Chapter 7

The living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Mu Wanyan didn’t dare move. All she could hear was the pounding of her own heartbeat, so loud it made her mind restless. Yet Su Xingwei’s hand still held hers tightly, with no sign of letting go.

“How much longer do we have to practice?”

She couldn’t help asking.

Su Xingwei seemed to snap out of it at those words and abruptly let go.

“Next is table manners.”

She stood and deliberately looked past Mu Wanyan before walking straight toward the dining room.

Warmth still lingered in Mu Wanyan’s palm. She curled her fingers, hid her hand behind her back, and hurried after her.

The butler had already arranged everything in the dining room. A white tablecloth covered the long table, with two sets of cutlery laid out neatly; in the middle sat seafood congee and several exquisite dim sum dishes.

The two took their seats one after the other, not too far apart and not too close, yet the atmosphere was still a little strange.

“When we eat, we also need to keep up the act,” Su Xingwei said suddenly, her tone already calm again.

Mu Wanyan glanced at her and picked up a shrimp bun, placing it into her bowl.

Su Xingwei ate slowly and elegantly, unhurried in every movement; after only a few bites, she set down her chopsticks.

Mu Wanyan happened to notice a little sauce at the corner of her mouth. She didn’t think much of it and, out of habit, leaned over with a tissue to wipe it away.

The next second, her wrist was firmly caught. Su Xingwei stared at her, her gaze deep, as though she were trying to make out something elusive.

Only then did Mu Wanyan come to her senses and realize she had crossed the line again without meaning to.

Her cheeks warming, she lowered her eyes and didn’t dare meet Su Xingwei’s gaze. “It’s all for work,” she hurriedly explained.

Su Xingwei studied her for a few seconds, then slowly let go without saying anything else. She picked up her chopsticks and continued eating.

After breakfast, the two returned to the living room, where Su Xingwei chose a slow, graceful symphony.

“Next item: dancing.”

She stood in the center of the living room and turned to face Mu Wanyan, her expression calm.

Mu Wanyan steadied herself, walked up to Su Xingwei, paused for a moment, then wrapped her arms around her waist.

Su Xingwei’s body instantly stiffened. She looked up sharply and fixed Mu Wanyan with a stare. The hand at her waist had a warm, unmistakable touch; it made her entire body tense, and her heartbeat somehow quickened.

Mu Wanyan sensed her reaction and loosened her grip a little, turning it into a light supporting hold. “Sorry.”

She had almost forgotten that Su Xingwei had always disliked people getting too close.

“It’s fine; it’s all for work.”

Su Xingwei quickly composed herself and rested her hand back at Mu Wanyan’s waist. “It has to look real if we don’t want to give ourselves away.”

Mu Wanyan nodded and moved with her, stepping in time to the music.

Suddenly, she thought of the various balls from before; it had always been just the two of them attending together. At Xingsheng Group’s annual gala, Su Xingwei had never liked dancing with people she wasn’t familiar with, so she always dragged Mu Wanyan along as her partner.

The symphony continued in the living room, though it had changed to a livelier tune. The two of them stopped at the same time and looked at each other. Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

Looking into those familiar eyes, Su Xingwei felt an inexplicable irritation rise in her heart; there was also something unspeakable hidden there, caught somewhere between rising and falling.

She had never liked anyone getting close to her. Xie Yin always said she had too many quirks and a bit of a cleanliness obsession; she would resist even the slightest touch from others. Yet she found herself not resisting Mu Wanyan’s closeness at all, and even not hating it.

That was very wrong.

Su Xingwei suddenly let go and deliberately put some distance between them. Her voice grew a shade colder and more detached. “You did well. Go back and rest early. Come over at seven tomorrow night on the dot.”

Mu Wanyan stood where she was, still carrying the lingering scent of Su Xingwei in her arms. She quickly gathered her thoughts.

“Okay.”

At seven the next evening, Mu Wanyan arrived at the villa area on time. She had changed into a white turtleneck sweater with a gray suit jacket over it.

