Down at the tables near the dance floor, Ruan Tian had been busy eating her little piece of cake when suddenly a pair of clean, slender hands appeared in front of her.
Before she could react, Huai Mo had naturally taken her hand in his own and, without giving any thought to the expressions of the people around them, he directly dragged her up to the master bedroom on the second floor.
Once they were in the bedroom, Huai Mo finally let go of her hand.
But after releasing her hand, he suddenly came forward and possessively wrapped her waist in a hug.
After hugging her for a couple of minutes, Huai Mo finally looked her in the eye and said, "Iâve been missing you again."
He had never thought that Ruan Tian had actually had such a pitiful time as a child.
When he had seen those photos which documented what happened to her in the past...
Huai Mo's conscience, which had always been quiet all this time, had suddenly broken out like never before.
All of a sudden he felt that he really didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
Huai Mo quickly added, "But I've been too busy lately..."
...busy getting rid of all those stubborn old fools in the company.
But despite being busy, he hadnât forgotten to pay attention to her.
And what he had seen during this time had caused Huai Mo to feel more and more that this dirty entertainment industry really wasnât worthy of Ruan Tian.
Ruan Tian looked at him let out a deep sigh. All of a sudden the depressed and irritable mood she had been in thanks to her time on set seemed to ease a lot.
However, she still didnât know what to say when facing Huai Mo.
Ruan Tian had actually been very surprised just now. The Huai Mo who appeared in front of her tonight was a little beyond her imagination. He was unusually dashing, and as she followed him upstairs hand in hand she had been able to sense many pairs of eyes of her, especially womenâs eyes which seemed to burn with jealousy. It was too different from his usual impression.
Meanwhile, although Huai Mo was sometimes a little out of touch or a little crazy, he was able to see the current situation clearly enough. He understood that the idea of a man and woman-type relationship with him had probably never crossed Ruan Tianâs mind from beginning to end.
The way she looked at him was always devoid of real feeling. Perhaps there was something like care or sympathy, but there was never love.
Huai Mo had used both hard and soft methods while trying to approach her, but it seemed neither worked at all.
She was soft-hearted, kind, and easily deceived and it wasnât difficult at all to draw out her sympathy. However, it seemed that she was able to make very clear distinctions between 'sympathyâ and âloveâ.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xiaoqiao, who was still down in the main hall, was suddenly surrounded. She felt all kinds of curious eyes falling on her, and then the questions began: âAre your sister and Young Master Huai together? Are they in love?â
"Why haven't I heard of this before?"
"It's really strange. Young Master Shen seems to like her, and this Young Master Huai also seems to be protecting her."
"Iâve never seen that Young Master Huai act so considerate and gentle to anyone before. I suddenly feel as if this party tonight was all set up so he could deliberately give Ruan Tian some face.â
Facing all these questions, Zhou Xiaoqiao couldnât say a word in response. She knew nothing at all about that person from the Huai family who had suddenly appeared. She could only grit her teeth and say, "Brother Shen Shu never loved her, they only got married because he was forced with a trick.â
If these people had heard these words a few months ago, they probably would have all believed it without question.
But the situation was completely different now. Shen Shu had repeatedly clarified and refuted any rumors about him being forced into his marriage. Would a man who wasnât in love and who had been forced ever do that sort of thing?
Moreover, Ruan Tian was like a fish in water in the entertainment industry these days.
All of a sudden the people in the hall realized that this elder sister who was widely acknowledged to be the better of the pair didnât seem to be as good as the rumors implied. It seemed that she couldnât even run a small little fashion company, it really made a person want to laugh.
The noble ladies in the hall continued to smile at Zhou Xiaoqiao, but now there was a little contempt in their eyes.
Zhou Xiaoqiao, a person who was long used to being treated like one of the stars in the sky, really couldnât handle this sudden change.
As she looked around she could see that, although these noble ladies and their daughters werenât making snide comments or sarcastic remarks here in front of her, there was now a tinge of contempt and disdain in their eyes that they didnât bother to hide.
However, Zhou Xiaoqiao could only maintain her usual gentle and kind facade. She knew she couldnât show the slightest impatience or discomfort while in front of these people, so she could only force a smile and say: "I don't know much about my sisterâs business. Iâd love to answer you all, but Iâm afraid I canât.â
Another girl who looked to be about Zhou Xiaoqiaoâs age put on an amused smile and said, "I seem to recall there hearing some rumors that there might be something between Ruan Tian and Huai Mo before, but I really didn't expect that they would actually have such a good relationship."
"Normally Young Master Huai doesn't like these sorts of lively events. Truth be told, I could hardly believe it when I saw he showed his face here today. It seems the allure of the beauty is unexpectedly strong. Your sister is a lucky woman.â
Zhou Xiaoqiao gritted her teeth but could only nod and agree, "Yes."
But despite putting up a strong front at the party, when she returned home that night Zhou Xiaoqiao really couldnât suppress the aggrieved feeling in her heart anymore and ended up crying into her pillow until her eyes were red and swollen.