After trying on their dresses, it was already dinnertime. Serena Li and Teacher Sun found a tea restaurant in a nearby shopping mall to eat and discuss the script for the evening party.
At 8:30, Ms. Sun had to pick up her son from his tutoring class, so Serena Li went to the shoe store in the mall to look at shoes.
The shoes Tao’Studio had just provided weren’t a good fit for her. Knowing she’d be standing for most of the day at the school anniversary celebration, she figured wearing ill-fitting shoes would definitely affect her work efficiency. Since she didn’t have any shoes at home that were the right color and heel height, she decided to buy a pair herself.
Soon, she bought a pair of 10cm champagne-colored high heels, which went perfectly with her ivory white dress.
Serena Li came to try on her dress in the afternoon, she rode in Ms. Sun’s car. She didn’t drive herself. After buying the shoes, she planned to take a taxi home.
Just as she reached the taxi stand on the side of the road, a man who looked like a student, probably in a hurry to cross the road, bumped into her shoulder as he passed by. The cap of the drink in the man’s hand was knocked off, and most of the liquid inside spilled out. But after saying “sorry,” the man walked away without even looking at her.
Serena Li didn’t have time to worry about her soaked upper body; her body leaned forward due to inertia.
Just then, a strong arm caught her waist, preventing her from falling. However, she still lost her balance and fell into the man’s arms, her face pressed directly against his chest.
The masculine scent emanating from him filled her nostrils, and through the thin fabric of his shirt, Serena Li could feel his strong heartbeat.
“Are you alright?” A deep, magnetic male voice asked from above.
The smell, the voice… it’s a bit familiar. I looked up and saw Victor Mo again .
His large hand, which was resting on her waist, did not move away. This intimate contact helped Serena Li regain some clarity from her hazy state of mind.
“Please let me go.” Serena Li frowned and reached out to push him.
“Are you sure?” Victor Mo looked down at her.
Seeing his eyes darken, Serena Li followed his gaze to her chest, and her face quickly flushed red, burning all the way to her ears.
She was wearing a white chiffon blouse today, and the spilled drink had soaked a large area of the fabric at her chest, revealing her pale yellow underwear underneath, which was particularly dazzling under the streetlights.
Victor Mo watched her blush, a slight smile playing on his lips. He looked away, half-embracing her as they walked towards the wall. He used his body to cover her barely visible curves, then quickly took off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. The whole process was done in one smooth motion.
Serena Li was also very embarrassed at this moment. If it weren’t for her coat covering her face, she wouldn’t have dared to walk on the busy street.
But wearing the coat warmed by his body and surrounded by his breath, she felt her face burning even more.
She lowered her head, not daring to look at him, and only whispered, “Thank you… thank you.”
“Straighten your clothes.” Victor Mo said, taking the two bags and handbag from her hands. Then he added, “I have a social engagement. I’ll arrange for a driver to take you home first.” Without waiting for her response, he called the driver.
Serena Li couldn’t bring herself to say no; she looked too pathetic.
Victor Mo glanced at the logos on the two bags in his hand and asked, “What kind of party are you going to?”
“School Anniversary”.
“Are you hosting? When?” Victor Mo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Serena Li nodded and said, “This Friday.”
Victor Mo frowned and then said, “I’m going to the United States on a 10-day business trip tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Serena Li thought to herself, his business trip has nothing to do with her, so why did he tell her? Did he go to the school to watch a performance that day instead of going on a business trip?
Thinking about it this way, it seems quite possible, this…
Just then, a Mercedes-Benz van pulled up, the driver got out, quickly opened the back door, and Serena Li got in. The driver took the things from Victor Mo’s hands and placed them next to Serena Li in the other door .
After fastening her seatbelt, Serena Li looked up at Victor Mo, who was standing by the car door , and said, “Thank you, suit. I’ll return it to you after I get it dry-cleaned.”
Victor Mo gazed at her intently for a moment with his deep eyes, then smiled and said, “Okay.” He then told the driver to “drive slowly” and closed the car door.
The driver had driven her several times before, and he would take her back to Four Seasons Garden without Serena Li having to give him her address. But when they were almost home, Serena Li still gestured for him to drive into the underground parking lot. It was a bit of a walk from the entrance of the complex to her home, and many residents were still out for a stroll. She was wearing a men’s suit jacket, and it would be awkward for familiar neighbors to see her like that.
Fortunately, I didn’t run into any acquaintances when I got home from the basement level of the underground parking garage.
After returning home, Serena Li found a clothes hanger and hung the suit on the balcony, planning to take it to the dry cleaners when she had time.
I stood on the balcony, enjoyed the cool breeze for a while, and then sighed.
I don’t want to cross paths with him, but it seems like I run into him everywhere I go! Could he be stalking me? But if I hadn’t run into him today, I don’t know how I would have gotten home.
Actually, Victor Mo had a business dinner at a nearby hotel today. He had just seen a business partner off at the hotel entrance when he saw Serena Li walking from the mall to the taxi stand. He told his assistant to go back and attend to the other guests first, and then he followed Serena Li , intending to have the driver take her home. Little did he know that he would later have the opportunity to “rescue the damsel in distress”.
