Arriving at Gu Beixian's side, Su Huai tilted her small face up and smiled at him.
He stood tall, straight as a pine tree, against a backdrop of lights, remarkably handsome to the point of surrealism.
Su Huai gazed at him with curved eyebrows, her eyes shining like stars. She lightly brushed her fingers against his, which were slightly larger.
Gu Beixian sensed it, smiling as he held her hand and gently touched the back of her head. His voice softened, "There was traffic on the way, I apologize for being late."
Su Huai smiled lightly, "It's okay, I just arrived too."
Gu Fengjiao, feeling irritated, wanted to say something but was afraid of annoying Gu Beixian and hesitated to speak.
She held a glass of wine and moved to another place.
Gu Beixian held Su Huai's hand and walked to the table, sitting down.
He picked up a piece of sashimi with silver chopsticks and offered it to Su Huai's lips, "Bluefin tuna, just imported from abroad this morning. This is the best belly meat of the fish; try it."
Bluefin tuna, known as the "king of sashimi" and the "Rolls-Royce of fish," is the world's top fish delicacy.
Su Huai opened her mouth and slowly savored it.
The raw fish had a refreshing texture, full of elasticity, leaving a lingering fragrance upon consumption, exceptionally delicious.
After swallowing, Su Huai smiled at him, "Delicious."
She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece, and offered it to his lips, "You try it too."
Gu Beixian pushed it back, "You eat, don't worry about me."
Qin Shu, in the midst of her busyness, glanced over at Gu Beixian and Su Huai. Seeing this scene, a slight smile appeared on her lips.
Next to her, a lady in a green qipao also noticed and said, "Your son is really good to your daughter-in-law."
Qin Shu modestly replied, "Not bad. My daughter-in-law deserves it; she has an exceptional character."
The lady in the green qipao said, "That's good. But with this literary family background, it seems not very useful for those of us in business, right?"
Qin Shu smiled casually, bent down to pick up a piece of cake from the table, and handed it to her, "Mrs. Li, the desserts ordered this time are quite good, give it a try."
"Thank you." Mrs. Li in the green qipao took it and tasted it with a small spoon, her talkative mouth temporarily silenced.
Suddenly, a small commotion came from outside.
Su Huai turned her head to look at the door.
A man in a black suit, over sixty years old, walked in with broad shoulders, erect posture, neat gray-white hair, sharp eyebrows, and a commanding presence – Gu Beixian's father, Gu Aoting.
Su Huai was about to stand up to greet him when she saw Gu Aoting followed by a petite young woman – Chu Suosuo.
Coincidentally, she was also wearing a night blue starry dress adorned with countless bright diamonds, sparkling.
Su Huai's dress was a floor-length gown, while Chu Suosuo's was a short one, with a puffy style, revealing two straight and white legs.
Su Huai exuded an elegant and gentle demeanor, while Chu Suosuo displayed a cute and lovely style.
Su Huai glanced at Gu Beixian, "Did you invite her?"
Gu Beixian shook his head slightly, "Neither my mom nor I invited her. It should be my dad who brought her. He and her father were classmates since childhood, later joined the family business together, and have had business dealings for a long time. Their relationship is good."
Su Huai pursed her lips in silence.
She rarely interacted with Gu Aoting.
Only during family gatherings on holidays, when they occasionally met, she would greet him.
After Chu Suosuo entered the room, she busied herself with greeting the familiar male and female guests, calling out, "Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, Aunt Tang..."
With her injured hand behind her, she smiled sweetly, appearing gentle and obedient.
Those people praised her, "A girl changes a lot when she grows up. Suosuo is getting more beautiful."
Chu Suosuo squinted her eyes and thanked them, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, Aunt Tang..."
Seeing Su Huai staring at Chu Suosuo, Gu Beixian lightly tapped her hand and said, "They are from the same circle; these people have watched Suosuo grow up and are familiar with her."
Whether it was her own imagination or reality, at this moment, Su Huai felt like an outsider, unintentionally intruding into their circle and unable to blend in.
Soon, after Chu Suosuo spotted Gu Beixian, her eyes lit up. Stepping in high heels, she joyfully ran over and shouted, "Brother Beixian!"
Compared to her enthusiasm, Gu Beixian's attitude was noticeably more indifferent. He slightly curled his lips, nodded slightly, and gave a perfunctory response.
Chu Suosuo didn't feel embarrassed. She ran over and stood beside him, looking at Su Huai, complimenting, "Oh, Sister Su Huai looks so beautiful today."
She pressed down on the excessively exaggerated skirt and said shyly, "We coincidentally matched outfits today, how lucky."
