Chapter 83: Please accept the second male lead's confession.
Wen Chu's thoughts were still in disarray when she heard Qi Siyan gently request, "This beautiful lady, may I invite you to dance as a wonderful start to the evening?"
Wen Chu looked at him with even greater surprise, leaned closer and whispered, "I... I'm not very good at dancing."
“Just dance the waltz you danced at the banquet last time. Don’t worry, trust me.” Qi Siyan gave her a reassuring smile and extended her right hand.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Wen Chu couldn't refuse, so she could only nod and take the man's hand, "Okay." Just then, music started playing from the speakers above her head—a soothing and romantic English song.
As they walked to the center, the crowd cheered and made way for them. Qi Siyan took Wen Chu's hand and raised it above his head, guiding the woman to slowly twirl in front of him. The hem of her princess dress opened and closed like blooming petals, beautiful and captivating.
I never knew (I never realized)①
"When the clock stopped and I'm looking at you, it's as if time stood still."
I never thought I'd miss someone like you.
The music played tenderly, and the woman's figure was graceful and light. Her fair skin seemed to glow under the lights, and she was so beautiful that she easily attracted the attention of everyone present.
Many people recovered from their shock and joined in, happily playing together.
"Lu Ming, should we dance too?" Wen Xue asked.
Lu Ming's gaze was fixed on Wen Chu, the lyrics of an English song playing in his ears, and he was trying hard to suppress something in his unfathomable pupils.
He was the one who taught her this dance step by step, yet now it was being used to flirt with another man. The resentment and anger in his heart slowly broke through the sealed walls, threatening to surge out, but he suppressed it again. His expression grew colder without him realizing it, and he refused with little interest, saying, "Since it's Qi Siyan's birthday, let's not steal the spotlight. After all, you should be the best dancer among them."
Wen Xue gave an awkward smile: "Okay, that's true."
As the song ended, Wen Chu lost focus during the final movement and tripped. Qi Siyan reacted quickly, catching her around the waist, like a perfectly romantic curtain call. Everyone cheered and excitedly shouted, "Pop the champagne! Pop the champagne!"
"Xiao Chu and Si Yan are really a good match, don't you think?" Wen Xue asked Lu Ming after seeing this.
"I don't know, it's none of my business," Lu Ming said calmly.
Wen Xue looked at the man's expression thoughtfully, and then said, "I'm not that petty. You don't need to act so averse to suspicion. If Wen Chu can really let go of you and be with Si Yan, then the four of us can get along well in the future."
"You can, but I can't. Aside from work collaborations, we shouldn't have any further contact in private."
Wen Xue sighed and said okay.
On the other side, Qi Siyan handed the champagne to Wen Chu. Surrounded by everyone, Wen Chu smiled shyly, but she shook it with all her might and still couldn't open it. Qi Siyan would never let her feel awkward in a situation for more than a second. He took her hand, twisted it hard, and with a bang, the cork popped open, and golden foam burst out, wetting both of their hands and making the atmosphere even hotter.
The Wen Chuming who was previously loud and boisterous, giving him a headache, now exudes a calm aura and even looks a little shy, like a little girl. Is this her reaction after meeting the right person?
Lu Ming took a deep breath, suppressing his thoughts; he couldn't think about it anymore. He just couldn't stand that the person who once said he loved him the most and only revolved around him was now being intimate with someone else. It was a vicious possessiveness that he had to keep hidden in his heart.
He didn't know when he had developed such a flawed nature.
Everyone pushed over a nine-tiered cake and sang "Happy Birthday" to Qi Siyan. The music gradually got more lively. After singing and blowing out the candles, they started playing around with the cake. The men and women present were all young and at the age where they loved to have fun.
Wen Xue also went up to congratulate him. Lu Ming felt bored, so he left the noise and went to the lower deck for some fresh air.
The sunset bathed the sea in a golden light, its shimmering surface occasionally dazzling the eyes. The deep blue sky merged seamlessly with the distant horizon, stretching to the horizon.
He didn't know what he was thinking; he just felt that the air at sea was hot and stuffy today, making it difficult to breathe and easy to feel irritable.
He casually tugged at the neat tie a couple of times, but still felt it didn't help, so he ripped the whole tie off and threw it on the sofa next to him.
A short while later, I heard the sound of people coming down the stairs behind me.
