Yearning For Warmth, Day and Night - Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Holding Hands
Eleven’s last visit to Wei Hui’s company was in the evening. She had followed Pei Tian directly to the lounge and then got lost all night. In her mind, the company was dark and narrow, completely different from the spacious and bright place she saw now.
The floor was impeccably clean; Eleven looked down and saw her reflection. The clothes she had never imagined wearing didn’t feel as out of place as they did at first. Wei Hui stood beside her, and the group was waiting for the elevator. Pei Tian was still reporting on work, and Wei Hui occasionally nodded or quietly assented. Eleven turned her head to look. The person who had been sickly yesterday now wore light makeup, her brows stern, her eyes cold, showing no sign of illness. Only her hands were clasped tightly behind her back, the veins on the back of her hands faintly visible.
The elevator arrived quickly, and several people were already inside. Leading them was a slightly stout man, broad and very fat, his protruding belly not hidden even by his suit. He had a buzz cut. Seeing Wei Hui, he couldn’t help but smile: “CEO Wei.”
Wei Hui parted her lips: “Good morning, Vice President Luo.”
Luo Zhouping’s gaze scrutinized her twice, then he turned his head to look at the girl beside her. She wasn’t tall, quite thin, delicate, like an ungrown child. She was looking down, so Luo Zhouping only saw her general features. He opened his mouth and asked, “Who is this?”
Wei Hui followed his gaze to Eleven and smiled: “A friend.”
“Eleven, say hello to Vice President Luo.” As soon as she finished speaking, Eleven looked up at Luo Zhouping, her voice clear and crisp: “Hello, Vice President Luo.”
She appeared slender and delicate, but unexpectedly, her features were very well-defined and beautiful. Her complexion was fair with a rosy blush, her beautiful eyes sparkled with life, her nose was elegantly shaped, and her lips were painted a vibrant red. Her demeanor was pure and lovely, yet her makeup seemed a bit too heavy, creating a strange blend that made it difficult to discern whether the person in front was an underage girl or a mature woman.
Luo Zhouping had only glanced at her before she looked up, but now, examining her closely, he savored a certain flavor.
She truly was beautiful, no wonder Wei Hui kept her by her side; even he felt a tingling desire when he saw her.
But this was Wei Hui’s woman.
Luo Zhouping retracted his gaze, smiling as he greeted Eleven: “Hello.”
Eleven took his outstretched hand, a brief touch and then a release. She only felt that the man in front of her, when he smiled, was especially greasy, and his gaze made her uncomfortable all over. She disliked it. Eleven lowered her hand and leaned closer to Wei Hui. Wei Hui saw her small action and remained still, only the corner of her lips curving upwards.
The elevator soon arrived. Wei Hui’s office was on the top floor, and Luo Zhouping’s was one floor below, so Luo Zhouping exited first. He strode out of the elevator, turned, and said, “CEO Wei, see you at the board meeting later.”
Wei Hui nodded: “See you later.”
Luo Zhouping’s eyes narrowed into a smile. The elevator doors slowly closed. Eleven, out of the corner of her eye, saw Wei Hui exhale, her body relaxing slightly. Once in the office, she began to busy herself with work. Eleven was arranged to sit on the sofa. When the secretary came to offer her tea, she looked at Eleven several times. Eleven looked up and smiled at her, and the secretary returned a faint smile.
Outside the office, the secretary couldn’t contain her excitement and shared the gossip with everyone.
“She even smiled at me, seems to have a good temper.”
“Speaking of which, I still don’t believe it, CEO Wei just got taken off the market like that?”
“I heard she even took her to the Du family’s over the weekend, looks serious.”
“CEO Wei is such a perfect woman, when can she get on me?”
The entire secretary’s office collectively rolled their eyes at her. The secretary who received the eye-rolls laughed awkwardly: “Just saying, just saying!”
“Chat, chat, chat! All you do is chat all day! The board meeting is about to start, tighten up!” The chief secretary’s words made the gathered crowd disperse, returning to their respective work. Eleven sat in the office, looking out. She only felt that they were very busy. Some sat in front of computers typing earnestly, some were checking documents, others were discussing something, their expressions serious. After a few seconds, a voice came from beside her: “What are you looking at?”
Eleven turned and saw Wei Hui had walked over at some point. She smiled: “Watching others work.”
There was a hint of starlight in her eyes: “I think they’re amazing.”
Wei Hui’s hand, holding a cup, paused. She followed Eleven’s gaze outwards, wondering if this child had been born into an ordinary family, perhaps like the people outside, she would have a stable job, and wouldn’t have…
She snapped back to reality, feeling that she was increasingly prone to overthinking lately.
Soon, there was a knock on the door, and Pei Tian’s voice sounded: “CEO Wei, CEO Shen is here.”
Shen Hao followed his secretary, still in a crisp suit, a smile on his handsome face. He opened the door and laughed: “CEO Wei, I’m truly sorry about last time, I couldn’t make it—”
Before he finished speaking, he saw Eleven standing beside her. He continued without a change in expression: “I couldn’t make it over, so I came today to apologize first.”
Wei Hui gestured for Pei Tian to leave and said to Shen Hao, “CEO Shen is too polite.”
Shen Hao wasn’t being polite. Coming to apologize first was certainly not just for personal reasons. More importantly, the Du family was now involved. Yesterday, when he heard the news, he immediately lost his temper. The unfinished building project had always been his responsibility, and his father had partnered with the Du family without even informing him. For this, his father had scolded him severely. The Du family might not be as powerful in the business world now, but they had connections in official circles. Leaving aside the saying “business doesn’t fight with officials,” if the Du family could invest in this project, future profits would definitely double. Only a fool would refuse such a good thing, so his father had readily agreed.
