Chapter 67 Lin Chaoyue's heart tightened...
The bar's opening was a grand affair, stretching from the north of the city to the south, with numerous billboards lining the roadside.
"Masked Party." Struggling to decipher the fleeting print on the road sign, Lin Chaoyue casually asked, "A themed party on the first night of opening?"
Mu Qiao turned the steering wheel and drove onto the side road: "Yeah, I heard that almost everyone in the circle who can be called has been called. It's going to be lively tonight!"
"Isn't Brother Mu Yang going?"
"He's busy. I bet he's 99% not coming."
"What if you lose the bet? Aren't you afraid your brother will lock you up in jail?"
Among this group of people in the circle, Mu Qiao is the wildest when it comes to having fun, but she is also the one who is the most strict at home.
She had heard about her brother's strict family rules before.
Mu Qiao pouted: "Oh dear, why are you such a spoilsport? No, no, my brother definitely isn't coming. I was hoping for a beautiful romantic encounter tonight."
God knows how stifled she's been ever since her brother came back from his vacation in Hokkaido.
I accompany him to work every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and I'm forced to attend classes at home on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I finally get a day off on Thursday, but today he dragged me out to accompany him on a hotel inspection.
If things continue to be so 'quiet,' she'll become sexually frustrated and die of thirst.
Mu Qiao: "By the way, it's Thursday today, why aren't you at work? I called you in the group chat before but you never came out. You're either working overtime or on a business trip every day."
"After the team building activity, we'll have two days off, and then work the weekend to make up for it."
"Tsk tsk tsk, you still have to work on weekends. Pei Shuwen's place is really not a place for humans. Is he keeping a close eye on you now? You can always go out and have fun when you have nothing to do, right?"
"Sure, he's better than Brother Mu Yang; he won't restrict my personal freedom."
Mu Yang sighed softly, "Sigh, it's not hard work, it's just bad luck; my brother's at home, so I have to sneak around to go to a bar. When will I be able to go out and have fun openly like you guys..."
Who said she went out to have fun in a perfectly legitimate way?
Pei Shuwen asked her what 'important matter' she had, but she didn't dare to answer at all.
The last time he went to the police station to bail her out, he not only made sarcastic remarks about himself afterwards, but also forced her to delete the newly added male models. He controlled her even more strictly than her parents.
Fortunately, he spends all his time working.
They rarely go out for social engagements.
Her social circle is like two parallel lines.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to agree to Mu Qiao's request so readily.
--
For the themed party, makeup and styling were required, and Mu Qiao had booked a makeup artist well in advance.
Li Wei's friend was very sensible and immediately reserved a large suite for them to rest in.
"The party starts at eight o'clock. Sister Mu Qiao, Sister Chao Yue, after you've finished your makeup, shall we go upstairs to play Texas Hold'em? Li Wei and the others are there too."
"You're not busy with your opening? You still have time to play with us." Mu Qiao looked at the host of the evening.
"With so many people hired, there's no need for me to keep an eye on them all the time. So, Sister Mu Qiao, after being locked up by Brother Yang for so long, aren't you itching to get your hands dirty?"
"I'm not playing, I don't have any money. My brother confiscated all my allowance. You go ahead and do your thing. I'll organize a party in a couple of days and have Li Wei invite you."
Before leaving, the man glanced at Lin Chaoyue a few more times. He smiled and replied, "Sure, Chaoyue, come too."
After the person walked away, Mu Qiao raised an eyebrow at Lin Chaoyue: "I've taken a liking to you."
"ah?"
"I said Cheng Du has taken a liking to you."
"What do you see in me? Don't be ridiculous, we've only met twice."
"Believe me, he's definitely interested in you. He's asked you several times before, but I didn't take it seriously. Look, his eyes were practically glued to you just now. Don't be too obvious."
Mu Qiao joked, "Li Wei is a pretty good-looking guy, and his conditions are decent too. How about it? Want to consider him? I'll be your matchmaker."
"Hurry up and get your makeup done." Lin Chaoyue scrolled through the iPad the makeup artist had given her and casually pointed to one: "I want this Catwoman mask."
"So simple. As for clothes, it's no fun wearing your own clothes."
Mu Qiao was even planning to drag Lin Chaoyue along to dress up as a bunny girl, but Lin Chaoyue didn't even glance at the bunny girl.
"This one, please."
She found the aquamarine necklace Pei Shuwen had given her last night, and she hadn't had time to take it off in her rush to leave today. It fits this dress perfectly.
