Chapter 6: The Banquet

Late at night, in the most expensive den of indulgence in the eastern district of the capital city.

In the VIP suite on the top floor of the club, Zhao Qinglang, slightly drunk after several rounds with his rowdy friends, tugged at his collar and leaned back against the sofa with half-closed eyes.

Yet his heart was heavy with discontent. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Gu Sheng’s face twisted in disgust, scolding him for being shameless. Abruptly, he pushed away the beautiful girl leaning against him, sat up straight, and poured himself another half glass of wine.

Just then, someone approached.

“Young Master Zhao, I heard your little wife has been released.” Xu Ye tapped Zhao Qinglang’s glass, teasing as he watched the scene unfold. “But you—you’re still here drinking alone instead of bringing Fairy Gu out to join the fun?”

Gu Sheng was well-known in their circle. Despite the whispers about her background, she was as delicate and beautiful as a fairy. But her fiery temper and career as a lawyer made her a force to be reckoned with—elegant and fierce, far superior to these idle rich kids who only knew how to squander their family’s wealth.

Most importantly, Zhao Qinglang doted on her like a treasure. Even though he often sought other women to vent his frustrations, he never let go of Gu Sheng, claiming he cherished her and was just waiting to enjoy a happy wedding night. This earned him endless ridicule from these friends.

Because of that, Xu Ye never missed a chance to mock him: all those secret smoking and drinking nights with other women, yet at home he acted the devoted husband? How hypocritical and pathetic.

But they were all born without worries about their futures, standing at the pinnacle of society. Eventually, they would inherit their family businesses, so their social status aligned. They mingled daily, networking with people who might be useful one day, tolerating each other’s unsavory flaws.

All the same.

But now, Gu Sheng was suddenly out of prison. Zhao Qinglang was drowning his sorrows in drink, refusing to go home. This meant trouble was brewing.

After all, there was also Cheng Yan in the mix.

Zhao Qinglang’s eyes twitched. He glared at Xu Ye and asked suspiciously, “How do you know?”

“You tell me,” Xu Ye scoffed, setting his glass down on the marble table, unlocking his phone and tossing it to Zhao Qinglang without looking, as if blaming him, “Take a good look yourself.”

Zhao Qinglang blinked, picked up the phone, and stared at the flood of messages in their group chat. His expression darkened.

“What kind of madness is this!” Zhao Qinglang ran his hands through his messy hair. “My phone just died.”

He slammed the phone down on the table in anger, prompting Xu Ye to raise an eyebrow. “Hey, that’s my phone.”

His tone implied he didn’t care if the phone was broken.

Still, after reading the messages, Zhao Qinglang grew restless.

They had a small group chat among their circle. Whenever someone organized a gathering, they would call out there and everyone else would rush over.

Gu Sheng was still in the group despite her imprisonment, out of respect for Zhao Qinglang. She never attended their parties anyway, so her presence or absence made no difference.

The crucial point was that Cheng Yan was present as well.

Not only was she there, but tonight she obsessively flooded the group chat, repeatedly asking where Zhao Qinglang was.

Many in the group knew about the secret and unsavory relationship between the two. At first, some answered Cheng Yan with “don’t know,” but as she kept pestering, some who despised her role as the other woman bluntly told her to ask Zhao Qinglang directly.

Then Cheng Yan dropped a bombshell—she said she was pregnant, but Zhao Qinglang was missing, nowhere to be found with Gu Sheng.

Through Cheng Yan’s revelations, everyone learned that Gu Sheng had been released.

The group chat, which had been lively at first, fell into a deathly silence at the mention of Gu Sheng’s name.

But that wasn’t the end.

At 8:30 p.m., the silent group chat suddenly stirred. An avatar featuring a hand-drawn jasmine flower popped up, with a brief message: “At the club in the East District,” followed by a manual tag to Cheng Yan.

Immediately after, a notification appeared: someone had left the group.

It was Gu Sheng.

Zhao Qinglang’s face turned ashen with anger. Xu Ye nudged his arm. “So, what’s the plan?”

Zhao Qinglang glanced at the time. Knowing Cheng Yan’s temperament, she was probably on her way over. “What plan?”

“Come on, Young Master Zhao, are you serious?” Xu Ye teased. “Planning to marry either one of them?”

He leaned back, eyes narrowed, a disdainful smile playing on his jade-like face.

“One’s the driver’s daughter, the other’s an ex-con with no future, still leeching off your family,” Xu Ye mocked. “Who do you think you are, picking up trash like that? Taking in every piece of garbage?”

Before he could finish, a wine glass suddenly flew out from a dark corner and drenched Xu Ye’s face with cold liquid. The shock made him jump.

With a loud crash, the glass rolled off his leg and shattered on the floor.

The sudden commotion startled everyone. The deafening music in the suite abruptly stopped. Xu Ye stood there, soaking wet and disheveled, and Zhao Qinglang was also splattered with wine.

Xu Ye angrily tugged at his soaked shirt. Zhao Qinglang wiped the wine off his face, stood up, and shouted, “Damn it, who did this? Step forward right now!”

No one dared to cause trouble at their gathering.

Yet—

In the dimly lit corner, unnoticed by anyone, a man with sharp features smiled slyly as he observed the chaos he had caused. Leisurely, he stood up.

“Sorry,” he said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. He lowered his brows, wiped his hands with a napkin, then adjusted the silver-framed glasses perched on his nose, smiling slowly. “Just a slip of the hand.”

But they were so far apart!

Xu Ye recognized him and, sensing his intent, approached with a suppressed sneer. “I knew it, it’s He Lu!”

No one knew when he had arrived.

Zhao Qinglang recognized him immediately as the one who had helped Gu Sheng and exclaimed, “It’s you!”

He Wenzhou was slightly tall, surrounded by one or two others, yet his aura remained undiminished. He lowered his head a bit, exuding a condescending air, and spoke leisurely.

“Mr. Zhao,” he said, eyes sharp behind his lenses, lips curling into a faint smile, “What a coincidence—we meet again.”

Zhao Qinglang was somewhat confused.

But the situation was tense.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s all a misunderstanding. He Lu is a guest I specially invited!” The organizer of tonight’s gathering quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, nudging Xu Ye’s arm. “Don’t cause trouble. We still need him for our affairs.”

He Wenzhou was a rising star in the legal arena. With his current status, no one dared offend him lightly.

The implication was clear: Xu Ye would have to hold his tongue despite his displeasure.

Amidst the standoff, a knock came at the door. Then, Gu Sheng’s expressionless face appeared in the doorway.

Everyone was stunned, especially with Cheng Yan following behind, eyes red.

Gu Sheng, usually meticulous about her appearance, now wore no makeup, her short hair unkempt but clean. She looked frail in a simple warm sweatshirt and pants, a stark contrast to the carefully dressed Cheng Yan beside her.

As the saying goes, rivals meet with jealous eyes. Everyone waited eagerly for the drama of two women vying for one man to unfold.

Zhao Qinglang’s face darkened with unease. Nervous that Gu Sheng might cause a scene, he hurried over.

He grabbed Gu Sheng’s arm, whispering through clenched teeth, “Why did you come?”

But Gu Sheng didn’t even glance at him. She gently freed her arm, her cool eyes sweeping over everyone in the room before settling on the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted man.

“He Wenzhou,” she said firmly in front of all, “I’ve come to take you home.”