Su Huai, imitating Gu Beixian's demeanor, also nodded at her, picked up a piece of tiramisu, and started eating.
Toward Chu Suosuo, she couldn't be bothered to pretend.
Chu Suosuo, feeling wronged, said to Gu Beixian, "It seems like Sister Su Huai doesn't really like me."
Gu Beixian raised his chin, gesturing towards the opposite side, "Go eat over there."
Chu Suosuo looked at him, hesitated to speak, and reluctantly said, "Okay then."
As she walked to the opposite side and sat down, her gaze remained fixated on Gu Beixian.
After Gu Aoting and others finished their socializing, they walked towards Gu Beixian and Su Huai.
When they were about to reach them, Su Huai stood up, smiled, and called out, "Dad."
Gu Aoting gave her a cold glance, lightly responded, and said to Gu Beixian, "Come with me to the study upstairs."
Gu Beixian gave a faint acknowledgment and spoke warmly to Su Huai, "Take your time eating, enjoy whatever you want to eat. It's your own home; don't feel restrained. If there's anything, give me a call."
Su Huai smiled, "Alright, you go ahead."
Once Gu Beixian left, Chu Suosuo approached with a wine glass, looking quite pleased. "Everyone in the Gu family likes you, but so what? Uncle Gu likes me, I am the best candidate in his heart for the ideal daughter-in-law."
Su Huai, thinking about Gu Aoting's cold attitude towards her earlier, believed that Chu Suosuo played a role in it.
After all, she always added fuel to the fire and complained first. Su Huai felt extremely uncomfortable, as if she had swallowed countless flies and was nauseated.
Holding the cup tightly, she spoke coldly, "Are you done talking? If you are, please disappear from my sight immediately. Go wherever you want. Today is my mother-in-law's birthday, and I don't want to make everyone unhappy."
Chu Suosuo looked at the cup in her hand, recalling the last time Su Huai smashed the thermos on her mother's face. She instinctively felt her nasal bone ache, subconsciously touched her nose, and turned away.
Around nine o'clock.
Qin Shu approached Su Huai and asked, "Where is Beixian?"
Su Huai stood up and said, "Dad called him to the study upstairs."
Qin Shu checked her watch, "It's time to cut the cake. Go upstairs and call them."
Su Huai smiled and said, "Sure, Mom."
She lifted her skirt and went to the second floor.
The second floor was extremely quiet. Su Huai was afraid of disturbing their discussion, so she walked very lightly.
Reaching the door of the study.
She raised her hand to knock on the door when she heard Gu Aoting's voice from inside, "Suosuo is more suitable for you. I have cooperated with her father for so many years, and many businesses have seamlessly merged, making it hard to distinguish between us. If you two get married, it will be a great help to our family business. On the way here, I subtly asked Suosuo; from her words, it seems she really likes you."
Su Huai's heart trembled, feeling as if she had been doused with cold water from head to toe.
She didn't know how long it took.
She heard Gu Beixian saying, "In my most difficult and desperate times, Su Huai has been with me."
Gu Aoting sneered, "Just give her money; there's nothing money can't solve. Three years ago, if you didn't have money, she wouldn't have married you. Over these years, you've given her so much money, bought a house for her family, helped her grandmother find a kidney source, covered all medical expenses, and supported three generations of her family. You've fulfilled your duty."
Gu Beixian remained silent for a moment and said, "The biggest difference between humans and animals is emotions."
Gu Aoting frowned, "You're a man; men shouldn't be entangled in romantic affairs. The business world is unpredictable, full of ups and downs. Traveling together with two ships is safer than a lone boat. After marrying into the Chu family, in case there are problems with the company, the Chu family can extend a helping hand. Su Huai, what can she do?"
Su Huai stood quietly and thin outside the door, like a once flourishing tree that had been struck by lightning, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
In the depths of her heart surged a profound, powerless feeling of sorrow.
Yes, what could she, a restorer of ancient paintings, do for Gu's conglomerate?
It was a completely different field, and she couldn't help at all.
But she didn't leave; she wanted to hear what Gu Beixian would say.
However, she waited for a long, long time and didn't hear his voice.
She self-mockingly smiled.
She had thought that he suggested divorce because he couldn't forget his old feelings for Chu Suosuo. Now, it seemed that there was another reason.
Su Huai turned and left. As she lifted her leg, she realized her legs were extremely weak.
When she leaned against the wall and finally managed to move downstairs, she heard Gu Beixian's voice from the study, "Sorry, I can't do that."
Unfortunately, Su Huai couldn't hear anymore.