Volume One, Chapter 111: The Playful Intimacy of a Young Couple

He wore a sharply tailored black suit, not even bothering with a tie.

With his easy, languid bearing and the relaxed look in his eyes, Lou Ye seemed less like a guest attending Old Master Jiang’s birthday banquet than a man strolling through his own back garden to admire the flowers.

Yet what astonished everyone present was not Lou Ye himself.

It was the woman beside him.

She wore a black satin evening gown with a one-shoulder neckline, elegant and imposing. Her long, wavy hair fell to her waist. Around her slender neck gleamed a sapphire necklace of astonishing carat weight, and at first glance she looked like a top-tier star returning in triumph from the Oscars.

And her face was breathtaking.

Radiant. Stunning. So beautiful it could topple nations.

“Who is Young Master Lou’s companion?”

“I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I can’t place her.”

“Me too. She looks oddly familiar. That face, that figure, that presence—among all the wealthy families in the capital, only the eldest daughter of the Ming family could compare.”

Praise rippled through the room, and Lu Jinnian’s expression darkened terribly.

The woman on Lou Ye’s arm as they entered the banquet was none other than Sang Wan.

He had called her a few days ago and invited her to come pay respects to Old Master Jiang on his birthday.

What had she said then?

They were divorced, and it had nothing to do with her.

So what was she doing here now?

Was she slapping his face?

Sure enough, people nearby had already begun turning to look at him again and again.

“President Lu, the woman beside Young Master Lou—is she... your ex-wife?”

The questioner fell silent the instant he caught the sharp glance Lu Jinnian shot over.

And just like that, there was his answer.

Sang Wan’s scalp prickled.

Lou Ye had only said it was a social engagement. She had assumed it was much the same as the previous occasions—some business cocktail reception related to the industry.

She had not expected that after the car left the apartment and continued farther and farther along familiar roads, it would turn into Old Master Jiang’s estate.

This was a place she had visited with Lu Jinnian at least twice every year in the past.

Once for the birthday banquet.

Once for the New Year call.

At times they would actually see Old Master Jiang; Lu Jinnian would speak with him while she worked her way into the good graces of the Jiang family or the women of the capital’s upper circles.

Most of the time, however, they would not get to see him. They would leave their gifts and spend several hours mingling with the guests.

Every time, they gained something.

That was precisely why Lu Jinnian cared so much about this birthday banquet.

But Sang Wan had not expected that after refusing him, she still could not escape the fate of meeting him here.

Everywhere she looked there were people.

All eyes, without exception, skipped past Lou Ye and landed on her.

Sang Wan had the unsettling feeling that she was a monkey in a zoo.

“Lou Ye...”

Still smiling, Sang Wan called to him in a tiny voice.

Lou Ye heard her, but pretended not to. He turned his head and leaned closer. “Senior, what did you say?”

Sang Wan: ...

Through the crowd, one could see Lu Jinnian’s ashen face.

One could also see that two-faced schemer beside him, smiling even though she looked as if she were about to cry.

The effect had been achieved.

Lou Ye curved his lips, then turned to Sang Wan. “Senior, there are too many people here. Why don’t I take you to the back garden to enjoy the flowers?”

Sang Wan nodded, but could not even bring herself to say “all right.”

Keeping that stiff smile on her face, she walked on Lou Ye’s arm as if crossing a red carpet.

She moved through the crowd parted like waves, and under everyone’s watchful gaze, she left the banquet hall.

“I remember now. Isn’t she...”

Someone finally recalled who she was and instinctively looked toward Lu Jinnian.

Then they saw the deep, hawk-like gaze Lu Jinnian fixed on Sang Wan, and the memory was confirmed.

Others still had no idea who Sang Wan was.

“Who is she, exactly? Young Master Lou’s new girlfriend?”

“No way. I heard him call her Senior.”

“This is the first time Young Master Lou has ever brought a female companion to a high-society banquet. Senior? Who’s going to believe that?”

“Maybe she’s a senior in public and his girlfriend in private? That’s just the little game of a young couple. What do you people know?”

The discussion around them grew ever more blatant, and Lu Jinnian’s expression shifted repeatedly. He nearly crushed the champagne flute in his hand.

Lin Chaochao was furious enough to explode.

