Chapter 109

Lin Yuewei turned back.

"What are you looking at?" Qu Xuesong asked.

She glanced back too, but only saw the back of a man's head.

Lin Yuewei smiled. "Nothing. I thought it was one of my classmates."

Qu Xuesong: "Was it?"

Lin Yuewei: "Of course not. Let's go."

Qu Xuesong put an arm around Lin Yuewei's shoulders and gave her a stern reminder. "If you run into this sort of thing again, try not to look. Whether it is or isn't isn't the point; the risk of exposing yourself is much higher."

Lin Yuewei was distracted, but she kept a polite smile on her face. "How could that be? Hardly anyone recognizes me right now. Even if I don't wear a mask, it'll be fine."

Qu Xuesong's expression darkened slightly. "You've already entered this industry and you still think like that? Then just think of yourself as a big star. You'll be famous sooner or later."

Lin Yuewei stuck out her tongue on purpose and acted obedient. "I know I was wrong, Teacher Qu."

Qu Xuesong's face softened a little, and she lightly swatted her shoulder.

The two of them went up two flights of stairs, one after the other, and reached a large private room on the third floor. There were bodyguards in suits at the door, along with staff assigned to receive guests. The moment they saw Qu Xuesong, they stepped forward with smiles and greeted her politely. "Teacher Qu, you're here again."

Qu Xuesong put on a faintly annoyed expression. "What kind of way is that to talk? I only went out to pick up a little friend."

She handed Lin Yuewei's invitation card to him.

Only then did the man look at Lin Yuewei and say, "Miss Lin." He gestured her inside. Lin Yuewei returned the smile and followed Qu Xuesong in.

Qu Xuesong had said this was a small private gathering. Once inside, Lin Yuewei looked around. By the usual standards of banquets, where perfume and jewelry filled the room and glasses clinked endlessly, this was indeed small, but not so small as to be insignificant.

People were seated on the sofa, by the table, and others were out of sight for the moment, though the signs of use made it obvious there were people inside. Altogether, there had to be twenty or thirty guests.

Different from the lively scene she had imagined, this small banquet was rather quiet. The lights were bright, the decor was American retro, and the overall palette was dark, giving the event a slightly more solemn air.

Old records were playing in the living room, the vocals soft and lingering. From the sound of it, Lin Yuewei thought it might be Kunqu opera.

On the sofa alone, there were two middle-aged men seated: one with slicked-back hair in a Tang suit, the other in a suit with one leg crossed over the other, drinking together. At the table, four young men were even playing cards.

As soon as Lin Yuewei and Qu Xuesong entered, a server silently came over with a tray of champagne. After they each took a glass, the server simply nodded and withdrew.

Qu Xuesong saw the confusion in Lin Yuewei's eyes and smiled. "What? What did you think this place would be?"

Lin Yuewei blinked.

Qu Xuesong said, "I'll take you to that kind of occasion another time. You were just lucky this time, do you understand?"

Lin Yuewei immediately said, "Thank you, Teacher Qu. Teacher Qu is the most beautiful; you're a fairy."

Teacher Qu lifted her chin and took a sip of wine, her face full of disdain. "Cheesy. Fine, I'll take you around and introduce you to some people."

Lin Yuewei straightened her spirits to the maximum.

She first went to the sofa and pointed at the middle-aged man in the Tang suit with slicked-back hair. "This is President Cheng from Chimo Media."

Then she said to President Cheng, "President Cheng, this is a little friend I brought along. She acted with me in Mist City before; her surname is Lin, Lin Yuewei."

Lin Yuewei: "Hello, President Cheng."

President Cheng looked very easy to get along with and said kindly, "Xiao Lin, good, good. I've seen the trailer they sent over. You acted very well. The younger generation is to be feared."

Lin Yuewei looked pleasantly surprised. How would a major entertainment company CEO have time to watch the trailer for one of the many dramas his company had invested in?

Qu Xuesong answered her confusion directly. "You think he was watching you? He was watching me."

President Cheng burst out laughing.

Lin Yuewei hurriedly laughed along.

President Cheng said, "Yes, yes, yes, I was just looking at Xiao Lin by the way. You acted well." Then his tone shifted. "Xiao Lin, are you interested in signing with our Chimo Media? We're no worse than your current company."

Before Lin Yuewei could speak, Qu Xuesong shot back, "Will you pay the breach-of-contract fee?"

Her tone was completely unceremonious, which was enough to prove their relationship was indeed close.

