The wedding banquet hotel was located on West Chang'an Avenue. The first-floor banquet hall was adorned with flowers, boasting a prime location and impeccable taste. The hotel was packed with wealthy and influential guests. The groom's family was of modest means, while the bride's family was clearly of distinguished lineage.
Traffic jam delayed them, and there were hardly any seats left. The bride was petite and charming, with crescent-shaped eyes when she smiled. Surprisingly, she wasn't arrogant at all and personally led them to their seats. Li Ran followed behind, observing the bride. She had wanted to find fault with her, but the girl was so pleasing to the eye that she sighed softly, "I give up, I won't cause trouble."
Zhao Xiyin squeezed the back of her hand, "Don't be so dramatic."
Walking from back to front, the room was filled with guests congratulating the bride. Zhao Xiyin looked at her profile and felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't quite place it. Lost in thought, Li Ran suddenly tugged at her arm.
"What are you doing?" Zhao Xiyin cried out in pain, and at the same time the bride's voice rang out, "There are two seats available, please make do with them. This is my cousin, you can talk to him if you need anything."
The bride slightly turned her body to create a gap, revealing a table full of people.
Gu Heping, still with his head down, flirted with the flamboyant woman beside him, replying without even glancing at her, "What could possibly happen on such a joyous occasion..."
He was halfway through his sentence when he raised his head halfway up and suddenly fell silent.
Gu Heping opened and closed his lips several times, but couldn't utter a coherent sentence. His palms were sweating profusely; he hadn't expected to run into Zhao Xiyin here. Gu Heping even hesitated to turn around and look at the person next to him, but without looking, he could feel the temperature rising several degrees.
He quickly adapted to the situation, stood up, pulled the empty chair back, and chatted amicably: "Xiao west, long time no see."
This seemingly unintentional action was actually designed to deny Zhao Xiyin a chance to refuse. Standing there indefinitely wasn't an option, so Zhao Xiyin silently sat down, her mind taking a few beats to return to normal. As soon as she sat down, the distance between her and the other person shortened, the air becoming so thin and sticky that even the usually talkative Li Ran didn't dare to utter a sound.
Gu Heping's female companion was a relatively unknown internet celebrity. She was beautiful, but she started making witty remarks, saying that she had gone to Paris Fashion Week the previous week and had gone to great lengths to buy a limited-edition seashell bag. She also mentioned that she had eaten a mousse cake that tasted better than any other in Beijing.
Li Ran rolled her eyes three times upon hearing this.
Gu Heping, however, changed his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book, remaining cold and indifferent without uttering a single word.
Just as the waiter came to refill Zhao Xiyin's tea, and Gu Heping was about to get up to take over, someone was faster, lightly but firmly stopping him with their arm. He wore a light gray suit with dark plaid embroidery on the cuffs; as he raised his wrist, half of his watch face was revealed, its understated gleam possessing excellent quality.
Zhou Qishen opened the glass in front of Zhao Xiyin, filled it halfway with black tea, then stopped and fell silent, as if nothing had happened.
Li Ran's heart trembled as she watched, stealing glances at Zhao Xiyin, but the man remained silent, calm and expressionless.
The young internet celebrity was quick to strike up a conversation with Zhao Xiyin. Thinking that she was young and probably interested in the entertainment industry, he mentioned that he had taken a photo with a Golden Horse Award-winning actor and had auditioned for a film directed by Ang Wong. He also asked her if she wanted Daniel Wu's autographed photo.
Zhao Xiyin smiled politely but didn't respond much.
The minor internet celebrity decided to pull out all the stops, bringing in a popular star to bolster her image: "You know Ruan Dai, right?"
Zhao Xiyin hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "I know."
"Actually, she's my god-sister. I went shopping with her last week. Have you seen the movie that Sister Dai starred in? Wasn't her dancing scene absolutely gorgeous?"
Zhao Xiyin smiled again.
The online influencer sang: "Sister Dai graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, she's so professional. This movie was personally directed by Teacher Dai Yunxin, do you know Dai Yunxin? She's an incredibly talented dance artist. But she only ever had one apprentice, but that apprentice got blacklisted, her name is... oh, I don't quite remember—I'll add you on WeChat, so if you want to go to a concert or attend a celebrity meet-and-greeting, I can help you get tickets. Also, I bought a pair of shoes in Paris that don't fit quite right, you can try them on later."
