kingnovel Chapter 1275 Yun Rui's sincerity: female companion
Chapter 1275 Yun Rui's sincerity: female companion
The crystal chandelier cut Qi Ruixiang's shadow into countless diamonds. The moment he stepped into the banquet hall with Yang Xiaotang, the crisp sound of the champagne glasses clinking suddenly stopped.
The hem of Yang Xiaotang's white chiffon skirt swept across the Persian carpet, and the Buddhist beads on her wrist trembled slightly with her nervous pulse. She subconsciously searched for her father's figure in the crowd, but she met Gu Yunxi's icy eyes first.
"Mr. Gu, Madam, I wish you good fortune like the long flowing water of the East China Sea, and a long life like the evergreen pines of the Southern Mountains." Qi Ruixiang's voice was mixed with just the right amount of smile as he handed the cloisonné birthday gift box to Ye Muxue.
When the old woman took it, she glanced at Yang Xiaotang's clenched fingers out of the corner of her eye, and a smile froze on the corner of her mouth for half a second - the cinnabar mole behind the girl's ear was exactly the same as the woman in the yellowed photo she had pressed at the bottom of the dressing table.
"Who is this?" Gu Mingcheng paused in mid-air, holding the whiskey in his hand. His eyes fell on Yang Xiaotang's awkwardly folded hands and he looked at the two of them with a playful expression.
The whispers in the banquet hall were like a tide, and the guests' gazes were like invisible threads, entangled the two in the center of the vortex.
Qi Ruixiang tilted his head to look at the girl beside him, his eyes flickering behind his glasses: "Yang Xiaotang, my..."
"Friend." Yang Xiaotang suddenly interrupted, her voice trembling more than expected.
She felt her back soaked with cold sweat. She caught a glimpse of her father standing up from the VIP seat and could clearly hear the sound of his police boots stepping on the marble floor.
Right in front of her, Gu Yunxi's pearl earrings swayed with her heavy breathing. The champagne glass in her hand rippled finely, reflecting her suddenly pale face.
"I think she's the temporary female companion who came to help?" Gu Yunqian suddenly chuckled, his emerald cufflinks glowing coldly under the light. "Otherwise, wouldn't I come with my old father?" His words were like drops of water thrown into hot oil, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall instantly boiled over.
The guests' whispers became louder and louder. Some were guessing Yang Xiaotang's identity, while others were looking at Gu Yunxi meaningfully.
Yang Xiaotang dug her nails deep into her palms. She looked at Gu Yunxi's red eyes and suddenly remembered her trembling back when she turned around that autumn night.
It turns out that the feeling of being gnawed by jealousy would make the usually elegant daughter's hands tremble even when holding the wine glass.
"Ms. Gu's necklace is so unique." She said inexplicably, pointing at the ginkgo leaf pendant faintly visible around Gu Yunxi's neck, "It goes well with the autumn in Cambridge."
This sentence made the whole place fall into silence. Gu Yunxi's pupils suddenly contracted, and memories came flooding back like a tide - the necklace was a gift made by Lin Xu herself from the ginkgo leaves she picked up in Cambridge.
And for the first time, Qi Ruixiang's eyes showed a hint of panic when he looked at Yang Xiaotang.
He didn't expect that this seemingly weak girl could attack so accurately in such an occasion.
"Since we are friends, don't stand." Ye Muxue's voice broke the deadlock. She gracefully raised her hand to signal the servant to arrange seats. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes hid a subtle vigilance.
When Yang Xiaotang followed Qi Ruixiang to the main table, she heard Gu Yunshu's brisk footsteps behind her: "Sister's Buddhist beads are so beautiful! Can you teach me how to..." Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by the wind brought up by Gu Yunxi's long skirt as she turned and left.
In the corner of the banquet hall, Yang Bin's knuckles turned white from pinching.
He looked at his daughter and Qi Ruixiang standing side by side, and thought of the rusty baby bell in the drawer.
