Chapter 33
Icy water droplets dripped down my forehead, and my slightly pale face was reflected in the mirror. The slight heat that had just been suppressed by the cold water was about to return the moment I pushed open the bathroom door.
Misaki Yamamoto stood in front of a large marble sink, a delicate lipstick between her fingers, slowly applying makeup in the mirror. The light perfectly outlined her chestnut curly hair and perfect profile.
When she heard the door open, she paused and her eyes locked onto me through the mirror.
That look was no longer the pretense at the celebration banquet, but carried an undisguised inquiry and scrutiny.
"Kiriyama-san," she turned around, a formal smile on her face, but her voice was cold, "Thank you so much for saving me just now."
It sounded like a thank you, but it was more of an opening statement.
I didn't respond, but walked to another sink next to me, turned on the faucet, and let the rushing water wash away the heat from my fingertips.
"Come to think of it," Yamamoto said, his voice leaning closer, with a forced air of artificial intimacy. "The Keigo family's housekeeper and head maid seem quite familiar with Kiriyama-san. Did the head maid even prepare clothes specifically for you?"
She paused, her eyes running over me, assessingly, "That's rare. People around Keigo aren't always this considerate of everyone."
The sound of running water couldn't mask the tentativeness in her words. I turned off the water and wiped my hands with a tissue, taking my time.
"It's just work needs." I answered, my voice flat.
"Oh? Really?" Yamamoto chuckled, but there was no warmth in his laughter. "Including the 'job' of lying next to Keigo on stage tonight in my place?"
Her tone suddenly became sharp, and the friendliness she had pretended to have vanished. "That should have been my most shining moment! But you..."
"President Yamamoto," I interrupted, finally looking up at the bright, yet slightly distorted, face in the mirror. "When your dress zipper got stuck, the person standing by, helpless, potentially ruining the entire performance, was you."
"I'm the one who saved you from becoming a laughing stock. You should understand that."
In the mirror, Yamamoto Misaki's face instantly darkened, and anger appeared between her carefully drawn eyebrows.
"You!" She took a step forward, her voice rising, filled with shame and anger at being exposed and long-accumulated resentment. "Don't think I don't know what you're planning! Someone like Jingwu is not something someone like you can dream of! Don't you even consider your own status? Stay away from him!"
Arrogant and aggressive.
This feeling of being looked down upon and belittled pierced my nerves like needles. I frowned, and the impatience in my heart finally overwhelmed the desire to keep the peace.
Too lazy to talk to her anymore, I turned around and wanted to leave this suffocating space.
"Stop!" Yamamoto obviously didn't expect my reaction to be like this. He became even more furious and reached out to grab my arm.
The moment her fingertips touched my sleeve, my body moved faster than my mind. With a flick of my wrist, I precisely grasped her wrist with my backhand, pressing my thumb gently on a certain acupoint on the inside of her wrist bone.
This is a little self-defense trick I learned from my master. It is enough to deal with amateurs.
"Ah!" Yamamoto screamed in pain, and suddenly threw his hand away as if he had been electrocuted. He covered his wrist and looked at me in shock and anger, his eyes full of disbelief.
"If you have any questions," I retracted my hand and looked coldly at her eyes that were red with pain and anger, "go ask Atobe Keigo yourself. It's not my responsibility to save the situation, but I helped you."
"As for you liking him, that's your business and has nothing to do with me."
After saying that, I stopped looking at her and pushed open the heavy door of the bathroom.
Under the warm yellow light in the corridor outside the door, two slender figures were standing there talking, seemingly having just finished a topic.
Atobe Keigo leaned slightly to the side, his silver-gray hair glistening coolly in the light. Oshitari pushed his glasses up, his gaze behind the lenses brimming with his usual playful amusement.
My appearance obviously made them all pause.
Oshitari's gaze quickly swept back and forth between me and Yamamoto Misaki, who came out of the bathroom door with a grim face and rubbing her wrist, and a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.
He seemed unaware of the strange atmosphere and spoke naturally, with a hint of sarcasm, to Atobe: "It's getting late, Atobe, why don't you give Kiriyama a ride back? She's a girl..."
"Oshizuka!" Yamamoto Misaki's sharp voice immediately sounded, interrupting Oshizuka's words.
She walked a few steps to Atobe's side, her face showing suppressed anger and grievance. She stared at Obito, then turned to Atobe, and finally landed on me. "What do you mean by that? Send her back? What is the relationship between Keigo and her?"
She obviously heard Oshitari's words "on the way", and also saw that Atobe didn't seem to refute it just now.
Oshitari obviously didn't expect Yamamoto to rush out and question him directly. He was a little embarrassed for a moment, pushed his glasses, and didn't answer immediately.
Atobe's eyes swept over Yamamoto calmly, without any emotion.
He spoke, his voice low and clear, with an unmistakable detachment: "What is the relationship between Kiriyama and me? It seems there is no need to report it to Yamamoto-san."
He paused, his eyes fixed on Yamamoto's face, which was slightly flushed with excitement. His tone was as calm as if he was stating an objective fact, "As for me, Keigo Atobe, and you, Yamamoto-san, are just ordinary classmates."
"So, don't call me uncle so intimately."
"An ordinary classmate?!" Yamamoto Misaki's voice suddenly rose like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her carefully maintained elegance was completely shattered, leaving only a sharp question, "Look at me! I'm the one who's most suitable for you!"
"Family background, looks, talent, which one of them isn't the best fit?! Who is she? What's her qualification?!"
The overwhelming hysteria and blatant denigration made my temples throb.
This was a massive Shura scene, and I just wanted to disappear immediately.
Atobe Keigo's brows furrowed slightly, as if displeased by Yamamoto's loss of composure. He wasn't affected in the slightest by her excitement, but simply replied calmly, even with a hint of condescending indifference:
"Yamamoto, who is the most suitable person to stand beside me, Atobe Keigo, is decided by me. It is not up to you or anyone else to declare it."
After saying this, he no longer paid attention to Yamamoto, whose face had instantly turned pale and was shaky, and turned his gaze to me, saying simply, "Let's go."
Like being pardoned.
I turned around almost immediately and ran through the corridor at lightning speed, leaving behind the suffocating battlefield and Yamamoto Misaki's incredulous and hateful gaze.
Back in the noisy private room, where everyone was still toasting and drinking, the atmosphere was lively. I grabbed my camera bag and jacket from the corner and quickly said to the nearest president, "President, I'm feeling a little unwell. I'm leaving now!"
Before he could react, I opened the door and rushed out without looking back.
Outside the restaurant, the night wind blew in with the coolness of late autumn, blowing away the lingering smell of alcohol and the feeling of suffocation in the private room.
I took a deep breath, feeling my lungs refilled with free air. As I walked down the steps, ready to hail a taxi, a sleek, luxurious black sedan slid silently in front of me and stopped steadily.
The rear window rolled down, revealing Atobe's sharply defined profile. He stared straight ahead, not looking at me, and said simply, "Get in."
I paused, subconsciously wanting to refuse: "No, I can do it myself..."
"On the way." He interrupted me, his tone brooking no room for argument. He finally turned his head, his eyes, which seemed even deeper in the night, looking over at me. "Let's go see Xiaokong."
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