After talking with my mom for a while longer, I left. On my way out of the hospital, I texted my dad the news. He saw it and called me right away, ecstatic. "Zoe, your dad was framed. I didn't do anything. Now your mom won't be so angry!"
"Dad, there's still the matter of those photos. That needs to be resolved too," I reminded him.
It wasn't just about my mom being angry. If we couldn't get the negatives back, it could become a fatal weakness in the future. Even if my dad was innocent, he couldn't deny the existence of those photos.
"I know. I'm working on it," my dad said, calming down.
"Dad, you don't have to worry too much. There's always a way," I said, ending the call after a few more words with my dad.
By the time I returned to Mapleview Manor, it was dinner time. I had a simple meal and then went upstairs for a bath to relax.
Without realizing it, I fell asleep in the bathtub. If it weren't for the water turning cold, I could have kept sleeping.
It was late, but I was no longer sleepy. I put on my pajamas and went out onto the balcony. From this spot, I could see the main gate with just a turn of my head. I used to love standing here, watching to see if Hugh Pei had come home.
Once the divorce papers arrived, I would move out of here too.
Mapleview Manor held too many memories of my subservience. Continuing to live here after the divorce would be self-torture. It would be better to leave it to Hugh Pei to reminisce. Since he was so cold-blooded towards me, he wouldn't be sad thinking of me anyway.
I stood there for a long time until I couldn't bear the cold wind any longer and returned to my room.
As I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, Ginny Deng called, her voice full of fiery enthusiasm. "Zoe, come out and play! It's Christmas Eve, and there are so many hot guys out. I'm seeing double!"
"I'm not going. I just took a shower and I'm about to go to bed," I refused. In this cold weather, my bed was my ultimate destination.
"Then come out tomorrow night. Tang Ge Yuan is having a male model Christmas costume show. Their bodies are top-notch. You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you don't come!" Ginny Deng's words were extremely exaggerated.
I couldn't refuse her kind intentions a second time, so I agreed. "Alright."
On Christmas night, Ginny Deng called me like a madwoman. Even though I was on my way, she was afraid I would have an accident and not be able to make it, flooding my phone with messages.
At the entrance of Tang Ge Yuan, two handsome men dressed as Santa Claus were handing out Christmas gifts. They held a beautiful paper box, and guests would draw a gift voucher from it before entering, which could be exchanged for a corresponding gift.
Ginny Deng drew a lipstick, Tilly Ouyang a bottle of perfume, and Ella Li a phone case. When it was my turn, I wanted to throw the voucher three meters away the moment I saw it.
"A Durex ultra-thin... condom??" Ginny Deng snatched it and looked, then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha... Zoe, you go, girl!"
Tilly Ouyang and Ella Li also laughed like fools.
I glared at them, stuffed the gift voucher into my coat pocket, not intending to redeem it. But Ginny Deng wouldn't have it. She snatched the voucher from my pocket, ran off to redeem it for a box of condoms like a flash of lightning, then stuffed it into my pocket and winked. "Why don't you want it? If you don't use it, give it to me. I'll use it when I find someone I like!"
"Fine," I said, willing to generously give it up.
Tang Ge Yuan was indeed very lively today, with handsome men and beautiful women gathered in droves. Some were purely here to relax, while others were looking for a one-night stand.
Ginny Deng was dressed the most provocatively, and she was hit on the most, but she didn't find anyone to her liking after looking at many.
Tilly Ouyang, on the other hand, found someone she liked, but she started talking about business blueprints with him and quickly scared him away.
Ella Li was now living a pure and desireless life, with no interest in the male species.
Suddenly, Ginny Deng received a text message and excitedly pulled me and Tilly Ouyang and the others upstairs. "A friend of mine is also here, and she said there are a few super hot guys. It's worth it just to take a look!"
When we reached the private room on the second floor, it was very lively, with about a dozen people already inside.
When I saw Hugh Pei, Evan Yu, and the others, I wanted to turn around and leave. But then I thought about the divorce papers I hadn't received yet and changed my mind.
It was Ginny Deng who rolled her eyes at Hugh Pei. "It's you guys. I must be blind. I wouldn't have come if I knew!"
Her friend, Jiang Yingqiu, quickly came over. "What's wrong? You know all of them?"
"Of course I do. Him, him, and him—these three are no good!" Ginny Deng pointed at Hugh Pei, Jake Fu, and Lucas Lu one by one, not holding back at all.
Hugh Pei was originally looking at me. A woman was sitting next to him, leaning against him, her eyes full of affection.
He was wearing a black shirt and a burgundy tie, looking very ascetic.
Too bad this man was not ascetic at all, but a beast.
Hearing Ginny Deng's words, Hugh Pei's expression changed drastically. His eyes were like sharp knives.
Evan Yu was also there, but Ginny Deng hadn't included him in her list of scumbags.
"Tigress, what did you say?" Lucas Lu asked loudly and angrily. "Who, who invited this tigress over?!"
Jiang Yingqiu shrank back and said in a small voice, "Me..."
Ginny Deng strode over to Lucas Lu and patted his face arrogantly, her smile sly. "We meet again, little punk. Didn't get enough of a beating last time? Want to go again today?"
Lucas Lu was a few years younger than her, and a familiar look of fear appeared on his face. If there weren't pretty girls around, he probably would have grabbed Jake Fu for help immediately.
"Alright, alright, it's not like we have a deep feud. It's a rare occasion for us to hang out together today. Let's not fight," Jake Fu, being Lucas Lu's good brother, took the initiative to draw the fire.
"That's right, Jing'er. We were just about to play Truth or Dare. Want to join?" Jiang Yingqiu quickly chimed in.
After all, she was the one who had invited us.
I wasn't familiar with Jiang Yingqiu, but she must have known that Hugh Pei and I were married. She just didn't expect me to be with Ginny Deng today.
I glanced at her, and she was looking at me too.
Ginny Deng looked at me for my opinion. Since Hugh Pei was here, if I didn't want to play, she would definitely leave with me. Her relationship with Jiang Yingqiu was just so-so, more like a "fun-time" friend. But her relationship with me was more like that of a sister.
"Let's play," I readily accepted.
"Then let's play. What are the rules?" Ginny Deng pulled me to a seat. Tilly Ouyang and Ella Li followed.
Jiang Yingqiu pointed to a stack of drinks on the table. "The rules are simple. Spin the dial. The first person it lands on gets to call someone out. The person called out can choose truth or dare. If you can't do either, you have to drink a glass as a forfeit."
Simple, yet exciting.
Lucas Lu was already eager to start. There was a built-in turntable on the table. When opened, it lit up, with a silver needle at rest. Pressing a red button next to it would make it spin rapidly and then stop randomly, pointing to someone.
A group of people gathered around, staring at the dial.