Li Ran couldn't take it anymore and interrupted loudly, "Come with me to the restroom!" Then she rolled her eyes at the internet celebrity and pulled Zhao Xiyin away from her seat.
The young internet celebrity was annoyed at being slighted, but she certainly wouldn't be unreasonable in front of Gu Heping. So she pouted slightly and looked innocent: "Are you unhappy, miss?"
Gu Heping gestured with his chin toward Zhou Qishen, "Ask him if he's happy first."
Thinking it was the man's indecent behavior, the internet celebrity lightly punched his shoulder with her fist, saying, "You're so annoying."
She might have fun, but she knew perfectly well that these people's circles were worlds apart from hers. Acting cute and charming could win favor, but it depended on the person. Gu Heping wanted to have fun, so he played along with her. But the people around him were different. Take Zhou Qishen, for example; the internet celebrity knew a little about his background. He was Gu Heping's comrade-in-arms, and apparently even attended military academy. Later, for some reason, he left the military for business, experiencing ten years of ups and downs before founding Jingmao, which was still thriving, its net worth remaining a mystery.
Zhou Qishen's appearance wasn't immediately striking. He had single eyelids, but his eyes were long and narrow with an upturned corner, and his gaze was sharp and cold, full of energy. He was over 185 cm tall, which allowed him to carry off a formal suit perfectly. His proportions—tall with a narrow waist—were impeccable. This man didn't smile much, and he exuded an imposing aura that was quite intimidating.
Gu Heping asked him to ask Zhou Qishen if he was happy, something he wouldn't normally dare to do. However, Gu Heping's attitude seemed to be somewhat protective, and the little internet celebrity couldn't resist her curiosity, so she followed up by asking Gu Heping in a low voice, "Is Brother Zhou really married? Is his surname Zhang, the second young lady of the Zhang family in the east of the city?"
Gu Heping smiled gently, but sat up straight. He said, "My surname is not Zhang, it's Zhao."
"Zhao?" The name sounded familiar, and the young internet celebrity suddenly remembered, "That's right, the one who got banned, the only disciple of Teacher Dai Yunxin, also has the surname Zhao, Zhao... Zhao something again?"
"Zhao Xiyin." A calm, deep male voice answered the question steadily.
The young internet celebrity stared blankly at Zhou Qishen, who returned her gaze. He picked up a hot towel and wiped his hands, back and palms repeatedly. His gaze intensified, burning the young internet celebrity's face until it flushed red.
Finally, Zhou Qishen crumpled the handkerchief into a ball and threw it fiercely in front of Gu Heping. He stood up and said, "You, come out."
Gu Heping followed him out, and Zhou Qishen turned around, his patience at its limit, "Who did you bring? Let her go."
Gu Heping didn't waste any words and went to the side to make a phone call. After finishing, he went to find Zhou Qishen, who was standing outside the banquet hall, holding a matchbox in his hand and turning it over and over between his fingers.
Gu Heping walked over, also a little confused, "Xiao west is back? When did she come back? How come we didn't hear anything about her?"
Zhou Qishen didn't respond, but instead flipped the matchbox even faster.
"She hasn't been back to Beijing for over a year. Where has she been? Has she found some kind of job?" Gu Heping and Zhou Qishen had a close relationship. He dared to say what others were reluctant to say, dared to ask, and dared to poke at Zhou's heart.
Zhou Qishen's voice was calm. "Last March I was in Suzhou, April I went to Karamay, June I was at the Potala Palace, September I was in Nanjing, and this February I went to the Northwest. I didn't have a job, I just traveled around the world. I've been to all corners of the country and I'm finally willing to come back."
Gu Heping was shocked. "You know so much?"
Zhou Qishen lowered his head, his emotions unreadable, and his movements as he fiddled with the matchbox became slower and slower.
Gu Heping got excited and asked in a cheeky tone, "Brother Zhou, you're lying to me, right? Actually, you and Xiao Zhao aren't divorced."
Zhou Qishen glanced at him, his eyes sharp as knives.
Gu Heping laughed, "Divorced?"
Zhou Qishen snatched the matchbox, gripped it tightly in his hand, turned and walked into the banquet hall, uttering a single, indifferent word, "Hmm."
Chapter 2 The Swallows Parting Ways (2)