Chu into the party?
Tell the bodyguard that a friend is coming up?
No, that would reveal that I know Tao Chu, making it harder to get information from him.
When Tao Chu arrived at the elevator, he tried to create some noise nearby to attract Wen Yunsheng's attention.
The band's songs are getting more and more energetic, and even if you scream at the top of your lungs, you might not be able to attract anyone's attention.
"Never mind, I'll go sound out the bodyguards first," Cen Le thought.
She had just walked over when the elevator doors suddenly opened—it was Li Yue.
Cen Le was taken aback when she recognized him. Li Yue saw her carrying a small bag as if she was about to take the elevator and came over to greet her: "What, Miss Di Ying, are you leaving first again?"
Oh no, he remembered that I skipped the party last time.
Cen Le waved her phone and smiled sweetly: "It's too noisy up there, I'm going to make a call back, I'll be right back."
"Very well, I hope Miss Di Ying will give me the opportunity to entertain you properly."
"Mr. Li, you're too kind. I..."
The elevator doors opened again, and a silver dress caught Cen Le's eye, causing her to stop talking.
Li Yue turned around following her gaze and saw Tao Chu.
His eyes lit up, and he greeted her with a smile: "Miss Tao!"
Tao Chu and Cen Le both felt a chill run down their spines; they had indeed been targeted by the Li family.
Cen Le was afraid that she had made her point too obvious, so she stepped forward and nodded to the two of them, then looked at Li Yue and said, "Mr. Li, I'll go return the call now?"
Li Yue smiled and responded, then looked at Tao Chu: "Miss Tao, are you here to see President Wen?"
Tao Chu remained noncommittal, smiling as he said, "I heard there's a party on the rooftop, so I came to join in the fun. I wonder if President Li would welcome me?"
"What are you saying? It is my honor that Miss Tao would do me the honor of coming! Miss Tao, please."
He extended his left hand to guide Tao Chu, and the noisy and crowded crowd gradually parted, with men and women calling out "General Manager Li" while their curious eyes remained fixed on Tao Chu.
Beside the azure pool stood a tall champagne tower. Wen Yunsheng, dressed in a gray-camel striped suit, held a double-layered crystal glass filled with spirits, unlike the others around him who were also holding champagne.
The crisp clinking of glasses was drowned out by the loud music. Wen Yunsheng tilted his head back, preparing to drink the rest of his wine in one gulp, when he suddenly noticed the commotion beside him.
He turned to the side and, through the crystal-clear champagne tower, vaguely saw a glimpse of silver in the crowd.
Tao Chu met Wen Yunsheng's gaze, stood still, and looked at him from afar.
That gentle and kind boy in my memory, the one who would give up playing basketball with his friends just because Tao Chu needed someone to stand on when he was jumping rope, and who pitifully called him "Brother Yunsheng" and softened my heart.
She just watched quietly, and suddenly he couldn't move.
The once vibrant band performance became noisy, and the colorful, rhythmic lights obstructed his view.
Or perhaps—it would be best if the noise and lights could completely conceal him, so that he wouldn't be caught off guard and exposed to her like this, not having had time to shed the facade he'd cultivated in public over the years, leaving him disheveled and at a loss.
Wen Yunsheng was momentarily dazed. Was that really Tao Chu?
Eight years ago, after losing contact with Tao Chu, he quickly returned to China, where news of Xu Weirong being vilified was everywhere.
Tao Chu had already left Jianglin City with her mother and no longer replied to any of his messages; she was so resolute.
He didn't know what had happened or why Tao Chu had abandoned him.
He sought the truth from everyone who might know—his father, Wen Tao; Tao Chu's father, Tao Guohua…
But they and the newspapers are telling the same story.
If he pressed them further, they would remain silent and avoid the topic altogether.
He knew perfectly well that there must be a conspiracy and deception involved, but no one pitied him and was willing to tell him the truth.
In the sweltering summer of his twenties, he was abandoned, given the runaround, advised to forget Tao Chu, and coaxed and pushed onto a new path in life.
