Xu Yan looked up thoughtfully at Zhou Luming, who was chatting animatedly with a man, her gaze fixed on her pink, smiling lips.
It's very soft and sweet.
Xu Yan was startled by the thought that popped into her mind, and quickly looked away, rubbing her temples to calm herself down.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to take you home?" Sun Ren asked with concern.
"No need, I just have a bit of a headache from the wind." Xu Yan frowned and waved his hand.
Sun Ren took off his suit jacket, intending to drape it over Xu Yan's shoulders, but then realized that Xu Yan was already wearing a jacket, and putting another one on would look a bit odd. So he paused, unsure of what to do.
The weather quickly turned gloomy, and a cool breeze suddenly blew in, causing the parasols on the roof to sway back and forth. Xu Yan saw Zhou Luming stop dancing and walk gracefully towards her. Her slender high heels, which could be used as weapons, clicked rhythmically on the soft grass. Zhou Luming put her hand on Xu Yan's shoulder and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Xu Yan, will you dance with me?"
Her voice was soft and gentle, sending a tingling sensation through Xu Yan's heart, as if he had been struck by lightning.
Zhou Luming leaned closer to Xu Yan's ear and whispered, "I've made a discovery."
Xu Yan got up with her, and the wind actually stopped, just like that. The band started playing again, and Zhou Luming led Xu Yan onto the dance floor.
"Sigh, at least we've escaped those men for now." Zhou Luming sighed wearily, put his hand on Xu Yan's shoulder, and looked at her meaningfully. "What did you talk about with Sun Ren just now?"
She noticed that Xu Yan and Sun Ren had been together for a long time, and even observed that Sun Ren wanted to put a coat on Xu Yan. So she couldn't help but walk over and take Xu Yan away; she didn't want Xu Yan to wear that smelly man's coat!
Zhou Luming's hand slowly moved to Xu Yan's neck, resting on it lightly. Xu Yan was unfamiliar with the dance steps and could only follow along with difficulty, worried that she might step on Zhou Luming's foot, just as she had stepped on other men's feet.
"What did you discover?" Xu Yan tried to shift her attention elsewhere.
“I’ve discovered—” Zhou Luming’s voice slowly drew closer, radiating a husky allure, accompanied by a fresh and rustic woody scent, “I have absolutely no interest in these men.”
Zhou Luming's lips curved into a smile.
Xu Yan paused, almost getting stepped on by Zhou Luming.
Feeling the intense gaze upon her, Xu Yan felt a surge of complex emotions. These past few days, Zhou Luming's actions had become increasingly ambiguous, far from toning down because of her identity as Q; in fact, they had intensified. A sense of unease crept into Xu Yan's mind. She tried her best to remain clear-headed and analyze the reasons behind Zhou Luming's behavior, but found herself unable to see through him.
Zhou Luming saw the slight panic in Xu Yan's eyes as he wished. He reached out and placed her hand on his lower back, his lips slightly parted as he instructed, "Don't move around, or I'll think you have ulterior motives."
He placed his hands around Xu Yan's neck, encircling her. Their behavior went beyond that of ordinary dance partners; even between two women, it seemed far too intimate and ambiguous.
This scene caught Zhou Jiayi's eye. She just thought the two of them looked a little strange, but didn't think anything of it. Zhou Jiasang also saw this, and she gave a meaningful smile, intending to continue observing the couple from the sidelines.
Sun Ren and Xu Yi happened to be together. Sun Ren frowned and looked at Xu Yan, saying, "Is it possible...?"
Xu Yi turned around, looking bewildered, and asked, "Maybe what?"
Sun Ren shook his head. "No, it's nothing."
He forced himself to stop looking at the two people in the center of the dance floor. Seeing that Xu Yi was about to continue drinking, he pressed down on his glass and said, "Stop drinking. We still have to take someone home later."
Xu Yi said, "I won't see you off, you see me off."
Sun Ren smiled. "Your father won't agree to you giving up this opportunity. Besides, are you really indifferent to the beautiful and charming Miss Zhou Luming? She comes from a good family, has a great figure and looks, and more importantly, she doesn't have a princess complex. A woman like that isn't easy to come by..."
