The lines on the sketch were clean and smooth. A few simple lines perfectly highlighted the contours of the boy’s profile.
The loose blazer hung over his narrow shoulders with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his slender hands.
The boy’s body was turned slightly to the side. He wore a baseball cap over his black hair, which hung down and concealed his eyes. The bridge of his nose was high and his lips were slightly pursed.
Even though it was just a side view, a strong sense of loneliness could be seen from within.
The sketch had been drawn with simple and delicate strokes. The meticulous details easily highlighted the charm and temperament of the young man.
It felt as if the artist had drawn this figure a million times before.
The sketch had been drawn on a thin piece of paper which had obviously aged, but it had been carefully preserved. There was not a single crease in it, which was evidence that the owner cherished it greatly.
It felt like the air in the hall had frozen as the hall went deadly silent. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
All the guests were stunned. They were so shocked by what had just happened that no one was able to react to the situation.
The seemingly chaste and cool gentleman, Second Master Lu, had a sketch of a boy in his precious book.
Since the book belonged to him, it was obvious who the artist was.
It was not the book that Lu Huaiyu cherished so much but the sketch that he had kept inside!
More precisely, it was the young man in the sketch!
Who would have thought that the famous Second Master Lu, who was sought after by many women, had such a huge secret?
Xu Yini’s mind went blank.
The book fell onto the ground, the heavy thud pulling her back to her senses.
She looked at the fallen book and the sketch, and started to panic.
Instinctively, she looked at Lu Huaiyu.
“H-Huaiyu, I didn’t mean it. I—”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her quietly without any expression on his face. His dark eyes bored into her with a deep, icy cold stare.
Xu Yini’s heart sank as she felt as if she had just fallen into an icy abyss.
She had never seen Lu Huaiyu like this before.
She tried to pick up the piece of paper.
“Don’t touch it. Don’t contaminate my things with your filthy hands,” Lu Huaiyu said coldly.
Xu Yini froze. Her cheeks felt blazing hot as if she had been slapped on the face.
Everyone else who was present did not dare to react as well.
Lu Huaiyu walked over and leaned down to pick up the sketch. He then placed it back into the book.
Although his face was sharp with anger, exuding an oppressive and suffocating aura, his movements were gentle as if he was afraid to further damage his precious treasure.
Xu Yini’s lips shivered. “I-I’m sorry, H-Huaiyu, I just—”
“Starting from tomorrow, HG will release all working relationships with Huanxing Entertainment and any promotions for all the artists under that company must cease immediately.
“From now on, I do not wish to see the Lu Corporation being related to that company in any way.”
Lu Huaiyu said with an emotionless tone as he spoke to Yi Bin.
Yi Bin was startled for a moment before he suppressed his shock and said, “Yes, sir.”
Everyone else felt like they had been blindsided.
It was well known that Huanxing Entertainment was Xu Yini’s agency and that she was the most famous artist under that brand.
Huanxing Entertainment had invested a lot of resources into her just to boost her up to her current status.
Lu Huaiyu’s words basically meant that he wanted to cut all ties with Xu Yini.
Xu Yini’s face went pale. She had not expected Lu Huaiyu to be this resolute. He had not even given her a chance to explain or apologize.
This cocktail party had been attended by many celebrities from the Capital.
Now, Lu Huaiyu had completely humiliated her in front of them.
In her shock, Xu Yini became flustered and even thought that this situation was absurd.
How could this have happened?
Was it just because of that sketch?
She had not even touched it!
Lu Huaiyu had always been cold towards her, but it had never been like this.
His icy cold demeanor made her heart pound in nervousness.
“Huaiyu, I…”
“Uncle Xi.”
Lu Huaiyu ignored her and turned to Xi Lin.
“This is your party, so out of respect, I won’t hold anyone responsible for this. However, there’s someone here who I find to be an eyesore, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Xu Yini’s mind went blank.
An eyesore… I’m an eyesore!?
Even Xi Lin had not expected things to turn this bad.
This cocktail party was Lu Huaiyu’s first official social event since he had come back to Jingcheng. The last one he had attended had been a year ago.
In the end, alcohol had gotten the best of Xu Yini, causing her to step out of line. Not only had she snatched his book, but she had even exposed the sketch that had been inside it.
Xi Lin could already feel a headache coming when he had seen the sketch of the young man.
Without a doubt, this little incident would soon snowball into something serious.
Why couldn’t Xu Yini just control herself and behave?
He walked up to Lu Huaiyu and said, “I’ll see you out.”
“Please stay. Please do not allow this little incident to ruin your mood and the party.”
Xi Lin froze on the spot, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
Everyone else was also silent.
A little incident? If it had only been a little incident, Lu Huaiyu would not have reacted so fiercely.
He had basically ‘killed’ Xu Yini’s future with his words.
Immediately after he finished speaking, he turned around and left; with Yi Bin following behind him.
Even after they had both left the party, everyone else at the party still could not wrap their heads around the situation.
Some of them stared at Xu Yini, giving her strange looks and mocking stares.
Just a little while ago, some of the girls had claimed that Xu Yini was the most qualified to court Lu Huaiyu. Now, however, everyone could see the situation in a different light.
Lu Huaiyu had no feelings for her, not even a bit. It was safe to say that the man even resented her.
Xu Yini’s eyes turned red, her fists tightly clenched.
The gazes on her felt like sharp blades, cutting through her skin with their disdain.
All she wanted was to bury herself in a hole, instead of standing there and allowing everyone else to ridicule her in her embarrassment.
She had become the biggest joke of the party and it would definitely make the headlines soon.
Xi Lin frowned and said in a deep voice, “Yini, you’ve had enough wine for today.”
Xi Lin had basically watched Xu Yini grow up. If not, he would never have held back his temper towards her.
“I’ll get someone to send you back.”
…
Yi Bin drove the car away from LaTuie Winery.
Lu Huaiyu crossed his legs in the rear seat. The book resting on his lap.
He concealed himself in the darkness, hiding his expression.
Yi Bin looked through the rear mirror. After some hesitation, he decided to swallow his intended words and simply asked instead, “Sir, are we going back to Lu’s mansion?”
A moment later, Lu Huaiyu shut his eyes. “No. To Rongyue Mansion.”
Lu Huaiyu had several houses in Jingcheng and Ronyue Mansion was the biggest terrace house in the center of the city.
He spent his nights there whenever he decided to not go back to Lu’s mansion.
“Yes, sir.”
…
After Lu Huaiyu and Xu Yini left, the party ended prematurely.
The guests no longer wanted to stay and quickly dispersed shortly after.
The little incident that had happened at the winery soon spread like wildfire among the upper social circles of Jingcheng.
At the same time, the incident gave birth to a rumour which took everyone by storm.
