Chapter 25: As Long As You Are With Me, I Shall Not Be Lonely

Wen Ling had been hospitalized for several days. It was only after the doctor repeatedly emphasized that she had fully recovered that Aunt Zhou felt at ease letting her be discharged.

With the Starlight Gala approaching, Wen Ling was in no rush to settle scores with Ruan Miaomiao. She spent several days at home, idling away the time while cuddling her cat, Hehe.

She was somewhat surprised to receive a voice call from Zhao Xingtang.

"Hello, Miss Zhao."

Zhao Xingtang chuckled. "Wen Ling, don't be so formal."

Wen Ling’s eyes curved into crescents at these words, her tone filled with delight. "Xingtang, is something the matter?"

Zhao Xingtang glanced up at Zhou Yinhe, who was playing cards but had clearly perked up his ears. She deliberately lowered her voice so he couldn’t hear her.

"At Cloud Top Club. Zhou Yinhe is here. Want to come?" Zhao Xingtang asked, getting straight to the point.

Wen Ling lowered her gaze, gently stroking Hehe’s paw. "I think I’ll pass; it’s too late."

"You don't have many friends in Sijiu City, and it must be boring at home. Why not come over and have some fun?" Zhao Xingtang propped her chin on her hand, tapping her face with her fingers. She continued, "Come and watch Zhou Yinhe change his expression."

Wen Ling felt a flicker of interest and agreed.

Zhao Xingtang stood up and wandered around the four people playing mahjong, cup in hand. She pretended to be helpless. "Oh dear, I was thinking that Miss Wen doesn't have any friends in Sijiu City, so I wanted to invite her over. But she said she was afraid of annoying certain people, so she refused."

She cast a glance at Zhou Yinhe and, sure enough, saw his lips thin out and his mood dampen.

Jiang Jibai, sitting to Zhou Yinhe’s left, slowly tossed a tile and said calmly, "That’s normal. After all, not many people here like her. Why come? To annoy someone?"

Zhao Xingtang rested her arm on the back of Qi Zhan's chair, lazily finished her drink, and set the glass down in front of him. She smiled and said, "That’s true. But Wen Ling is really beautiful, and I like her personality. My younger brother is being pressured by the family to find a girlfriend, so maybe I should introduce him to Wen Ling. Who knows, she might just become my sister-in-law."

The Zhao family’s young master, Zhao Yuyang, was a notorious playboy in Sijiu City. Compared to him, the things Wu Xuan had done were mere child's play. If it weren't for the Zhao family and his sister, Zhao Xingtang, protecting him, he would have been locked up long ago.

Zhou Yinhe scoffed, looking up at Zhao Xingtang with a hostile glare. "Are you sure you like her and aren't trying to spite her? You have no idea what kind of mess your brother is?"

Zhao Xingtang wasn't annoyed. She shrugged and continued, "If my brother doesn't work out, my cousins will do. They’re all my brothers; whoever manages to win Wen Ling over, she’ll still be my sister-in-law."

Zhou Yinhe shoved his cards away and said coldly, "I'm done. I'm leaving." He stood up as he spoke.

Seeing him get annoyed, Zhao Xingtang laughed. "Oh, I forgot. Wen Ling said she was coming. I've been too busy lately; my brain isn't working right, and my memory is failing."

Zhou Yinhe gritted his teeth, standing there unsure whether to leave or stay.

The others enjoyed the show. Zhao Xingtang deliberately asked him, "What’s wrong? Aren't you done playing? We won't force you to stay. Since you hate Wen Ling anyway, what will you do if she shows up and you give the poor girl the cold shoulder? You’d better go."

Zhou Yinhe’s fingers tightened, his thin lips pressed into a firm line. He looked as if he were truly about to leave. Ke Chengyu, having seen enough, realized Zhou Yinhe was genuinely angry. He shot a look at Zhao Xingtang and stood up to pull Zhou Yinhe back.

