Chapter 66 A Battlefield She missed him, and he actually appeared. ...
After a rain, Hangzhou officially entered the height of summer.
The summer heat was intense and unbearable. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and even the golden retriever kept by the coffee shop across the street didn't come out for a walk, but stayed inside to cool off.
The studio was air-conditioned, and the glass door was tightly closed, yet hot air still seeped in through the cracks, waging a silent and intense battle with the indoor air conditioning.
"Tingbao, what are you looking at by the door? Isn't it hot by the door?"
Jiang Chu's voice came from behind.
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu responded without turning her head. "Nothing, it's not hot. I'm just looking at the scenery."
She pressed herself against the glass door, her forearm wedged into the horizontal bar of the vertical handle, her chin resting on it, quietly staring at the other side of the street.
Jiang Chu walked over and looked across the street in the direction she was looking.
"Are you looking at that coffee shop? What's up? Did they get a new handsome waiter?"
"I don't know," Mu Tingyu replied, her gaze remaining fixed.
Jiang Chu had only intended to tease her, but seeing that she didn't react, she couldn't help but poke her head: "What's wrong? You've been sullen for days."
"......."
Mu Tingyu didn't answer, but just stared at the open space under the sycamore tree across the street.
The sun was shining brightly outside, showing no signs of weakening even past four in the afternoon, still singing its praises enthusiastically in the sky. Even though the sycamore leaves were broad and dense, one after another tightly packed together, they still couldn't block the intense sunlight, and the gaps between the leaves were filled with a golden glow.
The sunlight fell in fine, dappled patterns on the open ground, like glass candy wrappers.
—That black car has never been seen again since that night.
At her request, Xing Ze visited her in her dream, then left silently without a word. That night was so unbelievable, like a hallucination, that she often wondered in the days since, if she was suffering from delusions.
But whether it's the water glass by the bedside, the neatly arranged easel, or the hangover soup in the kitchen, all of them are proof that he was here, and there's no denying it.
There are also security cameras in the store.
She suddenly remembered that the store's security cameras were on at night, so she quickly logged in to check the records.
There was only one security camera facing the door, and because it was night, the image was completely dark and unclear. All that could be seen was her staggering out of the door and sitting there for more than ten minutes. Mu Tingyu remembered that she was crying very hard at that time, with tears streaming down her face. Then the door of the black car across the street suddenly opened, and a tall man got out and walked towards her in the rain.
Later, it overlapped with my memory: he squatted down in front of me, and it seemed he coaxed her for a while before carrying her inside, still holding the bottle of wine in his hand.
He placed the wine on the table, walked straight into the inner room where light shone through, and then disappeared from sight. The inner room was where she lived, so naturally there were no security cameras there.
About four hours later, he came out of the inner room and went into the kitchen next door. Half an hour later, he came out again and went back into the room, where he stayed for another two hours. This time, he bent down and picked up the paintings and wine bottles scattered on the floor, put them back neatly, and helped her set up the easel. Then he picked up the U-lock next to him, pushed open the glass door, and left.
It was nearly seven o'clock in the morning. The sky was already bright outside, and the light shone into the room, making it possible to roughly see his face.
So Mu Tingyu stared at the monitor for a very long time.
Then she couldn't help but blame herself for drinking so much, getting so drunk that she was completely out of consciousness and couldn't even remember what she had said to him. She was so embarrassed that she didn't even realize it.
She was the one who went too far, heartlessly leaving without saying goodbye. Now that he has appeared, she is crying like that, clinging to him and refusing to let go. She can't even imagine what image she has in his heart now.
An annoying, clingy, and manipulative ex-girlfriend?
Mu Tingyu pressed her forehead against the glass door.
Why is he here? Is it a coincidence?
She gazed quietly at the empty space, lost in thought.
After a while, she bit the soft flesh inside her lip and lowered her eyes in disappointment.
For whatever reason, he hasn't come over in the last few days.
She had been peering at the door for days, but the black car never reappeared. It was like a dream, disappearing silently from her life.
Jiang Chu stood quietly with her for a while, but still couldn't figure it out.
Seeing Mu Tingyu's dejected appearance, she reminded her, "Tingbao, don't you have plans tonight? Aren't you going to get ready?"
"Hmm," Mu Tingyu replied weakly, "It's still early."
"Isn't it getting late? It's already past four o'clock. Aren't you going to get dressed or something?"
"No, I don't think so," she said, lifting her head. "Do I really need them? Attorney Chen already sent over clothes and shoes yesterday. I can just wear those, right?"
"Girl, that's the Gan Palace, you think you're going to the market next door to buy vegetables?"