***
The anniversary celebration was indeed a demanding task. For the remaining two days, Serena Li could only sleep four or five hours each day. She had to teach classes and rehearse when she didn’t have classes. The first rehearsal for the whole school ended, the second rehearsal ended, the third rehearsal ended… Finally, when the leaders were satisfied, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
At 1 p.m. on Friday, the backstage area of the school auditorium was bustling with activity, with clothes and cosmetics scattered everywhere and staff coming and going.
The makeup artist had already done an elegant and sophisticated look for Serena Li as a host, with her hair pulled up high to reveal her delicate and full forehead.
The front desk staff had already done a final sound check, and Serena Li received her own microphone.
Amidst the clamor, a sense of reality finally emerged.
With five minutes left before going on stage, Serena Li peeked out from under the curtain and glanced around the audience.
The first row of VIP seats directly facing the stage were reserved for distinguished alumni and several school leaders who had been specially invited by the school. Before Serena Li went on stage, the teacher in charge of the rehearsal repeatedly instructed her to pay special attention to the impressions of the important figures in this VIP area and not to make any mistakes.
The VIP area was already full of guests. Serena Li saw Director Wang, whom she had met on Monday, sitting next to Principal Liu.
“Time’s up, come on stage.”
At the rehearsal teacher’s command, Serena Li and Teacher Sun walked to the front of the stage, and a round of enthusiastic applause rang out from the audience.
Serena Li has fair skin, outstanding temperament, slender waist, and long legs, perfectly overshadowing the dress. Teacher Sun is also dignified and imposing. The two of them moved seamlessly together, just as they had rehearsed dozens of times before.
The smooth start finally allowed Serena Li to clear her mind of distractions. Although her hands and feet still trembled slightly, she eventually calmed down as she fluently recited her lines.
I didn’t look down at my cue card even once, there was no lag, no unexpected events.
Serena Li and Teacher Sun’s collaboration was perfect.
The group of leaders gradually showed expressions of satisfaction.
During a break between student performances, while waiting on the sidelines, she saw Joyce Wu, sitting in the fifth row, waving at her with a DSLR camera. Then, she noticed something else.
Wang, who was sitting in the first row, also had a telephoto SLR camera in his hand, and the lens was always pointed towards the stage. His posture while taking pictures looked very professional.
The school anniversary performance lasted until 7 p.m.
Invited guests and all faculty and staff members came on stage for a group photo.
Smile, smile, smile.
Serena Li felt her crow’s feet were about to pop out from laughing, the group photo finally ended.
The day’s overload seemed to have paid off at the successful conclusion of the school anniversary celebration.
After the anniversary celebration, there was an alumni gathering. The school arranged a banquet at the hotel and specially invited some important people to participate.
Serena Li, along with Ms. Sun and several grade directors, were seated at the main table, next to school leaders and important guests.
After the banquet began, people from other tables went to the head table to offer toasts one after another. Serena Li had barely had time to eat all day, so she ate something to fill her stomach after sitting down, just in case she had to offer toasts later.
Those educators who are usually so polite and refined, when it comes to toasting, act just as skillfully as those doing business outside.
Halfway through the meal, Principal Liu gestured to the Dean of Students to take Serena Li over to offer a toast.
Serena Li had only intended to say a few polite words to get by, but the female teacher in front of her was very bold. She not only toasted each leader individually, but also said a long string of different toasts to each of them. In the heat of the moment, they even started drinking from the same cup.
Serena Li felt ashamed.
Sure enough, when it was her turn, Principal Liu joked, “Little Li, you’ve worked hard today. You should have a few more drinks!”
As she spoke, she asked someone to refill her glass. Serena Li ‘s alcohol tolerance was really not high, and she had been working overtime all day, so she was exhausted and frowned.
Principal Liu, oblivious to her weary expression, chuckled and addressed the people at the head of the table, “Everyone saw Xiao Li’s hosting skills just now! Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was involved in arts and sports. She’s a math teacher our school is grooming to be a top talent, and also one of the most beautiful and talented in the school. Don’t you all think we should meet her too?”
After saying that, Principal Liu gave Serena Li a wink.
Serena Li had no choice but to bite the bullet and raise her glass to Principal Su, who was seated at the head of the table, saying softly, “Principal Su, let me toast you first.”
He then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, and coughed as he took the last sip.
Seeing this, Principal Su said with concern, “Xiao Li, you’ve had a hard day. Have you eaten anything?” Principal Su was the principal, an upright and scholarly teacher, unlike Lao Liu who was glib and slick.
Serena Li nodded, but before she could say much to Principal Su, Principal Liu pulled her in front of Director Wang. He said, “Director Wang, this beautiful lady is toasting you, you should at least drink a sip, right?” After saying that, he told someone to pour wine into Serena Li ‘s glass.
Director Wang looked at her for a while, picked up the wine glass in front of him, and said, “Xiao Li, just take a sip, you’ve worked hard today!”
Serena Li gave him a grateful look and only took a small sip.
Just then, another group of people came over to offer toasts, and Serena Li quickly returned to her seat while the crowd was dense.
I had just sat down when my phone rang on the table.