Before Lou Ye appeared, the center of attention among the women in the hall had been her.

All because of Lu Jinnian’s divorce, and because of the uncertainty surrounding her.

Most wealthy couples did not divorce. Whether they had married for love or for profit, once the marriage was in place, they became a single interest group. Even if the feelings died, they remained tightly bound together.

At most, each would go their own way.

Before Lu Jinnian’s divorce, he had already trended online several times. After the divorce, the attention reached an unprecedented height.

In circles like this, holding on firmly to the title of lawful wife was nothing remarkable, after all. One had the advantage of timing, place, and circumstance.

But if someone managed to break apart the original couple and step in to take her place, that was where true means and calculation lay.

From the moment she arrived in the banquet hall on Lu Jinnian’s arm, all the women’s attention had been on her.

Some guessed what remarkable qualities she possessed that had made Lu Jinnian abandon his wife for her.

Others were betting on how long it would take before she successfully married into the wealthy family and became the new Mrs. Lu.

She had been the focal point of the day.

And then Sang Wan appeared.

She had not even said a word. She had merely shown her face, and she had seized everyone’s eyes and attention.

Sang Wan!

Her sharp nails scraped across the bright glass of her champagne flute with a grating sound. Looking at Lu Jinnian’s livid face, Lin Chaochao said furiously, “No wonder when Brother Mu called yesterday and said he couldn’t keep his appointment today, she was so happy. So she’d hooked herself onto Young Master Lou...”

Before she could finish, she met Lu Jinnian’s wrathful gaze, full of malice and fury.

Lin Chaochao fell silent.

In the back garden, Sang Wan walked one careful step after another.

She was afraid that if she missed her footing, her high heel would catch in a crack between the paving stones and make a spectacle of her.

“...Ah!”

When Lou Ye swept her up in his arms, Sang Wan cried out in surprise and reached out to pound at him. “Put me down!”

Lou Ye paid her no mind.

Only after carrying her into the corridor did he set her down.

Sang Wan’s heart was racing wildly.

She did not even have time to check whether her dress was wrinkled or her hair had come undone. She first looked around her.

The servants passing by from time to time hurried along with their heads down, busy and studiously avoiding eye contact.

And dozens of yards away, the banquet hall was separated from this place by layers of lush garden scenery.

Sang Wan let out a breath of relief, then could not help glaring up at Lou Ye.

But that coquettish look of hers hardly seemed angry at all.

Lou Ye curved his lips. “Sister, you look especially beautiful today.”

Sang Wan: ...

That was it.

How was she supposed to stay mad now?

She smoothed the hem of her gown.

Then she adjusted her hair in front of the bright carved window.

Looping her arm through Lou Ye’s, Sang Wan started forward. “We’re here to wish Old Master Jiang a happy birthday, so behave yourself. Don’t get handsy. If people see, it doesn’t look dignified at all!”

Lou Ye halted.

Only then did Sang Wan realize her tone had been a little harsh, with a faintly didactic edge to it.

She was just about to explain.

When she looked up, she saw the smile on Lou Ye’s face deepen. “Then does that mean when no one’s looking, I can cling to you, Senior? Is that what you mean?”

Sang Wan took a deep breath, her ears turning uncontrollably red.

Voices drew nearer. The bustling courtyard ahead was Old Master Jiang’s residence.

Sang Wan had only been there once.

Though old people often had poor memories, and her last visit with Lu Jinnian had been years ago.

After so long, perhaps Old Master Jiang had long since forgotten her.

Even so, Sang Wan still felt uneasy.

She was afraid he might remember.

And even more afraid of causing unnecessary trouble.

As she stepped through the hanging flower gate, Sang Wan appropriately let go of his hand.

Lou Ye glanced back at her, then moved ahead with an indifferent expression.

He lifted the curtain and at once saw Jiang Huai’s brilliantly smiling face in the crowd.

Sang Wan inclined her head slightly in greeting.

Then she looked toward Old Master Jiang at the seat of honor, and just as her smile began to form, she saw his expression change several times in quick succession.

First delight.

Then anger.

Then shock.

Before Sang Wan could make sense of what all that meant, she heard Old Master Jiang ask, “You are Sang Wan?”