Xu Yi seemed to be persuaded, but he was still wearing the watch Lin Shuwan had given him. "I can't let Xiaowan down. If you want to be her protector, then you can be her protector. Don't try to drag me into this."
Before turning to leave, Xu Yi glanced back at Sun Ren and said, "I heard you were there when Luke was there. Why weren't you a hero then? What are you trying to prove now?"
Sun Ren got angry and grabbed Xu Yi by the collar, "What did you say?!"
Xu Yi brushed Sun Ren's hand away and straightened his shirt. "You're just like your mother, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, always changing your tune with the wind. Now you want to pursue Miss Xu and want me to play along? I won't give up my happiness to fall for your tricks."
Sun Ren hadn't expected Xu Yi to have such a scholarly air about him; this kind of personality was rare even among their circle of wealthy second-generation heirs. Sun Ren chuckled self-deprecatingly, standing and watching the two women dancing in the middle of the dance floor. They were so pleasing to the eye and captivating.
Xu Yan possessed a rebellious spirit that he himself lacked; he wanted to possess Xu Yan, and he wanted to acquire that tenacity.
The men invited to the matchmaking event all left empty-handed. None of them won Ms. Zhou Luming's favor, and they didn't even get her contact information, which made them very frustrated.
Xu Yi was probably the only one present who could talk to Zhou Luming for a long time. As he left, he noticed many people casting envious glances at him. This was the first time he had become the center of jealousy in this circle. From childhood to adulthood, he wasn't particularly smart, nor was he handsome. He had no business acumen, and even as a playboy, he wasn't as dashing and popular with girls as Sun Ren.
If it weren't for his father being a wealthy man, he might have disappeared into the masses, becoming nothing more than a speck of dust.
When his father took him out to meet people, they would always use some vague and insincere compliments to praise him, but the introductions he heard most often were "This is Mr. Xu's son," "Like father, like son," and "The young master looks a lot like Mr. Xu"...
Gradually, Xu Yi learned how to be an invisible man. Anyway, no one would notice him, no one would really care about him. Without the identity of "Xu Lang's son", he was nothing.
However, Lin Shuwan was different. She was a ray of light in his life, always considerate of his feelings, carefully observing his preferences, approaching him without anyone else's shadow over her, and liking him...
Therefore, Xu Yi likes Lin Shuwan very much because Lin Shuwan doesn't like Xu Lang's son, but only Xu Yi.
After the Zhou family's ball ended, Xu Yi, thanks to Zhou Luming's fame, not only felt the jealousy and envy of other men, but also the satisfaction of being the center of attention and being praised to the top.
This was a feeling of enjoyment he had never experienced before. He had never had anything about him that others could envy, but tonight he felt this feeling. It was so joyful and exciting. He wanted to savor it a little longer, but it quickly dissipated as the crowd dispersed. So he could only reminisce about it on his way home, and even after he finished washing up and lay in bed, he was still savoring it.
Why does Zhou Luming only chat with me when he ignores others?
Could it be that she actually has feelings for me?
He glanced at the watch on his bedside table. It wasn't an expensive watch, but he always wore it. This was the first time he hadn't put it on immediately after showering since receiving it. He fell asleep with his wrist bare…
Meanwhile, Xu Yan was helpless because a drunkard—Miss Zhou Luming—was sitting next to her. A beautiful and wealthy woman in public, but a clingy pest when drunk. Xu Yan disliked the smell of alcohol, but she couldn't just abandon Miss Zhou. She had no choice but to call a designated driver and help Zhou Luming out of the Zhou family home. At the gate, she rejected Sun Ren, who was supposed to be her protector—because that guy might turn into a womanizer—and shoved Zhou Luming into the back seat, intending to avoid her. However, Zhou Luming, whether truly drunk or feigning, pulled her to sit in the back as well.
Right now, Zhou Luming is holding Xu Yan's arm tightly, leaning against her, his eyes closed, his breathing long and even as if he has fallen asleep.
The scenery outside the window kept rushing past. Xu Yan saw Zhou Luming frowning from the wind, so he rolled up the window. But the pungent smell of alcohol grew stronger, so he had the designated driver turn on the external air circulation. The designated driver was a college student. Seeing that it was a luxury car, he assumed it was a rich young man looking for fun. He didn't expect the owner to be a young woman, and her friend was also very pretty.
