Yearning For Warmth, Day and Night - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Friends

Shen Suqing left feeling both unwilling and resentful. In her view, Eleven was nothing more than a servant—no, the lowest kind of servant—and Wei Hui had actually made someone like that toast her. To her, that was a blatant insult!

But she didn’t dare say anything to Wei Hui. She just clenched her teeth, threw back her drink, and, with eyes blazing, said, “Third Miss, enjoy yourself. I’ll be leaving now.”

Wei Hui responded calmly and watched her leave.

Beside her, Eleven seemed a little nervous. “Third Miss, I…”

Wei Hui turned and, for once, gave her a soft smile. “You did very well.”

Having grown used to Wei Hui’s always indifferent expression and cold demeanor, the sudden curve of her lips was like a rare flower blooming in the courtyard—bright and stunning. Eleven clutched her glass, her face filled with the joy of being praised, tinged with a bit of shyness.

Before long, a few people came over to propose toasts, but they were all intercepted by Eleven.

She wasn’t a heavy drinker, but one phrase kept echoing in her mind: She is Third Miss’s person. So she couldn’t disgrace Wei Hui. Even if she couldn’t hold her liquor, she would swallow it all down!

Wei Hui didn’t notice her little internal battle; she was focused on the other side of the room—on Shen Hao. A few minutes later, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and answered.

“Third Miss, Old Master Shen spoke to Minister Qiao. Customs can release the shipment.”

Old ginger is still spicier—old foxes know their moves best.

Though Old Master Shen claimed not to care about Wang Yongshun, in the end he still helped smooth things over. Wei Hui rested her forehead on her hand. “Got it.”

Right after hanging up, Shen Hao approached her, holding a glass. “Third Miss, may I have a word?”

Wei Hui looked up. Her features were striking—bold brows, fair skin, red lips. Just a casual glance stirred something inside Shen Hao. He squeezed his glass and thought: this woman… he had dreamed of having her.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t understood before, and now it was too late. Wei Hui’s current status was far beyond what he could hope to reach. If not for leveraging Old Master’s name and that abandoned project in the western suburbs, she wouldn’t have even appeared at tonight’s gathering.

But now that she was here, how could he let her leave so easily?

He smiled, “Would you mind stepping into the lounge? President Wang is there too.”

Wei Hui’s red lips parted slightly. “Of course.”

Shen Hao secretly sighed in relief, signaled his assistant, and walked with Wei Hui toward one of the private rooms in the hotel. Behind them, Eleven wanted to follow, but Wei Hui didn’t say anything, so she stood up awkwardly. Watching Wei Hui’s figure disappear, panic started creeping in.

Just earlier, even with all those powerful people toasting her, she wasn’t afraid—because Wei Hui was right next to her. But now, with her just gone a little while, she was already at a loss.

Someone bumped her shoulder. “Alone?”

Besides business associates of the Shen family, most of the attendees here were Shen Hao’s friends. Du Yueming had been sitting in the main room, about to leave out of boredom, when she spotted Eleven standing up. Slim, delicate frame, but a very attractive face, and with a light blush from the wine—she looked like a perfect little white rabbit.

Seeing that Eleven didn’t answer, Du Yueming repeated, “You’re here alone?”

Eleven looked at the woman who had appeared out of nowhere—she was also wearing a red dress, long hair draped over her shoulders, red high heels, and had a curvy figure and a faint smile. Because she wore the same color as Wei Hui, Eleven instinctively compared the two.

Not as pretty as Third Miss. Not even a tenth as pretty.

Realizing her own thoughts, Eleven shook her head quickly and replied, “I’m not alone.”

Du Yueming smiled. “Here with a friend? Mind if I sit with you?”

The more she looked, the more pleased she was. Like a naive little white rabbit—innocent and clueless, a delight to look at. And clearly not someone important; otherwise, how could she be left sitting alone? Likely just someone’s temporary date. Du Yueming’s smile deepened at the thought.

Eleven didn’t know what she was after but still shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

Du Yueming’s eyes crinkled with joy. She licked her red lips and said, “What’s your name?”

Her gaze wandered openly over Eleven, full of curiosity.

Her figure wasn’t much to speak of—thin and frail, small frame, but very fair skin. The elegant dress added some appeal. Body-wise, she couldn’t compare to the curvy women Du Yueming had dated before. No chest, no hips, barely any meat on her. But she looked clean, pure, and most importantly, she had a very pretty face. No makeup at all, yet still more refined than women who spent hours on theirs. And Du Yueming had a soft spot—for beautiful faces.

She stared intently, making Eleven squirm. Eleven edged away slightly, gripped her cup tighter, and said, “My name is Eleven.”

“Eleven?” Du Yueming smiled. “Pretty name.”

“You can call me Yueming. Let’s be friends, yeah?”