The moment she saw Su Xingwei, she couldn’t help but freeze. Su Xingwei was wearing a gray fitted knit dress with a white shawl draped over it. They hadn’t even discussed it in advance, yet somehow they had ended up dressed in matching tones.

The butler laughed from the side. “Assistant Mu really does have a telepathic connection with Young Miss.”

At that, Su Xingwei cast the butler a faint glance, and the latter immediately shut up tactfully.

Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the hotel. The moment they got out, Su Xingwei naturally took Mu Wanyan’s hand, their fingers locking together in an intimate gesture.

Mu Wanyan forced down the waves in her heart and threw herself fully into the role of “lover.” Under the service staff’s gazes, she wore just the right smile, staying close beside Su Xingwei as they entered the private room together.

Inside, Chairman Zhao and her girlfriend had already arrived. After a brief round of greetings and pleasantries, the four of them took their seats.

Chairman Zhao’s gaze lingered for a moment on the hands joined between Su Xingwei and Mu Wanyan, and she smiled as she spoke. “Chairwoman Su and your beloved must have such a good relationship. Since you came in, you haven’t let go of each other’s hands once. Unlike the couple who came last time to discuss cooperation; anyone with eyes could tell they’d been hired to fake being lovers. There wasn’t the slightest trace of real feeling.”

Mu Wanyan’s heart sank; she felt there was something pointed in the other woman’s words. Just like Xie Yin said, this Chairman Zhao had sharp eyes.

But Su Xingwei only smiled calmly and looked toward Mu Wanyan, her tone carrying a hint of indulgence.

“She’s a little shy. She doesn’t like being affectionate with me in front of others, so I can only be the more proactive one.”

Mu Wanyan lowered her head in cooperation, her ears red, putting on an earnest shy expression.

Seeing this, Chairman Zhao smiled and said nothing more.

Elegant dishes were served one after another, fragrant and beautifully arranged. During the meal, Su Xingwei diligently kept picking food for Mu Wanyan, but accidentally smeared some sauce.

Mu Wanyan reacted on instinct, taking Su Xingwei’s hand and picking up a wet wipe from the table to carefully clean it off for her.

Su Xingwei couldn’t help staring at her, momentarily dazed.

Chairman Zhao watched all this, her expression noticeably more relaxed than before, and her attitude also became more familiar. “Miss Mu is truly thoughtful and considerate; you take such good care of Chairwoman Su.”

Mu Wanyan let go of Su Xingwei’s hand and smiled. “It’s what I should do.”

After the meal, soft symphonic music rose in the hotel lounge area. Chairman Zhao led her lover onto the dance floor, and several other pairs of guests nearby also matched up in twos, dancing to the graceful music.

Su Xingwei stood and held out her hand toward Mu Wanyan. Mu Wanyan took it and walked onto the dance floor with her.

Beneath the crystal chandelier, brilliant white light spilled down; the glow was gentle, yet a little dazzling. The two of them stayed close together, moving in rhythm with the music.

“You’re even better than yesterday.”

Su Xingwei leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low voice.

Warm breath brushed past the back of Mu Wanyan’s ear; her heartbeat sped up, and she almost misstepped. Thankfully, she steadied herself in time and didn’t reveal a flaw.

The atmosphere on the dance floor was tender and lingering. As Mu Wanyan danced, she suddenly sensed that something around them was off. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced to the side and saw Chairman Zhao and her lover standing at the edge of the dance floor, smiling as they watched them.

It wasn’t just Chairman Zhao. The other guests had also stopped and gathered around, all their gazes landing on the two of them. Mu Wanyan took a deep breath but still didn’t stop moving her feet, cooperating with Su Xingwei to finish the dance.

When the music finally stopped, loud applause immediately broke out around them.

Chairman Zhao’s lover laughed and started chanting, “Kiss her!”

The guests nearby chimed in too, their teasing rising and falling.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

With the atmosphere pushed this far, there was no way to back out.

A flash of panic crossed Mu Wanyan’s eyes; she instinctively stepped back, but Su Xingwei pulled her back into her arms. The two of them were pressed so close together there wasn’t the slightest gap between them.