Zhuo Jingren gave a slight frown at Mu Qingling before he led Lily away. He did not have any intent of engaging Mu Qingling any further. He led Lily towards a table right in the center of the ballroom where only a few people were seated. Since this was not really a big event, the people in attendance were not that many but most of them came from an impressive background. There were politicians, TV personalities and businessmen who came here to have some fun while donating to a cause.
“Mr. Zhuo.” An older gentleman immediately rose from his seat, his eyes in crescent as he smiled at Zhuo Jingren. “I am glad you could make it.” The man also gave Lily a respectful smile. “And who might this be?”
“My wife,” Zhuo Jingren proudly said as he shook hands with the man. Then he turned to Lily and introduced the man as Mr. Shen, the owner of the restaurant and the ballroom.
“I am very glad to finally meet you Mrs. Zhuo,” Mr. Shen said as he kissed the back of Lily’s hand. A few days ago, Zhuo Jingren had informed him that he would visit soon with his wife which surprised him at first as he wondered when Zhuo Jingren had gotten married given that there were no news about it. Mr. Shen had been acquainted with Zhuo Jingren for years now and he was sincerely happy for him, that he finally found a woman whom he could spend the rest of his life with.
“Thank you for coming and I hope you two would enjoy yourselves tonight. As you can see, some of the guests are already dancing and enjoying themselves,” Mr. Shen said, taking a seat next to Zhuo Jingren.
“Are you alright?” Zhuo Jingren asked Lily when he saw her roaming her eyes around the place. The entire ballroom was carpeted in red with golden motifs except for a large rectangular space in the middle that was covered by wooden tiles – the dance floor. A big crystal chandelier also hung from the ceiling in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by spotlights that shone brightly at the dance floor. Each table had a beautiful floral centerpiece that were perfectly arranged together. The entire venue screamed elegance and class.
“This is a very beautiful venue. How often are events held here?” she asked.
“Once or twice in a quarter. It also depends on whether there’s anyone who wants to collaborate with Mr. Shen for a fundraising event. Mr. Shen would only open this venue for events that would benefit charities in some way,” he answered before taking two glasses of champagne from a waiter who passed by. He then handed one glass to Lily. “I requested this event tonight especially for my wife.”
Lily accepted the champagne but her eyes were glued to the big dance floor right in the middle of the ballroom. As Lily’s table was right in front, she had an unobstructed view of the dance floor. Moreover, the tables were arranged to surround the dance floor and had a half round seating arrangement so that guests need not have to turn their heads to look at the performers.
Just then, a group of older men and women approached their table to talk to Zhuo Jingren and he proudly introduced Lily as his wife which earned a lot of surprised gasps. Zhuo Jingren was never known to associate himself with any women. In fact, this was the first time that he had brought a companion to a function like this. That alone was enough to prove that Lily was very special to him.
The group of men and women did not linger around for long as most of them were just here for the fun and not to build connections. Moreover, it was common knowledge that Zhuo Jingren was not someone who could be bought by flatteries and frivolous talk.
“They fear you,” Lily whispered.
“Are you scared of me too?” he asked.
“Of course not. Sometimes, I think that I am way scarier than you.” She gave a small laugh.
“Good.” He nodded before Mr. Shen interrupted them. According to Mr. Shen, there would be a dance performance tonight by a talented dancer who had won many dance contests abroad and in Mainland China. Mr. Shen was full of praises for her; he was obviously a fan of the performer.
The dance floor was cleared and after another five minutes, the lights in the venue flashed brightly before it dimmed. Lily felt Zhou Jingren’s hands snaking around her waist before he moved his seat a little closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her nape. “Will you dance with me later?” he asked, his voice a little low and husky.
“Depends,” she answered, her eyes on the dance floor.
“On what?”
“On the payment of course. I don’t just dance for anyone.” Her words earned a chuckle from Zhuo Jingren as he leaned even closer to her.
“How about my body?”
Lily raised an eyebrow. “I will think about it,” she answered with a wink as music started playing in the background. Her gaze was now on a woman in a revealing gold fringe dance bodysuit standing in the middle of the dance floor.
For some reason, Lily was not surprised that the performer that Mr. Shen was raving about was none other than Mu Qingling, the woman who claimed to have had a private meeting with her husband.
Mu Qingling wriggled her waist and pointed her toes along to the fast-paced salsa music. The salsa was a very sensual dance and every step would show that. Mu Qingling’s eyes were glued to her partner but she would occasionally steal a glance at Lily and Zhuo Jingren, sending them a coy smile. As a professional dancer, her moves were very impressive. The entire dance performance was hot and undeniably flawless.
When the performance ended, everyone including Lily, was quick to rise from their seats and clapped their hands. It was a standing ovation. Lily acknowledged Mu Qingling’s dancing skills. Mu Qingling was indeed a good dancer and Lily was impressed.
After taking a bow, Mu Qingling immediately walked up to Mr. Shen and said with a smile, “I really hope that you enjoyed my performance.” Though she was addressing Mr. Shen, a quick shift in her eyes towards Zhuo Jingren and Lily revealed that she was also directing her words to them.
“Good. It is very good.” Mr. Shen beamed.
“How about you Miss Lily, Mr. Zhuo… did you enjoy the dance?” Mu Qingling asked. By now, Lily’s name was already the talk of everyone present. Mu Qingling was not that dumb to blatently disrespect Zhuo Jingren’s wife in front of everyone.
“We love your performance. If only you could treat us to another performance. Maybe my husband and I could hire you to dance for us one day.” Lily flashed a smile at the woman before her. The atmosphere turned a little awkward for everyone. In Lily’s eyes, Mu Qingling was just a performer, someone that she could pay to perform. Seeing the smile vanishing from Mu Qingling’s face, Lily added, “Isn’t that right, husband?”
“Of course! I agree. My secretary will give you a call you when an opportunity arises in the future,” Zhuo Jingren said, his gaze never leaving Lily’s side profile. His wife’s words were always right.
…
Editor: Swaning