On countless sleepless nights, he wanted to find someone to ask him why, why he lost her like this.
Countless messages disappeared without a trace, and although the phone lines were always open, no one ever answered.
His heart would always be filled with hope for a fleeting moment when things were going smoothly, only to plummet back to rock bottom when the unanswered voice message came through.
These eight years of silence were like a dull knife, constantly cutting and grinding at his heartstrings, not knowing when it would break the last fragile thread.
He had been thinking about this day and night, waiting for so many years... how could the person suddenly appear on the "Dream Seeker on the River"?
But she was indeed standing in the crowd not far away, her hands clasped tightly in front of her, looking somewhat uneasy.
When did she return to Jianglin?
Who brought them onto the ship?
Why is Li Yue standing next to him?
His mind raced. He strode up to her, not even bothering to exchange a polite "long time no see." He raised his hand, intending to take her away to a place where no one would disturb them, to get to the bottom of what had happened over the past eight years.
But Li Yue stepped forward half a step and blocked them, also stopping his hand from reaching towards Tao Chu.
"Mr. Wen, don't rush to get started," Li Yue said with a smile. "Won't you introduce Ms. Tao to everyone?"
What are you introducing?
In what capacity did he introduce her?
Childhood sweethearts who have been out of touch for eight years?
Wen Yunsheng had no intention of dealing with Li Yue. He tilted his head and looked past Li Yue's obstruction at Tao Chu, who was just a few feet away.
She gazed at him silently, without saying a word.
She had lost so much weight, Wen Yunsheng thought to himself, how difficult these days must have been for her.
In those eight years, he missed so much time that he could have spent with her.
"Chuchu, I have something to tell you."
What should have been a gentle request was instead met with a raised voice from Wen Yunsheng due to the loud music, which sounded somewhat forceful, causing Tao Chu to flinch.
"Mr. Wen, don't scare my guest." Li Yue patted his shoulder, turned around and said to Tao Chu, "Miss Tao, Mr. Wen is usually very gentle with women, but he's probably a little excited after drinking today. Please forgive him."
Wen Yunsheng was amused by Li Yue's overly familiar manner. Who was he to be stirring up trouble between him and Tao Chu?
Wen Yunsheng decisively slapped Li Yue's hand away and pushed him aside.
Li Yue, having been humiliated in front of so many people, instantly lost his smile and was about to explode when Tao Chu turned to Li Yue and said:
"Mr. Li, since Mr. Wen has something to say, could you ask the band to play a softer piece?"
Li Yue's expression softened slightly, seemingly pleased with Tao Chu's gentle and polite attitude.
He squinted and nodded: "As you wish, Miss Tao."
Wen Yunsheng couldn't stand seeing her talking back and forth with Li Yue while ignoring him.
Just as Li Yue stepped forward to give instructions to the band, Wen Yunsheng quickly grabbed Tao Chu's wrist and led her to the sofa by the pool.
Tao Chu, being a trained fighter, instinctively reached for Wen Yunsheng's hand and pressed it down. Fortunately, she managed to control her instincts in time and pretended to be weak and helpless as he pulled her along.
As soon as Cen Le returned to the top floor, she saw Wen Yunsheng dragging the stumbling Tao Chu away. She cursed inwardly: How rude! There's a swimming pool right next door. If it were Tao Chu, she would have kicked him down there and given him a good drink!
She returned to the crowd and listened to her familiar online celebrity friends discussing Tao Chu's clothes and identity.
She pretended to be a bystander, trying to find a better angle to observe quietly, but she discovered that Li Yue, who was standing next to the stage, was raising his phone and pointing it directly at Tao Chu.
Although she previously thought Li Yue was a bit crazy and wanted to stay away from him, Cen Le was also worried that he might make a move against Tao Chu.
After hesitating for a moment, she walked towards Li Yue.
On the other side, Wen Yunsheng took off his suit jacket and draped it over Tao Chu's shoulders: "It's windy on the top floor."
