Chapter 24: Just Unwilling to Accept It
She is not financially well-off right now.
A thousand yuan is not a small amount for her now; it's enough to support her living expenses for half a month.
...
"Night Sea" is located in the most prosperous and prime location in the city.
The entire building is made of glass curtain walls, and at night, the lights flow around it, making it look like a deep sea reflecting the starry sky.
The membership system here is extremely strict.
Even if an ordinary person has money, they may not be able to take a step forward.
A single meal can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The moment Song Zhiwei pushed open the door to the private room, a faint scent of ambergris mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted towards her.
She paused slightly and looked up.
The private room was dimly lit.
The crystal chandelier casts a warm yellow glow, making the entire space appear hazy and luxurious.
Her gaze quickly fell on Zhou Yuce, who was not far away.
He sat in the main seat, his posture upright and his shoulders straight.
The light shone perfectly on his face, outlining his handsome and deep features.
He casually placed one hand on the back of the girl's chair next to him.
His fingertips lightly tapped the back of the chair, the movement natural.
The two stood very close, the atmosphere so ambiguous it was almost overflowing.
Qiao Yiqing raised an eyebrow in slight surprise when she saw her.
He then smiled and turned to ask Zhou Yuze.
"Yu Ce, you didn't even tell me she was here?"
Zhou Yuze's eyes flashed, and he followed her gaze.
He was sitting directly opposite Song Zhiwei, who was sitting next to Sheng Tingzhou.
She was wearing a simple off-white shirt and black trousers.
Its simplicity is completely out of place in this luxurious environment.
The two sat very close, with only an inch between their shoulders, appearing very intimate.
His expression turned slightly cold as he blurted out the words.
What are you doing here?
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the private room became subtly tense.
The people at the table stopped talking and all looked at Song Zhiwei.
His gaze held a scrutinizing, curious, and critical quality.
She felt uncomfortable, as if her dignity had been stripped away in public.
She became the person who was out of place and shouldn't have appeared.
She pursed her lips, about to say something in response.
Then she heard the man beside her say coldly.
“I brought her here.”
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unyielding coldness.
Like an icicle falling to the ground, crisp and sharp.
Everyone was stunned.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Someone glanced at Zhou Yuce subconsciously, then turned to look at Song Zhiwei.
His eyes held a mixture of doubt and curiosity.
The scene fell silent, and even the background music seemed out of place.
Zhou Yuce's expression also changed slightly.
She looked at Song Zhiwan with scrutiny and a certain indescribable emotion.
Mo Huaizhi was utterly astonished.
"What's going on with you two?"
His voice rose an octave, his gossip-loving spirit burning brightly.
Seeing the strange looks on everyone's faces, Song Zhiwei quickly clarified.
“I recently joined Brother Tingzhou’s company and I’m now his legal assistant.”
She spoke slightly quickly, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her voice was clear yet composed.
As she spoke, she subtly avoided Zhou Yuze's gaze.
Her fingers unconsciously twirled a strand of hair that fell beside her ear.
"She's a law firm assistant, she just joined recently and is still getting familiar with the procedures."
Then everyone realized that it was a misunderstanding due to work-related reasons.
The inexplicable tension from just now deflated like a punctured balloon.
Zhou Yuze's furrowed brows relaxed a little, and he looked at her and asked.
Why didn't you tell me beforehand?
His voice wasn't loud, but his deep eyes seemed to be asking more questions.
As if asking:
Why did you go secretly?
Why didn't you even say hello?
Song Zhiwei lowered her eyes and silently replied in her heart:
There's no need for that.
She lowered her eyes to stare at the patterns on the table, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of the wine glass.
Memories surged.
The estrangement of youth, the deliberate keeping of distance in adulthood.
And her resolute decision to leave her hometown on her own.
She's no longer the little girl who would report everything.
But he answered verbally.
"I just made the decision myself and haven't had a chance to say so yet."
The tone was gentle, and it sounded reasonable.
Mo Huaizhi noticed the atmosphere was a bit tense and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Oh dear, Tingzhou, Zhiwei is Yuce's younger sister. Now that she works for you, you'll have to take good care of her."
He smiled and picked up his wine glass, swirling it around.
"Don't be too strict. Be more tolerant. After all, she's been spoiled since she was little. If she's tired from work, she'll probably cry."
As soon as he said that, Qiao Yiqing became interested.
"Didn't you say she was family? How come she's now your sister?"
She turned to the side and placed one hand on the back of the chair.
"Your relationship sounds so complicated?"
Mo Huaizhi explained with a grin.
"Yiqing, you don't know, when Zhiwei was little, she thought Yuce was only a few years older and refused to call him that, always calling him brother. We all thought calling him brother sounded nice, so we just treated him like our own little sister."
He spoke while gesturing, as if recounting a heartwarming story from the past.
"Back then, Zhiwei was only in elementary school. She would pester Yuce to take her to the park to fly kites every day, and she would insist that he was the most handsome brother in the world. Tsk tsk, how cute."
After listening, Qiao Yiqing paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhou Yuze.
Why have you never mentioned this to me?
A hint of disappointment flashed across her eyes.
It turns out that there was such a girl in his past, someone so close to him.
But she knew nothing about it.
Zhou Yuze glanced at Song Zhiwei indifferently, his tone calm.
"That happened when I was a child, it's all in the past."
Now, when she sees him, she behaves very properly.
The dependence and closeness that existed in childhood are no longer present.
There was no longer the coquettish tone or the urge to rush into someone's arms.
She learned to keep her distance.
Just like between them, there was never that youthful intimacy.
Song Zhiwei didn't say anything more, she just pursed her lips slightly.
The movement was extremely light, like the wind blowing across a lake, the ripples disappearing before they even form.
However, the emotions in her eyes were not completely hidden.
Is it relief?
Is it a regret?
Or is it a faint sense of resentment?
No one saw it clearly, and no one asked anymore.
The group reconnected, drinking, chatting, and laughing.
After a while, Qiao Yiqing suddenly made a suggestion.
"How about we play a game?"
She couldn't join their conversation, so she decided to try a different approach to liven things up.
What to play?
Someone asked.
Mo Huaizhi immediately perked up.
His eyes lit up, and he put down his wine glass and clapped his hands.
"Let's get exciting! Forget those silly riddles and games, let's get something juicy and outrageous!"
Qiao Yiqing took out a stack of cards from the drawer of the coffee table.
She smiled, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her tone gentle.
"Here's what we've prepared, do you want to give it a try? This game is really fun."
"sure."
Someone responded cheerfully.
The others all nodded in agreement.
"Tingzhou, what about you?"
Qiao Yiqing's gaze finally landed on Sheng Tingzhou, who had been silent all along.
His tone was slightly tentative.
Seeing this, Mo Huaizhi gently patted Sheng Tingzhou's shoulder.
"Are you going to play or not? Don't just sit there silently until the end, it's so boring."
"good."
Sheng Tingzhou responded.
The voice wasn't loud, but it startled those around him.
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