President Cheng laughed again, loudly.

His laughter seemed especially easy to trigger, Lin Yuewei thought; but people like that usually showed the exact opposite of what they really thought.

Chimo... The name sounded oddly familiar to Lin Yuewei, as if she'd heard it somewhere before.

Surname Cheng?

A flash of insight struck her. She remembered. Could this be Cheng Guiyuan's father? When she looked more closely at President Cheng's features, Lin Yuewei couldn't help thinking that her mother's genes were too strong; she had somehow given her daughter such a handsome face.

Qu Xuesong didn't dare bring up that chance meeting with Cheng Guiyuan on set, but Lin Yuewei dared. She knew the situation, and she also knew Cheng Guiyuan had no feelings for her. She might even have mentioned her in front of her own father. Whether she had or not, it was still better to try to make nice.

Lin Yuewei said, "President Cheng, wasn't your daughter visiting the set of Mist City last time?"

President Cheng's smile immediately deepened, becoming more genuine. "You ran into her? Ah, my daughter had just returned to the country and started taking over the business from me. I had planned to bring her tonight, but she had something to do and couldn't get away."

Lin Yuewei could clearly feel Qu Xuesong's scrutinizing gaze beside her. Under that gaze, she picked up on President Cheng's words and said, "A tiger father has no dog daughter. Your daughter will definitely make a big name for herself in the country in the future."

President Cheng: "Hahahahahahaha." He waved a hand, laughing. "You've really hit me where it counts. I only have this one daughter, and those years she was overseas, I missed her so much. Don't believe me? Ask Old Qu. Every time I talked about my daughter, I cried."

Qu Xuesong gave a perfunctory laugh or two.

President Cheng: "Hahahahahahaha, can you give me a little face in front of the newcomer?" He was laughing so hard tears nearly flew out.

Lin Yuewei: "..."

Confirmed. He really did have an especially low laughter threshold.

The three of them chatted a little longer, and then Qu Xuesong introduced her to the man in the suit beside them. He was the complete opposite of President Cheng, with a face as cold as a thousand-year glacier; he'd been wearing a sour expression ever since Qu Xuesong arrived.

President Cheng nudged his shoulder. Only then did his expression improve slightly, though he still said unhappily, "Everyone was chatting just fine. You had to drag in a newcomer for no reason." He seemed to have even harsher words to say, but considering President Cheng and Qu Xuesong's faces, he ultimately held them back.

Lin Yuewei felt a little awkward, but still kept a friendly smile.

The middle-aged man extended his hand and directly refused to engage with her.

Qu Xuesong smiled. "Sorry about that. I'll punish myself with a drink."

The middle-aged man also took a sip of the wine in his glass. "I'm not targeting you."

Qu Xuesong: "I know."

Qu Xuesong led Lin Yuewei away from that area and said to her in a low voice, "This one is a famous hothead. Every emotion is written all over his face. His family is an old clan in Yanning City. Twenty years ago, when he took over the family business, he was both a rich third generation and an official third generation, so he got a little spoiled. I didn't really want to introduce you to him, but since he was sitting with President Cheng, it would've been rude not to say hello."

Lin Yuewei nodded quickly. "I understand."

Qu Xuesong gave her a meaningful look. "Why did you bring up President Cheng's daughter visiting the set? Are you trying to draw even more attention to yourself? What if they remember you? Father and daughter go back and discuss it, and then, oh dear."

Lin Yuewei knew that was impossible, but she still had to appreciate Qu Xuesong's good intentions. However, she absolutely couldn't tell her the truth. Not trusting others blindly was something Qu Xuesong had taught her, so aside from Shao Yasi, the one person who already knew the truth, Lin Yuewei would not tell a second person about her secret marriage.

So Lin Yuewei could only say, "I'll be careful. I was only thinking about making conversation and forgot everything else." She made herself look ambitious and eager for quick success.

Whether or not Qu Xuesong had dismissed her suspicions, upon hearing that, she immediately shook her head. "You." Then she tapped Lin Yuewei's forehead. "Next time, use your brain before you speak. Even if you don't say something, don't say too much and make a mistake."

Lin Yuewei said sincerely, "I know I was wrong."

Worried that she'd sounded too harsh, Qu Xuesong sighed and then comforted her. "You don't need to worry too much. Just pay more attention next time. Don't do this again."

Lin Yuewei nodded.

