Volume One, Chapter 91: Thinking of You

…

Song Qingyu never expected that simply dancing would require her to switch through three different partners.

And in the end, she had to dance with Mr. Gu.

Her nerves, which she had managed to steady with such difficulty, began to tremble once more, her steps faltering and unsteady.

"Relax, take it slow," Gu Yuandong's voice sounded gently by her ear, tinged with a soothing electricity that made her neck tingle and shrink back instinctively.

Calm down, calm down!

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian were easier to handle—after all, she had little interaction with them in daily life.

But Mr. Gu was her boss, her bread and butter.

If she were to step on his foot, how could she face going back to the company?

Steadying her emotions, Song Qingyu followed the steps Bai Yinian had taught her: one forward, one back, one to the left, one to the right.

In that moment, Song Qingyu felt an overwhelming gratitude towards Bai Yinian.

Seeing Song Qingyu dancing with Pei Jingmo, Fu Linhan breathed a sigh of relief, while Gu Chenxi was positively delighted.

Lu Rongrong, on the other hand, watched as Gu Yuandong and Song Qingyu danced together, and she could clearly sense that the cold, aloof air usually surrounding Gu Yuandong had vanished entirely. Her anger was almost beyond words.

"If Young Master Bai likes switching dance partners so much, why doesn't he swap with someone else? Why disrupt his own brother's bonding time?" she complained.

Bai Yinian smiled slightly, "Miss Lu, you've misunderstood. I only meant to dance with Yuandong myself. Who would have thought he misinterpreted my intentions?"

Only then did Lu Rongrong recall that Bai Yinian was homosexual. Could it be that he was interested in his own brother?

The mere thought gave Lu Rongrong goosebumps.

Disgusting!

Chu Xingzhi watched helplessly as Song Qingyu's dance partner changed from Fu Linhan to Bai Yinian, and finally to Gu Yuandong.

Perhaps it was a man’s intuition, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Yuandong treated Qingyu differently from everyone else.

It left him with a sense of unprecedented crisis.

If switching partners was allowed, did that mean he could also have a dance with Qingyu?

No sooner had the thought arisen than Sheng Yurou shot it down mercilessly, "Don’t even think about it."

Sheng Yurou glared at Song Qingyu with a cold snort. "She’s already married, yet here she is flirting with other men. I bet she thinks her poor husband can’t give her what she wants, so she regrets it and is out seducing someone else."

Chu Xingzhi’s eyes flickered. If Qingyu regretted it, did he stand a chance?

Song Qingyu remained tense, perhaps because Gu Yuandong’s presence was simply too overpowering.

"Miss Song seems very afraid of me."

Song Qingyu wanted to retort, "Isn’t that obvious?"

It wasn’t just Lu Rongrong’s gaze, which seemed eager to tear her to pieces—she could hardly bear the stares of everyone present!

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian were one thing: their reputations might not be the best, but at least they were single.

But Mr. Gu was engaged, and she herself was married. What business did she have dancing with him?

Of course, none of this could be said aloud.

"No… I’m just a little tired," she managed.

Fortunately, the music finally drew to a close. Just as Song Qingyu was about to step away, Pei Jingmo took her by the hand and led her to the sofa.

He turned to a nearby servant and said, "Bring Miss Song a glass of warm water."

Song Qingyu quickly withdrew her hand and murmured her thanks.

"Rest well," he told her.

When she looked up, her gaze met Gu Chengde’s cold, dark face.

Gu Chengde swept out in fury, his sleeves billowing. Pei Jingmo narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable.

With the old master gone, the atmosphere relaxed, and everyone began to enjoy themselves more freely.

Song Qingyu was utterly exhausted, both body and soul.

She pulled out her phone and finally saw that Pei Jingmo had messaged her earlier, asking if she’d had lunch.

She replied at once, "Today is Xiaoxi’s birthday. I’m here to celebrate with her. I’ll come home after dinner."

"I heard from Young Master Fu. Eat plenty," he replied.

"Mm. When will you be home?"

At that moment, Song Qingyu suddenly felt that nowhere was as comforting as home.

By Pei Jingmo’s side, she didn’t have to deal with so many messy situations.

"A bit later. Why do you ask?"

"No reason—"

Song Qingyu herself wasn’t sure why, but she suddenly wanted to see him.

Watching the "typing…" indicator, she waited for Pei Jingmo’s reply—but it took ages to arrive.

How much was he writing, anyway?

"Qingqing, let’s go eat. There’s so much delicious food today: roast meat, Western dishes, Chinese dishes—you can have whatever you like," Gu Chenxi called her to dinner.

