After Trying To Pursue The Cold, Elegant Beauty. I Ended Up Being Flirted With Instead - Chapter 45

One after another, they all say she doesn’t deserve it.

Wen Zhu returned to her room, took off her coat, and headed straight for the bathroom.

The hot water washed over her skin, and the fatigue of the whole day instantly disappeared.

She dried her hair, changed into loose pajamas, thought for a moment, and then picked up the phone by the bed and called the front desk.

“Hello, I’d like a bottle of sparkling fruit wine, and an essential oil diffuser for sleep.”

The voice of the front desk attendant was very gentle, “Certainly, we will deliver it to your room right away.”

Before long, a waiter brought the items over.

Wen Zhu accepted the wine and the diffuser, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door of the next room.

Li Zhiyun seemed to have been waiting for her, as she opened the door almost immediately upon hearing the knock.

The moment she saw the scene inside the room, Wen Zhu froze completely.

Li Zhiyun also seemed to have just showered and had changed into a creamy white slip dress.

The close fitting fabric outlined her slender waist and smooth shoulder lines, highlighting her graceful figure. The shoulder straps were as thin as two silk threads, and her fair collarbone shimmered under the light.

Wen Zhu’s breathing suddenly hitched.

Her eyes uncontrollably lingered on Li Zhiyun for a few seconds, and her cheeks instantly flushed.

Miss Li knows I like Pei Xiubai, and she should also know that I like girls, right?

Is it really okay to wear this in front of me…?

Wen Zhu wanted to say that she really didn’t have that much self-control!

She desperately forced her gaze to move up, staring intently at Li Zhiyun’s face, and then held up the items in her hand.

“Um… would you like to have a small drink together?”

Li Zhiyun’s gaze fell on Wen Zhu’s slightly flushed cheeks.

She nodded, perhaps because she had just showered and felt a little warm. She stepped aside to let Wen Zhu enter.

Wen Zhu walked into the room with her head down. To make it more suitable for a casual chat, she didn’t turn on the main light.

The large room was only illuminated by a gilded table lamp in the corner, casting a warm yellow glow. Even the air seemed to be dyed a soft, honey color.

She lit the essential oil diffuser on the coffee table, then poured a glass of sparkling wine for each of them.

The two sat opposite each other on the sofa. Feeling the atmosphere was right, Wen Zhu asked, “Miss Li, could you elaborate on what exactly you are worried about?”

She wasn’t very familiar with the process of psychological counseling, so she could only rely on instinct.

Li Zhiyun leaned back into the soft fabric of the sofa, her long hair scattered over her shoulders, with a few strands tinted light brown by the lamp.

Her dark eyes blinked, “I’m worried about my love life.”

Wen Zhu’s chest was full of comforting words ready to be spoken, but they got stuck in her throat when she heard that sentence.

Huh?

She was stunned, her eyes wide and round.

This dazed look made Li Zhiyun curve her lips. She feigned concern and sighed, “I’m afraid if I don’t perform well in the competition, it will affect my chances of finding a partner.”

“My sister must have told you, I’m only four years younger than her, and she already has a child this old, while I’m still single. My parents are very anxious about my marital status…”

“…”

Wen Zhu tried very hard not to let her expression lose control.

She pondered her words for a long time before saying, “Given Miss Li’s qualifications, you should be able to pursue anyone you like, shouldn’t you?”

In fact, Wen Zhu wanted to say that even if Li Zhiyun did nothing, there would be plenty of people who would actively approach her.

Hearing this, Li Zhiyun looked at her sideways and raised an eyebrow, lowering her head in thought for a moment.

After a long pause, she said, “That’s not necessarily true.”

Her tone was hard to discern, and Wen Zhu didn’t know how to comfort her.

She thought for a moment and then said, “If the person you like stops liking you just because you don’t do well in a competition, then it’s better not to like that person, isn’t it? So, there’s really no need to be anxious in advance over someone like that”

Li Zhiyun suddenly asked, “Would you?”

Wen Zhu was baffled again.

She realized she was having trouble keeping up with Li Zhiyun’s train of thought tonight.

Would she?

Wen Zhu stared at the wine glass in front of her, thinking seriously. Tiny bubbles floated like crushed diamonds in the light, reflecting a touch of gentle light in her eyes.

Then she shook her head, “No, I wouldn’t.”

Shouldn’t loving someone mean supporting them unconditionally, regardless of success or failure?

Li Zhiyun seemed to have known her answer already, and she took a sip from the wine glass in front of her.

She had one leg crossed over the other, and when she tilted her head back, her movement while drinking was lazy and relaxed.

The warm yellow light fell on Wen Zhu’s fingers gripping the wine glass, making her wrist look even more slender and fair.

Wen Zhu also felt thirsty for some reason, and she raised her hand to drink as well.

Her peripheral vision was uncontrollably drawn to Li Zhiyun, and before she realized it, she had finished one glass.

While drinking, she thought that this sparkling wine didn’t taste much like alcohol; it was quite delicious.

Is the alcohol content low?

So, she poured herself another glass and continued to ask, “Besides this, is there anything else you’re worried about?”

Li Zhiyun replied, “Yes, there is.”