Qu Xuesong took her to meet more people, and finally they reached the card table. The young people there all greeted Qu Xuesong sweetly as soon as they saw her, calling out "Sister Qu" one after another. In particular, one young woman directly took Lin Yuewei's place and wrapped herself around Qu Xuesong's arm, speaking warmly, "Sister Qu, it's been so long since you've come."

Qu Xuesong patted her shoulder and subtly put some distance between them, then pulled Lin Yuewei out from behind her. "I've been busy, that's all. Come on, meet her. This is the little sister I claimed."

The young woman said sourly, "Is she a sworn little sister or a little lover?"

Lin Yuewei had already caught on to some of the signs. Could this girl have a thing for Qu Xuesong? On second thought, it wasn't strange. Qu Xuesong had quite a lot of charisma, especially the kind that drew in young girls with a strong appetite for novelty. At that age, girls tended to like someone like Qu Xuesong; someone who looked gentle and considerate, like a big sister.

By contrast, the three young men were all very friendly to Lin Yuewei.

Their looks weren't especially outstanding, but they were fresh and clean, the sort who must have been born with silver spoons in their mouths; they were probably the children of the big shots sitting here. One had a rather flamboyant temperament, one was more refined and gentle, and one was quite quiet, seemingly reserved and restrained, with a fairly proper appearance. The flamboyant one immediately introduced himself to Lin Yuewei, saying his surname was Zou, his family was XX, his father was XX, and he was very pleased to meet her, and so on.

The more refined one smiled and said to the young woman, "Why are you always like this? The moment you see someone, you say they're Sister Qu's little lover. Even Sister Qu herself can't count how many little lovers she has now."

Qu Xuesong said cheerfully, "That's right, that's right."

The young woman held onto Qu Xuesong's arm tightly, and Qu Xuesong gave the remaining four people a wry smile.

Lin Yuewei took the initiative and asked, "What are you playing?"

The young woman immediately said smugly, "Bridge. You don't know how to play, do you?"

Lin Yuewei: "..."

What a coincidence; not only did she know how to play, she knew far too well.

Lin Yuewei smiled politely. "Would you mind if I joined?"

The young woman looked at her suspiciously. "You really know how to play?"

The more refined young man offered his seat. "Sit here."

Bridge was a two-against-two game. Lin Yuewei was on the same side as the flamboyant Mr. Zou, while the spoiled young woman and the quiet young man were on the other. Right from the start, the young woman declared fiercely, "Don't drag Zou Heng down."

Zou Heng was Mr. Zou's name. He grinned at Lin Yuewei without restraint and said, "It's fine. Your young master will carry the whole game."

The young woman stamped her foot. "Zou Heng, do you want to die?"

Zou Heng laughed. "Not at all, not at all. Your young master is fond of the fairer sex, but you ended up on that side."

The refined young man spoke again. "Miss Lin is a newcomer. It will take time for her to build chemistry with Zou Heng."

That one sentence gave Lin Yuewei's team an irrefutable excuse for losing. Lin Yuewei smiled kindly at him, and he smiled back.

The young woman was probably used to being spoiled; she directly pinched the refined young man's arm. He didn't mind, and the four of them seemed to get along very well.

After three rounds,

Qu Xuesong, acting as temporary referee, announced the situation: 3 to 0.

Three was Zou Heng and Lin Yuewei's team; zero was the young woman and the quiet young man's team.

The young woman was stunned. She slammed down her cards and pointed at Lin Yuewei's nose. "You cheated!"

Lin Yuewei had never been pointed at like that before; her expression immediately darkened. On top of that, this was extremely rude social behavior. The refined young man seemed gentle and courteous, but he was the oldest of the group. Seeing the young woman behave like this, he immediately moved her hand away and rebuked her in a low voice.

The young woman was quite afraid of the refined young man's temper. Her attitude was no longer as arrogant, but she still refused to accept it. "Let's reshuffle the teams and swap partners. You were just lucky, and Zou Heng carried you. A king carrying silver, and you think you're a king too?"

Lin Yuewei shrugged carelessly. "Then swap."

Who wasn't a young miss, after all? The haughtiness she let out at that moment was no weaker than the young woman's. If they were really comparing spoiled attitudes, Lin Yuewei was confident she wouldn't lose to this heiress.

The young woman froze for a moment, feeling that the aura around her seemed strangely familiar. She quickly brushed the thought aside and hurried to switch places with Lin Yuewei. Yes, she was going to team up with Zou Heng. She firmly believed Lin Yuewei had only been carried by Zou Heng.