Mu Qiao turned halfway to look over, and her eyes lit up when she saw it.
"Okay, this one's fine. Here, take this." Mu Qiao tossed over a silver choker: "We'll go upstairs later."
Lin Chaoyue took it and compared it: "You said you didn't want to play, so what are you doing upstairs?"
Mu Qiao blinked: "Just joining in the fun, there are quite a few people here tonight."
--
There were indeed quite a few people upstairs.
The appearance of Mu Qiao and Lin Chaoyue caused quite a stir.
"Oh my, Sister Mu Qiao, you really don't treat us like outsiders. You've even brought out a bunny girl. If Brother Mu Yang finds out, you'll probably be kneeling on a washboard and won't be able to leave the house for the rest of the month."
"You jinx, shut your mouth right now."
"Who is this?" Lin Chaoyue doesn't come out often, and most people didn't recognize her because of the mask.
But she was too dazzling tonight, and all eyes were on her.
The blue mermaid gown shimmered under the magnificent chandelier, giving Lin Chaoyue's already fair skin an even softer, more luminous look. Combined with her elegant neckline and bright red lips, she was simply captivating.
Mu Qiao pulled Lin Chaoyue close and said, "You don't recognize her? What kind of eyesight do you have? Take a good look again."
Even those who knew her a little recognized her.
"Yueyue, it really is Yueyue! You look a little too beautiful today. Cheng Du is really lucky. It's not easy to see you out, and you're here to support him."
Cheng Du, who was singled out, looked at the camera with even more unbridled arrogance this time.
"My pleasure."
Everyone in the room was shrewd; they understood perfectly well. They all joined in the commotion.
"What's all this commotion about?"
The guide was the Cheng family's butler, who was arranged by the Cheng family patriarch to receive important guests.
He bent down and explained, "Young Master Mu, Young Master Pei, this is a card game arranged by our young master. The stakes are low, just a little gambling for fun."
Pei Shuwen also glanced in that direction. Standing in the middle of the crowd was a masked bunny girl.
Pei Shuwen: "It's going to be lively tonight, is there a masked ball arranged?"
He noticed it on his way here.
Butler: "It's the young master's idea. If Young Master Pei is interested, you can go to the bar on the lower level later. We have prepared a variety of performances and drinks."
"After we finish discussing this collaboration, shall we go down and take a look?" Mu Yang invited, but his tone was indifferent, sounding somewhat displeased.
Pei Shuwen nodded: "That's what I meant too."
Mu Yang: "I heard that you caused a scene at the Pei family last night and took away Pei's shares."
"You're quite well-informed." Pei Shuwen hadn't intended to hide it anyway; rather than letting the Pei family spread the word, he'd rather tell them himself.
Mu Yang: "The Lin family's little girl will stay at your place after she returns to the country. Are you discussing it?"
What we'll be discussing is self-evident.
Pei Shuwen remained silent.
He knew that Mu Yang was telling half of what he was saying to him and the other half to the Cheng family's steward.
After the butler walked away.
Mu Yangcai continued, "I heard that the Lin family has recently encountered some minor troubles overseas, which have even affected the Zhong family's businesses. It's not wise to talk about this at this time."
Pei Shuwen smiled and said, "You've been waiting all these years without dating or getting married, which isn't exactly wise."
--
In the lounge on the third floor, Texas Hold'em was in full swing.
Lin Chaoyue watched two of the exciting events, then was pulled aside by acquaintances in the industry for a casual chat.
Although it was supposed to be casual conversation, the topic kept steering towards her.
"Tang Ruxue has been quite pleased with herself lately."
"At the last gathering, I was asking around about Yueyue. Recently, she started talking to the second son of the Mo family. She really thinks she's become a phoenix after flying onto a branch."
"Yueyue, I heard you two had a bit of a falling out before. What was it about?"
Lin Chaoyue took a sip of fruit wine: "There's nothing wrong with it, I just don't like it."
"No way, she's been spreading rumors lately, saying that Aunt Zhong's company is having financial problems. She's cursing people like that, I don't think she has any good intentions..."
Is there a problem with the cash flow?
How could she not know?
Mu Qiao interrupted, "What problem could possibly arise? If there were a real problem, would she be the one gossiping? Uncle Lin would have already taken care of it."
"I've almost lost all my allowance this month. Let's go downstairs and have a few drinks. It should be starting downstairs by now."
"I'll take you to see some handsome guys," Mu Qiao whispered in Lin Chaoyue's ear.
here we go again.
