Chapter 7 His White Moonlight? The First Appearance of the Enemy
Life in the compound is like a deep pool of water. It appears calm on the surface, but has its own operating rules and undercurrents underneath.
Su Wanqing gradually settled into this regular, if somewhat monotonous, routine. She read, took care of the house, and occasionally went shopping at the service center accompanied by Assistant Chen. When the weather was fine, she would take a walk within the permitted area. She could still feel the scrutiny, sometimes overt and sometimes covert, but the gossip seemed to have gradually subsided, at least it wouldn't easily reach her ears.
She is like a quietly growing plant, cautiously extending its roots in this unfamiliar soil, not showing off, yet never withering.
That afternoon, Assistant Chen called as usual, but his tone was more serious than usual.
"Madam, there's a calligraphy and painting appreciation salon this afternoon at the compound's cultural center. It's organized by the wives of several former leaders and is considered a relatively important routine event for the compound's family members. You just arrived, would you like to show up?"
Su Wanqing instantly understood the meaning. This wasn't just about "appreciating calligraphy and painting," it was also a crucial opportunity to integrate into the core family circle of the compound, a kind of invisible identity recognition and social test.
"Okay, please ask Assistant Chen to arrange it." She did not hesitate.
"I'll pick you up at 2 p.m."
A dozen women were already seated in an elegant conference room at the event center. They ranged in age from forty to seventy, all dressed elegantly and possessing a diverse temperament: some graceful, some capable, and some scholarly. They chatted in low voices in groups of three or four, creating a harmonious atmosphere yet possessing a subtle sense of class.
When Su Wanqing walked in under the guidance of Assistant Chen, the conversation paused for a moment.
Everyone's eyes were focused on him, looking at him with scrutiny, curiosity, and a measuring tone.
A lady who looked to be in her sixties, with an elegant and graceful demeanor, spoke first with a smile, "Is this from Tingxiao's family? Please come in." She was one of the main organizers of the salon, the wife of Minister Wang.
"Hello, ladies. I'm Su Wanqing." Su Wanqing bowed slightly, her attitude humble and proper. "I'm new here, and I don't know a lot of the rules. I'm here to learn from you all."
She spoke beautifully and with a humble attitude, and several elderly ladies showed kinder smiles on their faces.
"Come sit down, don't be shy." Mrs. Wang invited her to sit down.
The salon began with an appreciation of calligraphy exercises and modern paintings collected by several retired senior officials. The atmosphere grew lively as everyone engaged in discussion and appreciation. Su Wanqing was a man of few words, offering only a few pertinent yet unobtrusive observations at opportune moments, demonstrating a remarkable appreciation for art that drew considerable attention.
During this time, some people inevitably asked Huo Tingxiao indirectly about whether she had adapted to life in the compound, with some tentativeness in their words.
Su Wanqing always responded with flawless words such as "The leader is busy", "I'm still adapting", "It's great here", etc., and always had a gentle and faint smile on her face.
Just as the salon was drawing to a close and everyone was chatting over tea, a lady sitting diagonally across from Su Wanqing, about 35 or 36 years old, dressed in an intellectual and elegant manner, suddenly spoke in a gentle voice:
"Miss Su is so young and sensible. Brother Tingxiao... Chief Huo has a cold personality and is very busy with work. I'll need you to take good care of him from now on."
This abrupt, almost natural "Brother Tingxiao" and the abrupt change of tone midway instantly attracted the attention of everyone present.
Su Wanqing looked up at the other person. She had noticed this woman before. She introduced herself as Lin Weiwei, the daughter-in-law of another deputy commander in the compound, Liu. She was said to have been a dancer in the General Political Department's art troupe and now worked in the cultural sector. She looked gentle and charming, and spoke softly, but her eyes held an extremely complex, inexplicable inquiry.
Mrs. Wang smiled and continued, "Yes, Weiwei and Tingxiao grew up in the same courtyard. I used to run around with him a lot when we were little, so we're quite familiar with each other."
Lin Weiwei's face flushed with a perfect blush, and her eyes seemed to be filled with nostalgia and sadness. She lowered her head slightly, and her tone was filled with a subtle sense of regret: "These are all things that happened when I was young and ignorant. Chief Huo...he has always been like an older brother to us children."