Eleven stared at the offered hand and hesitated before slowly reaching out. Du Yueming clasped her delicate hand firmly. It was pale but not well-maintained—skin slightly rough, with calluses. It slightly ruined the feel.

Still, Du Yueming didn’t let go. Eleven tried to pull back, but she just held tighter. She could even feel the faint sweat in Du Yueming’s palm.

“Yueming!” a playful voice called out, and Eleven’s hand was released.

“What are you doing over here?” The newcomer was Zhao Li, a rising star in the modeling world. “I saw you when I first came in.”

Du Yueming glanced up. “Chatting with a friend.”

Her tone was casual, barely sparing Zhao Li a look.

Zhao Li’s voice grew more coquettish. “A friend? Introduce us then. Your friends are my friends, right?”

She spoke sweetly. Zhao Li had entered the modeling world thanks to Du Yueming’s connections, but it didn’t last long. Within two months, Yueming had grown tired of her. Desperate to salvage her fading career, Zhao Li had used her connections to come here tonight.

But Du Yueming’s expression turned cold. She could tolerate a partner’s clinginess while dating—but after a breakup? No way. Her voice turned icy. “Lili, didn’t we agree to part on good terms? Why cling like this? What’s the point?”

Zhao Li heard the irritation and immediately softened. In their two months together, she’d learned how to read Du Yueming’s mood. “Yueming, you misunderstood. I just saw you and wanted to say hi.”

Du Yueming looked up slightly, lips curling. “You’ve said hi now. You can go.”

Zhao Li was taken aback, clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into her palms. After a breath, she said, “Alright. Goodbye.”

From start to finish, Eleven hadn’t said a word. She’d watched Zhao Li come over smiling and leave fuming, and still couldn’t wrap her head around what Du Yueming had meant by “part on good terms.”

Wasn’t that phrase for couples?

After Zhao Li left, the atmosphere grew awkward. Eleven held her glass and took a small sip, her cheeks flushing even more. She could feel Du Yueming’s gaze on her and her ears turned red.

Du Yueming broke the silence. “Sorry about that. You saw something silly.”

Eleven quickly said, “Not at all.”

Then, pressing her finger to the glass, she asked, “Did you two have a fight?”

Du Yueming replied indifferently, “She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

Eleven nodded. “Mm.”

After a pause, she turned to look at Du Yueming. Ex-girlfriend?

Eleven wasn’t completely naïve, but in all the households she had served, it was always the male masters who made moves on her. The female masters hated her and wanted to feed her to the dogs. So, in her limited world, she never seriously thought about same-s3x relationships. She’d heard the term, of course, but this was the first time she’d heard someone mention an ex-girlfriend so openly.

Du Yueming noticed her surprise and decided to tease her. She leaned in closer and said flirtatiously, “What? Think I’m a monster?”

Eleven quickly shook her head. “No.”

Du Yueming chuckled. “Then why so nervous? I’m not going to eat you!”

Eleven was already flushed from drinking. Now, backed into the edge of the sofa and sitting so close, her face was burning red. What began as teasing turned serious. Du Yueming leaned in, her eyes gleaming. “Wanna go out with me?”

Her voice was low and seductive. She was naturally sultry—narrow eyes, intense gaze, a kind of allure. Eleven shook her head firmly and replied righteously, “No.”

She wasn’t swayed in the slightest. Though her face remained pink, her eyes were clear and her tone firm. Du Yueming laughed. “Then—”

Before she could finish, a cool voice interrupted from behind: “Eleven.”

Eleven instantly stood up and darted over to stand in front of Wei Hui, head bowed. “Third Miss.”

Du Yueming turned and saw—it was Wei Hui.

She was shocked.

This woman rarely attended social events. Who would’ve guessed she’d run into her here tonight? What luck.

Du Yueming still remembered how, back in school, Wei Hui was always number one on the popularity rankings. Men wanted to sleep with her, and women wanted her to sleep with them. Even she had dreamed about it.

Later, Wei Hui had gone abroad with excellent grades, only to return early to take over the Wei family business. While everyone else was still spoiled children, she’d already become a powerful CEO—miles ahead of them all.

Being slept with by her? That became a dream.

Du Yueming’s eyes lingered on her figure. Not far off, Shen Hao called out, “Third Miss!”

“You forgot your file.”

Wei Hui stepped forward on her heels and took the file from Shen Hao. Her profile was cold and refined.

Du Yueming noticed her elegant fingers and, turning her head, asked, “Is this the friend you mentioned just now?”

Eleven didn’t respond to the word friend and stayed silent. Du Yueming assumed she was shy and, while Wei Hui hadn’t walked over yet, leaned in to whisper, “Is she good in bed?”

Eleven, still holding her glass, was dumbstruck.