Mu Tingyu asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Do I have to bathe and burn incense before I can go?"
“…” Jiang Chu was exasperated. “That’s the biggest private club in Hangzhou. Is it appropriate for you to go there without makeup? You should at least put on some makeup!”
Mu Tingyu shrank her neck: "I'll put on some sunscreen later..."
"That's nothing compared to makeup!" Jiang Chu dragged her into the inner room and shoved her onto the table. "Luckily, my makeup bag is here. Come on, let me help you with some decorating!"
Mu Tingyu watched as she swiftly unfolded the entire bag, revealing dozens of items inside, including a large handful of brushes. She exclaimed in horror, "How can there be so much... Are you really going to decorate my face?"
“No need,” Jiang Chuyi waved her hand and took out all the bottles and jars from her bag. “Your model will look beautiful with just a little makeup. It’ll be quick.”
"Go change your clothes first, then wash your face, hurry up."
Forced by her tyranny, Mu Tingyu had no choice but to obediently do as she was told, and after washing her face, she changed into the dress that Chen Jiadong had sent her.
It must be said that Chen Jiadong has a good eye for clothes. He chose a light pink satin dress with the hem reaching his ankles. The neckline was a common square neckline, and the waist was cinched tightly. A matching satin ribbon wrapped around the waist and tied into a neat knot on the left side, with the end of the ribbon hanging down naturally.
Mu Tingyu has fair skin, which now shines even brighter against the backdrop of the pink satin.
Jiang Chu was extremely satisfied. He pressed her down to sit and quickly began to apply makeup to her face.
"Don't, don't draw it too dark..." Mu Tingyu scratched her face, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Don't move! Don't move! My makeup isn't set yet, or you'll ruin it!"
Jiang Chu held an eyeshadow palette in one hand and three brushes in the other, skillfully applying them to her face while muttering, "Hey, don't you think makeup and painting are similar? How come you don't know how to do it?"
"It's not that I wouldn't," Mu Tingyu thought for a moment. "When I first started college, I didn't have money to buy cosmetics. The little money I earned from part-time jobs wasn't even enough to eat, so I couldn't bear to spend it on cosmetics. Later on, I stopped thinking about buying them."
"........." Jiang Chu hissed and slapped his mouth. "I told you not to ask."
"It's nothing, why are you like this?" Mu Tingyu laughed. "There's no occasion that requires makeup, and besides, my face feels sticky and uncomfortable after I put it on. I can't even wipe my nose."
"Poor little Tingbao," Jiang Chu said, feeling extremely guilty, picking up her eyelash curler while sobbing, "I'm going to have trouble sleeping tonight..."
Just as Mu Tingyu was about to continue comforting her, she was suddenly startled by the sensation on her eyelashes and quickly backed away, saying, "Wait, wait, wait, you don't need to curl your eyelashes, right...? That's... that's terrifying..."
"Yes, I will."
One thing at a time, Jiang Chu quickly pressed her down.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
"Don't worry, my technique is excellent, I won't pinch your eyelid..."
......
-
At 6:30, a black Maybach pulled up right on time in front of Manye Art Studio.
Mu Tingyu carefully descended the steps, walked to the back seat, and opened the car door.
"Oh," she exclaimed in surprise, "Attorney Chen, you're here."
Chen Jiadong, dressed in a more formal suit, casually rested his hand on the back of the chair and turned his head to look at her: "What, can't I be here?"
"Yes, yes," she said quickly, and got into the car.
She thought only the driver was there.
"How is it? Does the clothes fit?"
"It fits perfectly."
"Hmm." Chen Jiadong withdrew his arm. "I was supposed to take you to try them on, but I've been a bit busy these past few days. As long as they fit, it'll be fine."
Mu Tingyu was flattered: "You've worked hard, but work is more important."
"Isn't that important?" Chen Jiadong thought calmly, inwardly scoffing. Someone had been pressuring him like a madman to get things done, and he'd finally gotten it sorted out in the last couple of days.
He glanced at it sideways: "Are you nervous?"
Mu Tingyu placed her hands neatly on her knees: "It's okay, I'm not particularly nervous."
"Don't be nervous." He laughed. If anyone should be nervous, it's him.
“Lawyer Chen,” the girl sitting upright suddenly spoke, her clear black and white eyes looking at him, “—is there anything I can do for you at the banquet?”
"Hmm?" Chen Jiadong asked with interest, "Why do you say that?"
Mu Tingyu said seriously, "If you really can't find a suitable female companion, you should find someone familiar with the occasion who won't make a mistake to accompany you, instead of choosing me, whom you've never met before... So the reason you chose me is because I've never appeared in this kind of occasion before?"
