37. The Collapse of the Character of Our Lady of Flowers
It turned out that the cocktail party was hosted by Ever, Yu Chuanbei's company. Bai Yihan had been holding the invitation the whole time, and she gave it to the concierge when they arrived at the door. Ling Ling was completely unaware of it. She didn't expect that in such an important occasion, a guest like Tuo Wu, who was not a heavyweight, would occupy the audience seat with the best view. Ling Ling looked at Yu Chuanbei who was talking on the stage. He should be making a speech as the host. The content of his speech was simple but very contagious, and his manners were elegant, decent and graceful. Ling Ling was fascinated by him for a while. "Hey, Ling Ling, what do you think of him?" Bai Yihan asked Ling Ling in a whisper. Ling Ling quickly averted her gaze and asked, "Who?" "The one on the stage, Yu Chuanbei!" "Yu Chuanbei?" "Yes, he's EVER's youngest director. He has a good reputation, especially in terms of marriage and love! He's still single. I did my homework, and he didn't bring a female companion today." Bai Yihan's eyes gleamed piercingly as she gazed at Yu Chuanbei. Ling Ling felt like a Jaguar with reflective strips and high beams on at night. "So you're treating him..." Ling Ling didn't want to finish her sentence. "Yes, I'm going to get him tonight. Bless me!" Bai Yihan winked at Ling Ling with a beaming smile, but Ling Ling felt that her expression didn't match her outfit. After Yu Chuanbei finished his speech, he left the stage. An expert in new media digital transformation was invited to take the stage, and a lecture packed with practical information began. Ling Ling sighed lightly, thinking that she came here with the attitude of learning anyway, so she took out her notebook and listened to the lecture intently and took notes. Although Bai Yihan thought Ling Ling's behavior was unfashionable, he did not want to stop her. After Yu Chuanbei left the stage, he stood in the dark corner blocked by the curtains on both sides, looking at the seat he had arranged in advance. Ling Ling was actually taking notes seriously, like an excellent student sitting in the first row of a university classroom, completely ignoring the glances and whispers of the people around her. When she lowered her head, the long hair on both sides always slipped in front of her eyes mischievously. She repeatedly tucked it behind her ears and became a little impatient, so she simply took off the pink swallowtail clip on the notebook, which held her silky black hair. The smile in Yu Chuanbei's eyes slowly spread across his face. Seeing that the speech was coming to an end, Bai Yihan quickly nudged Ling Ling and said, "I saw on the agenda that after this speech, we'll be moving to the banquet hall next door. It'll be crowded when this one ends soon and everyone rushes out. Shouldn't we go over there first and grab a good seat?" Ling Ling said awkwardly, "Huanhuan, I don't want to go...
It turned out that Yu Chuanbei's company, Ever, was hosting the reception. Bai Yihan had been holding the invitation the entire time, and only gave it to the concierge when they arrived at the door. Ling Ling was completely unaware of this.
Unexpectedly, at such an important occasion, a guest like Tuo Wu, who wasn't a prominent figure, occupied the best seats in the audience. Ling Ling looked at Yu Chuanbei, who was speaking eloquently on the stage. He was probably giving a speech as the host. His speech was simple yet powerful, and his manners were elegant, graceful, and graceful. Ling Ling was mesmerized.
"Hey, Lingling, what do you think of him?" Bai Yihan asked Lingling in a whisper.
Ling Ling quickly withdrew her gaze and asked, "Who?"
"The one on the stage, Yu Chuanbei!"
"Yu Chuanbei?"
"Yes, he is the youngest director of Ever at present. He has a good reputation in character and especially in love and marriage. He is still single. I did my homework in advance. He didn't bring a female companion today." Bai Yihan looked at Yu Chuanbei with a dazzling light in his eyes.
Ling Ling felt that she looked like a Jaguar with reflective strips all over its body and high beams on the road at night.
"So you treat him..." Ling Ling didn't want to finish her words.