Zou Heng gave Lin Yuewei an apologetic smile; his arrogance was measured, neither excessive nor annoying. "Looks like we're going to be enemies. Sorry about that."

Lin Yuewei smiled. "It's fine."

With due respect, aside from the refined young man who had not played, the three people here were two golds and one silver; they were nowhere near platinum or diamond, let alone king. They didn't even come close.

The only king in Lin Yuewei's heart was the one who gazed at the stars.

She paused, her fingers still on the cards. It had been a long time since she'd thought of that name, the one that stirred such waves in her.

She shook her head slightly, forcing that person out of her mind, and instead made herself think of Gu Yanqiu. She had never played cards with Gu Yanqiu before; she wondered how good her skills were.

Gu Yanqiu liked competitive sports, so she probably wouldn't be interested in this sort of strategy-based card game, Lin Yuewei thought.

She was distracted for a moment, and the young woman urged her to play, taunting her. "Don't tell me you'll forget how to play just because you changed partners? If you can't, just admit defeat. I definitely won't laugh at you."

Lin Yuewei calmly played a card.

She was the second to act; the others followed.

By the end of that round, Lin Yuewei's side had made a small slam.

She exchanged a look with the quiet young man and couldn't help but high-five him. Bridge was still a kind of sport, after all; and sport could make a person's nerves tingle.

Looking at the young woman's wonderfully changing expression, Lin Yuewei finally understood: Zou Heng was gold, while the quiet young man was actually platinum, because he had been paired with the spoiled young woman, who was dead weight. That was why they'd lost so badly in the earlier rounds.

Lin Yuewei almost laughed, but held it in.

Zou Heng, on the other hand, laughed out loud without any restraint. "Oh my god, Xiao Qiu, you..."

The young woman surnamed Qiu had more or less come to believe that Lin Yuewei really was very good at the game, but she still insisted stubbornly, "It was just luck. Again!"

If card games were ranked by how much they depended on luck, bridge would definitely be one of the least luck-dependent, especially when making a small slam. That absolutely couldn't be explained by luck alone.

Zou Heng was full of mischief and never stopped smiling. The four of them played a few more rounds, but Miss Qiu really couldn't be carried; the opposing side was a strong combination, and she lost miserably.

The refined young man brought the four-person game to an end. Xiao Qiu was indignant but helpless; since her skills were inferior, she could only cling to Qu Xuesong and complain while Qu Xuesong comforted her in a low voice.

Zou Heng grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. "Let's play cards together again sometime. Oh, by the way, can you ride horses?"

Lin Yuewei told the truth. "Not really, but I can learn. I'm pretty interested." She had heard Gu Yanqiu mention it before; Gu Yanqiu was very good at riding and had won an equestrian championship while studying abroad. She had forgotten what event it was, but she'd always wanted to learn from Gu Yanqiu.

Zou Heng said, "My family has a private riding club. I often take friends there to play. People like these few here are regulars, and we have coaches too. If you're interested, I'll call you next time. You can learn on the spot."

Lin Yuewei smiled. "Of course I'm interested."

Zou Heng pulled out his phone, lifted it slightly, and smiled freely. "Add me?"

The two of them scanned each other and became friends.

The refined young man also came over and scanned Lin Yuewei's QR code. She remembered that he'd introduced himself as surnamed Chen; Young Master Chen was the son of a well-known industry producer and often appeared in entertainment news. The quiet young man who had not said a word since Lin Yuewei came over finally spoke. "My name is Qiu Yu'an. The Qiu in 'revenge.' My father is Qiu XX."

The surname Qiu wasn't very common. As soon as he spoke, Lin Yuewei linked him to a certain famous director; once she heard the rest, she confirmed it.

Lin Yuewei was startled. She reached out and shook his hand. "Lin Yuewei."

Qiu Yu'an: "Hello." Brief and concise.

After that, he didn't speak again, but he did pull out his phone, and Lin Yuewei added him as well. At that moment, Zou Heng poked his head over, resting his chin on Qiu Yu'an's shoulder and saying brightly, "Xiao An is about to debut."

Lin Yuewei: "!!!"

Zou Heng laughed. "Xiao An's father is tailoring a drama for him; a serious one, a big production. We're all waiting for him to make a splash." He winked. "This is insider information, so you can't just tell other people."

Qiu Yu'an's expression remained unreadable.

Lin Yuewei's mind raced.

Xiao Qiu came back from her complaints and said, "Oh, come on. How many people have you already gone around blabbing that insider info to?"

