The Mysterious Night of Beijing

On Saturday, stylists and makeup artists arrived at the manor early in the morning.

The walk-in closet was filled with a row of the latest haute couture gowns, and shimmering velvet boxes held various pieces of jewelry.

Lin Chuxiu let them do as they pleased, just looking in the mirror without any reaction.

She felt unfamiliar with the exquisitely made-up woman in the mirror, dressed in an expensive gown. These things didn't belong to her; they were just her costume for the night.

At 7 p.m., the black Bentley stopped precisely at the entrance of the opulent hotel.

Lin Chuxiu took Meng Huizhou's arm and stepped out of the car, as a flurry of camera flashes went off.

She instinctively tried to dodge, but Meng Huizhou's arm steadily supported her, leading her calmly across the red carpet.

His palms were dry and warm, and the fabric between them calmed her racing heart a little.

Inside the banquet hall, crystal chandeliers glittered, and elegantly dressed people mingled. Everyone wore polite smiles, subtly testing and flattering each other amidst the clinking of glasses.

The entire banquet hall fell silent for a moment upon Meng Huizhou's arrival.

All eyes turned to him, filled with curiosity. But when they saw Lin Chuxiu by his side, their gazes became more complex, a mixture of surprise, disdain, and amusement.

Those gazes sent chills down her spine.

"Isn't that Lin Chuxiu from the Lin family...? How come she's with Mr. Meng?"

"After the photos caused such a huge uproar a while ago, she still has the nerve to show her face?"

"Tsk, he's climbed the social ladder now. Mr. Meng's tastes are truly unpredictable."

The whispers were not loud, but they clearly reached Lin Chuxiu's ears.

Meng Huizhou seemed not to hear her and led her straight to the organizers.

Lin Hai and Song Yulan were exchanging pleasantries with several guests with beaming smiles, and their smiles deepened when they saw Meng Huizhou.

"Mr. Meng, your presence is truly an honor for our Lin family!" Lin Hai extended his hand proactively.

Meng Huizhou simply nodded, without making a gesture of shaking hands.

Lin Hai's hand awkwardly froze in mid-air before he sheepishly withdrew it. His gaze fell on Lin Chuxiu, and his brows immediately furrowed, his disgust undisguised.

Song Yulan's face immediately fell. If Meng Huizhou hadn't been there, she probably would have already started cursing.

"Who is this?" someone asked curiously.

Meng Huizhou glanced at Lin Chuxiu beside him, his tone indifferent.

"My female companion."

Three words, spoken lightly, and the surroundings fell silent instantly; everyone's expression changed.

A female companion is not a fiancée or a girlfriend; it's just an identity that can be replaced at any time.

The way people looked at Lin Chuxiu changed; she was just a plaything after all.

Lin Hai and Song Yulan breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Lin Chuxiu with even more disdain. Shameless, all she knows is how to rely on men.

Lin Chuxiu lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes obscuring them. She had expected this long ago, hadn't she? Her relationship with Meng Huizhou was nothing more than a transaction, and she had no right to ask for more.

Lin Lengyan, dressed in a white princess dress, was surrounded by a group of wealthy young ladies, like a princess being fawned over.

When she saw Lin Chuxiu, her eyes lit up, but she then pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth.

"Sister? You're here too! I'm so happy!"

She walked over, lifting her skirt, a naive smile on her face.

"Sister, you look so beautiful today. Did Brother Xian'an bring you here?"

She deliberately brought up Jiang Xian'an to remind everyone that Lin Chuxiu had been dumped.

Before Lin Chuxiu could speak, a cynical voice interrupted.

"She doesn't need my brother to help her; she has plenty of ways of her own."

Jiang Chiye strolled over, holding a glass of champagne.

He looked Lin Chuxiu up and down, his gaze both blatant and frivolous.

"Your skills have improved a lot in just a few days, Lin Chuxiu."

He took a step closer, lowered his voice, and spoke in a volume that only the two of them could hear.

"What, you think you can rest easy just because you changed the lock? Now you've changed men too. You really can't stay still."

The insult in those words made Lin Chuxiu's face turn pale instantly. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.

"Jiang Chiye, watch your mouth."

"Clean?"

Jiang Chiye laughed, his laughter full of malice. "Don't you know best whether my mouth is clean or not? Do you want me to tell everyone how... you are at night?"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure blocked Lin Chuxiu's path.

It was Meng Huizhou. He had walked over at some point, and his tall figure completely shielded Lin Chuxiu behind him.

He didn't even look at Jiang Chiye, but turned his head to look at Lin Chuxiu, who was blocked by him.

Are you cold?

His voice was low and devoid of emotion.

Lin Chuxiu paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"Then stand still."

After Meng Huizhou finished speaking, he finally turned his gaze to Jiang Chiye. His eyes were very calm, and the smile on Jiang Chiye's face immediately froze.

The entire banquet hall seemed to fall silent, and everyone was looking in this direction.

Jiang Chiye felt uneasy under his gaze, but he didn't want to back down in front of so many people.

"Little...little uncle, I was just joking with her," he explained with a dry laugh.

Meng Huizhou didn't speak, he just looked at him, and the air around them seemed to freeze.

Jiang Chiye's forehead began to sweat. He felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast and couldn't move.

He couldn't understand why his uncle, who was usually the least likely to meddle in other people's business, was so humiliating in public for the sake of a woman.

After a full half minute, Meng Huizhou finally spoke, his voice very faint.

"She's mine tonight."

You'd better stay away.

Meng Huizhou's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the banquet hall could hear it clearly.

The entire banquet hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Jiang Chiye's face flushed red and then turned pale, looking extremely ugly. He wanted to refute, to ask why, but when he met Meng Huizhou's unfathomable eyes, he couldn't utter a single word.

That was the look in his eyes that he had been afraid of since childhood. Meng Huizhou was a man who was not easily angered, but once he used that look, it meant that there was no room for negotiation.

Jiang Xian'an and Lin Lengyan also came over.

Jiang Xian'an frowned and pulled Jiang Chiye, who was still frozen in place.

"Uncle," he said, his tone still respectful, "Chi Ye has had too much to drink, please don't take it to heart."

Meng Huizhou shifted his gaze from Jiang Chiye to Jiang Xian'an's face.

"Keep your people in check."

After saying that, he stopped looking at them, turned around, and looked at Lin Chuxiu, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Let's go, I'll take you to get something to eat."

He reached out and casually put his arm around her shoulder, leading her toward the buffet area. From beginning to end, he didn't give the Jiang brothers or Lin Lengyan a single glance.

The crowd automatically made way for them.

Lin Chuxiu, standing beside him, could clearly sense that the gazes around them had changed. If they had been filled with disdain and amusement just moments before, now they were filled with awe and fear.