This put Shen Hao in a difficult position. He had been dragging his feet precisely because he wanted Wei Hui to say something soft, perhaps allowing them to interact more and something else might happen. Never mind a relationship, even a bed partner would be worth it. He never expected Wei Hui would actually be willing to give up profits to bring the Du family in. This woman, she was truly ruthless!
It was also for this reason that Shen Hao came to “apologize” first.
The two chatted for a bit, and then Shen Hao’s gaze fell on Eleven. At the party, he had only glanced at her and hadn’t paid her much mind. He hadn’t expected Wei Hui to acknowledge her existence later. Though annoyed, he still maintained his facade. He proactively spoke: “Hello, good to see you again.”
Eleven recognized him and nodded: “Hello.”
Her posture was proper, her gaze calm, unlike the timid and weak demeanor she had when they first met at the Shen family’s. Now, she exuded a little more composure, making her appear neither servile nor arrogant. In reality, Eleven was forcing herself. She didn’t know why Wei Hui brought her here, but since she was standing beside her, she didn’t want to make Wei Hui lose face, so she kept up the facade. Shen Hao, unlike their first meeting, didn’t ignore her; instead, he started chatting with her: “Do you mind if I sit down?”
Eleven looked at Wei Hui, saw her nod slightly, and smiled: “I don’t mind.”
After they sat down, Shen Hao smelled a scent emanating from Eleven, the same as Wei Hui’s. This was unusual. Although Shen Hao didn’t know much about Wei Hui, he knew a little, especially about her famous mysophobia. Yet, she was allowing Eleven to use her things. It seemed their relationship was more than just a casual fling as he had thought.
Shen Hao’s face darkened, and his eyes deepened. Soon, there was another knock on the door, and Pei Tian’s voice came: “CEO Wei, CEO Du is here.”
Du Yuehan wasn’t alone; he had a follower behind him. The follower entered the office and called out, “Eleven!”
“Why are you here?”
Eleven hadn’t expected Du Yue Ming to also be there. She glanced at Wei Hui and said, “Third Miss brought me. Why are you here?”
Du Yue Ming glared at Du Yuehan irritably, then pulled a face: “My brother dragged me here.”
Du Yuehan met her accusing gaze and shook his head helplessly, then said to Wei Hui: “CEO Wei, CEO Shen.”
Shen Hao naturally disliked dealing with the Du family. Perhaps it was because most of the Du family were involved in politics, and thus possessed an inherent sense of righteousness that Shen Hao simply couldn’t stand. He used to frequently clash with Du Yuehan during their school days. Now, meeting again, he greeted them with a forced smile: “CEO Du.”
Du Yuehan’s gaze swept over him, cold.
Soon, Pei Tian informed them that all the board members had arrived. The three walked towards the conference room. Eleven stood rooted to the spot, hesitant about what to do, when she heard Wei Hui call out, “Eleven.” She looked up and saw Wei Hui standing in the fragmented sunlight, reaching out her hand: “Follow me.”
She unhesitatingly extended her hand. Eleven was stunned. The others seemed not to notice, walking on to the conference room. Du Yue Ming, beside Eleven, nudged her, letting out a “tsk,” and quickly ran towards Du Yuehan.
Eleven froze in place, bewildered, for several seconds before daring to reach out her hand. Wei Hui took it. Her palm was cool, her fingertips icy, but Eleven’s heart was ablaze, scalding hot, as if molten lava had been poured into it, making her face instantly flush crimson!
An unfamiliar emotion surged within her, one Eleven couldn’t describe, only feeling immense pleasure. She couldn’t help but grip Wei Hui’s hand tighter, and tighter still, so tight that Wei Hui felt a slight pain and turned to look at her. Only then did Eleven loosen her grip slightly, biting her lip and saying, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
Wei Hui frowned at her words, shaking her head: “It’s nothing.”
The two entered the conference room. Wei Hui had Pei Tian arrange for Eleven to sit beside Du Yue Ming. The meeting hadn’t started yet. Du Yue Ming, holding her phone, saw Eleven sit down and immediately said, “Eleven, are you some kind of fairy reborn?”
Eleven was bewildered: “What?”
Du Yue Ming looked her up and down: “This is my first time seeing anyone so utterly captivated by that Buddha, even holding hands for a meeting, tsk tsk tsk…”
Eleven listened to her words and looked at Wei Hui. Sitting at the head of the table, she was composed and dignified. The meeting hadn’t started yet. Pei Tian stood beside her. She swept her sharp gaze over everyone, then lowered her head, giving instructions with a serious and stern expression. After a while, she looked up and said to everyone, “Let’s begin the meeting.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it easily silenced the entire room. The conference room immediately fell quiet. Eleven simply watched Wei Hui, her hand quietly clenching. That cool touch still seemed to linger in her palm, and the familiar scent permeated the air around her. She lowered her eyes, her gaze full of tenderness.
During the meeting, Luo Zhouping frequently challenged Wei Hui. Her expression remained as usual, her tone unhurried, but Eleven still noticed her brows slightly furrowed. The Third Miss must be very uncomfortable right now, mustn’t she? She was uncomfortable but still had to endure. At this moment, Eleven suddenly understood what Wei Hui’s so-called responsibility was.
Her responsibility was to protect the company and prevent it from falling into Luo Zhouping’s hands.
What about her? Eleven asked herself, what was her responsibility?
Was it truly, as Wei Hui said, her responsibility to take care of her body and bear her a child?
It seemed—she wasn’t so resistant anymore.