No wonder Lu Chen had invited him to join them that afternoon—and even told him to bring Suisui along.
So that was what he had in mind!
Tch.
A bunch of greasy middle-aged men gathered together—nothing good could possibly come of it.
They were either playing cards or drinking. The cigarette smoke alone was enough to send anyone straight to the grave.
Assistant Wen: “So... should we go to the Peninsula Club too?”
Zhou Sui'an’s face turned livid with rage. He was so furious he wanted to curse.
“Go get the car. We’re leaving now.”
Looks like he was going to stand Su Wan up again.
He rubbed his temples, his long, well-defined fingers tightening around his phone. Only after taking a deep breath did he send Su Wan a message, his tone carrying a faint air of resignation.
【Wanwan, um... something urgent came up tonight. I’ll come see you next time—definitely next time. Don’t be angry.】
When Su Wan received the message, she was lying on a bed at a beauty salon, comfortably enjoying a facial.
She gave a disdainful snort when she saw it.
So what if he didn’t come?
As long as he gave her money, she was perfectly happy to have the time to herself.
“Miss Su, was that a message from Young Master Zhou? He must love you so much. He tells you everything he does—how sweet.”
The young beautician’s eyes were full of envy.
With the favor of a wealthy young heir, she wouldn’t have to worry about her future.
Miss Su really was lucky.
Su Wan found the girl’s adoring, envious gaze immensely gratifying. She arched her brows and raised her chin arrogantly.
“Of course. He gives me whatever I want.”
The beautician’s smile instantly froze, and she rolled her eyes hard.
She had only been making polite conversation. Who knew Su Wan would actually take herself so seriously?
Had she even looked at what she used to look like?
Seventy percent of that face had been modeled after someone else, and she had been too stingy to spend enough money on it, so it didn’t even look convincing.
She was only able to fool Eldest Young Master Zhou, who had completely lost his head over her.
Did she really think she was some kind of prized dish?
—
The old-world Peninsula Club sat halfway up Fragrant Hill, commanding ten miles of scenery around the mountain in splendid isolation. The surroundings were tranquil and secluded.
Anyone who could afford to spend money here was either rich or powerful.
Tonight, however, Lu Chen had thrown money around and booked out the entire venue.
Most of the guests were young heirs from their social circle, along with a number of close friends from university.
Zhou Suisui and Jiang Ruitian walked to the entrance arm in arm, then pushed the door open with practiced ease.
Inside the boisterous VIP private room, laughter and chatter tangled together, while the thick smell of cigarette smoke rushed straight up their noses.
“...”
Zhou Suisui instinctively furrowed her brows.
She had suffered from severe rhinitis as a child and had been unable to tolerate the smell of smoke ever since.
Her older brother never smoked in front of her. Even if he smoked outside, he would take a shower before seeing her after he got home.
Jiang Ruitian was not nearly so particular, but the moment she saw Zhou Suisui frown, she was displeased.
“Hey, who’s smoking? This is a public place. Could you show a little consideration?”
During the three years Jiang Zongyan had been abroad, Jiang Ruitian had often attended gatherings like this and was very familiar with these people.
As the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, she never indulged them.
And today, Jiang Zongyan was here too.
The noisy private room fell silent in an instant.
Two seconds passed before someone finally came to his senses and hurriedly said with a fawning laugh:
“Oh, it’s Miss Jiang! I’ll put it out right away. Hehe.”
Even as he spoke, he did not forget to glance at the man seated in the place of honor, the ingratiating look in his eyes growing even more pronounced.
Sensing that someone seemed to be watching her, Zhou Suisui instinctively raised her head and looked straight ahead.
Unexpectedly, she met a pair of cool, phoenix-shaped eyes.
The man sat on the sofa in a relaxed posture, his head raised as he looked in her direction.
His gaze was sharp as an eagle’s, like a tranquil vortex that exuded a mysterious and dangerous aura.
Zhou Suisui’s heart skipped, then began beating half a measure faster.
Thinking about what had happened that afternoon, she wished she could find a noodle and hang herself with it.
Ahem.
Pretending to be calm, she looked away and lifted a hand in an extremely unnatural gesture, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.
For tonight’s welcome dinner, she had deliberately changed into a white dress.
The light spilled over her, draping her in a layer of soft, gauzy radiance.
Standing quietly there, with her delicate makeup accentuating her exquisite, flawless features, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.
