Chapter 73: All You Cradle-Snatchers Don’t Take Advantage of Me
“Young Master Cheng,” the waiter greeted respectfully as his eyes instinctively darted to Qi Chengzhi’s pocket.
Song Yu’s hand was firmly entrenched in Qi Chengzhi’s pocket; their hands entangled. A sweet and loving scene to any onlookers.
The waiter had never seen Qi Chengzhi bring any ladies to their establishment before. Now with Song Yu in tow, compounded with the display of such affection and intimacy, the waiter could hardly be blamed for his double take.
Years working in Red Roof Club, the waiter had seen people from all walks of life, including the female escorts that were commonly brought in by the young heirs of prestigious families or high-ranking CEOs.
Song Yu, however, bore no semblance to those female escorts. She had an air of modesty and innocence with none of the usual pretenses. Her lightly-tinted red lips, along with her fair complexion, gave her a youthful demeanor.
She was like a breath of fresh air after years of musky colognes and overwhelming perfumes.
The waiter allowed his gaze to linger, just to realise Qi Changzhi’s stare fixed on him when he snapped out of it. It was a stare colder than the winter winds.
The waiter shivered and averted his eyes from the young lady. He nodded his head in acquiescence. “Young Master Cheng, this way please.”
They were escorted to a room. As she stood at the door, Song Yu realized that it was the same room she visited when delivering the glasses.
Thoughts of the people beyond the door made Song Yu retract her hand, but Qi Chengzhi quickly tightened his grip in response, holding her hand captive.
Simultaneously, he scowled at her.
The sternness of his look quelled any resistance from her end.
Song Yu felt slightly guilty at this, as if she had done something wrong. Her hand remained obediently in his pocket, accepting its fate of being held.
The waiter gave the door two perfunctory knocks before opening it. Qi Chengzhi entered the room with Song Yu in tow and the waiter quietly shut the door.
Qi Chengzhi halted his footsteps right after the doorway and regarded the crowd inside with amusement.
It was the same old crowd as last time. Yan Beicheng and the others were seated around the round table, leaving one empty chair clearly meant for Qi Chengzhi.
The meal was not served, which probably meant that they were all waiting for Qi Chengzhi.
Their initial gaze fell on Qi Chengzi, then to Song Yu beside him, and finally to the linked hands between them.
Disbelief crossed their faces,. ‘How long have they been together? Is it confirmed now that they’re holding hands?’
As the initial shock faded, their expressions molded into enjoyment. ‘Qi Chengzhi truly is a lady-charmer! Didn’t take him long to get the girl.’
Under scrutiny of the men, Song Yu resisted the urge to hide behind Qi Chengzhi.
It would be embarrassing if she could not even handle this modicum of attention.
Song Yu steeled her resolve as Qi Chengzhi nonchalantly pulled her to the table.
The empty seat was between Qi Chenglin and Chu Zhaoyang. Aware of the situation, Qi Chenglin and Wei Zilin both shifted one seat to allow Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu to sit together at the table.
Song Yu was glad that she was seated beside Qi Chenglin, whom she felt was friendlier than Chu Zhaoyang.
Across the table, Yan Beicheng whipped out his phone and started texting furiously.
After a moment, he put his phone away. With glee in his eyes, he spoke, “Song…”
“Sister-in-law.” Qi Chengzhi interrupted with a tone that brook no dissent.
Yan Beicheng nearly choked on the air he breathed. That girl Song Yu looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. The thought of calling someone that young ‘sister-in-law’ was unsettling.
“Sister-in-law!” As Yan Beicheng was struggling to get the words out, Qi Chenglin happily obliged.
Yan Beicheng cursed Qi Chenglin under his breath. He was a man of thirty odd years, calling a girl as young as Song Yu ‘sister-in-law’ with all the willingness and eagerness of a young child.
Right after Qi Chenglin’s salutation, Wei Zilin followed suit as if not wanting to lose out. “Sister-in-law!”
Song Yu was growing steadily uncomfortable by each greeting. She did not think that Qi Chengzhi would introduced her as such.
Just last night, she was wondering if this was just a game for Qi Chengzhi.
