After a long silence, Serena Li pursed her lips slightly, looked up at him, and said, “If the person you’re pursuing never reciprocates your feelings…”
Before he could finish speaking, Victor Mo interrupted him, laughing and saying, “Impossible!”
Serena Li felt a little nervous seeing his confident smile, as if he was certain he would eventually win her over.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and several waiters came in carrying insulated trays and began to serve the dishes.
The group set out about ten plates, and Serena Li said, “There are only two of us, why did you order so many?”
Victor Mo smiled and explained, “There are many plates, but each plate only contains half the usual amount. These are some of their most popular dishes here, and I want you to try them all. Come on, try this grouper. It tastes especially good and is their signature dish. I heard they sold out yesterday, and what we’re eating now was just brought over from South Australia this morning.”
The meal lasted for almost an hour and a half, during which Victor Mo diligently served her food and poured her tea.
When they were alone together, Serena Li felt awkward and nervous, and she couldn’t look him in the eye whenever she met his intense gaze. It wasn’t until they got home that her anxious heart finally calmed down.
It seems he said that he wouldn’t touch her without her consent, and they haven’t crossed any lines since.
But when Serena Li thought of his confident smile at dinner, she felt a chill. She felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
His tactics are too sophisticated; I’m no match for him at all.
***
On Friday night, Sophia Su invited Serena Li , Joyce Wu , and Lynn Yan out for dinner, mainly to celebrate her signing of divorce papers with Jack Jiang .
Sophia Su hired lawyer Sheng, who handled the case very well. He helped Sophia Su win a substantial alimony payment and also acquired the 15% stake in the yoga studio. Sophia Su also left the trading company she co-founded with Jack Jiang , thus completely severing ties with him . She planned to go on a trip to relax and then make other investments after returning.
The four of them went to a bar for drinks after dinner.
Sophia Su advised her younger sisters: “I’ve seen through it all. You’re all still single, and I don’t want to say anything too discouraging to discourage you from getting married, but you must remember that people change. All three of you have your own assets, so you must sign a prenuptial agreement before you get married. At least you’ll have legal protection if anything unexpected happens!”
Sophia Su used to start the company with Jack Jiang came from her family. They were young and deeply in love at the time, and never imagined they would separate. When they got divorced, they fought tooth and nail over the division of assets. If it weren’t for the video of Jack Jiang’s infidelity, he might have made Sophia Su leave with nothing.
Joyce Wu picked up the conversation, saying, “Sis, you don’t need to remind me, I’ll do the same in the future. You know how high the divorce rate is these days, and men are so fickle, money is the safest bet!”
Lynn Yan nodded in agreement: “Time is especially cruel to women. Women over thirty need expensive skincare products and a constant stream of beauty devices to hold onto the tail end of their youth. How can they compare to those young girls who are invincible in their youth? Their collagen is full, and their shyness, coquetry, and infatuation are all full of charm. No man can resist that!”
Serena Li thought for a moment and said, “Actually, you can’t say it like that. My parents are a positive example. They met on campus and have been a loving couple for over twenty years. My mother passed away, and my father hasn’t shown any interest in finding someone else all these years. I think true love still exists.”
Sophia Su scoffed and said, “Serena, men like your father are extremely rare. There are plenty of ungrateful scumbags like Jack Jiang in this world!”
After she finished speaking, a tear rolled down her cheek, and she turned to Joyce Wu and said, “Go get me another cocktail!”
Joyce Wu walked to the bar and asked the bartender to make her another drink.
Just as she picked up her wine glass to go back to her booth, she saw a tall, handsome man walking towards her.
Joyce Wu gracefully tossed her curly hair and slowly sipped her wine.
” Joyce Wu .” The man called out her name as soon as he walked up to Joyce Wu .
It turned out to be an acquaintance, but Joyce Wu couldn’t remember who the man in front of her was.
“Do we know each other?” Joyce Wu felt a little disappointed. She thought it was her charm that attracted the man who was trying to pick her up. But the man in front of her was really nice. He was dressed in casual clothes from a luxury brand, and he looked quite well-built. In short, he should be well-off and had the air of a successful person.
“ Sam Zhang ,” Sam Zhang said, revealing his name.
Joyce Wu embarrassingly choked on her own saliva.
Sam Zhang , the classmate of the three of them in high school, used to be called “Fatty” by everyone, but where is his fat now?
Joyce Wu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, thinking how unfair time was. It had carved a few fine lines around her eyes, but it had also removed all the fat from Sam Zhang ‘s body.
After her cough subsided, Joyce Wu said, “Hello, I really didn’t recognize you.”
The fat guy of yesteryear has now become a stylish and successful man; time really does favor men!
Joyce Wu chatted with Sam Zhang for a few minutes. When Sam Zhang learned that Serena Li and Lynn Yan were also there, he went over to the booth to greet them.