She said, “Worrying about whether an asteroid will hit the Earth, worrying about whether the dog at home is a picky eater, worrying about how many children to have in the future, worrying about whether tomorrow’s weather will be too hot, worrying about whether the exhibits at the museum tomorrow will disappoint you…”

She rattled off a string of bizarre worries, making Wen Zhu momentarily doubt her own ears.

Seeing Wen Zhu’s astonishment, Li Zhiyun pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and said, “Am I worrying too much?”

Wen Zhu dared not answer that directly, only smiling, “Miss Li’s worries… are indeed quite comprehensive, covering both big and small things.”

Seeing that the conversation was about to stall, Wen Zhu felt the pressure and poured herself another glass of wine, starting to analyze each point for Li Zhiyun.

“The probability of an asteroid hitting the Earth is too small; you don’t need to worry about that.”

“As for whether the dog is a picky eater… you can try a few different types of dog food it will surely find one it likes.”

When Wen Zhu got to the point where she had to analyze how many children to have in the future, she paused.

“I think two is just right. One child is too lonely, and two can keep each other company. When I was little, what I wanted most was an older or younger sister…”

Li Zhiyun stared at her increasingly unfocused eyes and glanced in surprise at the bottle of sparkling wine.

She was about to tell her to stop drinking when she saw Wen Zhu suddenly stand up.

Wen Zhu cupped her face and stared at her with blurry eyes, “Did you hear me? I said two is a-bout right!”

Her fingertips were cool, but her palms were warm. Because they were so close, their breaths were almost mingling.

Li Zhiyun’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She stared at Wen Zhu’s lips and finally said, “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Only then did Wen Zhu smile, releasing her hands, “That’s more like it.”

She turned around, swaying unsteadily, and looked around, as if suddenly remembering something: “W-where’s the fruit juice I brought?”

Even though she could barely stand, she still turned to look for it.

Li Zhiyun knew she couldn’t drink anymore, so she picked up the bottle from the coffee table, trying to hide it.

As she picked it up, she looked at the label on the bottle.

The alcohol content was actually quite high.

No wonder Wen Zhu got drunk so quickly.

“Where’s the juice…” Wen Zhu mumbled, her small nose twitching as she sniffed the air.

She immediately located Li Zhiyun on the sofa.

“It’s with you, hand it over quickly!”

Li Zhiyun stretched out her hand and put the wine bottle behind the sofa.

“You’re drunk,” her voice was very soft.

Wen Zhu shook her head, “I’m not.”

She climbed onto the sofa like a kitten and sniffed Li Zhiyun: “Why does it smell like pear blossom? The juice I brought was clearly peach juice.”

She spotted the wine behind the sofa and reached for it, practically lying down in Li Zhiyun’s arms.

Li Zhiyun was only wearing a slip dress.

Wen Zhu’s body was as soft as if it had no bones. She sprawled in Li Zhiyun’s embrace, her breath fanning against her neck.

Li Zhiyun froze completely.

It was only when the person was fully in her arms that she realized how thin Wen Zhu was.

So thin that she could almost wrap one arm around her.

Her hands hovered in the air, loosely holding Wen Zhu, her fingertips only two or three centimeters from Wen Zhu’s back.

She could even clearly feel the heat radiating from her palm, the warmth of Wen Zhu’s body coming through the thin fabric.

Her fingers curled slightly, but Li Zhiyun ultimately didn’t embrace her and drew her hands back.

At the same time, Wen Zhu’s hands swayed on the side of the sofa. Realizing she couldn’t reach the wine bottle, she sounded a bit wronged: “I want to drink peach juice, give me the juice.”

Li Zhiyun was a little helpless, “That’s not juice.”

Wen Zhu insisted, “Yes, it is, I want to drink the juice.”

Li Zhiyun had no choice. She pinched Wen Zhu under her armpits and moved her off her like she was picking up a small cat, placing her on the other side of the sofa.

Wen Zhu immediately let out a dissatisfied hum, slumping onto the sofa armrest, her head drooping, looking ready to fall asleep.

Li Zhiyun stood up, walked to the coffee table, picked up her phone, and called the front desk.

“Hello, please send up a cup of fresh peach juice.”

“Certainly, is there anything else you require?”

“No, thank you.”

After hanging up the phone, Li Zhiyun turned around and saw Wen Zhu sitting upright, swaying slightly, her head tilted, and staring at her with blurry eyes.

Her eyes were glistening with moisture, as if covered by a thin layer of mist: “Sent what?”

Li Zhiyun thought she was just talking nonsense again due to the alcohol.

“Li Zhiyun,” but to her surprise, Wen Zhu called her name again, her voice slightly soft and slurred from the drunkenness, “What did you send me back then?”

In that instant, Li Zhiyun almost thought she had sobered up.

But in the next second, Wen Zhu laughed.

She was smiling, her eyes curved. She collapsed onto the sofa, draped her arm over her forehead, and mumbled something inaudible.

Li Zhiyun stood still, a surge of indescribable emotion rising in her chest.

The emotion came too quickly before she could even differentiate it, she suppressed it.

She walked over and crouched down in front of Wen Zhu.