Now, however, it seemed that he was actually serious about this.
If all of this was just a fling, he would not have brought her to meet important people like them. He would not have insisted that they should call her ‘sister-in-law’ and acknowledge her status.
The salutation ‘sister-in-law’ was not easily uttered by these powerful men.
Song Yu involuntarily looked to Qi Chengzhi. The man was casually flipping through the menu.
Feeling her gaze on him, Qi Chengzhi shifted his attention from the menu to her.
Caught off guard, Song Yu was paralyzed by the warmth in his look.
This time, she was sure of it. Staring straight at him, the affection never left his eyes.
The warmth and affection in his eyes felt like aged wine, one sip of it and one would be drunk on it.
Song Yu felt her face reddened and her heartbeat quicken.
Her downcast eyes showcased those long eyelashes that fluttered like a butterfly’s wings. Qi Chengzhi swallowed the urge to kiss the lashes.
Yan Beicheng cursed again under his breath, “The f*ck.” He called out to Wei Zilin, “Wei Zilin, have you lost your principles? Qi Chenglin calling her sister-in-law is premature, but she could eventually marry into the family. But you? You’re not even their family.”
The idea of marriage startled Song Yu. ‘Would that really happen?’ she thought.
In her distraught state, she had a mind to ask Qi Chengzhi for the answer.
When she looked up, she could see the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile, his eyes still regarding her with fondness.
Song Yu looked away and felt her heart race like a horse on a racetrack. She was not used to the level of affection he was showing.
‘What’s going on with him today? Is he sick?’
She could not even hold his usual calm gaze, let alone this.
As she was deep in thought, a hand came and rested on top of her fingers that were worrying her pants. The strong hand held firm and the slightly calloused thumb rubbed gently at her palm.
She gradually allowed herself to relax and gingerly intertwined their fingers.
Qi Chengzhi showed no outward emotions at her tightening grip but a hint of a smile graced the edges of his eyes. He gently squeezed her hand.
Seeing her hand grasped in his, Song Yu could not believe this was real. In the background, Wei Zilin spoke out, “I have a sister-in-law who’s of the same age as Song Yu. When she married into the family, she was only eighteen. Song Yu here is twenty-five. I don’t see anything weird about that. I’m used to it by now, so I don’t know what principles are you talking about?”
Yan Beicheng huffed and looked at Chu Zhaoyang.
Chu Zhaoyang’s face betrayed nothing. Qi Chengzhi was not much of a talker, but his words could cut.
Chu Zhaoyang was basically a mute, expecting him to say a few words was just hope wasted.
Even though Qi Chengzhi told them to call Song Yu sister-in-law, it was understood that he was excluded from said command.
The fact that he nodded at Song Yu was sufficient to show his acknowledgment of her status.
Yan Beicheng took a cigarette and held it between his fingers. He leaned back in his chair, angling his body to face the couple. With his cigarette hand resting on the table, he looked like a gangster.
Among all the gentlemen present, Yan Beicheng’s stance on the couple was the most obvious.
“Chengzhi, I acknowledge Song Yu’s status. She is my sister-in-law and anyone who dares harm her will have me answer to. But if you want me to call someone so young sister-in-law, I honestly can’t bring myself to do it. When I was running amok, she was still in kindergarten playing with her snot. All you cradle-snatchers. First it was Wei Zilin, now you too. Don’t take advantage of me,” Yan Beicheng ranted off. The cigarette wobbled precariously between his fingers, looking as if it would plunge to its death without ever being lit.
The corner of Qi Chengzhi’s eye twitched as his expression darkened.
Yan Beicheng’s sentiment indirectly pointed out the age gap between Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu.
The age gap between Song Yu and himself had always been a thorn in Qi Chengzhi’s side.
Based on real-world statistics, women outlived men on average, and he was nine years older than Song Yu. In times of idleness, thoughts of the far, far future troubled him.
He debated on whether to write up a will, just in case he died first. A clause would be added beneath all the important details to prevent Song Yu from straying after his death.
He was a selfish man through and through. Even after death, he would want the things that were his to remain as such forever.
