Is my roommate a caged bird? I'm stealing her away.

Senior Wang led Zhou Suisui around the banquet hall, introducing her to everyone they met.

"Mr. Zhang, this is my junior from school, Zhou Suisui. She just graduated and works in new media..."

"Director Li, this is Sui Sui. Please take care of her in the future..."

Zhou Suisui followed beside him, a polite smile on her face, nodding and greeting each person. She could feel that those gazes lingered on her face longer than usual. Some would ask about her school, while others would smile and say to Senior Wang, "Director Wang is so lucky to have such a beautiful junior."

His hand remained gently on her lower back, occasionally offering a directional hint to remind her which way to turn.

After walking around, Wang Xuechang was called away by a client to discuss business. Zhou Suisui was finally able to catch her breath, walked to the dining table, grabbed a glass of juice, and found a sofa against the wall to sit down.

Less than a minute after I sat down, a man in a navy blue suit came over with a wine glass.

"one person?"

He sat down naturally on the single sofa next to her, said his surname was Wu, that he was in the building materials business, and asked her if this was her first time here.

Zhou Suisui nodded: "I'm here with my senior to broaden my horizons."

Mr. Wu laughed and said it was good for young women to go out more. After chatting for seven or eight minutes, he received a phone call, said he had something to take care of, and got up to leave.

Mr. Wu had just left when another one arrived.

This time it was a Mr. Zhao, in his early thirties, who worked at a bank. He was a good conversationalist; instead of asking Zhou Suisui many questions, he told her some interesting stories from his industry, which made her laugh several times.

As the two were talking, a middle-aged woman in a champagne-colored dress walked over and said to Mr. Zhao with a smile, "Manager Zhao, President Liu is looking for you over there. It seems to be urgent."

Mr. Zhao was stunned for a moment, then got up, smiled apologetically at Zhou Suisui, and left.

Zhou Suisui took a sip of juice. Before she could put the glass down, the third man had already walked over.

Mr. Sun, who works in import and export trade, unconsciously leaned forward and stood quite close as he spoke. After only a few words, a waiter came over with a tray and politely said, "Mr. Sun, Chairman Wang is looking for you over there; he needs your confirmation of a document."

Mr. Sun frowned slightly, but still stood up: "Miss Zhou, please have a seat. I'll be right back."

He left and never came back.

Zhou Suisui sat on the sofa, slowly coming to her senses.

In less than half an hour, three people arrived, and each one was called away halfway through their conversation. Once was by chance, twice was coincidence, three times…

She looked up, her gaze unconsciously sweeping around the hall before finally settling on the floor-to-ceiling window.

Chen Boxu was standing there, talking to a few people. He was turned to the side, holding a water glass in his hand, his posture very relaxed.

Zhou Suisui glanced at it once and then looked away.

She's probably overthinking it. In situations like this, who isn't busy? Being called away to discuss business is perfectly normal. She's a recent graduate; who would care who she's talking to?

As she was thinking, someone else sat down on the sofa next to her.

"Miss Zhou?"

He was a man in his forties, wearing a dark gray suit, with a gentle smile.

"I just saw you chatting with Mr. Sun," he said. "He didn't scare you, did he? Mr. Sun is a nice guy, just sometimes too enthusiastic."

Zhou Suisui smiled but didn't reply.

The man introduced himself as Zheng, saying he was in the education investment business. He spoke very tactfully and calmly, and after about ten minutes of conversation, he proactively handed over his business card: "Ms. Zhou, if you want to switch platforms in the future, you can contact me."

Zhou Suisui accepted it: "Thank you, President Zheng."

Just as Mr. Zheng stood up, a waiter approached him: "Mr. Zheng, excuse me for disturbing you. Chairman Wang requests your presence; he says there's an urgent document that requires your signature."

Mr. Zheng was taken aback for a moment, looked at Zhou Suisui, then at the waiter, and finally smiled helplessly: "I'm sorry, Miss Zhou, I have to go and take care of this."

He followed the waiter.

Zhou Suisui held the business card she had just received, her fingertips tightening slightly.

This is the fourth time.

She looked up, this time her gaze fixed clearly on the floor-to-ceiling window.

Chen Boxu was still there, but the person beside him had changed. He was talking to a middle-aged man in a silver suit. After the man said something, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and he raised his glass to lightly clink it with the man's.

He stood there, composed and matter-of-fact, as if everything was how it should be.

Zhou Suisui suddenly understood.

Not a coincidence.

Someone doesn't want her to have a proper conversation with others.

Zhou Suisui looked away and put Mr. Zheng's business card into her handbag. There were already several business cards in her handbag: Mr. Wu's, Manager Zhao's, Mr. Sun's, and now there was another one: Mr. Zheng's.

These people all seemed very capable; they all expressed interest in her and gave her their contact information. But for some reason, holding this stack of business cards, she felt an emptiness inside.

Can these people give her what she wants?

she does not know.

Just then, a shadow fell.

Zhou Suisui raised her head.

Chen Boxu walked over at some point and stopped beside her. He didn't look at her; his gaze fell on her hand, which was resting on her lap and holding a stack of business cards.

Zhou Suisui subconsciously tried to put the business card away, but before she could move her fingers, Chen Boxu reached out his hand.

His movements were natural; his slender fingers covered the back of her hand, and with a gentle twist, he pulled the business cards from between her fingers.

Zhou Suisui froze, staring at him.

Chen Boxu didn't even glance at the business cards; he simply folded the entire stack in half with a flick of his wrist and tossed them into an empty wine glass. The cards sank slowly in the remaining wine, the ink gradually spreading.

"These are useless," he said calmly.

Before Zhou Suisui could react, Chen Boxu reached out again. This time, he pulled out his business card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

Pure white, without any decoration.

He didn't hand it to her.

Instead, she held the business card between two fingers, twisted her wrist, and slipped the thin, stiff edge of the card into the square neckline of her velvet dress.

The movements were slow, yet carried an undeniable sense of control.

The business card slid across the sensitive skin below the collarbone, sending a shiver down my spine, before finally settling securely between the fabric and my skin, leaving only a small white border visible.

Zhou Suisui froze. She could clearly feel the presence of the business card; the cool temperature of the paper seeped through the velvet fabric and pressed against her chest.

There was music and conversation all around her, but at that moment she couldn't hear anything except her own deafening heartbeat.

Chen Boxu released his grip.

"Tomorrow night at eight o'clock," he said, his voice low and even. "The address is above."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

A wave of humiliation surged through Zhou Suisui like boiling water, burning her cheeks, but at the same time, something even stronger exploded in her chest.

That was all the resentment accumulated over the past few months, all the jealousy towards Lin Xiao, and all the crazy desire to prove himself.

Just as he was about to take his second step, Zhou Suisui suddenly stood up and grabbed his wrist.

Chen Boxu stopped, slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on her hand that was holding his, and then slowly moving up to her face.

Those light amber eyes remained calm, only showing a hint of impatience at being disturbed.