Fatal Desire

Chapter 151 A Humid Summer Night
The maid handed the phone to Zhao Yansen.

"Take out your phone." Zhao Yansen said calmly, without revealing any flaws.

When the phone was handed to him, the screen was still lit, and Song Xi's bright smile on the lock screen shone brightly.

The image of the condoms she found in her niece's room involuntarily flashed into Song Yunyu's mind, and her throat tightened and her fingertips stiffened.

"What is it?" Zhao Yansen's dark eyes were calm as water, carrying an irresistible sense of pressure.

Song Yunyu snapped out of her reverie and smiled gently, "It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if Xixi is coming home for dinner tonight."

"I'll bring her back tonight," Zhao Yansen said succinctly. He swiped across the screen and dialed a number.

When the call connected, Song Yunyu heard her niece's sweet voice coming through the receiver: "Brother."

Zhao Yansen walked away while making a phone call, his back straight and aloof.

Song Yunyu stood there, feeling a chill run through her body.

Currently, Zhao Yansen holds the vast majority of power in the Zhao family.

No matter how proper and polite he is to his elders, he is ultimately a domineering and cold-hearted person.

Elders and lovers are completely different beings.

Regardless of whether he has any impure thoughts about Xixi, Xixi cannot get involved with him.

Otherwise, they will be sucked dry and their bones and marrow will be extracted, leaving not even bone fragments!

Song Yunyu's mind was on high alert. After much deliberation, she finally called Gu Beixiao herself.

*
At four o'clock in the afternoon, Song Xi was reviewing the quarterly financial report when his phone vibrated.

She caught a glimpse of the word "Aunt" on the screen, and her fingertip paused lightly on the pen.

"Xixi, can I finish work early?" Song Yunyu's voice on the other end of the phone was unusually urgent. "I'm downstairs at your company."

Song Xi closed the document, her gilded pen flashing under the light: "What happened?"

"It's nothing," a soft sigh came through the receiver, "I just wanted to take you somewhere."

Her aunt's behavior seemed a bit unusual, and Song Xi didn't understand why, but she still agreed: "Okay."

Song Xi asked Cheng Nian to cancel her remaining schedule, then grabbed her bag and left the company.

Ten minutes later, Song Xi walked towards the familiar Bentley Mulsanne in her high heels.

The car window rolled down, and Song Yunyu's delicate profile was exceptionally clear in the twilight, the jade pendant on her earlobe swaying gently as she turned her head.

"Is Auntie not feeling well?" Song Xi opened the car door and smelled the faint scent of agarwood inside the car.

"No." Song Yunyu's gaze lingered on her neck for a moment, but she finally suppressed her doubts. "It's your birthday today, and Bei Xiao is throwing you a birthday party."

Song Xi: "No need, there's no chemistry between us. Besides, he's eight years older than me, a bit too old, not my type."

Song Yunyu paused for two seconds: "Then what kind do you like?"

"Well..." Song Xi tilted her head, "It depends on whether we click with each other."

"Just to give your aunt some face." Song Yunyu held her hand, her well-maintained fingertips gently stroking the back of her hand. "If you still don't feel anything after three dates, your aunt will never mention it again."

Just as Song Xi was about to refuse, she saw Song Yunyu suddenly frown, her jade-white fingers tightly gripping the silk fabric at her chest, and she let out a suppressed cough.

"Auntie!" Song Xi hurriedly supported her slightly trembling shoulders, her fingertips touching the cold skin beneath the cheongsam.

"Xi Xi." Song Yunyu looked at her with gentle, watery eyes, "Will you promise your aunt?"

Song Xi's heart tightened, but she finally compromised: "Okay, then let's meet twice more."

Consider it a business social event to expand your network.

As dusk settled, Song Yunyu arranged for her styling team to do Song Xi's hair and makeup, meticulously crafting each strand to radiate a noble glow like the moonlight. Night fell, and the city lights began to twinkle. A fine, silvery rain began to fall from the sky, making the summer night damp.