Yan Beicheng took out his lighter. Ruffled by the words — more specifically the thoughts and emotions evoked by said words — Qi Chengzhi coldly spoke, “Song Yu doesn’t like the smell of smoke. Hold it.”
Yan Beicheng stopped his actions. He was dumbfounded by Qi Chengzhi’s orders.
“But… most of the gang have some level of nicotine addiction.” The words rushed out of his mouth, though he slowly packed away his cigarette.
Song Yu was feeling apologetic for having them make concessions for her, they hardly knew her. She had a certain degree of respect for these men and did not want them to think of her as such a bother. “It’s okay. Please do as you will and don’t worry about me. I’m not that against smoking.”
Qi Chengzhi turned and looked at her pointedly. “Oh? With them, you’re fine with the smoke but you frown when I light only one cigarette?”
Her face turned red at being called out. Song Yu never verbally expressed her disapproval of Qi Chengzhi’s smoking habits, yet he noticed her body language.
“Haha, we’re not that addicted to nicotine,” Qi Chenglin proclaimed jovially. No one else seemed to be itching for a cigarette, including Yan Beicheng.
Even the quiet Chu Zhaoyang was putting back his cigarette, though no one saw him taking it out in the first place.
…
…
How rare for Qi Chengzhi to be bringing a lady; Song Yu, of all ladies. This was the first formal introduction and Qi Chengzhi was not shy about it. All in all, it was a happy occasion and they ordered a generous amount of alcohol.
That night, Qi Chengzhi was the man of the hour. No one dared to pressure Song Yu to drink, so they let her have her fruit juice in peace. Qi Chengzhi on the other hand, they were not able to let pass.
“Finally someone wants Qi Chengzhi. After so many years of bachelorhood, it must have been difficult,” Yan Beicheng howled.
Holding his beer, Qi Chenglin joined in the fun. “After all these years, I finally know how my sister-in-law looks like.”
A tremor went through her hand that was holding the chopsticks, almost making her drop the cutlery.
Hearing Yan Beicheng and Qi Chenglin’s words, could it be that Qi Chengzhi had never dated?
Impossible.
The man never cared for his reputation and took every opportunity to behave like a hoodlum. She doubted that he could stay single.
Song Yu chanced a glance at Qi Chengzhi. He seemed to be in a fairly good mood, despite knowing his buddies were goading him to drink. They were coming up with all sorts of weird facts and reasons to invite him to drink and he did not decline. One glass after another, Qi Chengzhi downed the alcohol.
Although he drank excessively, Song Yu stayed mum. She trusted him to know how to pace himself and not get flat-out drunk. She figured trying to stop him in front of his friends would only kill the mood.
The drinking went on and one by one, the grown men rushed in and out of the restroom to relieve their bladders.
When it was Song Yu’s turn, she found Qi Chenglin hogging the ensuite restroom.
She decided to go to the restroom outside and informed Qi Chengzhi.
Despite the heavy drinking, Qi Chengzhi appeared to be quite sober, his clear eyes were attentive.
“I’ll accompany you.” He put down his chopsticks and proceeded to get up.
“It’s fine.” Song Yu quickly pulled him back to his seat. “I can go myself.”
Fearing that he would push the matter, Song Yu hastily left the room.
As she escaped, the forgotten phone on the table started to ring.
Qi Chengzhi looked sharply at the foreign number on the screen. His lips pursed at the offending call.
He picked up the phone after a few rings, swiping the phone with his long fingers. He put the phone to his ear but said nothing.
“Song Song, it’s me.” The longing voice of Jian Yi sounded from the phone.
Anger flashed in his eyes. Qi Chengzhi had blocked Jian Yi’s original number, yet here he was with a new number.
Qi Chengzhi hung up, not wanting to him a chance to elaborate. He skillfully dragged this number into the block list. He wondered how many new numbers would Jian Yi use to get to Song Yu.
Jian Yi stared at his phone screen, the words ‘Call ended’ was a clear sign of rejection. His heart filled with sorrow as he leaned against the cold corridor wall.
‘Now she doesn’t even want to speak to me?’ he thought.
She used to love chatting with him.
No matter how late, knowing that it was him calling would enliven her, the drowsiness in her voice replaced with enthusiasm.