Lin Chaoyue reluctantly got up.
But she still had doubts in her heart and hesitated for a long time about whether to ask her mother. Just as she went down to the basement, Mu Qiao shoved a room card into her hand, interrupting her.
Lin Chaoyue: "Why are you giving me the room key? Aren't we going home tonight?"
"Here you go, you're not going home tonight." Mu Qiao snapped her fingers, signaling someone to call over the DJ on stage.
Lin Chaoyue's lips twitched, and after a long while she said, "Mu Qiao, it's a waste of your talent that you're not working as a madam."
"Go away, what are you saying? What madam is as pretty as me?"
"I'm just trying to find you a companion since you're all alone. Li Cong said that you don't date even in such an open place like the US. What? Are you keeping yourself pure? If you're forced into an arranged marriage one day, you won't be able to have fun anymore. You might as well hurry up now."
Her lips are still swollen; how can you tell she's all alone?
Mu Qiao frantically hinted, "Listen to me, this guy is handsome and incredibly skilled, you'll definitely like him."
He is very handsome.
As soon as the man walked over, Lin Chaoyue noticed that he looked a bit like Pei Shuwen, with three or four similar facial features, except for his peach blossom eyes.
Pei Shuwen always had a detached expression when looking at people.
However, this guy is indeed her type.
But he was too proactive.
Before she could even react, the boy had already sat down next to her and naturally called her "sister."
The room key that was returned to Mu Qiao was stuffed back into her hand. Mu Qiao said, "Have fun. Yueyue's happy sisters will pay the bill."
"That's so generous. So, where are you going later?"
Unable to refuse, Lin Chaoyue eventually accepted the room key.
"Don't worry, I have one too." Mu Qiao looked around and saw her target for tonight: "Wait for me here, I'll bring him over for you to see later."
Mu Qiao's 'boyfriends' are basically one-night stands; she has no interest in them. Nor does she need the 'sexual' happiness brought by fleeting romances.
Mu Qiao left.
She casually tossed the room key onto her bag.
Considering the family business, I decided not to ask my mother, but I could ask my aunt.
A string of messages was sent out.
Before they could even take back their phones...
Pei Shuwen's message popped up again: [When are you coming home?]
He's been contacting me quite frequently today.
'Going home' is too ambiguous.
The two of them made their feelings clear yesterday, but didn't define their relationship.
This isn't him checking up on me, is it?
"Sister, would you like a drink? This wine tastes very good."
Lin Chaoyue didn't look at it, but picked it up and took a sip: "Let me reply to a message first."
After she finished replying, she sent the boy away.
The boy obediently held his wine glass and sat close to her. She told him to wait, and he actually sat obediently beside her, his peach blossom eyes looking at her with deep affection.
Lin Chaoyue didn't offer any romantic gestures, but racked her brains to type out a message: "I might not be back tonight, I might stay at a friend's. Get some rest, don't wait for me."
She didn't want to experience that embarrassing situation again last night.
If all else fails, she'll stay at Mu Qiao's house tonight.
Pei Shuwen: [Which friend?]
Lin Chaoyue: [Mu Qiao, you should have heard of him.]
Pei Shuwen: [Where are you now?]
The more questions they asked, the more it sounded like they were checking up on him.
Should I tell or not? If I tell, I'm afraid Pei Shuwen will be unhappy, but lying doesn't seem appropriate either.
Or maybe we should just pretend we didn't see it...
Lin Chaoyue was struggling with her decision.
Seeing Mu Qiao arrive with his 'new love,' he put his phone down.
The 'new love' looks familiar; I saw him at Mu Yang's bar last time. He wore a black butler mask and only wore chains on his upper body, revealing his gleaming eight-pack abs.
"Ono, my new boyfriend, what do you think? Nice body, right? I'll be generous and let you touch him too."
Lin Chaoyue: "..."
"You thought I was joking?" Mu Qiao laughed and reached out to pull her along. "Let me show you around and broaden your horizons."
Mu Qiao was making a scene, and Lin Chaoyue couldn't resist, so she was pulled half a body length away. Others around them were also egging them on.
But the jeers soon stopped.
As Lin Chaoyue looked up in confusion, she saw an extremely familiar figure, followed by a familiar face.
Pei Shuwen stood in front of her, looking down at her, and picked up the room key in front of her.
There was another person standing next to him.
"Brother." Mu Qiao's voice trembled slightly.
Lin Chaoyue's heart tightened, and her voice trembled as she said, "Shuwen... Brother."
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