This was the first formal dinner the group had together in Paris. It was exquisite yet traditional, romantic and full of warmth. Everyone gathered around the long table, chatting and laughing, raising their glasses to drink. Their good - looking oriental faces occasionally caught the attention of the locals, who would stop and take a second look.
After a few rounds of drinks and when the main courses were cleared away, the enthusiastic and hospitable chef personally brought out a soft and delicious soufflé cake, saying it was a complimentary gift for the oriental guests.
As one of the hosts, Chen Qichuan stood up and shook hands with the chef to express his gratitude. Xu Lize elegantly stood by and translated every word of Chen's praise into pure French.
Normally, Su Yang would surely pay close attention to every move of Xu Lize.
The French he spoke, his charming and gentlemanly manner when chatting with strangers, his expression, and his little habit of turning his wristwatch from time to time...
But now, at this very moment, for the first time, Su Yang's mind was not on Xu Lize.
While everyone was singing praises for the just - served soufflé, Su Yang quietly kicked Qi Feifan who was sitting right across from her.
Two understanding glances met, lingered, and then parted in the laughter and cheers.
Su Yang then got up and walked against the flow of light unnoticed, her heart pounding with excitement at the thought of witnessing a beautiful and romantic moment.
A few minutes later, all the lights on the open - air passage of the restaurant suddenly went out. Amid the exclamations, the ceiling lamp above the long table where Su Yang and the others were sitting came on.
There were whispers of confusion all around. Then, the melodious sound of a piano came from the dim corner. The sensitive restlessness gradually subsided in those emotional notes.
At the long table, Qi Feifan knelt on one knee, holding up a ring in his hand. He looked at Bai Weiwei, whose face was full of surprise, and affectionately asked if she would marry him.
The usually carefree Bai Weiwei was completely stunned. She covered her lips with both hands, stared with big eyes, and was too shocked to say a word.
The scene in front of them seemed to freeze. The man's initiative and the woman's touch were intertwined in the soft light. Surprise and romance overlapped in the sighs.
Many of the surrounding guests began to clap softly. Although these blond - haired and blue - eyed people might not understand what Qi Feifan was saying, his standard proposal posture was a universal language.
By this time, Su Yang was standing behind Qi Feifan, holding a huge bouquet of roses.
She saw a mist gathering in Bai Weiwei's beautiful eyes. She saw Bai Weiwei gently nod her head. She saw Bai Weiwei stretch out her slender right hand to Qi Feifan...
Cheers erupted all around. On the open - air passage, the colorful lights came on again. The originally soothing and romantic piano music suddenly changed its rhythm, becoming lively and jumpy, making people want to dance.
The enthusiasm of the Parisians was instantly ignited. Some people laughed and stepped forward, clapping their hands and inviting Bai Weiwei and Qi Feifan to join the dance floor.
The small open - air restaurant suddenly turned into a lively stage. Even Tang Ning, who was usually reserved in public, swayed her skirt.
At this moment, no one cared whether their dance steps were right or wrong. Everyone laughed and danced, sharing the purest and friendliest smiles in a foreign country through the joy of the oriental guests.
Su Yang stood on the side, happily waving to Bai Weiwei in the dance floor, still holding the bouquet of roses that Qi Feifan hadn't had time to give.
Suddenly, a figure loomed over her, and then a pair of big hands directly took the heavy bouquet of roses from her arms.
She instinctively turned around. Under the light, Xu Lize placed the bouquet aside and then reached in to pull out a blooming red rose.
Against the warm orange light, the rose reflected Su Yang's brightness and cuteness on Xu Lize's spotless lenses.
"Mrs. Xu, may I have this dance?"
Xu Lize stretched out his right hand, palm up. There was a glint of burning passion in his deep eyes that Su Yang dared not examine closely.
"Sure." She didn't dodge. She generously placed her hand in Xu Lize's palm and then walked into the lively dance floor with him...
That night, Bai Weiwei, who usually had a good drinking capacity, got drunk. When they got back to the villa, the usually carefree Miss Bai hugged Su Yang in the garden and cried her heart out.
"... I really didn't expect that I... I would be proposed to. And there was a famous movie star... singing and dancing with me. Su Yang, do you think Qi Feifan did it on purpose? Did he... get scammed out of his money and now wants to extort my savings!"
Su Yang almost burst out laughing. She was almost knocked off balance by Bai Weiwei. With great difficulty, she helped Bai Weiwei into the living room. Then Bai Weiwei murmured that she felt like vomiting.
Su Yang quickly helped her to the bathroom. While vomiting, Bai Weiwei was still scolding Qi Feifan. "Stupid man! When the foreigners came to toast, he just... pushed it all off!"
Just then, Qi Feifan, who came back in the last car, finally knocked on the bathroom door.
Su Yang heaved a sigh of relief. She opened the door, pointed at Bai Weiwei who was sitting slumped by the sink, and said, "Do you handle it, or should I?"
Qi Feifan quickly said, "I'll do it, I'll do it." Then he walked in, picked up Bai Weiwei, and told Su Yang that if it was convenient, please thank Tang Ning for him.
Tang Ning had taken the initiative to go on stage and sing in the restaurant later. It was a bit of a condescending act. Even though it was a private occasion, Qi Feifan knew he was lucky.
Su Yang nodded repeatedly. When she walked out of the bathroom, she was still worried about Bai Weiwei. She stared at Qi Feifan and said, "We're going to an exhibition with General Manager Chen early tomorrow morning. The e - ticket orders are all with Sister Weiwei. Brother... you have to take good care of her tonight. Take it easy."
Su Yang's original intention was for Qi Feifan to take care of the drunk Bai Weiwei. After all, she had personally experienced the discomfort of a hangover.
But Qi Feifan obviously misunderstood her meaning. He tightened his hold on the restless Bai Weiwei in his arms and looked at Su Yang in surprise. "Sister, what kind of person do you think I am!"
Then he gave Su Yang a meaningful look, shook his head, and said, "Sister, you've really been led astray by Young Master Xu."
It wasn't until Su Yang got back to her room that she figured out what Qi Feifan's last words meant. She was so angry that she almost wanted to turn around and go back to argue with Qi Feifan.
Did he think of her as some kind of lascivious girl, assuming there were dirty thoughts in her head all day long!
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Xu Lize standing at the end of the bed, hooking a very familiar "garment" with his finger.
Well, it could hardly be called a garment, because there was really too little fabric.
"Xu Lize!" Su Yang shouted his name for the first time. "What... what are you doing!"
Xu Lize slowly turned around with the ordinary and even a bit old - fashioned bra in his hand. Before he could say a word, he saw the little woman rushing up to him angrily. She snatched the underwear from his hand, blushed, raised her head, and angrily scolded him, "You're being a hooligan!"