"Why are you going back? It’s still early. Sit back down and keep playing."

Zhou Yinhe took the exit ramp and sat back in his seat. Jiang Jibai looked up at Zhao Xingtang, his eyes filled with a faint sense of threat. Zhao Xingtang hummed a laugh and walked away with her empty glass.

Wen Ling asked the driver to drop her off and instructed him to wait at the entrance. She figured she would be angered into leaving by Zhou Yinhe soon enough.

To her surprise, Zhou Yinhe seemed to have had a change of heart. From the moment she stepped inside, he hadn't said a word, silently focusing on his cards.

Wen Ling glanced at him several times, but he pretended not to notice. Qi Zhan, however, bristled like a cat with its fur on end the moment he saw her. Just as he was about to make a sarcastic remark, he received a light, dismissive glance from Zhou Yinhe.

Qi Zhan swallowed his words, feeling stifled.

Ke Chengyu couldn't stand Zhou Yinhe’s affectation and suggested, "Shall we stop playing? Why don't we go to the bar and do something else?"

Jiang Jibai raised an eyebrow in agreement. "Sure. Little Five, what do you think?"

Zhou Yinhe gave a faint "mm," which earned him an eye-roll from Jiang Jibai.

Once they were on the sofa, Wen Ling greeted Zhao Xingtang before walking over to the group.

She greeted them softly. As the saying goes, one doesn't strike a smiling face. Even if Qi Zhan was unhappy, he held his tongue and gave a sullen, "Mm."

Jiang Jibai nodded with a faint smile, while Ke Chengyu seemed quite interested in Wen Ling and took the initiative to chat with her for a while.

Wen Ling kept a smile on her face until Ke Chengyu stopped talking. She then leaned closer to Zhou Yinhe and said in a soft voice, "Zhou Yinhe, are you unhappy that I came here?"

Qi Zhan, sitting nearby, heard this and rolled his eyes violently.

Wen Ling treated Qi Zhan as if he were invisible, keeping her gaze fixed on Zhou Yinhe. Her eyes were soft, as if she would leave immediately if he said he wasn't happy.

Zhou Yinhe looked down at her and said coldly, "Didn't you say you were going back to the U.S.?"

Wen Ling blinked, explaining with complete sincerity, "I had already booked my flight, but I received an invitation to the Starlight Gala. I wanted to attend that before heading back."

Zhou Yinhe frowned. Their circle didn't think much of the Starlight Gala; it was mostly filled with entertainment industry figures and some film investors, or perhaps a few second-generation heirs looking to pick up young starlets.

Sensing his skepticism, Wen Ling took the initiative to clarify, "The host this year is a very famous director in China. My grandfather loves his films and even invited him to our home as a guest once. When he heard I was in China, he sent me an invitation."

She blinked, appearing slightly troubled, and reached out with her fair, delicate hand to tug at Zhou Yinhe’s sleeve. She said softly, "But I don't know anyone in China, and I've only met that director once—we aren't close. Wouldn't I be very lonely if I went?"

She looked up, her eyes clear and bright.

"Did you receive an invitation? Will you be going? If you were there, I think I wouldn't be so lonely."

Zhou Yinhe was silent for a long moment before finally giving a faint "mm."

Zhao Xingtang had walked over at some point and overheard every word of their conversation. When she saw Wen Ling look over, she winked at her, her eyes filled with nothing but admiration.

Wen Ling smiled, still maintaining that harmless, innocent expression.

Qi Zhan finally couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Zhou Yinhe and pulled him to the side.

"Why are you pulling me?" Zhou Yinhe asked impatiently.

"Fine, fine! You’re all soft-spoken with Wen Ling, but this is the tone you use with me?" Qi Zhan exclaimed, frustrated. "Can’t you see she’s doing this on purpose?"

"What on purpose? Stop pulling me," Zhou Yinhe said, swatting his hand away and frowning.