Her words were ambiguous, which not only pointed out her childhood friendship with Huo Tingxiao, but also left room for endless reverie and put on an attitude of humility and nostalgia.
The expressions of the ladies present suddenly became a little subtle, and they exchanged tacit glances.
Su Wanqing clearly felt that the atmosphere around her had become strange. The eyes looking at her were filled with sympathy, amusement, and a sense of watching the show.
Her fingers holding the teacup paused slightly, and a string in her heart was gently plucked.
Lin Weiwei...
Childhood sweethearts?
Like a brother?
She suddenly remembered that on the day of the family dinner, Zhou Ting seemed to have mentioned vaguely, "Brother Tingxiao used to..." and was stopped by Huo Meilin with a look.
So, this person is the "white moonlight" in everyone's mind, who is in sharp contrast to her "substitute bride" and may have existed in Huo Tingxiao's past?
Su Wanqing's face remained expressionless, even a faint smile still lingering on the corner of her lips. She met Lin Weiwei's seemingly gentle, yet actually piercing eyes and spoke calmly:
"Miss Lin, you're joking. Taking care of the Chief is my job, so it's not a big deal. But from what you said, it seems that the Chief was a responsible person since he was a child."
She skillfully shifted the topic from the ambiguous "childhood sweethearts" to the upright "brother role". She took over the conversation without losing the upper hand or showing any concern or jealousy.
Lin Weiwei's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal. She said softly, "Yes, he's always been excellent." She paused, her eyes casually glancing at Su Wanqing's empty wrists and neck. "Miss Su just arrived, so maybe she hasn't bought a lot of things yet? If you need any help or want to go shopping, you can come to me. I'm quite familiar with Beijing."
These words sounded enthusiastic, but in fact they were implicitly criticizing her low social status and unfamiliarity with Beijing's upper class society. They even hinted that she was not valued by her husband and did not even have decent jewelry.
Su Wanqing was indeed only wearing that pair of simple pearl earrings today, and no other jewelry on her body.
The eyes of several ladies fell on Su Wanqing again.
Su Wanqing, however, seemed to have completely ignored the hidden meaning. Instead, she smiled and said calmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Lin. However, I don't usually like to wear too many things; they feel cumbersome. As for getting familiar with Beijing," she said softly, yet with a natural confidence, "there's still plenty of time to go, so we can take our time. I won't bother Miss Lin."
Once again, she easily resolved the opponent's hidden arrows with an attitude that was neither humble nor arrogant, and even revealed a hint of the calmness of a "hostess", which made Lin Weiwei's "enthusiasm" seem a bit over the line and eager.
Lin Weiwei's hands on her knees tightened slightly, her nails almost digging into her palms, but the smile on her face became even gentler: "Indeed, there is still a long way to go."
The salon ended in a subtle atmosphere.
When leaving, Lin Weiwei walked to Su Wanqing and said softly, "Sister Su, let's keep in touch in the future." Her tone was intimate, but her eyes were cold.
Su Wanqing nodded calmly: "Goodbye, Miss Lin."
After getting into the car, Assistant Chen drove silently as usual.
Su Wanqing leaned back in her chair, looking at the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, her eyes calm.
White moonlight?
Maybe.
But so what?
Huo Tingxiao's past had nothing to do with her, and his "white moonlight" or "cinnabar mole" was not something she needed to care about.
However, this Miss Lin Weiwei, though seemingly gentle and harmless, actually had a sting in her words. I'm afraid she wasn't someone I'd be happy to deal with. Today's initial confrontation, while seemingly peaceful, was actually fraught with undercurrents.
The enemy's shadow has begun to appear.
In the days ahead, in addition to dealing with the iceberg and the complicated Huo family, it seems that he will also have to deal with this seemingly gentle and considerate "childhood sweetheart".
Su Wanqing let out a breath.
The water was indeed getting deeper and deeper. But the ripples in her heart were not caused by jealousy or anxiety, but rather a faint fighting spirit that grew stronger when facing stronger opponents.
No matter who came, she just took over.
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