My Possessive Boss Is Unexpectedly Needy - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Watching the slightly eased atmosphere, Yu Zining could only stand to the side with an awkward smile.

For the rest of the evening, Lu Yeyan took Li Ruixi around, introducing her to the guests one by one. Yu Zining stood there like a bystander, possessing zero presence.

For some reason, staying in this place made Yu Zining feel as if a heavy stone were pressing against his chest. He abruptly drained his glass of champagne and headed up to the second-floor balcony to catch some air.

The quiet balcony was a small sanctuary. The cool breeze brushed against his slightly flushed cheeks, instantly clearing some of the gloom from his mind.

Yu Zining leaned his arms on the railing and couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed Lu Yeyan cared deeply for this Li Ruixi; such a massive gala was held entirely for her sake. And he, Yu Zining, was merely a background prop—a walking clothes hanger.

At this thought, his eyes dimmed. Am I… actually jealous?

…

Downstairs, Li Yiyang had slipped away and made his way to the second floor.

“Ah, as expected, it’s quieter up here.”

Li Yiyang walked down the hallway and slipped into a small alcove. It was close to the balcony and offered a decent view. Bored, he pulled out his phone. Although he usually appeared bubbly and outgoing, he secretly detested superficial social posturing.

He opened WeChat and thought: Lemon-laoshi hasn’t said anything. I guess I have to be the proactive one.

He initiated a video call.

Yu Zining was staring into the distance when his phone suddenly erupted with a ringtone. Terrified, he instantly declined Li Yiyang’s call.

Li Yiyang froze in the alcove. I’m the one making the call, so why did I hear a ringtone outside? At first, he didn’t think much of it and dialed again.

This time, he definitely heard a ringtone nearby. The call was declined again, and the ringing stopped the moment the connection cut.

Is Lemon-laoshi here?!

He bolted out of the alcove, only to catch a glimpse of a red skirt vanishing around a corner. He gave chase but crashed straight into a woman.

“Ow…” The woman clutched her bruised arm.

Li Yiyang blinked and apologized hurriedly. “Mrs. Zhu? I’m so sorry, so sorry!”

Before him stood the middle-aged Mrs. Zhu, dressed in a long red gown with a pearl necklace. Seeing it was Li Yiyang, she gave a small smile. “Yiyang, still as reckless as you were when you were a boy.”

“Mrs. Zhu,” he asked tentatively, “was it just you here a moment ago?”

Mrs. Zhu pointed behind her. “This is the restroom area; I just came out. No one else has been here. Are you looking for someone?”

Li Yiyang shook his head with an embarrassed smile. Mrs. Zhu looked at him, completely baffled, before turning to head downstairs.

Impulsively, Li Yiyang shouted at her back, “Lemon-laoshi?”

Mrs. Zhu didn’t react at all.

Li Yiyang slapped his own forehead. What am I thinking? How could Mrs. Zhu be Lemon-laoshi? However, he was certain of one thing: Lemon was here, and she was wearing a red dress.

He smirked and headed downstairs.

There were many guests, and naturally, quite a few women in red dresses. Li Yiyang locked onto several young women and approached them stealthily with a wine glass in hand.

“Ahem… are you Lemon-laoshi?”

Seeing the mysterious, winking Li Yiyang, the first woman frowned. “Creep!”

The second one asked, “Are you playing some kind of spy game?”

The third one snapped, “What do you mean? Are you calling me ‘sour’ because I can’t stand seeing others happy?” She threw a glass of red wine right in his face.

Li Yiyang squeezed his eyes shut. He wiped his face with his hand and muttered helplessly, “Not cool. Do you really think this is a spy game?”

…

By now, Yu Zining had returned to Lu Yeyan’s side. He looked up and accidentally met Li Yiyang’s gaze in the distance. Scared, he immediately lowered his head.

Li Yiyang narrowed his eyes at Yu Zining. “No way…”

He hurried over and squeezed in next to Yu Zining. Seeing him in such a state, Li Ruixi asked in surprise, “Yiyang? Your clothes?”

Li Yiyang gave a cheeky grin. “Heh, you wouldn’t understand. This is my ‘Drenched Banquet Look’!”

As Li Ruixi was about to comment, Lu Yeyan spoke to a couple approaching them: “Uncle Zhu, Mrs. Zhu.”

Li Ruixi lost interest in teasing Li Yiyang and turned to exchange pleasantries with the Zhus.

Li Yiyang studied Yu Zining from the corner of his eye. His burning gaze made Yu Zining incredibly uncomfortable.

“Lemon-laoshi?” Li Yiyang whispered to him.

Yu Zining’s heart hammered. Has he found out? He didn’t dare look up, staring intently at the wine glass in his hand.

Li Yiyang frowned and waved his hand dismissively. “I guess you’re not her. She has a real personality—she wouldn’t be timid and subservient like you.”

Hearing this, Yu Zining breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the suspicion was gone.

Li Yiyang pulled out his phone again. “I’ll give her another call. Maybe I can find out if she’s really here.”

Yu Zining’s eyes widened as he glanced at his own phone. His brow furrowed as a desperate idea struck. He “accidentally” spilled his wine all over Li Yiyang’s trousers.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” Li Yiyang jumped back, startled.

Yu Zining gestured frantically: I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!

Almost everyone’s eyes turned toward them. Lu Yeyan walked over and put an arm around Yu Zining’s shoulder. “What happened?” He looked at Yu Zining, who appeared like a child who had done something wrong.

Li Ruixi stared at the stain on Li Yiyang’s pants—it looked suspiciously like he had wet himself. She was stunned.

Yu Zining continued to gesture: It was an accident.

Seeing the crowd watching, Li Yiyang waved his hand helplessly. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll go change again.” This finally settled the commotion.

As Li Yiyang headed upstairs, Yu Zining let out a breath of relief. Lu Yeyan looked at him with a hint of confusion. Yu Zining met his gaze and gave an awkward smile.

…

The gala ended.

Throughout the rest of the night, Yu Zining avoided Li Yiyang like the plague. The moment it was over, he bolted for the car.

Li Ruixi stood at the entrance, watching Yu Zining hurry away. She blinked in surprise, then turned to Lu Yeyan. “Your new wife is quite cute. She must be exhausted today.”

Lu Yeyan merely narrowed his eyes. He looked up and said, “I’ll see you home.”