Zhou Luming was half asleep when the car swayed, and she was about to fall off Xu Yan's shoulder, but a pair of hands caught her in time. Xu Yan thought for a moment, then pulled the drunk girl back to lean on his shoulder again. Unexpectedly, the car swayed again, causing Zhou Luming to fall into Xu Yan's arms and bury her head in his neck...
Xu Yan felt a warm, smooth sensation against his neck and froze, unable to move. For the first time ever, he exclaimed in his mind: "Oh my god..."
Chapter 53
===================
Zhou Luming's behavior recently has clearly been intentional, but Xu Yan is still unsure of her target. This includes her previous kiss, her flamboyant behavior today, and her recent intentional or unintentional flirting.
It was especially obvious tonight. Xu Yan had to admit that he was attracted to her, but he was still able to maintain his rationality and restraint.
The college student driving the car kept glancing at the two young and beautiful women in the rearview mirror. He thought to himself, these two women are so young, they don't seem like they can afford a car. They came out of such a big house, they are wearing designer clothes and smell of alcohol. Could they be college students being kept by some rich young master?
Xu Yan was annoyed by the designated driver's prying eyes, so she took off her suit jacket and covered Zhou Luming with it. Zhou Luming then rubbed against her neck, his soft hair and breath tickling Xu Yan's cheek.
The college student driver finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you two college students? What's the event tonight? If there are similar events in the future, you can call me for a ride, and I'll give you a discount."
Xu Yan looked up at him coldly, "We won't be coming again."
"Why didn't you come? This kind of part-time job can make a lot of money, right? You girls are so lucky. You can dress up in a skirt and earn a lot of extra money in one night. Many of the girls in my class work as hostesses and earn more in a few hours than we do in several days. Unlike us boys, we stay up all night driving for a designated driver and only earn a few dozen yuan..."
The college student's tone was tinged with complaint as he continued to probe, "Excuse me, how much do you guys earn in one night? I see all those luxury cars parked outside. This car must belong to one of the rich kids inside, right? It's my first time driving one of these cars... It's really cool."
Xu Yan disliked his tone but was too lazy to argue with such a person, so she simply pretended not to hear and said, "Focus on driving."
But Zhou Luming unexpectedly spoke up, her voice tinged with the effects of alcohol, "We actually made quite a bit of money last night." She hiccuped, her eyes blurry as she looked at Xu Yan's profile nearby, "Especially our Miss Xu, although she's very young, maybe even younger than you, she's incredibly good at making money. She graduated from a prestigious university with dual degrees in economics and law, and manages assets worth hundreds of millions."
The college student was taken aback, skeptical. "Is this young lady really that amazing?"
Zhou Luming chuckled and said, "Of course she's amazing. While you're comfortably playing games in your dorm with your parents' allowance, she's spending a whole day and night in the school library writing research reports; while you're thinking about how to impress girls on the basketball court and find a girlfriend, she's working part-time while studying international trade and analyzing stock charts; while you're lamenting how many subjects you failed this year, she's preparing her speech for the outstanding student representative..."
Xu Yan was slightly taken aback, and her gaze involuntarily turned to Zhou Luming.
How did she know these things?
Zhou Luming smiled faintly, continuing to cling to Xu Yan, comfortably leaning on her shoulder, and said with half-closed eyes, "You boys always think we girls are just pretty faces, that we can get everything by just being pretty and charming. But what about you yourselves? You're like pieces of mud, not valuing your time to study hard, but wasting so much time procrastinating and indulging in pleasure. When things don't go your way, you blame the world for being unfair, and when you meet girls with better conditions than you, you think they got there through underhanded means..."
Zhou Luming appeared to be neither drunk nor sober, and his words were sharper than usual: "I don't look down on men, I just look down on men like you who don't respect women and have a filthy heart."
The college student gripped the steering wheel tighter, his face turning pale and then flushed.
Xu Yan watched the road for him, saying, "Don't say anything, he's still driving."