Since Pei Jingmo’s reply was taking so long, Song Qingyu got up to accompany Gu Chenxi. Just then, a new message popped up.

"I miss you."

Four simple words, but it had taken him nearly ten minutes to type them.

Thump, thump, thump—

Song Qingyu could hear her own heart pounding wildly.

What did he mean by that?

Could it be that he, too, was at some social engagement, longing for home just like she was?

For a moment, she didn’t know how to reply.

"Qingqing, are you coming down with a cold? Why is your face so red?"

"Oh… no, I’m just hungry. Let’s eat."

After deliberating, Song Qingyu replied, "See you at home."

Watching his wife from afar, Pei Jingmo couldn’t help but smile.

After dinner, most of the guests had already left, and Song Qingyu took her leave as well.

Gu Chenxi clung to her reluctantly, "Qingqing, can’t you stay with me tonight?"

Song Qingyu was in a dilemma, but Pei Jingmo stepped in to help, "Xiaoxi, someone’s waiting for Qingqing at home. Don’t make things difficult for her."

Gu Chenxi pouted and finally let go. "Qingqing, then I’ll come visit you next time."

"Of course. You have my number, don’t you? Just call me whenever you want."

"Okay."

Not trusting Uncle Zhou, Pei Jingmo instructed Guo Rang to see Song Qingyu home.

As soon as she left, Gu Chenxi complained, "Brother, you’re so mean. You just don’t want Qingqing to stay so you can have her to yourself!"

"No, it’s because she can’t stay here," Pei Jingmo replied.

"Why not?"

"You’ll understand someday," he said, quickly changing the subject. "What gift did your Qingqing give you? Can you show it to me?"

"Sure!" Gu Chenxi led Pei Jingmo to her room and carefully took out a painting.

Pei Jingmo was surprised to see it was Xie Qingya’s final work, "The Smiling Girl."

She treasured that painting so dearly—how could she bear to give it away?

"There’s one more," Gu Chenxi said excitedly, producing a pair of headphones. "Qingqing said if there’s noise when I’m painting, I should wear these. That’s what Teacher Xie used to do."

Pei Jingmo patted her head, "As long as you’re happy, Xiaoxi."

"I am! So happy!"

When Pei Jingmo walked out to the pavilion, he found Fu Linhan wailing in pain as Bai Yinian applied medicine to his foot.

Seeing Pei Jingmo, Fu Linhan immediately stuck his foot out. "Look at what your wife and your sister did to me!"

His right big toe was terribly swollen; the left was less so, but still red.

"I’m too miserable. You have to compensate me for emotional distress!"

Pei Jingmo sat across from him, crossing his legs. "Bai and I also danced with Xiaoxi and Qingqing, yet we’re perfectly fine."

Fu Linhan gritted his teeth. "When I danced with Song Qingyu, she didn’t know how yet. Later, Bai taught her, so she didn’t step on him, and you benefited too. Xiaoxi, on the other hand, never learned, so it’s like you two were only stepped on by one person, but I was trampled by both! Is that fair?"

Pei Jingmo and Bai Yinian exchanged glances and laughed. "Why not just admit you have delicate skin and couldn’t handle it!"

Fu Linhan angrily tossed aside the ointment. "I don’t care, you have to compensate me!"

"Alright—" Pei Jingmo stood up. "Let me know once you decide. I need to go home and keep my—"

"Yuandong—" Pei Jingmo was interrupted by Lu Rongrong's voice.

The three of them turned to see Lu Rongrong walking out arm-in-arm with Gu Chengde.

Pei Jingmo’s face darkened, and Bai Yinian quickly helped Fu Linhan put his socks on, pulling him to his feet.

Gu Chengde glanced at Pei Jingmo. "Yuandong, see Lu Rongrong home."

A tense, oppressive silence hung in the air as father and son exchanged looks.

Fu Linhan squeezed Bai Yinian’s hand nervously.

Bai Yinian stepped forward with a mild smile. "Yuandong seems busy. I’ll accompany Miss Lu home instead."

Gu Chengde’s tone was icy. "Nothing is more important than your fiancée. It’s good you brothers are close, but there are some favors you shouldn’t be doing."

The warning, whether intentional or not, was directed at both Bai Yinian and Fu Linhan. Neither dared make a sound.

Pei Jingmo shot a look at Bai Yinian and Fu Linhan, then walked toward Lu Rongrong. "Miss Lu, you’re a grown woman—do you still need someone to see you home?"

Lu Rongrong immediately took his arm, laughing coquettishly. "I just want to spend a bit more time with you."