Tao Chu was only wearing a formal suit suitable for an indoor banquet. His suit jacket still retained some of his body heat, which made him feel much warmer.
But as she pretended to take it off, she glanced around and said, "There are so many people watching..."
"Let them see properly." Wen Yunsheng leaned closer and helped her tighten the collar of her coat.
Seeing her eyelashes tremble and she slightly turn her head away, Wen Yunsheng stroked her hair: "What are you afraid of?"
Tao Chuqing couldn't help but back away, while Wen Yunsheng awkwardly lowered his arms.
The waiter brought him another glass of whiskey, but he had no interest in drinking and casually placed it on the ground.
The brownish-red liquor rippled in the crystal glass, and from Tao Chu's perspective, the azure waves of the swimming pool swayed along with it.
"Chuchu, why did you get on the ship?" His gaze kept sweeping across the crowd, especially paying attention to Li Yue's direction.
Tao Chu didn't speak, but bent down, picked up the wine glass that Tao Chu had put down, and smelled it.
Wen Yun was afraid she would drink it, so he reached out to take it away.
Tao Chu didn't answer him, but looked at him and asked, "Are you in a bad mood? Why are you drinking such strong liquor?"
Faced with her concern, Wen Yunsheng didn't know how to respond.
He was clearly laughing and joking at the party, so how could he openly admit it to Tao Chu, who had just lost her mother?
He covered the rim of the cup and pressed it down, trying to take it back to avoid the question, but Tao Chu refused to let go.
During the tug-of-war, the glass tilted, and the whiskey spilled all over Wen Yunsheng's trousers.
The rich and strong aroma of the liquor wafted out, mixed with a cold and spicy sensation. Tao Chu exclaimed "Ouch!" and hurriedly rummaged for tissues in her handbag.
Wen Yunsheng glanced down at the wine dripping down his trouser leg: "I'll go change."
Tao Chu stopped searching and nodded, saying, "That's true, it's cold."
"Come with me."
He reached out his hand.
Tao Chu looked at the hand in front of her—long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles. She had gripped it countless times before, but now she hesitated and didn't move, leaving the hand hanging in mid-air.
The nighttime party was full of people indulging in pleasure. What it meant for a man and a woman to leave together was self-evident, not to mention how many eyes were watching Wen Yunsheng, openly and secretly.
Tao Chu shook his head.
Wen Yunsheng watched as she huddled on the sofa, arms crossed, eyes downcast, the shadow of her eyelashes reflected beneath them, looking lonely and distant.
He lowered his hand, leaned closer to her on the sofa, and whispered in her ear, "I'm worried about you being here alone."
Tao Chu looked up and realized that he was very close to her—his eyebrows and eyes gradually overlapped with his appearance when he was young, only they were more angular and sharp than before, and the ink shadow that was soaked in water in her memory finally became clear.
The concern in his eyes seemed genuine; was he truly the reliable vine he was meant to be?
She chose to seek refuge with Tao Guohua as her first step to save her life because she had the guarantee of blood ties.
But when it came time to take the second step, she wasn't entirely confident.
They had a childhood friendship, but eight years had passed, and she didn't dare to make a judgment about what kind of person Wen Yunsheng was in front of her.
Tao Chu stared at him intently until the saxophone solo brought the deeply melancholic jazz to a close.
"Wen Yunsheng".
She softly called his name.
The sweet scent of mint seeped into his heart, and he couldn't help but move even closer, their breaths mingling.
As the music paused, the surroundings fell silent for a moment.
Tao Chu gripped her coat tightly, stared at him, and whispered, "I'm scared."
These three words were spoken so softly, they seemed to be blown away by the river breeze as soon as they left the mouth.
But the tear that suddenly slid down her cheek was like a boulder crashing into Wen Yunsheng's heart.
He felt her helplessness and her anxiety in that instant.
He wasn't by her side when she encountered misfortune eight years ago. Today, he finally doesn't have to let her suffer fear and pain alone anymore.
Wen Yunsheng grasped her cold hand and placed it next to his face: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
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