The door closed after them once again, and almost everyone's eyes averted back to where they looked before. Just a handful of people staggered towards the new incoming pair.
"CEO Jin, it's good to see you here," they greeted one by one Lei, who exchanged greetings with them, but he was grinding his teeth all the time: Because their gazes hadn't left Lili, only once, when they shook hands.
"May I ask who is the charming lady next to you?" one, the most courageous one, or the most stupid, asked Lei, his eyes lingering over Lili's chest area.
"My fiancée," he said coldly, and put his hands around Lili's waist. She had to compose herself inside, to not laugh out loud. The intention behind it was so obvious.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," the guy said with broken English and held out his hand. When Lili smiled brightly at him and put her hand into his, he kissed the back of it.
Normally, if Lei did it, she would feel like a princess. Now she was disgusted and pretty much determined to disinfect her hand with whatever she would find.
"Pleasure to meet you all too," she answered back in English, not revealing her secret weapon. By the body language Lei was exhibiting, those weren't big fishes. More like those who wanted to use Lei to get higher. No one she would try hard to please.
Lei excused them both and led her to the tables with food. When he stopped, he looked all over her and frowned once more.
Yeah, everyone was ogling her. Not that she didn't mind, but once she was in 'social mode', as she called it. Her shyness disappeared and the social mask took over her thinking.
"Use it… use me and everything I have. They will love me. I swear," she told Lei and smiled at him. The smile was distant. It didn't reach her eyes at all and made Lei frown even more than before.
It was true that for most men here, their women were only accessories to show off. And now, Lei was here trumping them all with the exotic foreign fiancée.
"I can't do that." Lei came closer to her and laid his hand on her milky white skin, right on her neck. He had an urge to mark her there, right here and right now. But Lei knew he couldn't.
"Do it. I won't do this for you often, so use your skills to gain additional money. If the person is important, tap three times on my waist. I will help you," she said, laid her hand over his, and dragged his hand from her skin. It went against her feelings, but it was needed. Declaration of affection and love wasn't good during a business party.
Lili took two glasses of drink and handed one to Lei. Then she took a few steps and stood by his side. Lei sighed, his feelings overwhelming him. But he got it under control.
They were cruising all over the room, talking with people. Lili was usually just smiling by his side, only exchanging some greetings. Not even once Lei tapped, so she wasn't trying to be that charming.
But still, she could feel the jealous gazes of the wives, whose husbands were almost drooling over her. And there was one thing she could do so she wouldn't have many enemies.
When she met the gaze of the wife or girlfriend, whose stare was burning her alive, she stepped closer to Lei, shook her head only slightly, and winked. Most women got it as a sign of 'I'm here with him, don't worry' and calmed down.
"I need to go to the restroom. Can you wait by the tables for me? I will be right back," Lei said and led her back to the food. She was a bit hungry, so she agreed and nodded. Before Lei left, he flashed her one last worried gaze, but walked away.
Lili could finally relax a bit, so she took a plate and started eating. The food was all delicious, and it eased up the nervous knot she had inside her.
"You are CEO Jin's fiancée, right?" a woman asked her, standing behind her. Lili turned around, startled, with a finger-food stuffed in her mouth.
The woman saw her puffed cheeks with widened eyes and chuckled. Trying to mask her laughter, she coughed a few times. When Lili finally swallowed, she stopped laughing.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I was just curious about you." The woman was just slightly bigger than her. Her face looked youthful. Younger than Lili felt her actual age was. And this dress she had on was as stunning as Lili's. When she stared at the handmade embroidery and diamonds, the woman blushed.
"I'm sorry, it's just… I never saw such a grand dress before. You look really stunning. It's as if they were made especially for you. They compliment you in every aspect. The same is for the jewelry," Lili blurted out in English. And the woman frowned.
"I'm sorry my English is bad. Could you please speak slowly?" Lili understood the pain of talking in another language. So she decided to ease the pain of this woman.
"Do you speak any other language than Cantonese?" she asked, still in English, only checking out the waters. The woman shook her head.
"My husband try to teach me, but I no good," she said, her English failing her. Lili nodded and took a deep breath.
"If you speak slowly, we can talk in Cantonese, but I'm sorry for any mistakes. It's only been three months since I started learning it," Lili started in Cantonese and the eyes of the woman lit up.
"Hello, I'm Gong Mimi." She held out a hand for Lili, who accepted it and smiled.
"I'm Lili Park. And yes, I'm his fiancée," she admitted proudly. Mrs. Gong smiled at her and leaned to the table and took a mini dessert and put it whole in her mouth. When she finished it, she smiled at Lili and winked.
"Don't tell everyone I did this. But I hate these kinds of parties. It's so boring. The only good thing is the food." Lili closed her eyes and put the back of her hand over her lips. Then she looked around and saw no one looking. She leaned towards Mrs. Gong.
"I hate it too, but don't tell everyone. I'm the animal in the zoo here today. But I would rather be home and play games," she whispered into her ear and pulled away.
Mrs. Gong looked shocked. Her eyes widened. But then she started laughing. And Lili joined her. Their laughter was attracting so much attention that two men on the opposite side of the room turned there and cursed.