Lila Wei's face was a mess of embarrassment. Not knowing where to look, she stared down at her own feet.
Honestly, the innocent and helpless demeanor she put on was a world away from her actual actions.
Seeing her discomfort, Hugh Pei—whether to annoy me or out of genuine affection, I couldn't tell—put his arm around her shoulders in a silent show of support, right in front of all of us.
"Hugh Pei!" Deng Yiyang's voice was suddenly sharp with displeasure.
"Brother Yiyang, you seem even more handsome than before!" I interrupted Deng Yiyang, linking my arm with his and praising him loudly.
Ella Li, standing at the front of the elevator, frantically jabbed the close button. Under Hugh Pei's death glare, the elevator doors separated us.
So he wanted to be annoying? I was the best at that.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I let go of Deng Yiyang's arm, a little embarrassed. "Sorry, I just borrowed your arm for a second."
Deng Xing'er spoke up, "What's there to be sorry about? He's probably ecstatic."
Ginny Deng grinned from ear to ear. The two sisters exchanged a meaningful look.
"Indeed, I was more than happy to," Deng Yiyang's tone was half-serious, half-joking. "From now on, you can just contract me for these kinds of things."
"Brother Yiyang is getting more and more humorous," I could only reply helplessly.
Deng Yiyang just smiled without saying anything. After the elevator doors opened, our group left the hotel and headed to a nearby KTV.
Singing was what we came for, and sing loudly we did. I poured all my frustration and annoyance into the songs. Although my major was in instrumental music, my voice was pretty good too. My singing skills weren't fantastic, but they were decent enough.
Tilly Ouyang said she had brought her employees here for a team-building event before, got a membership card, and had two cases of alcohol stored. She ordered one case for us to drink.
"Here, Zoe, you sing this one with my brother!" Ginny Deng suddenly shoved the microphone into Deng Yiyang's hand and said to me.
I looked at the screen: "Marry Me Today."
"Uh… okay." I had had a little to drink, so I didn't overthink it.
Halfway through the song, I noticed Ginny Deng was on my phone, answering a call. I couldn't hear what she was saying, just a few short words before she hung up.
Unlike my casual singing, Deng Yiyang's part was filled with emotion, not technique. He would occasionally look at me, his eyes bright and lively.
I could only pretend not to notice.
After we finally finished the song, Ginny Deng handed me my phone and whispered in my ear, "Hugh Pei just called. I answered and told him you were busy singing a duet with my brother and didn't have time to talk."
"…" I was at a loss. This girl was really afraid I was too bored, always trying to stir up trouble for me.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Hugh Pei called again. I didn't know what to say to him, so I just hung up.
For some peace and quiet, I turned off my phone and continued to eat, drink, and have fun. It wasn't until midnight that I went home, slightly drunk.
Leo Li responsibly helped me into the living room before leaving. I felt a bit top-heavy as I walked upstairs. When I pushed open the bedroom door, the smell of smoke made me cough.
The door to the balcony was open, and the cold wind carried the smell of smoke into the room. Hugh Pei was standing on the balcony, his back to me.
"Why are you smoking in my room?" I walked over and opened the window, a little annoyed.
Hugh Pei turned to look at me, his expression unreadable.
I didn't know what he was up to now. If he was going to question me about having dinner and singing with Deng Yiyang today, I didn't think he had the right. Wasn't he with Lila Wei too?
Since he liked smoking out there, he could do as he pleased. I grabbed my nightgown and went to the bathroom to take a shower.
The smell of alcohol on me was too much. I wasn't drunk enough to be unconscious, and I couldn't sleep without showering.
To make it quick, I didn't soak in the tub but just rinsed off under the showerhead. After a quick towel-dry, I put on my nightgown, ready to go to bed.
Hugh Pei was still on the balcony, on the phone. Hearing my footsteps, he hung up.
I ignored him and went straight to bed.
"Why didn't Deng Yiyang bring you home?" Hugh Pei had come to the bedside at some point, his voice betraying no emotion.
"Why aren't you sleeping at Lila Wei's?" I kept my eyes closed and retorted.
After a few seconds of silence, his voice came again, "I've never slept at her place."
This time I opened my eyes. Hugh Pei was looking down at me. His beautiful, expressive eyes were always so cold towards me. Ginny Deng and the others had once studied this and come to a conclusion: Hugh Pei's eyes looked affectionate at everything except Zoe Xu.
I was genuinely surprised. "Why? Hasn't she accepted you yet? As far as I know, she's already broken up with Julian Qi and has been asking for your help with all sorts of things, and she's willing to go out to eat with you and meet your friends. And you still haven't been intimate with her?"
"…" Hugh Pei's expression changed slightly.
"But I can understand. She's different from other women," I reasoned. "You have to respect her. I get it."
Hugh Pei's face darkened. "You don't know shit. You're just being presumptuous."
It wasn't that I was being presumptuous; it was that Hugh Pei hadn't yet understood his own heart. But that was a story between him and Lila Wei. I had seen the plot once from a god's-eye view and didn't want to give away too many spoilers.
I rolled over, my eyes half-closed, and said lazily, "Hugh Pei, I told you, if you don't divorce me now, there will come a day when you'll wish I would disappear from your world immediately. At that time, I might not be willing to divorce anymore. I'll demand a huge chunk of your money and piss you off."
The next second, I felt a breath on my nose. I opened my eyes to find Hugh Pei sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning in close. We were less than a centimeter apart, our breaths mingling.
His eyes held no anger or coldness, but rather a captivating smile. "Really?"
"Of…" Before I could answer, my lips were sealed.
I had already had a drink and was a bit weak. When I raised my hand to push him away, he restrained me, and I couldn't move.
Hugh Pei was not the gentle type. Whenever he sensed I was trying to resist, he would become even more forceful, completely overpowering me.
I was dizzy from the kiss. When Hugh Pei finally let me go, I regained some sense and slapped him across the face. But because I was weak, the slap was limp and ineffective.
"Didn't eat enough?" Hugh Pei actually found it amusing.
"Hugh Pei, if you're horny, go find Lila Wei. Can you stop messing with me?" I really couldn't figure out what he was thinking.
I didn't want to be drawn into a purely physical relationship right after I had just managed to pull myself out of an emotional one.
With a master like him, it would be easy to get addicted.
Hugh Pei was that kind of master, and I refused to be his defeated opponent.