Zou Heng said, "The people I've blabbed to are all insiders. The people who should know already know, and the people who shouldn't know won't hear it from me."

Xiao Qiu said, "Then what about her..."

Zou Heng said, "She won't tell anyone. Right, Xiaowei?"

He casually changed the way he addressed Lin Yuewei.

Lin Yuewei looked at Zou Heng. He was still wearing that roguish expression, and her heart tightened. People who had spent a long time in these circles, even young men in their twenties, had already become sharp and shrewd. Whether Zou Heng had told Lin Yuewei this to give her a chance to gather information early and prepare, or just because he found it amusing and wanted to tease her, he had already judged that she wouldn't say anything. In matters like this, the fewer people who knew, the safer it was.

Lin Yuewei smiled naturally. "Right. Things that can't be told, I would of course keep secret. That's the bottom line of being a friend, isn't it?"

Zou Heng seemed pleased by that answer and laughed heartily.

Qiu Yu'an pressed his thin lips together.

The refined Young Master Chen smiled faintly.

The spoiled Xiao Qiu wore a mocking smile at the corners of her mouth.

Qu Xuesong looked at Lin Yuewei with three parts seriousness, three parts worry, three parts relief, and the final part melancholy, hoping she would do well and not become like her former self.

Everyone had different expressions, while Lin Yuewei kept a light smile the entire time.

The gathering went on for a long while. In the middle of it, Lin Yuewei found an excuse to go to the restroom. She hid in a stall and, with no time to rub the stiffness from her smile, sent Gu Yanqiu a message. She had really delayed too long and couldn't get away; the chat window was already full of messages from Gu Yanqiu.

[West Gu: How is it?]

[West Gu: Is the atmosphere inside weird? If it is, come out quickly.]

[West Gu: Try not to drink.]

[West Gu: I'm downstairs.]

[West Gu: Reply to me; just send a number.]

[West Gu: I'm coming up. You're on the third floor, right?]

The last message had been sent three minutes ago. Lin Yuewei hurriedly replied:

[Two Trees: 22222222222222]

Before Lin Yuewei could even send "I'm fine," Gu Yanqiu replied instantly: [!!!]

[Two Trees: I'm fine.]

[West Gu: I'm at the entrance.]

The two messages appeared on the screen at the same time.

[Two Trees: I can't get out. It'll still be a while before it's over.]

[Two Trees: Go wait in the car downstairs.]

[West Gu: I'm not worried. I'll wait at the entrance.]

[Two Trees: Won't that be kind of strange? What if someone comes over and asks you something?]

[West Gu: I'll shamelessly endure it. It's fine.]

At that moment, Lin Yuewei suddenly felt Gu Yanqiu's love for her. Gu Yanqiu was not someone who often said "like" out loud; at most she would say, "I miss you," and that was only when the two of them were apart. If they lived together, Lin Yuewei would have to say it first before Gu Yanqiu would follow with, "Me too," or "I miss you too."

An emotion more intense than anything before surged in Lin Yuewei's chest. Her fingers subconsciously tapped the keyboard a few times, and when she saw the three words in the input box, she froze.

After a moment's hesitation, Lin Yuewei deleted the "I love you" that had naturally risen to her fingertips and sent instead:

[Two Trees: I need to keep going. If your feet get tired, get a private room; I'll reimburse you.]

Gu Yanqiu sent her a smiling face, a very old-fashioned smile, very much in the Gu family chat style.

Yet Lin Yuewei found it incomparably cute right now.

Lin Yuewei herself was a wealthy young lady from a powerful family, so she understood the true thoughts of those young men and women. If she thought they had truly already accepted her as a friend, that would be laughable. There are classes between people, and class is something you're born with; it isn't easily broken.

She was just a nobody in the entertainment world. Even with Qu Xuesong's introduction, what was she really? At best, just a toy to relieve the boredom of rich young masters and misses; a joke to liven up the room. So what if she was good at bridge and could crush everyone? All she'd done was upgrade from a joke to a joke with a little talent; maybe in the future they'd even make her perform.

Lin Yuewei knew exactly what place she held in their hearts, but she had to keep smiling, because class could move. Even if it was difficult, if she was given a chance, Lin Yuewei could slowly turn from something for their amusement into their friend. Even if it took a very long time, even if it required enormous effort, even if she had to sell off her pride.