The Bentley slowly drove into a lakeside villa.

In front of the white marble screen wall, Gu Beixiao, dressed in a champagne-colored suit, was exchanging pleasantries with the guests. There were quite a few guests, mostly young men and women from the same social circle whom Song Xi was familiar with.

"Miss Song," Gu Beixiao said with a warm smile, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Song Xi replied politely, glancing out of the corner of her eye at her aunt's thoughtful expression.

In the banquet hall, the crystal chandelier cast her shadow onto the blue brick floor, creating a cool and aloof silhouette.

It was a place for young people to socialize, and Song Yunyu couldn't attend. Before leaving, she gave Song Xi some heartfelt advice:

"Don't let Bei Xiao's good intentions go to waste, at least wait until after the cake is cut."

"Okay, okay." Song Xi took her aunt's arm and acted coquettishly. "You should go home and rest well. I won't be impolite."

I watched my aunt leave.

A moment later, Song Xi picked up the champagne handed to her by the waiter and said to Gu Beixiao, "Mr. Gu, you've gone to a lot of trouble."

Bubbles rose on the glass, reflecting her aloof smile. "However, there's really no need for such a fuss."

"From what Miss Song is saying, you don't like it?" Gu Beixiao asked gently, his eyes sharp.

Song Xi smiled and said bluntly, "I don't like it."

The crystal chandelier in the hall shone brightly as Qin Fanghao and Meng Weixian walked towards Song Xi.

Meng Weixian looked very sad: "President Xi, I went to great lengths to throw you a yacht party and you didn't want it. So it turns out someone else is doing your birthday party for you."

"I was surprised too," Song Xi said. She doesn't like to celebrate her birthday in a big way; she just wants to eat, drink, and chat with family or friends.

If she really liked to be flamboyant, with Zhao Yansen around, no one else would be needed to throw her a birthday party.

"My uncle asked me who you're close to and invited them to your birthday party," Qin Fanghao whispered. "Is it really a marriage alliance?"

"No marriage alliance," Song Xi said softly, swirling her wine glass slightly. "I'm giving my aunt face."

There were many guests at the banquet, and Song Xi and the 'organizer' Gu Beixiao treated them amicably. She moved among the guests with ease, and the smile on her lips was just right.

*
On the leather sofas in the second-floor lounge area, several young men were sitting around enjoying drinks. The light from the crystal chandelier shimmered in their whiskey glasses, reflecting their playful expressions.

Chi Wang swirled his wine glass and began to recount: "Last time at the restaurant, we ran into my sister having dinner with Gu Beixiao and sent a message to Brother Sen. Not long after, Brother Sen showed up."

"And then?" someone leaned closer.

"The atmosphere between them was tense and confrontational," Chi Wang said casually. "When my buddy saw that things weren't going well, he just ran away."

Xu Mo tilted his head back and took a swig of wine: "The position of imperial consort has fallen to the Gu family? This is really infuriating."

Chi Wang: "Don't cause trouble here. What's Gu Beixiao's reputation like? Gentle and refined, who in the industry doesn't praise him?"

Jiang Chushuang twirled a strand of hair with her slender fingers and looked around: "Isn't Brother Ji'an coming today?"

"She's doing rehabilitation." Chi Wang waved his phone. "I just asked, and the attending physician is watching over her."

"Yan Sen didn't come either?" Meng Boyu didn't attend Zhou Ji'an's birthday celebration, but Song Xi had helped the Meng family, so Meng Boyu canceled his meeting to attend.

Chi Wang sat up abruptly: "Holy crap, the siscon maniac is absent?"

He took out his phone to dial a number.

"Save your breath." Someone gestured with their chin towards the floor-to-ceiling window. "Mr. Zhao arrived a long time ago."

"What!" Chi Wang nearly dropped his wine glass. "Where?"

(End of this chapter)