Limited-Time Attachment - Chapter 20

“Song… Song Ming…”

Yu Zhaowan was stumbling drunk, clutching a wine bottle with one hand, barely able to sit upright. Song Ming sat in a chair across the table from her. The chair was crooked, and Song Ming was leaning back with her legs crossed in a relaxed, shapeless manner. One hand rested on the edge of the table, only when she heard Yu Zhaowan call her name did she pull her gaze away from the river view outside, offering a distracted “Hmm?” in response.

Yu Zhaowan was truly intoxicated. Her eyes held a glimmer of physiological tears, and her eyelashes were damp.

The once clean and tidy marble tabletop was now cluttered with wine bottles, square, round or flat-oval. Some stood upright, while others lay overturned, neglected.

Yu Zhaowan panted softly, leaning dizzily against the table. She lifted her arm, attempting to reach across the table to touch Song Ming, her slender limb extending with a natural grace. Her hand waved back and forth a few centimeters away from Song Ming. Fueled by the alcohol, her voice carried a hint of a sob, betraying the grievance of being toyed with: “Song Ming…”

There were even more bottles on Song Ming’s side.

Despite the mess between them, Song Ming’s gaze remained perfectly clear, without a trace of drunkenness. At her feet lay a wilted bouquet of roses, they had been beautiful when delivered, but now the petals were scattered. To set the mood, one needs music, flowers, and wine.

Song Ming reached out and caught Yu Zhaowan’s wandering hand. She studied her in silence for a moment before leaning in close to Yu Zhaowan’s ear, whispering softly: “Drunk?”

The tips of Yu Zhaowan’s ears flushed instantly. She looked at Song Ming blankly. “Yes.”

Seeing Yu Zhaowan’s dazed expression, Song Ming smiled. “Feeling bad?”

Looking into Song Ming’s eyes which held not a spark of passion. Yu Zhaowan felt an instinctive sense of panic. She gripped Song Ming’s fingers tightly, took a breath, and whispered another “Yes.”

Song Ming lowered her lashes, her thumb gently brushing against Yu Zhaowan’s cheek, which was flushed from the alcohol. She quietly scrutinized Yu Zhaowan’s entire face.

The resemblance was too striking. If one covered her eyes, Yu Zhaowan was seventy percent similar to Zhou Jibai.

Zhou Jibai wouldn’t be so twisted as to plant someone who looked just like herself by her side… wouldn’t that be nauseating for Zhou Jibai herself?

Song Ming revealed a rare, gentle smile, but her words were chilling: “It’s alright. I’ll take you to rest in a moment.”

“First, tell me… who was it that sent you to me?”

“Tell me first, what exactly do you think you’re doing, keeping a little starlet like that by your side!”

A middle-aged man’s anger pierced through the room. Outside the door, the bodyguards lowered their heads silently, pretending they couldn’t hear a thing.

A laptop sat on a low coffee table. A stern, middle-aged man dressed in a conservative three piece suit sat authoritatively on the central sofa. A secretary, an assistant, and two men with fifty percent similar facial features stood behind him.

The two brothers seemed somewhat embarrassed, one kept his eyes down in silence, while the other rubbed his nose, fearfully shifting his gaze away.

Song Ming sat in an adjacent armchair, her legs crossed impatiently. She propped her elbow on the armrest and shielded her furrowed brow with her hand. She was still in her pajamas and slippers, the loose collar of her black silk top revealing her collarbone.

Song Ming rarely slept in, but she had hardly closed her eyes the night before. Usually, skipping sleep wouldn’t matter, but since she had no pressing matters to attend to lately, she had turned off her phone. She never expected to wake up to her eccentric father breaking down her door.

Song Ming had stood on the second floor, watching the “specialists” Song Zhongtian had scouted from god knows where bypass her security system. After a bout of ear-piercing noise, the smart lock, supposedly impossible to break by human force, was opened.

