Gu Chen's welcome banquet was far grander than Lin Weiwei had imagined. Held in the most luxurious banquet hall of the Gu Group's hotels, it sparkled with crystal chandeliers, bustled with elegantly dressed guests, and echoed with clinking glasses. Nearly every prominent figure in the city had gathered.
Lin Weiwei wore a smoky gray satin gown selected by Su Qingyu. The simple yet elegant design was neither overly flashy nor overly modest, perfectly accentuating her figure while lending her naturally radiant features a touch of quiet sophistication. As she entered the banquet hall arm-in-arm with Su Qingyu, she could distinctly sense the entire bustling venue freeze for a moment.
Countless eyes instantly focused on them like spotlights.
Surprise, bewilderment, scrutiny, amusement... a complex tapestry of emotions silently wove through the air. Su Qingyu and Lin Weiwei—the mere mention of these two names together in any past setting had signaled conflict and strife. Yet now, they stood side by side in intimate harmony, like a pair of tacit allies, or even... closer than that.
Su Qingyu wore her signature white suit, cold and aloof like an unyielding snow lotus atop a mountain peak. Seemingly oblivious to the weight of those gazes, she remained composed, her steps steady as she led Lin Weiwei deep into the banquet hall.
Lin Weiwei could feel her palms sweating, her heart beating erratically in her chest. She forced her back straight, eyes fixed ahead, trying to ignore the stares that felt like needles piercing her skin.
"Relax," Su Qingyu murmured, her voice low enough for only the two of them to hear. "Just treat it like watching a play."
Watching a play? Lin Weiwei smiled bitterly inside. She felt like she was the one on stage.
Soon, they reached the center of the crowd. There, surrounded by several business tycoons, stood tonight's main attraction—Gu Chen.
He wore a bespoke, high-end suit, his posture tall and straight, his features handsome. His eyes held that familiar, almost arrogant confidence, as if everything was under his control. At that moment, he was smiling and conversing with others, every gesture radiating the composure of someone long accustomed to being at the top.
As if sensing something, Gu Chen's gaze swept over the crowd, landing precisely on Su Qingyu and Lin Weiwei.
When his eyes met the two women standing side by side, his flawless smile froze for an imperceptible moment. A flash of profound surprise and... displeasure flickered in his eyes.
Lin Weiwei's heart leapt into her throat. Here it comes.
Su Qingyu, however, seemed oblivious to the shift in Gu Chen's gaze. She calmly led Lin Weiwei to stand before him, her tone level and measured, maintaining perfect social distance. "Mr. Gu, congratulations on your return."
Gu Chen's eyes lingered on Su Qingyu's face for a moment, as if scrutinizing something, before shifting to Lin Weiwei beside her. His expression grew deep and inscrutable.
"Miss Su, thank you for your trouble," Gu Chen's voice was low and magnetic, yet tinged with an imperceptible chill. His gaze felt tangible, settling on the arm Lin Weiwei had linked through Su Qingyu's, making the skin there feel uncomfortably warm.
"And this is... Miss Lin?" Gu Chen spoke as if only now recognizing her, his tone deliberately distant and questioning. "I hadn't expected to see you here. So, Miss Lin, I take it you've been... well?"
The words sounded like a greeting, but they were thick with implication and sarcasm. Who in their circle didn't know that "Lin Weiwei" had been sent to a mental hospital because of him?
If it were the original owner, she would likely have already lost control at this "well, I hope," or been desperate to explain, to pour out her heart.
All eyes were fixed on Lin Weiwei, waiting for her reaction—tears, excuses, or, as before, accusations hurled at Su Qingyu regardless of the setting.
Lin Weiwei felt Su Qingyu gently squeeze her arm.
She took a deep breath, lifted her eyes, and met Gu Chen's deep, scrutinizing gaze with a composed, even slightly distant smile. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Gu. I'm perfectly fine."
Her voice was steady, without a hint of emotion, as if Gu Chen were merely an ordinary acquaintance she hadn't seen in ages—someone utterly insignificant.
This reaction clearly caught everyone off guard.
Surprise deepened in Gu Chen's eyes, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. The hysterics or clingy flattery he'd anticipated never materialized. The Lin Weiwei before him felt so unfamiliar it made him uneasy.
Meanwhile, a tiny, almost invisible curve lifted at the corner of Su Qingyu's mouth.
Just then, an untimely voice, thick with obvious flattery, interjected: "Young Master Gu, you might not know since you just returned, but Miss Lin is now the favorite by CEO Su's side—they're practically inseparable!"
It was that Wang young master seen earlier at the restaurant. He winked suggestively, his tone laced with innuendo, clearly aiming to sow discord between Su Qingyu and Lin Weiwei in front of Gu Chen.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Gu Chen's gaze swept over Lin Weiwei and Su Qingyu once more, finally settling on Su Qingyu's face. His expression held a hint of scrutiny and subtle accusation. "Oh? Is that so?"
Su Qingyu didn't answer directly. She didn't even look at Gu Chen. Instead, she turned her head, her gaze settling on Lin Weiwei. Under the dazzling lights, that look carried an undeniable... tenderness?
She reached out, effortlessly tucking a strand of hair that had fallen across Lin Weiwei's cheek behind her ear. The gesture was so intimate it seemed practiced a thousand times.
Only then did she turn back to Gu Chen, her tone still calm yet carrying an earth-shattering candor:
"Mr. Gu seems out of the loop. Weiwei lives with me now. She's my assistant, and also..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd that had instantly fallen silent, before uttering two words clearly and deliberately,
"My woman."
My woman.
Those three words exploded like thunder in the opulent banquet hall.
In an instant, all sound ceased. Even the background music seemed to vanish.
Everyone stared speechless at Su Qingyu, then shifted their gaze to Lin Weiwei beside her—cheeks flushed but offering no rebuttal—before finally fixing their eyes on Gu Chen, whose expression darkened instantly.
Gu Chen's fingers tightened around his wine glass, knuckles turning white. He fixed his gaze on Su Qingyu. For the first time, a clear crack of loss of control appeared in those eyes that were always filled with a sense of control.
The script... at this very moment, was torn open by a massive, irreparable gash.
Lin Weiwei stood beside Su Qingyu, feeling the shock, absurdity, and Gu Chen's almost tangible icy fury surging in from all directions. Her heart pounded like a drum, yet she strangely felt a liberating lightness.
Su Qingyu had truly done it. In the most direct, most subversive way possible, she had declared their "defection" to everyone—especially to Gu Chen and that damned "plot."
As if oblivious to the frozen atmosphere, Su Qingyu even raised her glass toward Gu Chen, her tone laced with an indescribable mix of languidness and provocation:
"Mr. Gu, your welcome banquet was splendid. We shan't keep you any longer. Goodbye."
With that, she turned away from Gu Chen's utterly horrified expression, naturally linking arms with Lin Weiwei once more. Amidst the deathly silence and countless incredulous stares, she turned and walked calmly out of the banquet hall.
Leaving behind all the chaos, speculation, and the impending storm that was about to erupt.