He glanced at her slightly to the side. The woman lifted her skirt, her long black hair cascading down like a waterfall. She wore an expensive pink diamond necklace, which accentuated her long neck, making her look like a graceful fairy.
This caused Lu Ming's heart to skip a beat.
Wen Chu, holding up her skirt with one hand and wiping cake off her face with a tissue in the other, paused when she saw him. The moment she recognized who was standing on the deck, she wanted to turn back.
"You don't need to leave." The man seemed to see through her intention, called out to her, and said in a low voice, "I'll go."
The air was thick and heavy. After Lu Ming finished speaking, he walked towards her, then quickly turned slightly to the side, brushing past her on the narrow stairs, and returned to the upper deck.
It was as if he didn't want to spend even a second longer with her.
The faint, ever-present scent of his perfume lingered in the air after he left, seeping into her nostrils.
Scents have memories. As she smelled this scent, many images of their time together flashed through her mind, but the other person seemed to have forgotten everything. She shouldn't be stuck in the past.
Wen Chu paused for two seconds, then started walking down the stairs.
The voices of Lu Ming and Wen Xue could be heard coming from upstairs.
Her voice was gentle and peaceful, without a trace of aggression.
She didn't want to listen anymore. She walked to the railing and looked at the shimmering sea. The sea was calm, vast, and awe-inspiring. Looking at it for a long time could give one a sense of tranquility, a powerful strength to face anything.
A sea breeze swept by, ruffling the hair on her forehead; her mood was like the sea, rippling with waves.
As night fell, everyone started playing cards inside. Wen Chu sat next to Qi Siyan and watched, trying her best to restrain herself from looking at other places or other people.
Another round ended, and Qi Siyan, as the dealer, won.
"The birthday boy is so lucky! He's going to win big tonight!"
"With Wen Chu here, Brother Qi will definitely be working hard to save face!"
"Stop joking around," Qi Siyan said with a smile, turning her head to ask her, "Want to play a game? I'm afraid you'll get bored."
"Me? No way, I'm not good at this, and I don't want to ruin your luck tonight. Watching you play is fun, not boring at all." Wen Chu smoothed her skirt and stood up. "You play first, I'm going to the restroom."
Qi Siyan nodded: "Okay."
Suddenly, someone winked at Qi Siyan and said, "Brother Qi, it's getting dark."
Upon hearing this, Qi Siyan looked at the waiter standing next to him, who bowed respectfully to him, indicating that he understood.
Wen Chu searched for a while before finding the restroom. Just as she reached the door, she saw another person coming out of the men's restroom.
They met at the corner of the narrow alley, exchanged a glance without warning, and both froze, a dull ache rising in their hearts. Music was playing outside, everyone was having a great time, making the air between them seem still.
From the afternoon until now, they've been strangely bumping into each other. Even the two who tried so hard to act like strangers were starting to feel uneasy inside. It was as if an invisible hand was preventing them from being together, or from seeing them with no connection at all, wanting to watch them gaze at each other in silence, hesitant to speak.
Lu Ming glanced down at her expressionlessly.
For a fleeting moment, Wen Chu had the illusion that if she spoke at that moment, whether it was sarcasm, ridicule, or unreasonable arguments, the other party would be happy to respond. She had this thought in her mind, but in reality, she didn't hesitate for a moment and silently walked past him, leaving only a gust of wind, in which her fragrance lingered.
He seemed completely resigned, showing no desire to get entangled with anyone.
Lu Ming seemed to pause for a moment before taking a step away.
When Wen Chu came out of the restroom, the card table outside had stopped. The people who had been sitting on the sofa stood up and gathered noisily in a group. When they saw her, their faces showed a subtle, strange, and expectant look.
Sensing that the atmosphere was a little different, Wen Chu was puzzled, so she smiled shyly at everyone. She subconsciously looked in the direction of Lu Ming, but then realized that he would not provide her with any clues, so she quickly pretended to just walk by and looked at Qi Siyan, seeking answers.
Qi Siyan walked towards her and said gently, "The weather is very nice tonight, and we can see many stars at sea. Shall we go out and take a look?"
"Fine. You guys aren't playing anymore?"
"They're playing, but I'm not playing anymore."
Wen Chu walked to his side and asked again, "But why were they looking at me like that? I felt something was off."
