Chapter 37 First Encounter at the Club
At 8 p.m., the top-floor private room of the "Cloud Top" club.
Ji Yun, Zhou Mubai, and Shen Yu had already arrived. The three of them sat on the sofa area, with an opened bottle of whiskey and several delicate snacks on the crystal coffee table in front of them.
"What do you think she'll wear?" Ji Yun swirled her wine glass, her eyes fixed on the doorway, her face full of anticipation. "A formal dress? A suit? Or... her signature white shirt again?"
Zhou Mubai pushed up his glasses: "Given her style, it's most likely the latter."
Shen Yu took a sip of wine and said calmly, "I'd like to see how Huo Yanli introduces her. Will he say, 'This is my wife, Song Zhiyi,' or 'This is Song, the translator from the Translation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'?"
Before he could finish speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open. Huo Yanli walked in.
He was wearing a dark gray casual suit today, with his white shirt untied and the collar casually open, giving him a more relaxed look than usual. But his eyes were still sharp, and he glanced at the three of them as soon as he entered: "You're here so early."
"Waiting for you and your sister-in-law." Ji Yun stood up with a grin. "Where's your sister-in-law? Didn't she come with you?"
"She said she would come by herself." Huo Yanli sat down on the single sofa and took the wine that Ji Yun handed him.
“You have personality.” Ji Yun raised an eyebrow. “I like that.”
Zhou Mubai glanced at his watch: "8:05. Very punctual."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the door to the private room was pushed open again.
The waiter respectfully stepped aside, and Song Zhiyi walked in.
For a moment, the air in the private room seemed to freeze.
Not because she was particularly beautiful or stunning—quite the opposite.
She was dressed too simply.
A light gray cotton shirt, basic in style and without any embellishments. He wore dark straight-leg trousers, the cuffs ending just at his ankles. On his feet were black flat loafers, clean but showing signs of wear. A dark brown leather briefcase, its edges worn smooth and shiny, was slung over his shoulder.
She wore no makeup, her face was bare, her skin was clean but slightly pale, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes, like the result of staying up late for a long time. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and there wasn't a single stray hair in front of her forehead.
She stood there, back straight, her gaze calmly sweeping over the four people in the private room, then nodded slightly: "Sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way."
His voice was clear and calm, without any awkwardness or nervousness typical of someone new to the place.
Ji Yun was the first to react and quickly stood up: "It's not late, it's just right. Please sit down, sister-in-law."
He deliberately used the term "sister-in-law," which carried a sense of testing.
Song Zhiyi glanced at him, didn't correct him, and simply nodded: "Thank you."
She walked to the sofa area and sat down next to Huo Yanli—but maintained just the right distance, not too close to appear intimate, nor too far to appear distant.
The waiter immediately came over to ask what she would like to drink. Song Zhiyi glanced at the drinks menu and ordered a glass of lemonade.
"Just water?" Ji Yun was a little surprised. "Not some alcohol?"
"I still need to review some materials tonight," Song Zhiyi explained, her tone as natural as if she were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
Huo Yanli glanced at her. She wasn't wearing her old pocket watch today, nor any jewelry on her wrist; her entire appearance was so plain... that she seemed out of place in this environment.
They definitely don't fit in.
Of the other three people present, Ji Yun was wearing a custom-made casual outfit with a Patek Philippe Nautilus on her wrist; Zhou Mubai was dressed relatively formally, but his cufflinks were a classic Tiffany design; and Shen Yu was more casual, but his seemingly ordinary cashmere sweater was a new seasonal piece from a niche Italian luxury brand.
Song Zhiyi, on the other hand, didn't own a single item from head to toe that was recognizable by brand.
Even her briefcase looked like it had been used for many years; the leather had worn a sheen.
Ji Yun and Zhou Mubai exchanged a glance. Their eyes held surprise, confusion, and a hint of… anticipation for a good show.
They originally thought that this woman, who was destined to become the young mistress of the Huo family, would at least dress up carefully and show a taste and style "worthy of the Huo family" at this first appearance.
Unexpectedly, she arrived without any makeup.
Wearing a shirt that cost only a few dozen yuan, carrying an old briefcase, he ordered a glass of lemonade.
Shen Yu didn't react much, simply observing quietly. He noticed Song Zhiyi's posture as she sat down—her back was very straight, but not stiffly so, rather a habitual uprightness. When she accepted the lemonade from the waiter, she said "thank you," her fingers long and clean, her nails neatly trimmed, without any manicure.