"Yes, I must take him down tonight, please bless me!" Bai Yihan smiled at Ling Ling with a beaming expression, but Ling Ling felt that her expression did not match her outfit at all.
After Yu Chuanbei finished his speech, he left the stage. Then an expert in new media digital transformation was invited to start a lecture full of practical information.
Ling Ling sighed lightly, thinking that she came here with the attitude of learning anyway, so she took out her notebook, listened to the lecture attentively and started taking notes.
Although Bai Yihan thought Ling Ling's behavior was uncouth, he didn't want to stop her.
After Yu Chuanbei left the stage, he stood in a dark corner blocked by curtains on both sides, looking at the position he had arranged in advance.
Ling Ling was actually taking notes intently, like a top student sitting in the front row of a university class, completely oblivious to the glances and whispers of those around her. When she lowered her head, her long hair kept playfully sliding in front of her eyes. She kept tucking it behind her ears, growing impatient, and simply removed the pink swallowtail clip from her notebook, which held back her silky black hair.
The smile in Yu Chuanbei's eyes slowly spread across his entire face.
Seeing that the speech was coming to an end, Bai Yihan quickly nudged Ling Ling and said, "I saw on the agenda that after this speech, we'll be moving to the banquet hall next door. It'll be crowded if everyone rushes out after this one ends. Should we go over there and grab a good seat?"
Ling Ling said awkwardly, "Huanhuan, I don't want to go. I just came here to attend a professional lecture today, and I feel it was quite rewarding. Many of the ideas I heard today had a great impact on me. I need to think carefully about interactive experiences and methods of social fission. As for those kinds of cocktail parties and social events, I can't handle them, so I want to leave first."
Ling Ling stood up and tried to leave, but Bai Yihan grabbed her and said, "Hey, just stay with me for a while. I heard that the banquet hall's meal today was prepared by a Michelin-starred chef. If you go home at this time, won't you have to pay for takeout? Why not eat and drink here? It's not too late to go home after you've had enough."
Persuading people to talk about money is the most effective way. Ling Ling followed her to the adjacent banquet hall ahead of time. Bai Yihan ate a few snacks to fill her stomach, touched up her makeup, and then stood gracefully in the center of the banquet hall, like a statue in the center of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore—the kind that glows at night.
Ling Ling had fully grasped her role as a tool for the day; she was merely Bai Yihuan's assistant, a way for him to appear less scheming in front of others. Dressed in a dusty grey, she looked harmless. She simply settled for some quiet time, fully enjoying the free food.
Yu Chuanbei walked into the banquet hall, looking for Ling Ling.
Bai Yihan was a good presence. Following her light source, he could quickly locate Ling Ling. Although Ling Ling was the most plainly dressed and most attentive girl in the room, in his eyes, she was incredibly special and adorable.
"Lingling - come here quickly, don't eat yet!" Bai Yihan kept his mouth stiff, smiling, and shouted at her in a low voice.
Ling Ling put down the plate in her hand helplessly, but still picked up a bowl of maple syrup jelly ice cream and went to find her.
"Haha, your style is quite unique." Bai Yihan said as he glanced at the swallowtail clip still stuck in her temples.
Before Ling Ling understood what she meant, she was pulled to Yu Chuanbei.
When Yu Chuanbei saw them, he nodded and smiled politely.
When Ling Ling saw it was him, she didn't know what to do, and frantically avoided his gaze. Then she took a bite of the sweet ice cream to ease the awkwardness. Not wanting to swallow the bouncy jelly, she held it on the tip of her tongue, teasing it.
Bai Yihan put on a fake business smile and said softly to Chuanbei, "Hello, Mr. Yu, we are from the Tuowu Creative Department. My name is Bai Yihan, and this is my colleague."
Ling Ling had no choice but to follow her and perfunctorily said, "Hello, President Yu."
Bai Yihan continued to work hard, "Your forum today was a real success. Many of the ideas I heard today had a great impact on me. The interactive experience and social fission methods are worth my careful consideration. I feel very rewarding!"