"Do you need me to deal with anyone? Like... a difficult fiancée or something?"
Chen Jiadong looked at her for two seconds and then suddenly laughed.
Her expression was very serious, with no hint of joking. She didn't seem to think her question was particularly funny.
The moment Chen Jiadong saw her photo, he thought she was beautiful, with a dazzling smile. No wonder she had captivated Xing Ze, who was still so infatuated that he traveled all the way back to Hangzhou. Now that he had met her in person, he found her not only beautiful but also incredibly interesting and daring.
Her face clearly carried a touch of naive innocence, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled, as if she had no ulterior motives. But upon closer inspection, her incredibly beautiful eyes revealed a sharp wit, like those of a white-feathered seagull, captivating the eye at first glance.
"Miss Mu," he said with a smile, "have you been watching too many TV dramas?"
"........"
Mu Tingyu's face felt a little hot, and she subconsciously wanted to scratch her face, but then she remembered that Jiang Chu had told her before she left that she must keep her makeup intact, so she put her hands back on her knees.
“You don’t need to deal with anyone. I told you, you just need to come with me.” Chen Jiadong leaned back casually in his chair. “No one will make things difficult for you.”
Mu Tingyu didn't understand what he meant at the time, until the two of them got out of the car and walked up the steps. She put her hand in his arm, and he turned his head and whispered, "Don't be nervous, remember to smile."
The next second they stepped into the banquet hall.
In that instant, countless eyes turned toward them, like countless spotlights, fixed firmly on the two of them.
"......."
Mu Tingyu could no longer laugh.
What?! What's going on?!
How can there be so many people?!
Her legs were trembling, but Chen Jiadong didn't give her a chance to hesitate and led her forward.
The hall was packed with people, all dressed in formal evening gowns, leaving only a walkway in the middle.
Anyone who makes eye contact with Chen Jiadong will nod to him or call him "Young Master Chen".
Mu Tingyu maintained her expression and walked forward stiffly in her high heels.
Chen Jiadong picked out chunky-heeled leather shoes in the same color for her, which was already quite thoughtful, but she still wasn't used to wearing them. Her feet trembled a bit when she walked, and she didn't know if it was because the shoe size was a little wrong, but her heels were always aching, probably from rubbing.
But now she's overwhelmed with her own problems.
This scene is more frightening than having a hundred difficult fiancées.
Who can tell her why there are so many people? She thought it was just a regular dinner party, but judging from the crowd, it felt like the whole city had come... What's more, they were all staring at them...
"Your expression is about to break down." Chen Jiadong turned his head slightly and said with a smile, "Relax, you look beautiful today."
Mu Tingyu's smile froze, her mind went blank, and she subconsciously thought...
Pretty? What's pretty? Oh, she's wearing makeup... Thank goodness she's wearing makeup... Thank you, Jiang Chu...! I must kneel down and thank her for her immense kindness when I get back...
"......."
Chen Jiadong looked at her face, which had become noticeably pale, and felt inexplicably guilty.
He just wanted to play a prank, but he didn't want to scare anyone too much, or Xing Ze would fight him to the death.
He led Mu Tingyu to the innermost part of the village, where there were far fewer people. Just as he was looking around to find someone he knew to take Mu Tingyu to a corner, he heard someone calling his name.
"Hey Jia Dong, why did you bring a female companion today? Don't you usually avoid bringing any of those other women?"
The two turned around and saw a tall man walking towards them. He was dressed even more casually than Chen Jiadong, as if he were strolling in his own backyard, without even wearing a suit jacket.
"Hey," he exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing Mu Tingyu, "Isn't this—"
"Ahem!" Chen Jiadong quickly interrupted him.
Mu Tingyu heard what the man had just said, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Chen Jiadong.
“...Duan Cheng, from the Municipal Public Security Bureau,” Chen Jiadong introduced her.
He didn't introduce his position, and Mu Tingyu didn't know how to address him, so she could only smile and nod at him, saying, "Hello."
"Hello." Duan Cheng reacted quickly, a meaningful smile instantly appearing on his face, and asked Chen Jiadong, "What's this?"
Chen Jiadong frantically winked at him, then asked out of the blue, "Is he here?"
"They haven't arrived yet."
"Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"Do you really want him to come? It'll probably be a while before he arrives."
"Nonsense, wasn't this whole show just for him?"
Mu Tingyu had no idea what kind of riddle they were playing, so she lowered her head and quietly huddled to the side, acting as a decorative vase.
Since she's been told not to socialize, she can find somewhere to eat later...