Qi Siyan smiled and said, "Beautiful things always easily attract admiring glances. You have to get used to it."
Wen Chu glanced at him sideways: "That's enough."
As they chatted, they reached the deck. The different lighting from the daytime caught her eye. She turned her head to look at the deck ahead, and what she saw made her pause in surprise.
A noisy laugh came from inside the cabin, as if they already knew what was going on outside, but they tacitly refrained from following, seemingly wanting to leave them some space alone.
The decorations on the corners of the deck and the railings have been completely transformed. The balloons and blue petals that were there in the afternoon to celebrate Qi Siyan's birthday are now covered with bright pink roses. The petals extend all the way to Wen Chu's feet. Clusters of pink and white balloons float in the air. A large bouquet of pink roses sits in the center of the deck. Romantic wall lamps and LED lights make everything look luxurious and romantic.
Wen Chu's heart skipped a beat at the sight, and she instinctively took a step back.
Wen Xue and Lu Ming sat on the sofa. The glass inside prevented them from seeing outside. Wen Xue curiously peeked out, her face showing gossip and excitement. "Is Si Yan going to confess to Xiao Chu? That guy is quite romantic."
Lu Ming remained unmoved on the surface, but his eyes were unfathomable, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
His gaze fell on the protagonist of this meticulously planned scene, but unfortunately he couldn't see the woman's expression, nor did he know what they would say on the deck.
One of the boys who knew Qi Siyan well said, "The bag is for confessing your love! Qi-ge has been preparing it for days!"
Chen Shih-hao and Zhou Jia-yang exchanged a glance, unsure how to express their feelings, so they clinked glasses and took a sip of wine.
Wen Chu's heart was pounding outside. She stammered, "What...is this...what are we going to do?"
Qi Siyan walked to the bouquet of roses, picked it up, then walked over to the person and handed it to her, a faint smile on her lips: "Do you like it?"
Wen Chu took the flowers, which almost covered half of her body; they were vibrant and beautiful.
Instead of answering the man's question directly, she casually said, "When did you set this up? You did it so quickly... I'm quite... flattered. Isn't today your birthday? Why did you give me flowers?"
"Of course, I want to thank you for appearing in my world on this special day." The sweet words came from Qi Siyan's mouth without any affectation. Her straightforward tone made her sound extremely sincere. "I am so glad that I returned to China and met you not long after I returned. You brought me a lot of surprises and added a lot of fun to my life. I have met many girls abroad, but only you make me feel special."
The sea breeze ruffled Qi Siyan's hair and clothes as the other person gazed at her tenderly and affectionately in his blue eyes. "Gradually, you've taken up more and more time in my heart. When I see you with Lu Ming, my heart aches. You sing for him, compete for him, fight for opportunities for him—all of this makes me jealous. So I think, perhaps you're not just a friend to me. He doesn't deserve all this. He's been betraying your sincerity. You shouldn't waste your time on someone like that anymore."
"Forgive me for praying terribly every day that you two will break up. He is not the best person to bring you happiness. Now, I have finally waited for this opportunity. I know I may be a little impatient, but I don't want to wait any longer. I don't want to miss this opportunity again. At least, I want you to know my feelings first."
"I know, you've probably already guessed it."
"I like you."
"Wen Chu."
Although Wen Chu was prepared, her heart still trembled when she actually heard the last sentence from the person's mouth.
Her heart was gripped tightly.
Qi Siyan took two steps forward, lowered her eyes and said softly, "Can you give me a chance to pursue you? I hope that you can be by my side for every birthday in the future, as my date, or perhaps, my girlfriend."
"Siyan, I..." Wen Chu was indeed moved by Qi Siyan's words. No one could remain unmoved by such a romantic scene and sincere, tender words.
Unfortunately, being moved cannot replace being touched.
She was agonizing over how to subtly tell him not to waste his time on her, that they were destined to be apart, when suddenly the system's voice rang in her mind: "Ding—Side quest updated: Please accept the second male lead's confession."
?
Wen Chu was deeply startled.
How is this possible.
Isn't Lu Ming her target? How could she accept Qi Siyan's confession? What chance does she have with Lu Ming then?
What's wrong with you, system?
-----------------------
Author's Note: ①: Song title "Wonderful U" --AGA
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