Bodyguards and assistants cleared the path, swiftly entering the living room. Song Zhongtian, leaning on his cane and dressed impeccably, followed half a step behind. He stood firmly in the living room, his face darkened as he glanced at Song Ming: “So, you are awake.”

Song Ming met Song Zhongtian’s gaze from a distance, thinking to herself that based on the old man’s expression, today wasn’t going to end well.

“Did I not warn you, Song Ming?” Song Zhongtian’s brow was pressed low. “Can you not learn to exercise some restraint!”

Under the cover of her hand, Song Ming opened her eyes to look at the laptop screen. It displayed today’s top trending news: “Popular Actress Yu Zhaowan Suspected to be Kept by Female Mogul. Late Night Tryst at Riverview Mansion.” The photo had been snapped exactly when she was on the balcony, trying to figure out how to pry the truth out of Yu Zhaowan.

Adjusting her expression, Song Ming pushed herself up and sat straight, flashing an innocent smile. “Dad, when you play with celebrities, who doesn’t get photographed? I was just slow to react this time. I’ll just have someone suppress the news.”

Song Zhongtian did not relax. He remained grim and scolded, “What kind of tone is that?”

Suppressing her irritation, Song Ming tactfully shifted the topic. “Then what do you mean, Dad? Even if you don’t like me being with an actress, you could have just called. Why come all this way?”

Song Zhongtian squinted at her. “I think you’ve grown dull over the last two years. Out of all the people to choose from, you chose the most dangerous one.”

Song Ming’s agitation eased slightly. She inconspicuously glanced at the man standing behind Song Zhongtian, who had remained silent. Just then, he looked up at Song Zhongtian, his face filled with uncertainty, an expression Song Ming caught perfectly.

Her gaze swept past him. She now understood that today’s farce was meant as a warning for someone else.

Song Zhongtian gestured, and the secretary stepped forward to switch the screen. The new file was a comprehensive history of Yu Zhaowan from her place of birth to every role she had ever played. The old man had investigated her thoroughly.

Song Ming watched indifferently, taking a moment to glance at Song Zhicheng, her habitually quiet eldest brother. If Song Zhongtian could dig up Yu Zhaowan’s background so easily, Song Zhicheng’s little schemes certainly wouldn’t have escaped him.

“Putting everything else aside, this little starlet is hardly presentable,” Song Zhongtian said coldly. “Even if you’re just looking for a bit of fun, can’t you stay with someone… more decent?”

Song Ming’s brow twitched imperceptibly. She turned her attention back to the screen, a clearly younger Yu Zhaowan, dressed provocatively, one hand on a pole in a nightclub filled with flashing lights and a chaotic crowd.

Song Ming narrowed her eyes and looked at her father. “Dad, there’s no need to bring this up.”

“What else is there to say?” Song Zhongtian’s tone was contemptuous. “You are always mixing with such insignificant, lowly people.”

Song Ming’s face dropped instantly. The thin veneer of artificial peace vanished.

Years ago, people had said the same things about Zhou Jibai, calling her flirtatious, a social climber unscrupulous… her reputation among the socialites of A-City had been abysmal.

“What do you mean by that?” Song Ming asked calmly.

Hearing her drop the title of “Dad” which was the only shred of respect she usually offered, the two Song brothers became tense. Song Zhicheng, forgetting his own guilt, spoke up with a warning: “Song Ming!”

But neither Song Ming nor Song Zhongtian paid him any mind.

“Is there something wrong with what I said?” Song Zhongtian countered with equal calmness.

“…Something wrong?” Song Ming let out a cold laugh, leaning back into the sofa and spreading her hands. “Nothing is wrong. You’re absolutely right. Not only are they ‘insignificant,’ they are downright ‘despicable’!”

Song Zhongtian frowned.

Song Ming smiled, tilting her head slightly. “But I just happen to love insignificant people.”

“I only love insignificant people.”