Wen Zhu’s hand was still resting on her forehead, obscuring half of her face.

Li Zhiyun reached out, gently moved her hand away, and then raised her hand to stroke her hair.

“It seems Pei Xiubai told you,” Li Zhiyun said softly.

Wen Zhu didn’t respond, only rubbed against her palm.

Li Zhiyun didn’t mind if she could hear or not and continued on her own, “…It was a plane ticket.”

Her voice was very light, as if she were talking to herself.

“A plane ticket to attend the Go competition with me.”

The next morning, when Wen Zhu woke up, her head felt like it had been hit by a coconut, and her temples throbbed.

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead, taking a while to recover before opening her eyes.

Startled, Wen Zhu abruptly sat up and looked around.

This was a hotel room, no doubt, but the orientation was wrong.

Soon, the memories from last night flooded back like a deluge

She had hugged Li Zhiyun and sniffed her, and she had insisted on drinking peach juice…

Wen Zhu closed her eyes in disbelief again, covering her burning face with both hands.

Let me be destroyed.

She only wanted to disappear from this world immediately.

Why did the front desk give her sparkling wine with such a high alcohol content?!

Just as she was agonizing over her mortifying behavior, another, more crucial memory fragment surfaced.

In her daze, she seemed to have asked Li Zhiyun what she had given her back then.

Li Zhiyun had answered.

But what did she say?

Wen Zhu pressed her temples hard, but she couldn’t remember anything.

How is it that I remember the things I shouldn’t in perfect detail, but I’ve completely forgotten the one thing I should remember most!

She rolled around in annoyance on the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

Just then, a sound came from outside.

She got up and walked out, seeing Li Zhiyun by the dining table, dressed in tight sportswear, clearly having just returned from exercising.

She was speaking to someone in Cantonese and then unscrewed a bottle of water with one hand.

Seeing Wen Zhu was awake, she pointed to the breakfast opposite her, signaling her to come over.

When Wen Zhu walked over and saw the sandwich and a glass of peach juice on the table, the heat on her cheeks rose again.

Fortunately, Wen Zhu had been a chief secretary for so many years and had excellent self-control.

She forced herself to act as if nothing had happened, quietly sat across from Li Zhiyun, and took small bites of the sandwich.

Li Zhiyun didn’t mention last night either, simply saying, “The car is already waiting downstairs. We can leave after you finish eating.”

Wen Zhu nodded and said, “Okay.”

However, her mind was preoccupied, and she didn’t enjoy the morning as much as she had the day before.

When they arrived at the museum they had reserved, she was a little distracted.

Looking at the priceless antiques and calligraphy, her mind repeatedly circled back to what Li Zhiyun had actually answered.

She wanted to ask several times, but the words got stuck in her throat.

If she asked, wouldn’t that mean admitting that she remembered last night’s embarrassing incident?

And what if Li Zhiyun brought up the fact that she had held onto her…

Wen Zhu would rather run into a wall.

So, she had to give up on the idea.

She decided to wait until Li Zhiyun forgot about the events of the evening before asking again.

Li Zhiyun seemed to notice her distraction and paused in front of a bronze ware exhibit.

“The owner of the Nan’an Club is hosting a gathering at another racing club he invested in this afternoon. Would you like to check it out?”

Racing?

Wen Zhu’s attention was instantly pulled back.

“Yes,” she nodded immediately.

At five o’clock in the afternoon, the two arrived at the venue for the racing club’s event right on time.

The venue was set up in a converted warehouse. The space was large and elegantly decorated. The walls were hung with photos of various racetracks and trophies, and expensive modified cars and parts were displayed everywhere.

This event was not a standard business reception; it was more like a networking session for enthusiasts.

Many wealthy people enjoy racing because it’s thrilling, costly, and the wealthy have plenty of money. The reputation gained from it also sounds impressive.

As soon as Li Zhiyun entered, she immediately captured everyone’s attention.

A charismatic middle-aged woman with red lips, curly hair, and a graceful figure immediately hurried over, clip-clopping in her high heels.

“Miss Li, you are truly a rare guest. Your presence makes this humble place shine.”

After the woman spoke, her gaze fell on Wen Zhu, friendly yet curious, “And this is?”

Wen Zhu was about to say she was Li Zhiyun’s temporary assistant.

“My friend,” Li Zhiyun spoke first.

A friend?

The middle-aged woman scrutinized the two of them, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes, and the smile on her face became even more warm, “So it’s Miss Li’s friend, which means you are my friend. Someone!”

She called over a waiter.

“Take this lady to the VIP lounge on the second floor to rest first. Serve the best refreshments and tea.”

Then, she turned back to Li Zhiyun, her tone familiar yet respectful, “Miss Li, long time no see. Several old friends want to meet you. Would you be willing to do me the honor?”

Li Zhiyun looked at Wen Zhu.

Under the middle-aged woman’s eager gaze, Wen Zhu nodded, “I’ll wait for you upstairs.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged woman immediately beamed and quickly instructed someone to summon the guests.

“Hello, please follow me.”

Wen Zhu followed the waiter up to the second floor.

The waiter led her to a private room with an excellent view.