Jian Yi could almost taste the bitterness in his mouth. He turned around to walk back and that was when he saw Song Yu walking in his direction.
For a second, he thought he was hallucinating.
‘If Song Yu is here, then who was that on the phone?’
“Song Song.” Jian Yi gravitated toward Song Yu. “Why are you here?”
Song Yu did not expect to run into Jian Yi here. Clearly fate was playing tricks on her.
She nodded impassively and greeted, “Mister Jian.” Then, she brushed past him and left.
Song Yu used to smile whenever they met and look where they stand now. Jian Yi could not stand it.
He attempted to grab Song Yu’s arm, just to talk to her, but he was a step too late. Song Yu had quickened her steps and slipped through his fingers.
He thought about chasing after her but was interrupted by a voice behind him, “Jian Yi, what are you doing outside? We’re leaving now.”
Qi Chengyue walked up to Jian Yi, following his line of sight but seeing nothing. Song Yu had already fled the scene.
“What are you looking at?” Qi Chengyue asked as she linked arms with him. Dazed by the turn of events, a slight frown formed on his face.
“Nothing. Just came out for some air.” Jian Yi shifted his focus to Qi Chengyue. He put on his best fake smile to placate the girl.
Qi Chengyue was born with delicate and attractive features that rivaled that of a post-cosmetic enhancement celebrity. However, Jian Yi just could not replicate the feeling of affection that he had for Song Yu.
Song Yu had always been his dream girl, ever since he was a young boy. She represented the part of him that was pure and innocent.
Qi Chengyue smiled sweetly and laced her fingers through his hand.
“I understand that you’re not used to this and you may not like their company, but they are the young generation of the families. Socializing with them will only benefit you,” Qi Chengyue encouraged him in a soft tone.
“I know. Don’t worry about me.” Jian Yi gave her a gentle look. He caressed her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
This whole time Song Yu was standing at the corner of the corridor wall and listened in on Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue’s conversation. She shook her head and decided to leave.
Song Yu cautiously peeked around the corner. There was no signs of Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue. She overheard Qi Chengyue’s words about leaving and figured that they would have been gone by now.
She did not want to confront the couple, especially since Qi Chengyue thought the world of Jian Yi and believed that every girl was out to steal him. Her ego was too much for Song Yu to handle.
Checking that the coast was clear, Song Yu made her way back. As she was approaching their room, a group of five was being led down the corridor by the waiter.
Song Yu knew the five people. They were her schoolmates back in Jixia High School and among them were Li Qianyi and Wu Lijun.
Due to the unfortunate incident at Shengyue, Song Yu knew that the two would not let her off the hook so easily.
Song Yu sighed, fate was truly not on her side.
‘Should have stayed home today. First I run into Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue, now it’s this bunch of people.’
Song Yu internally debated on the ways to extricate herself from this social encounter. Retreating back to her corner seemed unfeasible, especially after Li Qianyi called out, “Song Yu! What a coincidence!”
Song Yu exhaled a deep sigh and forced the corners of her mouth to rise to the occasion. She walked over to them. “Yeah, what a coincidence indeed.”
“What are you doing here?” Li Qianyi gave her a cursory look over, not even bothering to hide her disdain and contempt. “Here to entertain guests?”
The last time they met at Shengyue, Song Yu was accompanied by Qi Chengzhi. That day, Li Qianyi was courteous toward her for fear of reprisal. She even went and ask Guan Xiaolin about them.
Now that Qi Chengzhi was not around, Li Qianyi had no reasons to play nice.
Back in the old days, Song Yu used to be the leading light in Jixia High School, her reputation stifling all the female student population. Now that her star had faded, Li Qianyi could hardly wait to rub salt in the wound.
Standing next to Li Qianyi, Wu Lijun giggled behind her hand. The demeaning look she gave Song Yu was as if she stumbled upon obscenity. “Song Yu, even though you lost your status as a lady from a notable family, that face of yours still gets you to places huh? Shengyue, now Red Roof, you just keep climbing up the ranks. Your employer must like you a lot to bring you to Red Roof Club, this place is not cheap.”
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