Zhou Luming, slightly drunk, said, "What's there to be afraid of? I have money. Is it a crime for a pretty girl to have money? Is it a crime for a talented woman to make money? What era are we living in? How can people still have such thoughts? If I hadn't been drinking, I would have kicked this kid out of the car..."
Xu Yan was helpless against this drunkard.
But the male college student refused to accept the offer. "I'm not doing this order!" he angrily parked his car on the side of the road, turned off the engine, opened the trunk, took out his electric scooter, and drove off.
Xu Yan remained silent.
The car had its hazard lights on and was parked quietly on the side of the road.
It was two in the morning, and everyone was sound asleep in the darkness. This was a secluded road with no cars passing by. Xu Yan opened his phone to call a taxi, but no one accepted the order.
The location looked close to home, but the journey home with a drunkard became arduous.
Xu Yan said, "Wait a minute, I'll call someone to help."
Zhou Luming did not answer; he had fallen asleep again.
Xu Yan was exasperated. Had the driver just fallen asleep so carefree after getting angry? She thought for a moment and decided to call Wang Anjing for help, but Wang Anjing didn't answer. Looking at the quiet street, Xu Yan felt, for the first time, the loneliness of being all alone, without a single friend.
But she couldn't drive under the influence, so she had to drag Zhou Luming out of the car again and walk her home, which was about 1.3 kilometers away. She figured she could just consider it exercise.
Zhou Luming woke up a bit by then and slumped against Xu Yan as they walked.
"I'm sorry, Xu Yan. I didn't expect him to be so petty and so fragile. He couldn't handle being hurt by just a few words from me. How can young people these days be so narrow-minded..."
Xu Yan didn't answer, but silently helped Zhou Luming walk.
Zhou Luming muttered again, "I'm just angry that he said those things about you. You're so outstanding, and everything you have now is the result of your hard work. Why does he say that you only got your car and house because of a man? I'm being very kind by not hitting him..."
“He’s right. I did get to where I am today because of men. I received financial support from the Zhou family during my university years. Without that support, I wouldn’t have been able to complete my studies. That’s why I returned to China to deal with this inheritance,” Xu Yan said calmly.
Zhou Luming smiled at her, "I don't believe it."
"Whether you believe it or not, it's true."
"I believe you accepted the funding, but I also believe you earned everything you have now through your own intelligence and hard work, including your house, your car, and the respect others have for you. Although we girls are naturally weaker than men in terms of physical strength, most of us are more diligent and use our intelligence to prove that we are no less capable than men. But when people see women achieve success, they often don't think that it's the result of their own efforts. If this woman happens to be good-looking or has a good figure, they often think, 'Oh, so she got all this because of her looks or figure...' as if successful women must be plain-looking to prove their abilities. How unfair is that?"
Zhou Luming's eyes were clear, and his words were logically sound. "The Zhou family's sponsorship is just an opportunity. Opportunities come to those who are prepared and they will yield unexpected results. To the Zhou family, you are just an ordinary sponsor. They have other sponsors besides you, but only you can be considered successful. Xu Yan, hard work is not limited by gender, but success is subject to gender bias."
Xu Yan was surprised to hear Zhou Luming say such things, but at the same time, she felt that Zhou Luming was a bit special tonight.
"You're not drunk, are you? What exactly do you want to tell me?" Xu Yan stopped and asked.
Zhou Luming rubbed his forehead, then leaned weakly against Xu Yan again. "Ah, I'm dizzy again..."
Xu Yan guessed that she was joking around and pretending to be crazy because she was drunk. He thought about simply leaving her on the street and letting her walk home by herself, but when he saw her face and clothes, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
What if she's really drunk and doesn't have the strength? That would be so unfair.
In the end, Xu Yan dragged Zhou Luming the entire 1.3-kilometer journey, nearly collapsing from exhaustion at his doorstep. After placing Zhou Luming on the living room sofa, Xu Yan went to the bathroom, and in the blink of an eye, Zhou Luming was no longer on the sofa.
Xu Yan frowned and went to Zhou Luming's room on the first floor, but no one was there.
A guess flashed through her mind, and Xu Yan quickly ran upstairs to the second floor, where she saw Zhou Luming sitting on the floor outside her bedroom door. She breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the door was locked again, and she couldn't get in.