"Friends?"
Gu Lishang's face instantly clouded over.
When all beautiful illusions are shattered, it inevitably leaves one feeling irritated.
To think that the woman who had stirred such deep emotion in him that night was actually a woman like this...
A wave of nausea churned in Gu Lishang's stomach, accompanied by a surge of unprovoked anger that made his gaze turn razor-sharp.
"Don't just drag any stray cat or dog in here. This isn't your home."
Gu Lishang's oppressive aura frightened everyone present.
No one understood why the atmosphere, clear and sunny just a moment before, had suddenly turned so stormy.
Huang Liuer offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. Since you've never been here before, I didn't know it would bother you, so I just..."
"Do you think far too highly of yourself?"
Song Xi didn't dare to fool around anymore, standing there frozen and rigid.
The puppy trotted over, pawing at her a few times. Seeing no reaction, it dejectedly picked up its ball and wandered off to play alone.
"I'm sorry..."
Not knowing what she had done wrong to suddenly displease Gu Lishang, she looked helplessly at Huang Liuer.
Huang Liuer quickly chimed in, "Xiaoxi, you should head back first."
"Okay."
Since the master of the house had already made it clear he was unhappy, Song Xi certainly didn't dare linger. She immediately turned and walked over to the pavilion to collect her things.
The housekeeper hurriedly dispatched a car to take Song Xi back.
Sitting inside the car, Song Xi watched the scenery receding outside the window, her mind wandering.
Just earlier today, she had been thinking that the notorious Gu Lishang of the rumors couldn't possibly be as terrifying as the one she met today—different as he seemed, it just went to show how little she had seen of the world.
Gu Lishang must simply be a moody person.
She felt a pang of guilt.
It seemed her appearance had been the cause of Gu Lishang's sudden rage, making Sister Liuer bear that undeserved fury in her stead.
The thought made her feel even more self-reproachful. She pulled out her phone and sent Huang Liuer a message: *Sorry, Sister Liuer, for causing you trouble.*
The message was sent, but a long time passed without a reply.
***
The villa, which had briefly grown lively, fell silent once more.
The surrounding servants had already withdrawn. With a dark expression and a chilling tone, Gu Lishang said, "That night was an accident. Compensation was always due to you; since the old man sent you to me, you can stay. I will provide for you, but don't expect anything else."
Huang Liuer was a sensible woman. Hearing these words, she more or less understood Gu Lishang's meaning.
Gu Lishang had no interest in her.
Yet the promise of "I will provide for you" still brought Huang Liuer a great deal of happiness.
To live in such a grand mansion, with food and expenses at her whim—such a life was already wonderful enough; how could she dare to ask for more?
"Thank you, Lord Shang."
Gu Lishang turned and left without looking back.
***
Business at the entertainment complex had been exceptionally good lately, and Song Xi's work was busier than ever.
The reply to the message Song Xi had sent Huang Liuer earlier took a long time to arrive. Huang Liuer had assured her it wasn't her fault and told her not to take it to heart, which finally set Song Xi's mind at ease.
Even so, the two of them rarely contacted each other afterward.
"The drinks for VIP Room 1, deliver them right away."
"Coming."
Acknowledging the order, Song Xi quickly picked up the tray and set off to deliver the drinks.
Being sent to VIP Room 1 once again inevitably brought back memories of that night—and of Gu Lishang.
She still remembered how terribly unsightly his expression had been the last time she saw him at the villa.
Gu Lishang must hate her to the core.
Just as Song Xi reached the door of VIP Room 1, she saw the door swing open. Two pretty young women walked out looking deeply aggrieved, only daring to speak once they were some distance away.
"We finally managed to get into this room to pour drinks, so how did we end up getting kicked out?"
The other consoled her, "That's Lord Shang for you. He's always kept women at arm's length, so this is normal."
"That may be true, but since we were already there, why put on such an act?"
"Hush, watch your mouth! Do you have a death wish?"
Realizing her slip of the tongue, the speaker quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and hurried away.
Song Xi's expression shifted.
Gu Lishang was in there too?
If he saw her, would he get angry all over again?
She reached up to touch the mask on her face, feeling a slight sense of relief.
Fortunately, the entertainment complex had a rule requiring staff to wear masks. That way, Gu Lishang shouldn't recognize her; as long as she dropped off the drinks and left immediately, everything should be fine.
Song Xi knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, your drinks have arrived."
There were many people inside the room, but her eyes instantly locked onto Gu Lishang, sitting alone on a sofa.
Unlike the others who were surrounded by women, Gu Lishang—even sitting in such a place with his long legs crossed and a cold expression—retained his otherworldly air, standing in stark contrast to his two companions.
One of them was chattering away incessantly.
"Brother Shang, didn't you already break your abstinence? Why are you still clinging to that ascetic routine? I even saved the two prettiest ones for you, and you still rejected them!"
Gu Lishang spoke coldly.
"Are the people you usually hang out with all of this caliber?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Your taste is atrocious."
"Pff—!!"
The man was so incensed he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, shouting indignantly, "I brought you here out of the goodness of my heart to celebrate, and not only do you reject my kindness, you actually question my aesthetic! Aren't you being a bit too much?!"
Gu Lishang shot him a cold glance.
The man immediately shrunk back, acting as though he hadn't just been yelling at the top of his lungs. "Fine, fine, my taste is terrible and yours is great. Then tell me, what kind of person do you like? I'll find one for you."
Gu Lishang ignored the question. Lowering his gaze, he suddenly caught sight of something.
At that moment, Song Xi was carefully placing the bottles of wine from her tray onto the bar counter one by one. Her cropped top revealed a fair, slender waist, and a pair of straight, slender legs beneath her short skirt were enough to make anyone's heart itch.
Clearly, such beauties were a dime a dozen in the entertainment complex, yet for some reason, Gu Lishang found his eyes fixed entirely on this single view.
Having finished her task, Song Xi hurriedly prepared to slip away.
Who would have thought that the most talkative man would speak up again?
"Brother Shang, don't tell me you're into this type?"
Gu Lishang remained silent.
Song Xi had no idea which person the man was talking about; she only wanted to make her getaway as fast as possible.
"You with the drinks, wait a second."
With that qualifier added, Song Xi had no choice but to place herself in the target's shoes. She stopped in her tracks, turned around, but not daring to look at them, simply kept her head down.
"Is there anything else you need?"
The pleasant voice brought a flicker of delight to the depths of Gu Lishang's eyes. Finding the voice somewhat familiar, he let his gaze fall on Song Xi once more, studying her a little more closely.
Those few extra looks were all the confirmation Xie Qian needed.
Having known Gu Lishang since middle school as a friend of over a dozen years, how could he not understand him?
When had Gu Lishang ever bothered to examine a woman like this?
Never!
That alone was proof enough that Gu Lishang was interested in this woman.
Xie Qian signaled with a look.
"Why don't you stay and share a few drinks with our Brother Shang?"
"I'm sorry, I only deliver drinks..."
"Everyone knows Lord Shang's status. Being asked to pour drinks for him is doing you a favor—are you sure you want to turn down an opportunity like this?"