Chapter Ten: Rather Admire Her

Gong Yi gazed at Huang Pu with deep emotion, saying nothing as he quietly lifted his wine glass and drank. He sent another message to Ouyang, letting him know they were at the “Fog Night” bar.

—

On the first floor of the bar, the crowd swayed to the music, drinking, talking, singing—a riotous scene. “Ranran, what do you think? Compared to Country Y, isn’t it better at home?” Xia Wanqing glanced at the figure hidden in the shadows.

She had already received notice: tomorrow she’d join the crew, so tonight she intended to let loose. Soon, as a public figure, she wouldn’t be able to go out so freely; if photographed, it’d spark another wave of gossip.

“It’s more relaxed here,” Shangguan Ranran replied mildly as she sipped her drink. There was none of the oppressive atmosphere of abroad. She counted the days she could still enjoy herself while watching the dancers on the floor.

“Why don’t we go dance too?” Xia Wanqing suggested. After all, “Fog Night” was different from other bars—the first floor was open for uninhibited dancing. It helped wash away the fatigue of the day and release pressure.

When Ouyang Muya and Ouyang Mufeng entered, they saw two women dancing freely at the center of the dance floor. Both wore oversized sunglasses that concealed their faces, but their figures drew the crowd’s gaze.

Xia Wanqing wore a black camisole dress; after shedding her jacket, her perfect figure and long, pale legs were impossible to ignore. Though autumn was near and the nights cold, Shangguan Ranran had left her jacket on a chair upon entering. Underneath, she wore a loose suspender dress, with a short white top underneath that revealed her slim waist as she moved, her oblique lines clear from the side.

Ouyang Mufeng knew his sister was at the bar, so he’d arrived together. He hadn’t expected that his sister’s friend would be the same young woman he’d admired online—the one who had fiercely retorted to Huang Pu Qingyin.

—

He said, “Sis, how come I didn’t know you had such beautiful friends?”

“There’s plenty you don’t know. Besides, you never seem that concerned about me,” Ouyang Muya replied, fully aware that her brother was always drawn to beauty. In high society, eighty percent of the women had been his girlfriends; the remaining ten percent simply didn’t meet his standards, and the last ten percent were beyond his reach—“to be admired from afar, not touched,” as he liked to say.

“Sis, I’m your real brother. If I don’t care, who will? So, introduce—hey, don’t walk away, introduce me, won’t you?” Ouyang Mufeng was desperate to learn everything about this young woman.

Ouyang Muya walked straight to where Ye Xin and Ye Zuo were sitting, took a seat, and ignored her foolish brother. Ye Zuo and Ye Xin followed, preferring quiet to noise. Ye Zuo’s gaze never left Shangguan Ranran, watching the dancer with a growing intensity. Thankfully he was hidden in the darkness; otherwise, Ye Xin would certainly have noticed.

Ouyang Muya greeted them and ordered a bottle of cocktails, sipping slowly. Meanwhile, in the private room upstairs, Huang Pu’s eyes had never left Shangguan Ranran since she began dancing.

The private room featured mirrored glass so those upstairs could see downstairs, but not vice versa. He was convinced that Shangguan Ranran was just like his little girl—the same aura, the same hair color, though she lacked blue eyes. If his little girl were well, she’d be as carefree and bold as this.

“Huang Pu, Huang Pu? What are you thinking?” Rong Yi’s voice brought him back from his reverie.

—

“That’s right, Second Brother, I’ve been here for a while now,” Ouyang Mufeng remarked, having noticed his brother lost in thought upon arrival.

“Don’t tell me you’re drunk already?”

“No,” he replied, not so easily intoxicated—he was simply lost in thought.

“Guess what I found downstairs?” Ouyang Mufeng looked at his brother, then at Rong Yi.

“What did you see? Don’t tell me you met your ideal type again?” Rong Yi joked, knowing that every time they came to a bar, Ouyang Mufeng met his goddess. The next day, he’d break up with his current girlfriend. Though the youngest of the group, his romantic history was the richest.

“Rong Yi, you’re wrong. Actually—”

“What’s her name?” Rong Yi raised his glass.

“Brother, brother, Third Brother, I really saw my goddess this time!” See? The familiar routine.

“Get to the point,” Huang Pu said impatiently, uninterested in their nonsense; he’d rather go home, read up on some files, and rest early. Their chatter was tiresome.

“It is the point! The point is, I saw the young woman from that video—and she’s my sister’s friend, called Shangguan Ranran. She just returned home,” he’d just coaxed this information from his sister.

“Shangguan Ranran?” Gong Yi was shocked. He hadn’t heard of her, though he’d seen the video and admired her greatly—especially her poise, which few heiresses possessed.