If she were still the Miss Lin family, able to reveal that fact openly, then after today she could have become friends with that crowd, because they had been born into the same class. But now that Lin Yuewei had lost the backing of a wealthy young lady's identity, her pride and reason were locked in a stalemate whenever she faced this sort of situation.

The former Miss Lin family would not have been able to endure this humiliation. But the Lin Yuewei of now had to endure it.

She went into the restroom not only to contact Gu Yanqiu, but also because she felt like throwing up from the intense discomfort caused by the contempt she sensed.

Lin Yuewei closed her eyes, read through her chat history with Gu Yanqiu from top to bottom, and felt as if she'd been given a shot of adrenaline. She regrouped, lifted her spirits, and walked back out.

For herself, and for Gu Yanqiu.

She flowed back into the crowd like a fish, smooth and at ease, adapting as naturally as if she'd been born to it.

Finally, the gathering came to an end and people began leaving one after another.

Qu Xuesong looked at her in surprise. Lin Yuewei had done even better than she'd expected. More than ten years ago, when she faced this sort of setting, she had only felt nervous and afraid. The young people nowadays really were better than the old generation.

Then Qu Xuesong thought: Am I getting old?

Lin Yuewei moved to a corner where no one was paying attention, braced one hand against the wall, and called out, "Teacher Qu."

Qu Xuesong was pulled over to block her in front.

Then Lin Yuewei showed a very uncomfortable expression.

Qu Xuesong: "What's wrong?"

Lin Yuewei held back the urge to retch and frowned. "Nothing."

After a moment, Lin Yuewei lifted her head and suddenly let out an astonished "Ah." Her gaze slipped past Qu Xuesong's shoulder as she looked over. "President Cheng's daughter is here." She swallowed Cheng Guiyuan's name back in time, because in Qu Xuesong's mind, she didn't know Cheng Guiyuan's name—only that she was the Chimo Media heiress.

Qu Xuesong turned to look. "It's her?"

Cheng Guiyuan had come to pick up her father on her mother's orders. Coincidentally, she'd first run into Gu Yanqiu outside, then inside she ran into Gu Yanqiu's wife, along with that interesting Miss Qu.

Since they'd run into each other, there was no reason not to say hello. Her father was watching too; she might as well show him the relationship between her and those two people, which would make things easier for the road ahead. Whether it was a big convenience or a small one, convenience was still convenience, and better than nothing.

"Hello, Miss Qu. We meet again." Cheng Guiyuan shook hands with Qu Xuesong, then turned her gaze onto Lin Yuewei with an air of deeper meaning.

This time Lin Yuewei understood what she meant, and remembering the previous misunderstanding, she felt a little awkward. She also shook her hand. "Miss Cheng."

Qu Xuesong's every nerve was on guard against Cheng Guiyuan, afraid she would set her sights on Lin Yuewei again, but Cheng Guiyuan said hello and left without any hesitation.

Qu Xuesong: "??"

Just then, Cheng Guiyuan turned back and smiled at her again, the smile full of mischief.

Qu Xuesong: "..."

Not long after Cheng Guiyuan left, Lin Yuewei received a message from Gu Yanqiu:

[West Gu: I'm with Cheng Guiyuan and her father. It'll probably take a few minutes; after it's over, wait for me in the car.]

Qu Xuesong asked, "Who was that?"

Lin Yuewei replied calmly as she put away her phone, "My assistant. She'll take me home."

Having already been reminded by several people, she was very good at controlling her expression by now, and was confident Qu Xuesong couldn't see anything amiss.

Qu Xuesong said, "Then we'll part ways downstairs later. My driver is already waiting for me."

Lin Yuewei said, "Okay. Thank you, Teacher Qu."

"No need."

The two of them lingered in the banquet hall a bit longer, then finally split up on the first floor. Lin Yuewei went outside and, braving the cold wind, found where Gu Yanqiu had parked. The car was unlocked, and Lin Yuewei got in.

First Gu Yanqiu warmed her ears with hands that had been heated by the air conditioner for ten minutes, then covered her ice-cold hands with her own. "Cold?"

"Not too bad. It's warm once I get in."

"Going home?"

"Not yet," Lin Yuewei said, remembering the glance she had exchanged with her father earlier. She took out one hand and tapped her phone screen twice. "I need to call my dad."

Gu Yanqiu slowly furrowed her brows.

Lin Yuewei heard the line connect with a beep, and the phone was answered quickly by Father Lin even in the middle of the night, confirming her suspicion.

Father Lin said, "I've been waiting for this call from you for a long time."

Lin Yuewei said, "Where are you?"