Her palm-sized face was as fair as jade, glowing with a lustrous sheen beneath the lights.
Her eyes were bright and lively, while her gentle innocence fell somewhere between that of a girl and a woman. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
In an instant, everyone’s attention was drawn to her.
Lu Chen was the first to recover. His eyes lit up, and he immediately set down his wineglass and went over to greet them.
“Little Tian Tian, little Suisui, how is it that you’re both looking prettier than the other tonight? Has some celestial goddess decided to grace our private room?”
Lu Chen was an expert at picking up women, and sweet talk rolled effortlessly off his tongue.
Unfortunately, no one was buying it.
Jiang Ruitian pursed her lips and glared at him. “Stop with the nonsense. Suisui, don’t mind him. Let’s go sit over there.”
“Mm.”
Zhou Suisui nodded at Lu Chen in greeting, then followed Jiang Ruitian toward the sofa area.
Lu Chen was left speechless. “…”
He rubbed his nose helplessly.
Miss Jiang’s temper was as fiery as ever. He wondered what man could possibly put up with her.
By comparison, Zhou Suisui was much easier to get along with. Though she wasn’t exactly someone to be trifled with either, her smile was so sweet it nearly melted his heart.
They had arrived a little late.
The sofas were already full, with several people practically pressed against one another.
Yet no one dared sit beside Jiang Zongyan. Even Lu Chen, who was closest to him, had very sensibly left an empty seat between them.
Jiang Zongyan was a germaphobe. If someone sat too close, he would inevitably catch their scent, and he disliked that very much.
Knowing his temperament, everyone made sure to keep their distance.
“Suisui, let’s sit here.”
Jiang Ruitian’s eyes gleamed mischievously. She grabbed the unsuspecting Zhou Suisui and gave her a shove toward Jiang Zongyan.
“Ah!”
Caught off guard, Zhou Suisui parted her red lips and let out a soft cry as her body pitched forward.
She was about to fall straight into the man’s arms.
Instinctively, she stretched out both hands and braced them against his shoulders to steady herself.
At the same time, a hand appeared around her waist—hot, firm, and powerful.
By sheer coincidence, it landed directly on the most sensitive spot at her waist.
“Mm.”
Her body shuddered violently, and an involuntary moan slipped from her red lips, faint as a whisper.
The sound reached Jiang Zongyan’s ears. His cool eyes darkened abruptly, and he froze at once.
“……”
“……”
Nothing was more awkward than the sudden silence.
Zhou Suisui didn’t need to turn around to feel the probing, amused gazes of everyone behind her.
“Suisui, I’m sorry. Are you all right?”
Jiang Ruitian apologized with exaggerated concern, secretly covering her mouth to hide her laughter.
“I’m fine… Thank you, Brother Yan.”
She closed her eyes in resignation, composed herself, and forced a fake smile onto her face.
Bracing both hands against Jiang Zongyan, she pushed herself up.
Unexpectedly, her foot slipped, and she fell heavily all over again.
This time, she wasn’t so lucky. She fell straight into Jiang Zongyan’s arms.
Her legs landed across him, her chin struck his shoulder, and the faint scent of cool sandalwood rushed forcefully into her nose.
It smelled wonderful. She didn’t dislike it at all.
“Mm…”
Jiang Zongyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He let out a muffled groan, his voice turning husky when he spoke.
“Are you going to get off me or not?”
Zhou Suisui looked up, and happened to meet his reddened ears.
Being so close to him, she naturally knew exactly what he was like at that moment.
Every muscle in his body was tense, and his breathing had become uneven, betraying a trace of hurried discomposure.
Yet that sharply defined, handsome face of his remained as calm and unruffled as ever.
He was really good at pretending. It made her want to tear away his disguise.
A flicker of slyness crossed Zhou Suisui’s eyes.
Instead of getting up, she leaned forward, deliberately bringing her red lips close to his ear.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said sweetly,
“Brother Yan, everyone else has put out their cigarettes. Why haven’t you put yours out? Suisui can’t stand the smell.”
Her sisters had put so much effort into their performance. Of course she had to take the opportunity to flirt with her brother too.
“……”
Looking at the triumphant expression on the girl’s face, Jiang Zongyan sighed helplessly.
He tossed the cigarette in his hand onto the floor and crushed it beneath his leather shoe.
“Can you let go now?”
His hands closed around her soft waist as he was about to help her sit in the seat beside him.
Just then, the private room door was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in.
