Chapter 8

Jiang Ciyou turned abruptly.

Her gaze remained fixed on the man’s upright figure as he walked away. The area he had passed through felt like dark clouds pressing down on the city, and those around him were visibly awed and intimidated by his powerful and cold aura. Their eyes were filled with respect, admiration, and even fear.

His aura was indeed chilling.

It couldn’t be him.

Her “little white face” had nothing of this kind of demeanor. He was fiery, like the midsummer sun—wild, unrestrained, and a bit unruly. Every time they met, he would actively flirt, use seductive tactics when she was aroused, and indulge her when she wanted to give up. His skills in the bedroom were masterful.

Jiang Ciyou would often jab his chest and scold him, “You’re just like a male Daji.”

He would always mischievously grip her chin and reply, “Then you must be a female Zhou Wang.”

How could such a licentious person possibly be the princely figure of the Beijing elite before her?

Jiang Ciyou tried to convince herself, but her heart remained uneasy.

The gift-giving session ended, and guests began to take their seats. Jiang Ciyou also sat down early at her designated place. She scanned the room but could no longer see the man’s figure.

Jiang Ciyou sat quietly in her seat. She took out her phone and went through her contacts. She finally stopped at the number saved under “little white face.”

She stared at the number, lost in thought, feeling as if she was being watched.

Jiang Ciyou suddenly looked up and met a cold gaze from the second floor of the banquet hall.

It was him!

Because of the distance, she wasn’t sure if he was looking at her. Her heart skipped a beat.

Without much thought, she accidentally dialed the number on her phone.

The man on the second floor remained unmoved.

Fortunately.

Jiang Ciyou felt a sense of relief. Fortunately, it wasn’t him.

She lowered her head, about to hang up the phone, but suddenly the call connected.

As soon as the call connected, she reflexively looked up again at the man on the second floor.

The man was still standing there, but it was clear that he was holding a phone to his ear.

Jiang Ciyou’s heart was pounding like a drum, faster and faster. She slowly brought the phone to her ear.

A familiar, cold voice came through the line: “Speak.”

Jiang Ciyou did not speak. She just stared at the man on the second floor, who was also staring back at her.

After a few seconds, Jiang Ciyou instinctively ended the call.

The man on the second floor also slowly put his phone back into his pocket.

Jiang Ciyou’s heart felt like it was being squeezed. She could hardly breathe.

How could this be?

Why was it like this?

There truly were no two people who looked exactly the same in this world. Bo Jinxiu was indeed the “little white face” she had supported for three years.

Jiang Ciyou’s emotions were tumultuous and unsettled. She suddenly recalled their first meeting. It was the night when Yan Feng and Xia Ling went abroad. Her childhood friend Shen Nuo had dragged her to the “Black Horse Club.”

She only remembered drinking a lot that night and Shen Nuo had hired many male models. In the end, she had ended up with one of the models. The next morning, although she was initially regretful, the model’s almost otherworldly appearance had stirred new feelings within her.

Yan Feng was out there enjoying fine things, so why should she be stuck in a dreary place?

Everyone should enjoy themselves.

Besides, their marriage was not exactly as others thought it was. So Jiang Ciyou had immediately given the man a check for one hundred thousand.

“From now on, how about I support you?”

Subsequent meetings were not at the Black Horse Club. In fact, Jiang Ciyou had only been there once. She provided him with a different address: the Green Lawn Villa.

For the past three years, the man had been living there.

Besides that, she gave him a check for a hundred thousand every month. Whenever she felt like it, she would visit him. Each time they met was in the evening or late at night, and each time, he would always make her very happy.

There was an unspoken understanding between them: they never spoke of romance or inquired about each other’s families and identities. They only sought to enjoy each other’s company. He was the most unconventional and rebellious part of her life.

When she realized that this part of her life had begun to exceed her rational control, she decided to end this clandestine relationship.

She thought they would return to their separate paths and never intersect again. But she was shocked to find that her once weak prey was now stalking her like a hunter.

And she seemed to have already fallen into his trap.

When Yan Feng returned, he saw Jiang Ciyou sitting in a daze on her chair. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she had suffered a blow. Her once bright and captivating eyes now seemed to have lost their color, becoming somewhat hollow.

She usually exuded charm, but her current dazed state made her appear pitiful, evoking a sense of sympathy.

Yan Feng suppressed his concern and sat down next to her. He could tell that the issue was likely related to Yao Shulan and Jiang Xiaoxiao. Once, she had called her mother for twenty years, but now they were at the point where they didn’t even recognize each other.

Yao Shulan and Jiang Xiaoxiao were not seated at the same table as them.

The banquet soon began. Yan Feng noticed that Jiang Ciyou kept drinking, seemingly troubled. When Jiang Ciyou poured herself a third glass of wine, Yan Feng stopped her glass.

“You’re still a young woman. Drinking so much?” he said.

Jiang Ciyou looked at him with a playful smile and a hint of flirtation in her voice: “What, are you concerned about me?”

Yan Feng’s voice was cold: “Today is an important occasion. Don’t embarrass the Yan family by getting drunk.”

Jiang Ciyou huffed and said, “Don’t bother me. I’m heartbroken; can’t I drink to ease my sorrows?”

Yan Feng looked at the blush at the corners of her eyes and felt a slight tremor in his heart. But he quickly hardened his expression and said, “Jiang Ciyou, don’t try that with me. Even if you get drunk at the table today, I won’t feel a bit of sympathy.”

Jiang Ciyou remained silent and continued drinking.

She couldn’t understand how her “little white face” had become a prince. Did he even know she was the wife of the Yan family? For three years, he had played the role of a kept man without ever explaining himself. What was his purpose?

The worry!

How could she describe it but as overwhelming worry?

As the banquet progressed, guests went to the main table to toast.

Yan Feng also got up: “Let’s go, we need to toast to Old Lady Bo.”

Yan Feng walked ahead, and Jiang Ciyou followed behind with a glass of wine. They soon reached the main table, which was surrounded by people.

Old Lady Bo had already left the table, leaving only Bo Jinxiu to hold the fort.

Many people came to toast, but most just clinked glasses with Bo Jinxiu as a courtesy. For guests of particularly high status, he would take a symbolic sip.

After the previous guests had finished their toasts and left, Yan Feng seized the opportunity and approached Bo Jinxiu.

“Master Bo, I’m Yan Feng from the Yan family of Rongcheng. I’ve long admired you. I’d like to offer you a toast.”

“Master Bo” was a title Yan Feng used because he had heard the previous guests address him this way.

Yan Feng extended the glass with both hands, seemingly waiting for Bo Jinxiu to clink glasses with him.

Yan Feng had observed that whether old or young, every guest who had come to toast had been met with at least a courteous clink. However, Bo Jinxiu showed no intention of taking the glass.

Yan Feng’s hand holding the glass remained suspended in mid-air.

The atmosphere became subtly awkward.