Chapter 55 Schemes

The game played for appearances, the endless indulgence born of helplessness!

-----------------------------------

The car finally pulled up before a private club, tucked away from the city’s clamor. As they stepped out, an attendant promptly took the keys from Lu Huaining and drove the car away.

“Are you sure you want to put on such a mournful face for me?” he asked, gazing at her increasingly cold expression under the chilly moonlight. Wasn’t she the one who had mastered the art of charming men with a single smile? Why was it, then, that she wore this lifeless mask only for him?

The man’s barely restrained anger made Xue Zuining force a faint curve to her lips. He frowned slightly, took her inside, where a line of elegant, beautiful attendants bowed and greeted them with practiced smiles, filling the air with a fleeting sense of prestige. He gave a name; the head waitress eagerly pointed the way. Lu Huaining declined her offer to escort them to the private room, drawing Xue Zuining along the corridor.

The lighting was dimmed to a dreamy haze. Shadows and Eastern décor conspired to create an air of mystery. Xue Zuining felt as if she were traversing a time tunnel; the soft carpet, yielding beneath her feet, gave her the peculiar sense she might fall through at any moment. She instinctively tightened her grip on his hand.

As she was curiously inspecting the decor, a sharp pinch to her waist made her jump aside with a startled laugh—she’d always been ticklish. She glared up at him.

A cold smile flickered in his eyes. “A smile that doesn’t reach your eyes.”

She didn’t reply, lips pressed together, but dared not let her forced smile fall. They soon reached the private room. Lu Huaining’s hand settled lightly at her waist, a silent, intimate claim. The attendant at the door bowed and slid the door open.

Xue Zuining looked around the private room, but found nowhere safe for her gaze to settle. Inside, two men were drinking idly, each flanked by women who lavished them with attention. In such a world of decadence, it would seem strange to be without these women. Two, like seductive sirens, draped themselves around Young Master Su, one on either side, sandwiching him between them. The man, clearly enjoying himself, tilted his head to rest on one of their shoulders, luxuriating in their ministrations. Compared to Su Yi’s abandon, Liang Feili seemed only half-hearted in his playacting.

A flicker of recognition flashed in Su Yi’s eyes at the sight of a familiar female face, but it quickly vanished, replaced by his habitual, unruly grin. He cast Xue Zuining a sidelong, faintly mocking glance. “Hey, who’s this pretty girl? Don’t tell me she’s Miss Xue’s little sister from last time?”

“Don’t try your tricks on me. Can a wolf in sheep’s clothing really pass your eagle-eyed scrutiny?” Lu Huaining gestured for her to take a seat.

“Tch,” Su Yi scoffed carelessly. “Every gathering, you’ve got a different woman at your side. Since when did you learn to be devoted? That’s not like you at all, Young Master Lu!”

Lu Huaining picked up a piece of fruit from the table and tossed it at him, but Su Yi caught it with a laugh.

“Here, Miss Xue, this is your man’s token of affection. Make sure you savor it,” Su Yi said, placing the fruit by her spot before turning back to flirt with the beauties at his side.

As Xue Zuining sat, she saw one of the women next to Su Yi take a grape into her mouth, bite off the skin with her teeth, then pass the flesh from her lips to the man’s, one after another, with unabashed delight. Sometimes, juice trickled from the woman’s lips, making her mouth appear even redder, more alluring—her eyes, especially, were smoldering, exuding an air of unrestrained debauchery.

Nearby on the sofa, Lu Huaining leaned with one arm on the backrest. Women used to such scenes poured him drinks enthusiastically, but he merely smiled and declined, murmuring a few words that made them walk away, understanding.

“Why aren’t you drinking?” Liang Feili was already tipsy.

Lu Huaining watched as the gathering had barely begun and his friend seemed determined to drink himself under the table. He reached out to stop him. “Why the strange mood? You always brought Miss Xu with you—why the change tonight?”

“She? A woman who’s made a mistake should stay home and reflect, lest she embarrass me in public. Who knows whose bastard she’s carrying, yet she begged me to keep it—what a joke…” Liang Feili sneered and shook his head, tapping his crown. “See? I’ve been made a fool of!”

Lu Huaining frowned. “What did you do?”

“Hmph,” Liang Feili snorted, making a gesture miming strangling himself.

“You—” Lu Huaining started, but was cut off by a sudden chill in Liang Feili’s gaze.

“If you’re my brother, just drink with me and say nothing more. I refuse to believe I’ll miss out on anything just because she’s gone…”

Lu Huaining watched him drink alone, muttering to himself, while the woman he’d brought tried to intervene—only to have him seize her chin and force half a bottle of vodka down her throat, leaving her flushed and choking. He knew Liang Feili was venting his emotions. Any attempt to intervene would only make things worse. The knot could only be untied by the one who tied it—Xu Liunian herself.

He pressed the bell and asked the attendant to bring something to help sober up. Looking around, he suddenly realized Xue Zuining was nowhere to be seen.

Around the corner, Xue Zuining glanced at her phone, her clear eyes clouded with confusion, brows knitting together as if tied in a bow.

“Miss Xue?” a gentle female voice called behind her. Xue Zuining turned instinctively, recognizing the woman as someone she’d just seen in the restroom—if memory served, this was the companion Liang Feili had brought tonight.

“Yes, can I help you?” Xue Zuining closed her messages, watching as the woman smiled graciously.

“Don’t misunderstand—I’ve run out of battery and can’t find anywhere to charge my phone. Would you mind if I borrowed yours to send a text to my family?”

“Of course not,” Xue Zuining replied, handing over her phone and turning to wash her hands. When she returned, the woman had already sent her message.

“Thank you.” The woman returned the phone with a polite smile and left.

Xue Zuining checked her phone—indeed, there was no trace left behind.

Back in the private room, the attendant had already cleared away the earlier chaos and brought in delicate, light refreshments. No one seemed to have noticed her absence or return—or rather, all attention in the room was now focused on someone else.

Seeing Xu Liunian’s sudden arrival startled Xue Zuining as well. Before she could speak, Liang Feili—now mostly sober—addressed her in his gentle voice, “Ah, Miss Xue has just returned. Ask her—did she send you a message?”

Xue Zuining started. When had she ever sent Xu Liunian a message? Yet in the very next instant, the pieces fell into place.