"I see that you really came. I was hoping you wouldn"t, but I guess I cannot change your mind." Zheng Yue approached her niece and joined her at the balcony where they decided to have a private talk. The older woman arrived an hour earlier than Li Chuntao and Shen Zichen and was busy socializing with other guests.
Behind them, the ballroom was filled with lively music, and guests were gathered on the dance floor. Li Chuntao couldn"t see Shen Zichen from her spot and a.s.sumed he went somewhere peaceful to clear his mind. He probably didn"t want to see her being with Mu Jianyu when the man comes to see her.
"It can"t be helped, Auntie. This is my purpose now. If I let them continue to live in peace knowing that she had suffered, I wouldn"t be able to face her in the afterlife." Li Chuntao said, downing the champagne in her gla.s.s before giving it back to a pa.s.sing waiter.
Ah, this drink didn"t suit her taste but she figured it would do for this time. She could always have a hard drink when she goes home.
"Be careful. I can"t bear it if I lose you too…" Zheng Yue said in a low voice.
However, even before Li Chuntao could a.s.sure her aunt, a voice called out behind her. A guard stationed at the entrance came forward to see her, informing her about Mu Jianyu"s arrival.
"Lady Li, someone is looking for you, but he isn"t on the guest list so we aren"t sure if we should let him in."
"Oh? Then who is it? Did he give his name?"
Li Chuntao inwardly smirked. The man that she"d been waiting for had finally arrived.
"His name is Mu Jianyu, Lady Li." The young man hesitated. Of course, he knew that Mu Jianyu and Li Xiuying were married. It was just he wasn"t sure about the status of their relations.h.i.+p.
Li Chuntao gasped and covered her mouth with one hand dramatically as if she"d forgotten she had a husband by bringing Shen Zichen with her.
"Oh my! Why, of course, you can let him in, mister! Please tell him to see me here with my aunt."
---
It didn"t take long for Mu Jianyu to arrive at the venue. When he arrived, the security blocked his way and didn"t let him inside, much to his chagrin. He was still Li Xiuying"s husband and yet people around her were already ignoring his right to see her.
How ridiculous?! Were they already on Shen Zichen"s side, and couldn"t wait for Li Xiuying to divorce him?
Mu Jianyu swore that he would never let that happen. Over his dead body!
He released a sigh of relief when one of the guards came back and allowed him to go inside, informing him to meet Li Xiuying with Madam Li at a nearby balcony. We went inside at once and headed towards the grand ballroom.
The doors of the banquet hall were wide open and another set of guards were stationed just outside to make sure they could easily avoid any problem even before it arises. He easily found who he was looking for at the location the guard had mentioned earlier.
At the balcony, he saw his wife conversing with Madam Li. His breath caught as he took in the appearance of his lovely wife, dressed in a red gown. It left him enthralled and speechless. He"d always known that Li Xiuying was a great beauty but she"d never dressed like this before or even after they were married.
It was then anger filled his chest as he realized that other men had seen her like this. Had they known that they were in the middle of a divorce, they would surely jump in to ask for Li Xiuying"s hand.
As if it was really that easy. They would have a hard time winning her heart and receive the approval of the Li family to marry her. In fact, of all men who covet after his wife, the best candidate to become her next groom was the Young Master of the Shen family. Someone Mu Jianyu would never accept.
His eyes met Li Xiuying"s, and she nodded in acknowledgment. She cannot ignore him this time, not when people were watching them curiously, including a woman who was being drowned in jealousy as she sees her man with his wife. She was the dirty secret that Mu Jianyu had been trying to get rid of but failed.
"Ying," he greeted her back. Then s.h.i.+fted his attention to his in-law, Zheng Yue. "Auntie Yue."
The older woman glared at him with annoyance before disregarding him. She turned her head to her niece and said.
"Since he"s here. I"ll give you two some privacy. Let me know if you need anything, I"ll ask Zichen to retrieve you at once,"
She was telling it to "Ying" but it was clear that she was giving Mu Jianyu a warning not to do anything to her niece.
After exchanging some words with "Ying", Zheng Yue excused herself to allow Li Chuntao to start her game. It was foolish for her to agree with her niece"s plans but the moment she saw Lin Meirong and Mu Jianyu tonight, she couldn"t wait to see how Li Chuntao would play the two.
Mu Jianyu looked around, trying to see if Shen Zichen was around to stop him from seeing his wife. Seeing that he was nowhere to be found, Mu Jianyu broke into a slight smile.
"Mr. Mu, I"m surprised to see you here. Do you need anything from me?" She asked.
"I was going to visit you tonight when Hou Chen said you went to this party with Shen Zichen…" he said in a gloomy voice as if he was offended that his wife had chosen another man"s company over his.
"Oh, I"m sorry. I wasn"t expecting to see you tonight." Li Chuntai said sheepishly as she looked down at the new gla.s.s in her hand. "Mr. Mu hasn"t visited me for days nor called me and I a.s.sumed you needed some s.p.a.ce after our last encounter. I would"ve asked you to accompany me tonight but my family insisted on attending with Brother Zichen since I trust him the most this time."
Upon hearing, Li Xiuying"s explanation, Mu Jianyu"s gaze softened. So it was like this... because he hadn"t shown up to her recently, she was forced to bring Shen Zichen with her, not because she prefers his company.
"I see so it"s my fault. I shouldn"t have left my wife for too long. Forgive me, Ying." Mu Jianyu was itching to hold her in his arms but the moment he took a step forward he noticed the slight s.h.i.+ver that ran through her body. Li Xiuying still wasn"t comfortable being alone with him.
Despite proving to her that he was her husband, Li Xiuying remained uncomfortable in his presence. Ying was always tense when he visited her. She also barely talked, which confused the h.e.l.l out of him.
She neither accepts him as a friend nor sees him as a man. Mu Jianyu wondered when they would go back to normal because he wanted her so bad that he couldn"t sleep at night thinking about her.
It"s been too long since he touched her, too long since the last time he"d kissed her, and Mu Jianyu was starting to regret not paying attention to his wife for the past months because he was busy cheating on her with Lin Meirong.