I'm a little hungry; I haven't had dinner yet.
She tugged at the belt around her waist somewhat awkwardly; she hadn't worn such tight-fitting clothes often and felt a little uncomfortable.
I'm really hungry. I'm worried it will be embarrassing if my stomach growls later.
"Miss Mu, you don't seem to come to these kinds of occasions often?"
Duan Cheng suddenly struck up a conversation with her.
"Huh?" Mu Tingyu looked up blankly, then realized what she meant and said with a smile, "Yes, I've never been here before, this is my first time."
Duan Cheng smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, just treat this as a trip."
The man in front of her seemed very approachable, so she relaxed a little. She couldn't help but scratch her face and smiled as she replied, "It's alright, there are so many people here. There were so many people outside just now, it was really hard to get used to."
The people inside and the people outside are not in the same league.
The girl in front of him clearly didn't understand any of this, and she lowered her head and tugged at the strap, as if she wasn't used to it.
Duan Cheng glanced at the girl's hand still resting on Chen Jiadong's arm and said to him meaningfully, "Are you having too much free time?"
"He's the one who exploits me every day. I just wanted to see his reaction." Chen Jiadong chuckled twice and asked in return, "Don't you want to see?"
"Look, why wouldn't I look?" Duan Cheng shrugged. "I'm going to record this once-in-a-lifetime moment and play it on a loop in the compound for three days and three nights, how about that?"
Chen Jiadong's eyes lit up: "Great idea!"
“Right,” Duan Cheng laughed, “Anyway, I’m not the one who’s getting beaten up.”
Chen Jiadong: "......."
He suddenly recalled some unpleasant memories.
He suddenly felt a little uneasy and looked around: "Where did Chen Miao go? I haven't seen her for days."
"Let's play in the back garden."
"Tsk, all you do is play around. You don't even bother to help your brother out."
"Now you're thinking about emergency evacuation?" Duan Cheng said with a smile. "What were you doing when you brought people here before?"
"Is that how you use that word?" Chen Jiadong kicked him with a look of disdain, but then he inadvertently spotted someone not far away.
His eyes lit up instantly, and he shouted, "Jiayun!"
Mu Tingyu listened for a while but couldn't make out anything. She was rubbing her stomach out of boredom when she suddenly heard a familiar name and looked in the direction he was looking.
Jiang Jiayun was dressed in a formal suit and appeared to be chatting with someone. When Chen Jiadong called him, he greeted the person next to him and walked over.
Chen Jiadong said with a smile, "You've come at the right time. Accompany Miss Mu around and take her to get something to eat."
Mu Tingyu was indeed hungry. Upon hearing the words "eat," she immediately pulled her hand back from Chen Jiadong's arm and looked at Jiang Jiayun with bright eyes.
"........"
Jiang Jiayun said expressionlessly, "Isn't this your female companion?"
"Ahem," Chen Jiadong said, pointing at Duan Cheng as if to cover up his misunderstanding, "Duan Cheng wanted to talk to me about something."
Upon hearing this, Duan Cheng immediately turned and left.
Chen Jiadong exclaimed "Hey!" and stamped his foot in frustration, hurriedly instructing, "Jiayun, get her something to eat! Don't let her go hungry!"
Then he took off after them.
“”
Jiang Jiayun turned to look at the girl who had been abandoned to the side.
She seemed completely unaffected and didn't care why Chen Jiadong had abandoned her. Instead, she looked up at him with bright eyes and uttered three words: "Eat something."
"........"
He said with a headache, "Let's go."
He led them to a side hall specifically for dining, where long tables lined the perimeter of the room, each topped with a buffet stove of various sizes. People came here primarily for socializing, so the hall was sparsely populated.
The girl visibly breathed a sigh of relief, gave a small cheer, and quickly walked over, bending down to take out two large white porcelain plates.
"Aren't you going to eat it?" she asked considerately, turning her head. "It looks delicious."
“…” Jiang Jiayun said, “I ate before I came.”
"That's really clever," Mu Tingyu exclaimed as she lifted the lid to take a look. "I've learned something new."
"........"
"Wow, this looks delicious! It has shrimp in it, let me take some..."
Jiang Jiayun casually grabbed a glass of champagne from the side and watched the girl's busy figure.
Her originally elegant evening gown was now billowing around, swaying back and forth like a little tail.
After watching for a while, he found a sofa and sat down.
Mu Tingyu made her way around, filled two large plates with food, and returned to her original spot with satisfaction. She looked around and then walked towards Jiang Jiayun.
She placed the plate on the small table and said with a smile, "Jiang Lu, you can go ahead if you have something to do. I can manage on my own."
