Zhao Hesong’s smile deepened. “He’s busy. He’ll probably come a little later.”
Winnie linked arms with Meng Shuyao and walked into the hall.
The French-style long table was filled with cutlery and food. No one was restrained; everyone gathered together, chatting and laughing.
Someone asked curiously, “When did Young Master Zhao get to know two great beauties? Aren’t you going to introduce them?”
Zhao Hesong couldn’t introduce them. He didn’t know the English names of these two young ladies either. “Introduce yourselves.”
Winnie switched to English and spoke openly. “Hello, I’m Winnie, and my friend is Elara.”
“Welcome, welcome!”
Zhao Hesong reminded them, “They’re younger than you guys, so take good care of them.”
Most of this group were twenty-six or twenty-seven and above, so Meng Shuyao and Winnie did indeed count as young.
They teased him. “Young Master Zhao really knows how to cherish beauties.”
Zhao Hesong laughed and cursed, “Get lost.”
Meng Shuyao and Winnie found seats and ate with everyone.
Those present were all friends on good terms with Zhao Hesong, and the atmosphere remained pleasant.
After dinner, the group moved to the entertainment room on the second floor.
Some played cards, some played snooker, while others sat down to drink and chat.
Winnie was outgoing by nature and could fit in anywhere, so they called her over to play billiards.
Meng Shuyao wasn’t good at it, so she sat on the sofa and watched.
Laughter and banter sounded nonstop beside her ears.
“What are you doing, Young Master Zhao? You can’t go that easy on her just because she’s pretty.”
“You’re usually not at this level.”
“Am I not allowed to make mistakes?”
“That’s not how you make a mistake, is it?”
“If this keeps up, you’ll have drained the entire Pacific Ocean.”
“Hahahaha…”
Meng Shuyao checked the time several times. It was already nine o’clock, and Mr. Pei still hadn’t arrived.
Zhao Hesong’s phone rang. He put down his cue and went to the side to answer it.
“Brother Zhou, are you still not coming?”
The voice on the other end said, “It’s too late. I won’t be going over.”
“You’re not coming?” Zhao Hesong glanced toward the sofa. “Then it looks like someone waited for nothing.”
He deliberately sighed. “Poor little girl, waiting for you so eagerly all night, only to have her hopes dashed.”
Pei Yuzhou hung up.
Zhao Hesong couldn’t tell whether he was coming or not. He hadn’t given a definite answer.
Meng Shuyao grew bored waiting. From time to time she scrolled through her phone, then looked up at the door.
After Winnie finished playing billiards, she returned to sit beside her and picked up a glass to drink some water. “Why still hasn’t Mr. Pei come? It’s already ten.”
Meng Shuyao concealed her disappointment and lowered her eyes. “It’s so late. He definitely won’t come.”
Just as her words were about to fall, footsteps gradually approached. Leather shoes pressed over the marble floor, the sound brief and muffled.
Winnie raised her eyes and looked over. A crisp, upright figure entered her line of sight.
The man was very tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. His features were deep and three-dimensional, his bone structure superb, and the refined, noble air about him made him seem utterly out of reach.
“Is that… Mr. Pei?”
Meng Shuyao saw him come in as well. She froze for a few seconds, then nodded lightly. “Mm.”
Winnie parted her lips. “You never said he was this handsome.”
Was this the charm of a mature mixed-race man? Even a 3D model face wouldn’t be this handsome.
Zhao Hesong got up to greet him. “You finally came. We waited for you all night.”
In the end, Miss Meng’s face was still the most influential.
The others all came over to greet Pei Yuzhou one after another.
Meng Shuyao didn’t even have a chance to speak to him.
Zhao Hesong made room and let Pei Yuzhou sit down on the sofa. “Brother Zhou, what would you like to drink?”
“Red wine,” he said.
“Sure.” Zhao Hesong personally fetched a wineglass and poured it for him.
The aged Bordeaux had a rich, mellow aroma that spread through the air.
Pei Yuzhou sat with his legs slightly apart, his right hand resting on the armrest, looking lazy and relaxed.
Meng Shuyao sat opposite him. Their gazes touched inadvertently, then quickly shifted away again.
