This voice… Cheng Liyue swiftly turned around.
And caught sight of Gong Yexiao standing right behind her with a dark expression on his handsome face.
Her eyes widened. Why was he here?
The other man did not recognize Gong Yexiao, but was nevertheless intimidated by Gong Yexiao’s presence and left after giving a fl.u.s.tered smile.
Eyes narrowed, Gong Yexiao let out a scoff. “What a great way to flirt with men.”
This caused Cheng Liyue to choke. Crinkling her brows, she asked, “What about Xiao Ze? Why aren’t you with him?”
“Don’t worry. Xiao Ze is at my grandfather’s house. He will have his dinner there.” Gong Yexiao answered.
Cheng Liyue was startled. Xiao Ze was at Gong Yexiao’s grandfather’s house? Xiao Ze met with the members of the Gong family?
“In that case… what are you doing here?” Cheng Liyue thought it odd. The city was so large — it was impossible that this happened to be a coincidence.
“Did you really think that you’re the only one being invited? And I wasn’t?” He didn’t want to reveal the fact that he came over to look for her on his own initiative to prevent her from being smug about it.
Hearing his arrogant tone, Cheng Liyue pursed her lips and gave a curt reply, “Oh.” Dismissing him, she headed towards the next painting.
Gong Yexiao narrowed his eyes, feeling displeased. That was all she had to say?
Taking a gla.s.s of red wine from the waiter nearby, Gong Yexiao proceeded to walk over to her side. He was not interested in these paintings. He was instead fixated on this woman tonight.
After shucking off her professional attire, she looked ravis.h.i.+ng in this royal blue evening gown. Although there wasn’t anything special about the dress, it did nothing to conceal her figure. She was like a delicate porcelain doll — fair and sylphlike.
Cheng Liyue was in the midst of admiring the painting when she was overcome with discomfiture. His penetrating gaze was fixed on her. Anyone on the receiving end would be unsettled by it.
Annoyed, Cheng Liyue turned to the pesky man. “Have you looked your fill?”
“Dressed like this — have you come to entice men?” Gong Yexiao interrogated her.
Cheng Liyue thought this absolutely ludicrous. She dressed up like this to fit the occasion. How did this turned into enticing men? However, she felt it unnecessary to explain herself. Arching her brow, she replied “That’s right. Is there a problem?”
His expression turned unsightly in an instant. His broad palm clasped her slender arm as he said through clenched teeth, “Yes. I have a huge problem with it. I’ve mentioned to you that as the mother of my son, you must keep your private life clean or there will be consequences.”
Cheng Liyue was taken aback by his glacial look. Couldn’t he see that she was being restrained by his hand? She jerked her arm out of his grip and said angrily, “I’m just here for the paintings. Do you mind leaving me alone?”
Eyes narrowed, Gong Yexiao’s frosty gaze remained on her without speaking another word.
Cheng Liyue cast him a look and made to leave. As soon as she moved away, Gong Yexiao trailed after her like an unshakeable shadow.
Cheng Liyue halted in her steps and turned to look at him. She was at a loss for words. “Must you follow me around?”
“You admire your view, I’ll admire mine. Who’s following you around?” Gong Yexiao said haughtily.
He was obviously following her around! Cheng Liyue did not want this experience to be ruined by him, so she just had to bear with it.
Lighting was installed above each painting. When Cheng Liyue raised her head to gaze up at the painting, the light beamed down on her, illuminating her face.
Gong Yexiao’s gaze settled on her face. For a moment, he was stunned. He had seen all kinds of beauty and was immune to them all. But it seemed that this woman had bewitched him. He was unable to tear his eyes away from her.
Cheng Liyue’s eyes were clear and bright like polished jewels. While looking at the paintings, she observed the man from her peripheral vision with a touch of indignation.
Gong Yexiao’s expression turned surly when he saw her giving him such a look. Did this woman think that he was in her way?
This was the first time Gong Yexiao received such a contemptuous look in his life. This woman must be lacking in some good sense to regard him in this way.
Linda made a call to a male friend of hers who happened to be attending the same event. Linda’s intention was to ask him to give Cheng Liyue a lift home tonight.
She sent a photo to his cell phone so that he would be able to spot Cheng Liyue, and informed him about the matter.
This man was an art enthusiast and was in his early thirties. There was a mature charm to him. He was also quite successful in his career. When he saw the photo that Linda sent, his heart was moved.
Unexpectedly, he had the honor to send a beautiful lady home tonight.
He began to scan the crowd in search for Cheng Liyue.
There was a painting of a woman displayed in the hallway. The content of the painting was on the more stimulating end. Cheng Liyue came across this painting while walking around. When her gaze fell on this liberal painting, she was dumbstruck.
The woman in the painting was nude.
Cheng Liyue noticed that the man had followed after her. Moreover, his gaze was fixed on the painting. Cheng Liyue inwardly scoffed. Sure enough, men were drawn to such things — it was in their nature after all.
After gazing at it for a few minutes, Gong Yexiao commented, “Not as good as your figure.”
Cheng Liyue’s heart gave a lurch. What was he on about?
“Yours are bigger.” The man added.
Cheng Liyue was about to go crazy. Bigger? Was he referring to her chest? Could he not properly appreciate the painting for once?
There were several people around who had overheard his remark. They turned to look at Cheng Liyue, agog. A flush crept up her cheeks.
“I’m going to the washroom.” Cheng Liyue didn’t want to be around him any longer.
Gong Yexiao did not follow suit. Arms crossed, his cold gaze rested on the painting. Although it was stimulating, he seemed to be unaffected by it. The figure of Cheng Liyue came into his mind instead. There was no need for a comparison, Cheng Liyue’s figure came up on top.
When Cheng Liyue came out of the washroom, she ran into Linda’s friend, Zhang Chao.
“You must be Ms Cheng Liyue. I’m Zhang Chao, a friend of Linda’s.” Zhang Chao gave her smile.
Hearing that he was Linda’s friend, Cheng Liyue became more amiable. “Yes, I am Cheng Liyue. Nice to meet you.”
“Sure enough, you’re beautiful as your name suggests. Have you eaten yet? The buffet here is pretty good.”
“Uh… not yet.” Cheng Liyue answered truthfully.
“Let’s eat together. Linda asked me to take you home tonight. We might as well use this time to get to know each other. ” Zhang Chao spoke courteously.
Since Gong Yexiao was nowhere to be seen, Cheng Liyue gave Zhang Chao a nod. Because he was Linda’s friend, it wouldn’t do to be impolite. “Sure. It just so happens that I’m a little bit hungry.”Chapter 61: Tangled Up With Him