"fine."
"Hmm? I just saw you talking to someone."
"Just small talk."
“I can really do it alone. I won’t tell Chen Lu.”
"Eat yours."
"oh."
Mu Tingyu lowered her head and began to eat heartily. After eating half of it, she said, "Aren't you going to eat some? It tastes pretty good, really. I'm actually quite picky about food, and there are very few things that I would say are delicious."
"..." Jiang Jiayun crossed his arms and said helplessly, "You eat your food, don't worry about me."
"No," she said sincerely, "it's just that I feel a little embarrassed to eat alone if you don't eat."
"......."
He raised his champagne glass. "Same."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Mu Tingyu had no choice but to lower his head and continue eating.
The soft lighting in the banquet hall shone down, illuminating the girl's exposed arm skin, making it appear radiantly white.
Jiang Jiayun's gaze fell on it, then quickly looked away.
Mu Tingyu had big eyes but a small belly. She was so full that she almost couldn't finish what was on her plate. She finally managed to squeeze out the last bite and then pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth with a sigh of relief.
She remembered not taking many, how could there be so many...? She almost choked to death...
She glanced up casually and met Jiang Jiayun's somewhat probing gaze, then laughed: "What's wrong? Haven't you ever seen someone eat so much before?"
He didn't answer, but simply commented, "It's a good thing that you're willing to eat."
Mu Tingyu hummed in agreement and nodded.
Suddenly, a commotion came from outside the hall, seemingly from the main hall. The crowd became noisy, and the noise could be heard even here.
She asked instinctively, "What's wrong?"
"I guess representatives from the organizers are here," Jiang Jiayun replied casually.
She asked curiously, "Who is the representative?"
"This year it should be Miss Xing En, right?"
".......?"
Mu Tingyu's mind went blank: "Who?"
“Xing En of Zhongtian Group,” Jiang Jiayun said, then reminded her, “didn’t you spend a long time looking at the building across the street from my office that day?”
“”
How can the world be so small...........
No wonder I saw Sister En in Tiancheng's building that day; it turns out they're neighbors...
Oh well, anyway, Attorney Chen said I can leave anytime after accompanying him, so I'll just sneak away later.
But she felt really uncomfortable after eating and needed to digest first, so she stood up and asked, "Is there anywhere nearby where I can take a walk?"
Jiang Jiayun also stood up: "The back garden."
"This place even has a back garden... I wonder which capitalist built it..." Mu Tingyu muttered to herself. "Just tell me which direction it is, and I'll go explore it myself."
Jiang Jiayun didn't answer, but simply said, "Let's go."
"Hey," Mu Tingyu quickly followed, "Aren't you going back?"
"I won't reply."
"Are you alright without me?"
"It's nothing, I didn't want to come in the first place."
"Hmm." Mu Tingyu responded, thinking to herself that this person's personality was really quite similar to Xing Ze's. Both were cold and didn't like to interact with people.
If Xing Ze were to attend this kind of banquet, he'd probably have a terrible headache dealing with so many people.
There were several steps to descend from the side hall, and she was quite full, so she slowly made her way down.
She wasn't used to wearing these high heels, and they rubbed against her feet, causing her leg to tremble as she went down, instantly rubbing against the chafed area on her heel.
"Hiss—" She gasped.
With nowhere to hold onto, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and keep going.
But it was still too much of a stretch. She was in a hurry, and the next second she lost her footing, her foot twisted, and her body fell forward uncontrollably.
Help! I'm doomed!
In a flash, she was about to cover her head to at least minimize the injury, but suddenly she fell into someone's arms, and the person's broad and strong body instantly stopped her fall.
At the same time, her right arm was also pulled from behind.
Mu Tingyu was so dizzy from the impact that she quickly grabbed the person's shoulder to try to steady herself, but then she suddenly smelled a familiar scent.
Her body stiffened instantly.
“........”
My waist was also tightly bound, the force and feel were all too familiar.
Her heart was pounding like a drum as she slowly, inch by inch, raised her head.
The man's face was very close, only an inch away from her, close enough that she could touch it if she leaned in slightly.
She could draw those unique eyebrows and eyes even with her eyes closed.
"........"
Her eyes were piercing as she stared at him intently, as if she couldn't believe it.
I was just thinking about him, and now he's actually showing up?!
But at this moment, his gaze did not fall on her face, but on the person behind her—the one who had been holding her arm.
She took a few seconds to react, then subconsciously turned around and met Jiang Jiayun's downcast gaze.
The next second, the man holding her turned her head back and spoke in a cold voice.
"let go."
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