"You must be very busy working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sister-in-law?" Ji Yun started the conversation with a warm smile. "I heard you just returned to China?"
“Yes, I’ll be back for a month.” Song Zhiyi nodded and took a sip of water.
"What have you been busy with? Translating documents?" Ji Yun asked casually, but Huo Yanli sensed the probing in her voice—just like Huo Siqi's question at the family dinner.
Song Zhiyi glanced at him, her eyes calm: "I've been organizing materials from my previous overseas assignments and preparing to write a few research reports. Also, there's a China-Europe trade forum next week, so I need to prepare in advance."
She was specific, but only about work.
“That’s certainly quite busy,” Zhou Mubai replied, adjusting his glasses. “I heard that Miss Song was involved in the Middle East ceasefire negotiations in Geneva. That’s remarkable.”
These words were spoken sincerely, with an air of appreciation.
Song Zhiyi looked at him and nodded slightly: "It's the result of the team's joint efforts."
She did not deny her participation, but attributed the credit to the team, neither taking credit for herself nor being overly modest.
Ji Yun asked a few more questions about the work of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which Song Zhiyi answered concisely and clearly, neither going into too much detail nor being perfunctory. She could sense that these men were observing and evaluating her, as if examining a novel object.
But she didn't care.
For her, this gathering was merely part of fulfilling her duties as "Mrs. Huo." She agreed to come because Huo Yanli had asked, and because her grandfather wanted her to attend. What these people thought of her was unimportant.
After chatting for about twenty minutes, the door to the private room was pushed open again.
This time, it wasn't waiters who came in, but several young women—Ji Yun's female companions, as well as friends invited by Zhou Mubai and Shen Yu, all of whom were socialites in this circle.
They were clearly dressed up meticulously, wearing the latest dresses, carrying Hermès or Chanel bags, with exquisite makeup and sophisticated perfumes. The moment they entered, the entire atmosphere of the private room changed.
"Ji Yun, why are you hiding here?" a woman in a red dress said coquettishly, but her gaze immediately fell on Song Zhiyi.
That gaze carried undisguised scrutiny and...contempt.
Song Zhiyi's outfit today, in this setting, truly makes her look like a Cinderella who has stumbled upon a strange place.
“Let me introduce you,” Ji Yun stood up, a hint of anticipation in his smile. “This is Yan Li’s wife, Song Zhiyi. Zhiyi, this is Su Nian, my friend. This is Zhou Mubai’s cousin, Su Wan, and this is Shen Yu’s business partner, Miss Li.”
Several women nodded to Song Zhiyi, their smiles polite but distant. They sat down on the sofa opposite Song Zhiyi and began to chat—about the latest fashion week, the newly opened Michelin-starred restaurants, and who had bought a private jet.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone in the private room to hear.
Song Zhiyi sat quietly, drinking lemonade and occasionally glancing at the time on her phone.
Huo Yanli noticed that while the women were chatting, their eyes would occasionally glance at Song Zhiyi, then they would exchange glances with a faint smile on their lips.
He knew what that meant.
In this circle, clothing, bags, and jewelry are symbols of status and passports to integration. In their eyes, Song Zhiyi's outfit today is probably synonymous with "not presentable."
Ji Yun clearly noticed it too, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and drank, occasionally interjecting a few words, his eyes filled with even more amusement.
Zhou Mubai frowned, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Shen Yu, on the other hand, remained completely detached, drinking his wine as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.
Song Zhiyi remained calm.
She even took out her phone, replied to a work message, and then said to Huo Yanli, "I have to leave before 10 o'clock. I have a meeting early tomorrow morning."
The voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the women's deliberately hushed conversation.
Upon hearing this, Su Nian, who was wearing a red dress, chuckled softly, though her voice was not loud, it was still quite jarring.
Then she said to Su Wan beside her in French, "I never expected Mrs. Huo to be so... modest."
She thought no one could understand her.
But Song Zhiyi raised her head and glanced at her.
His eyes were calm, devoid of any emotion.
Then she looked away and continued drinking her lemonade.
It was as if he hadn't heard anything.
Huo Yanli tightened his grip on the wine glass.
Looking at Song Zhiyi's calm profile, that inexplicable irritation in his heart rose again.
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