After Qi Ruixiang sat down, he moved his chair half an inch towards Yang Xiaotang without leaving a trace. This subtle movement made Gu Yunxi, who had just returned to the banquet hall, drink up the champagne she had picked up again. The bubbles choked her and made her eyes red.
At this time, melodious waltz music sounded, but it could not cover up the guests' discussions.
The light from the crystal chandelier suddenly became dazzling. Yang Bin walked through the group of whispering guests. He was wearing a low-key black suit, and Zhang Li's eyes flickered in the light and shadow.
His gaze was like a sharp knife, piercing straight at Yang Xiaotang who was sitting at the main table. The people around him followed his gaze and suddenly realized that the girl who caused the uproar was named "Yang", the same as the captain of the criminal police known for his iron-faced and impartial character. The whispers suddenly surged like a tide.
"Xiaotang, come home with me." Yang Bin's voice was low and cold, with unquestionable majesty.
He strode up to Yang Xiaotang and grabbed his daughter's slender wrist with his rough big hand.
Yang Xiaotang screamed and nearly dropped the champagne glass in her hand. She looked at Qi Ruixiang in panic, her eyes full of pleading and helplessness. Her bright eyes were now covered with a layer of mist, like a frightened deer asking for help from its only support.
"Qi..." Her voice was trembling, with a cry tone in the ending.
Qi Ruixiang sat there, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the wine glass.
He watched Yang Xiaotang being dragged out by her father. The rustling sound of her skirt sweeping across the ground seemed to tickle his heart. The eyes of the guests around were all focused on this scene. The sound of whispering and pointing was endless, and the atmosphere in the banquet hall froze instantly...
The hidden identities of Yang Binji's wife and children were completely exposed at this moment. His daughter was obviously past the age of rebellion, but she chose to go against her old father for a man!
There is also an undercurrent surging in another corner!
"Wait." Gu Yunqian suddenly spoke, he gracefully put down the red wine glass in his hand, the emerald cufflinks glowed coldly under the light.
He turned to look at the pale-faced Gu Yunxi, his eyes lingering on the ginkgo leaf necklace around her neck for a moment, "Have you been to any special place recently? Why do you suddenly like this style of jewelry?"
Gu Yunxi dug her nails deep into her palms and forced a smile: "It's just a little gadget I bought on the street. Why are you suddenly so interested in it?" Her voice was pretended to be relaxed, but the slightly trembling ending still revealed her inner panic.
Of course she knew what her brother meant, and she also understood what the agreement between Lin Xu and the Gu family meant.
Gu Yunqian looked at his sister with a smile, a barely perceptible warning flashed in his eyes: "I just think that some things should not be worn easily, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble." His words were suggestive, and the guests around him looked at each other. Yang Xiaotang's words had already planted the seeds of gossip in their hearts. Now that the brother and sister were so impatient, they could naturally taste a different feeling from their words.
At the same time, Yang Bin had already dragged Yang Xiaotang to the door of the banquet hall without making any expression.
Yang Xiaotang kept struggling and looked back at Qi Ruixiang, his eyes full of despair and expectation.
Her hair was scattered messily beside her cheeks, and tears slid down her delicate makeup, sparkling with crystal light under the light.
Qi Ruixiang's throat moved, and he finally stood up. He strode through the talking guests, his leather shoes making a firm sound on the marble floor.
"Director Yang, please stay." His voice echoed in the banquet hall, carrying an irresistible momentum.
Yang Bin stopped and looked back at Qi Ruixiang, anger burning in his eyes: "Mr. Qi, are you going to interfere with my daughter's discipline?" His voice was full of sarcasm and hostility.
Qi Ruixiang walked up to the two of them, looked straight into Yang Bin's eyes, and said sincerely: "It was me who invited Xiaotang to be your female companion today, and the responsibility lies with me. If Director Yang wants to blame someone, just blame me." His eyes swept over Yang Xiaotang's red and swollen wrist, and a trace of guilt welled up in his heart.