Shu Yi'an paused for a second as she was about to move forward, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but without hesitation, she leaned back.
With this movement, Chu Mu finally saw her outfit for the evening. Apart from the dress that was so eye-catching, her shoes made him momentarily lose his composure.
The most difficult part of the waltz's ending is this half-bending movement, but Shu Yi'an completed it with effortless grace.
As the music ended, from a distance, the two seemed frozen in the center of the dance floor, their eyes fixed on each other.
One second, two seconds, three seconds. Suddenly, deafening applause erupted from the crowd—appreciation, cheers, and chatter—all for the perfect dance performed by the two people in the center of the stage.
Harland stood to the side, shaking his head slightly, muttering incredulously, "Incredible."
It's unbelievable that this young man, who repeatedly lost battles at the negotiating table and in front of the media, has such an outstanding wife. Even I, who married a distant relative of the British royal family, feel a sense of inferiority.
The movement of bending backward was too violent, and Shu Yi'an vaguely felt that the pain from before was about to worsen. She could no longer hide the pain in her eyes, and when she looked at Chu Mu again, the confrontational gaze was now filled with a pleading tone.
Chu Mu glanced at her indifferently, then suddenly pulled her up by the strength of his hand supporting her waist. Through the layers of crowd and applause around them, Chu Mu took Shu Yi'an's hand, which was hanging limply at her side, and gently placed it to his lips to kiss it. But his voice was no longer as gentle as before.
"Unexpectedly, Shu Yi'an."
"No, I..." Shu Yi'an began to explain to Chu Mu, somewhat at a loss, but before she could say more than a few words, the people who had initially been standing outside came over to greet and chat with the two of them.
Shu Yi'an watched as Chu Mu drifted further and further away from her, being ushered out of the dance floor by a group of people.
Tao Yunjia, standing at the entrance, had witnessed every single second of the two's dance. Besides the dance, she had also seen Shu Yi'an's sparkling crystal shoes.
No one noticed that when Chu Mu left Shu Yi'an, he didn't look back with any lingering affection or worry.
No one noticed Shu Yi'an's slightly bent knees and her pained expression.
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At 8:30 p.m., it was the middle of the various activities.
People chatting amongst themselves made excuses to go to the restroom or to ask the waiter for a drink to calm their racing minds. The host, Mr. Harland, accompanied by his wife, went to his hotel room to change. Many guests gathered in small groups, discussing topics unrelated to work.
Chu Mu declined a colleague's invitation, then glanced back at the lobby, but did not see the person in question.
He lowered his head, gently stroking the clear rim of his wine glass, and then, as if making a decision, strode out of the hall.
Shu Yi'an, who had just gotten up from the corner of the hall, watched Chu Mu's departing figure, then suddenly lifted her skirt and got up to chase after him.
Because of the language barrier, she could only communicate with people in English, and she couldn't keep going for even an hour.
I glanced in his direction several times during that time, but each time he was either engrossed in chatting with someone or accepting invitations to dance with other women.
The side of the hotel lobby features a glass corridor designed entirely for sightseeing, with dozens of potted plants lining one wall.
Chu Mu tugged at his collar, glanced at the flashing lights of the traffic below, and casually took a cigarette out of his pack.
Just as he was about to reach for the lighter, a fair hand reached out in front of him and flicked a flame on it.
Tao Yunjia wore a bright red short dress, her hair was loosely permed into big curls, and her eight-centimeter-high black platform shoes added a lot of presence to her.
Chu Mu glanced at her, then lit a cigarette with the light she offered. He squinted at the newcomer through the thick smoke. "When did you arrive?"
"I've been waiting for you here for a while now. I was afraid the junior schoolmate would misunderstand if she saw me."
Tao Yunjia fiddled with the lighter in her hand, asking the man in front of her with his back to her in a mocking tone.
"What? You can't quite accept it, can you? Your usually gentle junior sister can actually dance such a high-class international dance, especially when you hardened your heart and decided to embarrass yourself because of her. If I were you, I would be extremely angry with her."
Chu Mu seemed not to hear, gazing out the window at the scenery, and asked in a low voice, "Have you handled things at the Third Division?"
Seeing that he didn't speak, Tao Yunjia took a few steps forward and grabbed Chu Mu's arm. Her beautiful face showed a hint of anger and annoyance. "How could someone as proud as you accept her? Do you really understand her? Are you sure you weren't thinking of me when you danced with her?"
"It's strange, really. Such an ordinary girl isn't scared at all in this situation. Chu Mu, are you sure you're her first man? She seems like she's seen it all."
"When did you start speaking so harshly?" Chu Mu asked calmly, looking at the woman in front of him who was almost out of control. "Whether I understand her or not is my business. As for you, we have nothing to do with each other since the moment you parted ways at our engagement party three years ago."
Tao Yunjia was most afraid that he would deny their past, and her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears at his words. Almost choking back sobs, she said, "Impossible!! If you didn't love me, how could you let her wear my shoes? Those shoes were specially made for me by Yuanyuan when we got engaged! My name is on them... And that waltz, we danced that same piece that day, remember? Everything is the same, how come that person isn't me..."
Tao Yunjia nearly collapsed, hugging Chu Mu tightly and burying her face in his chest. "Chu Mu, let me explain! I had a reason for leaving!! I was afraid I wouldn't be good enough for you!! That's why I chose to leave, that's why I worked so hard to climb to this position and stand shoulder to shoulder with you..."
"Yun Jia".
Chu Mu stubbed out his cigarette, pulled her away from his embrace, and called her name in a hoarse voice.
I won't wait for you every time.
Standing a few meters away, Shu Yi'an looked at the two people embracing by the glass window and suddenly closed her eyes in despair.
She originally wanted to chase after him to explain, she originally wanted to tell him things he never knew. She originally wanted to tell him about her entire past and the scars hidden deep in her heart.
But she just stood there, dozens of steps away, watching another woman embrace him, hearing with her own ears things he had never told her. She even used her most painful past, which she least wanted to recall, to help him awaken his sweetest memories with someone else.
However, he refused to listen to a single explanation from her. He was simply escorted away by others, completely disregarding her language barrier.
Shu Yi'an, you're so silly...
Looking at the shoes on her feet that were the envy of countless people, Shu Yi'an suddenly turned and ran out of the hotel.
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
The nights in Berlin were cool. Shu Yi'an stood blankly on the street outside the hotel, watching cars drive by one after another. Suddenly, she didn't know where she should go or where she could go.
As the neon lights shone brightly, an Asian woman dressed so formally and elegantly walked barefoot on the sidewalk, looking particularly lost and helpless, which made everyone turn their heads.