Sam Zhang saw Serena Li , he said, ” Serena , you’re getting more and more beautiful! I saw you in New York at the beginning of the year and wanted to go up and say hello, but in the blink of an eye, you were gone!”
Serena Li paused for a moment after hearing this and said, ” Sam Zhang , you must have mistaken me for someone else! I haven’t been to the United States this year!”
“How could that be? Your boyfriend was there too. I was taking a picture of my girlfriend and you two were in it! I’ll find the photo for you!” Sam Zhang said, taking out his phone and opening his photo album to look through the pictures.
Serena Li heard him say the word “boyfriend,” her heart skipped a beat, as if something was about to be revealed.
Sam Zhang pulled out the photo, zoomed in on it, and showed it to Serena Li , saying, “See, I wasn’t wrong!”
Serena Li glanced down and her expression changed.
The tall, slender figure in the photo was all too familiar. Even though five years had passed and she never inquired about him, he was as if etched deep in her memory, never forgotten. It was just a pity that the girl who leaned against him and smiled at him was no longer her.
Lynn Yan noticed Serena Li’s expression change and turned to look at the photo. It was actually Gary Gu and a woman! Gary Gu ‘s face was clearly visible, but the woman next to him only had her profile shown, and her features were unclear. However, her figure was somewhat similar to Serena Li’s .
At this moment, Serena Li looked up and said to Sam Zhang , ” Sam Zhang , we broke up. The woman next to him isn’t me.”
Sam Zhang was quite embarrassed after hearing this. “I’m sorry, I was just too happy to run into an old classmate in a foreign land. Um, I’ll treat you to today’s meal. Order whatever you want to drink.”
Joyce Wu said, a little annoyed, “How can you recognize people with those dead fish eyes of yours!”
“Hey young man, I want to drink that Gibson cocktail. Take your sister over for a drink.” Sophia Su sensed the awkward atmosphere and immediately pulled Sam Zhang and Joyce Wu to the bar so that Lynn Yan could sit in a booth and comfort Serena Li .
Lynn Yan didn’t know how to comfort Serena Li at that moment , so she just gently hugged her.
After a long while, Lynn Yan heard Serena Li say, “Lingling, I want to go home first.”
Lynn Yan nodded: “Okay!”
Lynn Yan drove Serena Li home and wanted to stay with her, but Serena Li declined.
Lynn Yan , a longtime friend, knew her personality well; she needed her own space to process her emotions, so she didn’t stay. But before leaving, she said, “Serena, we’re all here!”
After Lynn Yan left, Serena Li took a shower, changed into some clean loungewear, took out a glass of red wine from the cabinet, poured herself a glass, and sat on the sofa to drink.
She had only had a cocktail at the bar. She knew she couldn’t hold her liquor, never drank much, and didn’t like getting drunk. But seeing that photo just now brought back deep-seated pain, and she really wanted to get completely drunk when no one was around.
She drank it very quickly, almost pouring it into her mouth, and finished a large glass in no time.
She continued pouring wine, intending to have a second glass.
Serena Li felt that alcohol was really hard to drink, but in order to numb herself with alcohol, she still insisted on drinking. The effects of the first drink gradually began to rush to her brain, making her dizzy and feeling lightheaded.
After finishing the second glass, I suddenly felt like I wanted to keep drinking…
When the knocking came, Serena Li was nestled on the sofa and had just let out a burp. The sudden sound brought her back to her senses a little, and she thought it was Lynn Yan who was worried about her and had come back.
I got up and staggered to the door to check, but before I could see anyone’s face clearly, I opened the door in a daze.
Because she had drunk too much, Serena Li had absolutely no sense of danger. Her brain was completely numb from the alcohol and wouldn’t function at all, so she couldn’t possibly consider any safety issues.
Swaying unsteadily, she leaned against the doorframe, bracing herself against it to keep from falling. She then looked up at the newcomer with a bright, clean face, trying to appear less drunk, and asked him with a smile.
“Mr. Mo, what brings you here so late?”
Victor Mo came here directly after finishing overtime at the company, but he didn’t expect to see a little drunkard when he opened the door.
For some reason, after realizing his feelings for her, he wanted to see her all the time.
But the more I wanted to see work, the more jobs came up, so I ended up staying at the company all day, and even working overtime until now.
To his surprise, she appeared in this state when he arrived, dressed in a beige knitted loungewear, looking fresh and clean. Her cheeks were flushed from drinking, making her even more alluring, and she smiled at him with hazy, drunken eyes.
The worst part was that she seemed to be wearing nothing under her loungewear, and the beautiful shape of her breasts was on full display in his sight, stimulating his senses.
Victor Mo felt his blood surging and his anger rising. He took a step forward, grabbed her, and slipped inside, closing the door behind him to prevent anyone from coveting her beautiful appearance.