They hadn’t seen each other for more than half a month. It felt as though they had returned to that earlier state when they weren’t very familiar.
Zhao Hesong secretly observed the two of them. “Don’t just sit around. Want to play cards together?”
Someone beside him echoed, “Sure. What are we playing?”
Zhao Hesong picked up the deck of poker cards on the table. “Texas Hold’em. Everyone knows how, right?”
It was a common social card game in this circle; the rules didn’t even need to be explained.
Someone asked, “What are the stakes?”
Zhao Hesong raised a brow and smiled. “Just for fun. We won’t play with chips today. The loser drinks a cup as punishment, or does one thing assigned by the winner. How’s that?”
“Works for me.”
No one present objected.
Zhao Hesong asked separately, “Brother Zhou, what about you?”
Pei Yuzhou held his wineglass and took a shallow sip. “Deal.”
The circle around the coffee table just happened to accommodate eight people.
One person was designated dealer. Each person received two hole cards and shared five community cards; in the end, whoever formed the strongest hand won.
One key to winning lay in the psychological game: reading information from one’s opponents, controlling the bets, and adjusting strategy.
Meng Shuyao didn’t often play Texas Hold’em and had no real technique. She relied entirely on luck.
The man opposite her, however, won several rounds with ease.
It seemed that no matter what he did, he handled it effortlessly, without the slightest strain.
The unlucky one was Zhao Hesong. His cards were terrible every round. He had already drunk three glasses of wine and had even been punished by Pei Yuzhou to do thirty push-ups.
Winnie gloated. “Looks like the birthday boy’s luck isn’t very good today.”
“Maybe my energy field doesn’t match this seat.” Zhao Hesong drew a tissue to wipe his sweat, then turned his gaze toward Meng Shuyao. “Miss Meng, why don’t I switch seats with you?”
Meng Shuyao didn’t react at first and let out an “Ah?”
His seat was beside Mr. Pei.
Seeing this, Winnie quickly offered assistance and gave her a push. “Switch, switch.”
Meng Shuyao subconsciously glanced at Pei Yuzhou. His expression was very淡, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Zhao Hesong stood there waiting.
After hesitating for a moment, Meng Shuyao slowly rose and walked around the coffee table to the opposite side.
The two-seater sofa was not spacious. As soon as she sat down, the hem of her dress brushed against the man’s knee.
His black suit trousers were pressed smooth and neat, fitting along his legs, inexplicably carrying a sense of ascetic restraint.
Meng Shuyao pulled her skirt back a little.
The dealing continued.
Perhaps there really was something mystical about it, or perhaps the feng shui of this seat was bad. The hole cards Meng Shuyao got were extremely poor; nothing could save them.
Zhao Hesong couldn’t suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. “Drink, or take another punishment?”
Meng Shuyao asked cautiously, “Can I hear what the punishment is first?”
Zhao Hesong lifted his chin. “Then you’ll have to ask the person beside you.”
Meng Shuyao turned to look at Pei Yuzhou.
He parted his lips淡ly. “Drink lemonade.”
“Hey, now that’s what I call really going easy on someone.” Zhao Hesong accused him, “You didn’t even blink just now when you made me do thirty push-ups.”
Pei Yuzhou glanced sidelong at him. “Make any more noise and next round it’ll be fifty.”
Zhao Hesong: “…”
To Meng Shuyao, drinking lemonade didn’t count as a punishment at all. She usually quite liked drinking it.
Everyone else took it as Pei Yuzhou’s gentlemanly gesture, taking care of a girl.
But anyone who understood him would know that he was not someone who would be considerate and take care of others at all.
In the next round, Zhao Hesong got a straight flush and finally redeemed himself. “I finally won one.”
Meng Shuyao, on the other hand, hugged a cushion in frustration and muttered under her breath, “Why am I the one losing again?”
Winnie exclaimed in surprise, “This seat really is kind of uncanny.”
Zhao Hesong smiled and asked, “Drink, or what?”
Meng Shuyao didn’t want to drink, so she resigned herself to fate. “You say the punishment.”
Zhao Hesong seemed to ponder it. A trace of mischief flashed across the bottom of his eyes. “Among the opposite sex present, choose one and kiss them on the cheek.”