"Thank you for the compliment. But Ever has a special team handling it, so I dare not take credit for it." Yu Chuanbei thanked politely with a sense of distance.
Today's gala was a massive performance where Bai Yihuan's character completely crumbled to dust in Ling Ling's heart. Plagiarizing her ideas was one thing, but she wasn't even worthy of a name in the introduction.
"But I still have some confusions that I want to ask you. Can I add you on WeChat?" Bai Yihan's voice was so sweet and sweet when he spoke to Chuanbei.
"Uh—then let's go together." He showed the QR code of WeChat on his mobile phone and motioned Ling Ling to add it as well.
Ling Ling had just taken out her phone when Bai Yihan had already added everyone and said quickly, "Don't bother adding them one by one. I'll create a small group for the three of us later."
Ling Ling tightly grasped her phone, which was dangling in the air, and bit the innocent jelly into pieces. She knew that this woman would never create such a group in her life.
"Mr. Yu, there's no wine in your cup. Wait a minute, I'll get it for you." Bai Yihan smiled sweetly at him, gently scratched the back of his hand with her fingertips, pulled out the empty wine glass from his hand, and flew away gracefully.
"Don't you want to add me anymore? Stranger?" Yu Chuanbei still held the QR code towards Ling Ling and asked her with a smile in his eyes.
"I don't want to add you on WeChat anyway." Ling Ling said angrily, and then prepared to take back the phone.
But he grabbed her hand, snatched her phone, shoved it in her face to unlock it, forced her to open WeChat, scanned the QR code, and added himself as her friend.
He wanted to change his nickname and set it as a star friend, but she snatched it back.
"You're crazy!" Ling Lingqi was furious and cursed him hatefully.
But he felt that he was as innocent as the jelly that she had just chewed up.
"Why are you pretending not to know me? What name are you going to use to record me now?" Yu Chuanbei asked her with a frown.
"Yu Chuanbei, what else?" Ling Ling didn't get his point.
"I thought you would note me as 'Mr. Yu'."
Ling Ling rolled her eyes at him, as if she didn't want to pay any attention to him, but in Chuanbei's eyes, she looked playful and charming. A pink swallowtail clip adorned her inky black hair, revealing a glimpse of her delicate ears. A smear of maple syrup stained her cherry-like lips, glistening and tempting.
Ling Ling looked up and caught him staring at her. This sudden, affectionate gaze left her puzzled. Her bewildered expression was so adorable in her eyes that she wanted to pinch it.
What Ling Ling was thinking at this moment was: Considering that Bai Yihan was always nice to her, she might as well repay the favor this time.
She then mustered up the courage to tell Chuanbei, "My friend is interested in you."
Although Yu Chuanbei heard every word she said, he still repeated her words in confusion: "Your friend is interested in me?"
Ling Ling nodded solemnly and said, "Well, she did a lot of homework to be with you."
"So what?" Yu Chuanbei's frowned look was a little scary.
Ling Ling dodged his gaze and was about to explain when Bai Yihan, who had returned quickly, interrupted her. She had only taken two glasses of champagne, a clear sign of departure. Ling Ling was completely superfluous here.
"Mr. Yu, please have a good chat. Sorry, I have to leave now." Ling Ling left awkwardly.
Yu Chuanbei's fingertips, holding the goblet, turned pale.
Author's Note
Liu Qiu
author
04-04
Some readers might find the prolonged hesitation and hesitancy unbearable. This is actually why I've been writing this story for ten years. When the idea first emerged, I simply wanted to write about a girl constantly climbing the ladder, constantly striving. Later, she met a male protagonist, but I couldn't quite believe their love was enough to fuel the intense, lonely writing. So I kept searching, trying to find a way out for their relationship. There's really no clear line between caution and indecision, but there's a clear distinction between white and black. Fortunately, I eventually found that outlet, and by the story's conclusion, I can find a sense of openness.
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