Yu Tingchuan's sitting posture was casual, but even then, it didn't conceal his noble aura. His long legs were crossed, and half of his black socks could be seen under his pants. His leather shoes were shiny.
His gaze was very calm but also very profound.
Such profoundness—oddly—made Song Qingcheng's scalp go numb.
Yu Tingchuan must have been sitting there for a long time…
Coincidentally, a waiter passed by with a tray. Her line of sight was blocked so she quietly averted her eyes and walked towards the washroom.
In the washroom…
Song Qingcheng stood in front of the sink and used a tissue to wipe the wet strands of hair on her cheeks. As she wiped, her movements slowed down. She stared at the bright mirror on the wall. Her facial features were exquisite, and her nude makeup was elegant. Beauty was not a good thing, especially when one's wealth status could not match it.
Throwing the crumpled tissue into the trash can, she took a deep breath and lifted her hand to remove the hairpin.
Her seaweed-like hair cascaded down. As it was up in a bun, the locks looked naturally wavy. Although her long hair covered her fair neck and shoulders, it also covered the wine stains on the front of her dress.
Compared to her elegant and elegant demeanor earlier on, this look bestowed a womanly charm on her.
…
As she walked out of the washroom, Song Qingcheng subconsciously looked towards the rest area in the aisle. There was no one there now, only a few ashtrays filled with cigarette butts.
The birthday banquet in the banquet hall had already begun.
The Lu family was arranged to sit at table 20, near the side.
The moment Song Qingcheng entered, she saw Ge Wenjuan, who was smiling brightly, as well as the man beside Ge Wenjuan, whose head was filled with fat intestines. Ge Wenjuan seemed to have sensed something and looked over. The smile on her lips did not diminish, and even CEO Liu turned his head. When he saw Song Qingcheng in the red dress, his slightly cloudy eyes instantly lit up.
"We were just talking about you when you came back." Ge Wenjuan acted like a good aunt.
CEO Liu had already stood up and pulled out the chair beside him. "I haven't seen Miss Song for a long time… since we last met. Miss Song, you must chat with me tonight."
When Qingcheng sat down, President Liu casually placed his arm on the back of her chair.
Song Qingcheng pretended not to notice his actions. She did not speak nor express her goodwill. Seeing that she was so uninterested, Ge Wenjuan could only speak up to liven up the atmosphere. "Qingcheng, didn't you say before you came that you had something to ask CEO Liu? Why are you so shy now?"
"Oh? What did you want to ask me, Miss Song?" CEO Liu immediately chimed in.
Song Qingcheng smiled. "There are so many questions that I don't know where to start."
Ge Wenjuan glared at her warningly, but Song Qingcheng did not seem to notice. She picked up the glass and took a sip of water.
"CEO Liu, come, let me give you a toast." Lu Xishan raised his wine glass and cleverly glossed over the faintly cold atmosphere at the table. "I hope that our collaboration will be extremely close and progressive."
CEO Liu chuckled and tilted his head back to drink the wine, but his eyes never left Song Qingcheng.
His gaze moved from Qingcheng's face to her chest, then all the way down, from her flat abdomen to her buttocks.
CEO Liu had been in the business world for more than twenty years, and he had seen many beautiful women. However, it was rare to see a beauty like the one the Lu family had delivered right on his doorstep. Her features were still a little raw now, but when she matured a little more, she would probably live up to her name and would be able to conquer more than half of South City. Thinking of this, he was even more satisfied with Ge Wenjuan's 'filial piety'.
"What happened to Miss Song's hand?" he asked.
Song Qingcheng smiled. "It was an accident. It's nothing serious."
CEO Liu adjusted his sitting posture and moved closer to Qingcheng. His hand, which was placed on the back of the chair, started to move as well. With just one look, one could see through what he was up to.
Ge Wenjuan did not seem to notice CEO Liu's actions. She turned her head and whispered to Lu Xishan to distract her husband.
CEO Liu looked at Song Qingcheng's fair neck with a perverted gaze and hinted ambiguously, "I went to Dubai last month and brought back a few pieces of jewelry. After dinner, Miss Song, would you like to visit my home?"
Before Song Qingcheng could speak, a few people entered the banquet hall. Even though they didn't make a big commotion—because of their status, the guests at the banquet all looked over.
"The late arrival is always the highlight." CEO Liu sighed with emotion.
Song Qingcheng looked up when she heard the noise. Her gaze was fixed on the tall and upright figure of a man, and she did not look away for a moment.
"The CEO of Hengyuan, Yu Tingchuan. I thought he was already here. I saw him at the elevator door just now. I wanted to go over and shake hands with him, but I would have had to queue." CEO Liu clicked his tongue in self-mockery.
The other guests at the table smiled and said, "Old Seven of the Gu family has business dealings with Yu Tingchuan. In private, they share a very close relationship. Moreover, the Gu family's and Yu family's older generations were all from the military and have a comrades-in-arms relationship. They would definitely be there for the birthday celebration of the other family's elder."
Someone asked, "Is that Old Seven of the Gu family beside him?"
Over there, Yu Tingchuan and Gu Zhengshen were talking as they walked to the main banquet table.
After the commotion, the birthday party returned to normal.
"Come." CEO Liu poured some wine into the goblet and raised it towards Song Qingcheng. He said lecherously, "As the saying goes, it's a rare opportunity to be drinking with a beauty. Let me, a commoner, enjoy this beauty's grace." As he spoke, he was already slipping his other hand around Song Qingcheng's waist.
"…" Song Qingcheng's expression was calm while the knuckle of her hand holding the glass had turned pale from the force.
Lu Xishan opened his mouth to say something, but Ge Wenjuan grabbed his hand under the table just in time and humored CEO Liu with a smile on her face. "CEO Liu, what are you saying? It's the little lass' honor that you're even toasting her'."
"Really?" CEO Liu raised his eyebrows proudly.
At the same time, at the main table…
Gu Zhengshen exchanged a few words with someone before turning around to find Yu Tingchuan looking in a certain direction. "What are you looking at?"
"Just looking around." Yu Tingchuan retracted his gaze and stubbed half a cigarette against the bottom of the ashtray.
When he looked up again, he saw the man making advances on the girl beside him, putting his arms around her slender waist. She was the only one wearing red at the banquet. The moment he entered the banquet hall, he had already noticed Song Qingcheng in the corner.