"I'm your best option," Li Yue whispered, her soft, suggestive tone sending shivers down Fu Yichen's spine. He immediately raised his hand to push her away, his eyes flashing with irritation.
But suddenly, he stopped, his hand pausing mid-air as if he had realized something. His fingers clenched tightly, and he gritted his teeth.
Seeing his hesitation, Li Yue smirked, a triumphant glint in her eye. Her hand slipped downwards from his face to his neck, moving further down to his arm, and eventually stopped at his hand.
She gently wrapped her fingers around his tight fist, her touch warm and intimate. Tenderly, she opened his fingers, one by one, before swiftly pulling his hand and placing it on her waist.
"Good choice," she whispered again, her breath caressing his ear, and then got back on her feet. Her one hand remained on his chest, while the other was softly held by his.
With that, they slowly started dancing, their bodies moving in sync with the music. As they swayed to the rhythm, the world around them melted away, leaving only the two of them, lost in the moment.
Zhao Shui's eyes narrowed into slits as she watched the two flirt and dance before her eyes. She was jealous of the fact that Li Yue had replaced her position as the young master Fu's dance partner for tonight.
A deep rage surged within her, her nails digging deep into her palms as she tightly clutched her hands. She turned around and stormed off from the scene, her heels clicking angrily on the floor.
~~~~~
When the dance was about to come to an end, Li Yue's hand slipped again, and she hooked her arm around Fu Yichen's neck, pulling him closer. Her black eyes staring straight in his blue orbs.
With a sly smile, she reached into the cleavage of her bosoms, pulled out a small, intricately folded piece of paper and tucked it in the front pocket of his inner shirt, her fingers brushing against his chest.
His eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly drew her face closer to his, their lips inches apart, and whispered "Your welcome" in a husky tone. Before he could react, she let go of him, turned around, and walked away, leaving him stunned and bewildered.
~~~~~
As Fu Yichen stood there, his gaze locked onto her back, she turned her head, looking at him over her shoulder and winked mischievously, her index finger placed against her lips in a hushing gesture, as if sharing a secret only meant for them. The gesture was both playful and intimate, leaving him feeling captivated and entranced.
The music came to an end, and the room erupted into applause, jolting him back to reality. He looked around and saw people thank their partners with bows, the temporary dance floor slowly clearing away.
When his gaze snapped back to Li Yue's direction, he found that she had already disappeared from his view. He squinted his eyes, yanked the piece of paper from his pocket, his hands clenching and crumpling it into a ball as he stormed out of the banquet hall. His expressions solemn with a deep frown on his forehead.
Outside, he halted beside a trash can, his hand hovering over it, determined to discard the offending paper. But then, Li Yue's impish grin flashed through his mind and he stopped.
With a snarl, he opened his fist, revealing the crumpled paper. He smoothed it out, his eyes scanning the contents and as he read, a slow, menacing smile spread across his face, transforming him into a devil.
Without hesitation, he swiftly whipped out a lighter and set the paper ablaze, watching the flames consume it, leaving nothing but ashes behind. His eyes gleamed with a sinister light as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number, his voice low and deadly as he spoke. After that call, he returned to the banquet.
~~~~~
Xu Jian, one of Fu Yichen's childhood friends, sidled up to him with a cheeky smirk. "Yichen, who was that stunning beauty?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow and teasing voice. The others also closed in, their faces agog with curiosity, awaiting his response.
Fu Yichen's expression remained impassive, his eyes glinting with a hint of annoyance. "Mind your own business," he replied in his usual detached tone. Then, he turned to leave, but a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him, and he stumbled.
His friends rushed to his side, and quickly supported him. "Yichen, are you okay?" Lin Feng asked with worry.
Fu Yichen shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he struggled to regain his balance. "I'm fine," he muttered. "I just need to rest. Maybe I've had too much to drink." With a dismissive wave, he freed himself from his friends' grip and walked away.
In the corridor, a second spell of dizziness hit him and he staggered, his vision blurring. Just as he was about to collapse, a passing servant rushed to his side, catching him by the elbow. "Sir, do you need any help? You don't look ok."
Fu Yichen just mumbled in a low and shaky voice. "Guest room..." His eyes half close as his body swayed.
The servant nodded politely. "Of course, sir. I'll escort you to the guest room." He said while putting Fu Yichen's arm on his shoulder to support him.
His eyes gleamed with malice as he led Fu Yichen down the corridor. They stopped in front of a door and the servant pushed it open, guiding Fu Yichen inside before slamming the door shut behind them.
Once inside he threw Fu Yichen onto the bed and pulled out his phone to type out a message. Just as he hit send, the door creaked open and a figure slipped inside.
~~~~~
Meanwhile, back in the banquet hall, Puff was frantically flying around Li Yue's head. "Why did you do that? What if he doesn't trust you? You should've just told him directly instead of all that flirting!" Li Yue, however, just raised an eyebrow, her expression bored as she stared at Puff.
Just then, Xiao Mian, Li Yue's mother, appeared before her, "Why are you dressed like that? This dress is so inappropriate. Look at your younger sister, Zhao Shui, she's wearing such a lovely gown. Go and change into something decent like her, right now!" Her face filled with disappointment as she reprimanded her daughter.
Li Yue stared at her mother with cold eyes. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, a commotion erupted from the crowd, drawing both their attention away.....