There were not many auction items at the Wen Feng Gala. The higher-ups knew perfectly well that they could not use this method to squeeze too much money out of the businessmen, so the auction ended after forty minutes.
Li Ruobing only bid on a piece of calligraphy and painting. Though she did not like such things, she still spent some money to give the higher-ups some face.
Su Rui rubbed his brow, gently easing the faint buzz brought on by the alcohol.
"You're famous..." Li Ruobing sat beside him, pulled up a webpage on her phone, and handed it to Su Rui.
A post titled "Miracle of the Music World! Tongzhou City's Genius Piano Master Provoked at Wen Feng Gala, Strikes Back by Performing Dozens of World Famous Music Pieces and Slapping His Opponent in the Face!" had been pushed high up on Weibo. Less than half an hour after being posted, it had already made the homepage recommendations, with over a hundred thousand views and thousands of replies!
When he opened the video, it showed Su Rui performing just moments ago.
Though the footage recorded on the phone was somewhat shaky and blurry, the audio quality was surprisingly excellent. It perfectly preserved the artistic conception of Su Rui's piano music without losing the slightest bit of it.
In modern society, people paid tremendous attention to entertainment news, and the post's title itself was eye-catching enough.
Showing off, only to get slapped in the face—this was exactly the kind of thing most people found satisfying.
Combined with Su Rui's exceptional skill, the post caused quite a stir in a very short time.
Moreover, the uploader had described everything that happened at tonight's Wen Feng Gala beneath the video, starting from the moment Deng Hao came into contact with Su Rui.
After all that embellishment, the post's popularity rose even higher.
"I expected it." Su Rui smiled.
Soft conversation drifted over from the surrounding crowd.
"Hello, my name is Li Ying. I'm a student at Tongzhou Arts Institute. May I take a photo with you?" A crisp voice, like silver bells, rang out. Two young girls in evening gowns, both tall and curvy, stood somewhat nervously before Su Rui and asked cautiously.
Several other girls stood in the distance, watching their two companions without blinking.
"Art students?" Su Rui looked the two of them up and down. Though neither was as breathtakingly beautiful as Li Ruobing, they possessed a youthful vitality, an air of freshness that rushed toward him. He smiled gently. "Of course."
"That's great!" The two girls cried excitedly, leaning against Su Rui from either side and making heart signs with their fingers, their faces full of smiles.
The camera flash flickered several times.
"Um... could you make it a little more intimate? For example, putting an arm around my waist..." The other girl, who wore light makeup and looked exceptionally pure, felt the tip of her nose grow slightly hot as she timidly made a request that even she found incredibly bold.
Su Rui raised his brows at her words.
He had still underestimated just how fanatical these girls could be about their idol.
Su Rui turned to glance at Li Ruobing.
Her expression remained calm, as though she had not heard the girl at all. She even deliberately avoided making eye contact with Su Rui.
Heh heh...
Su Rui smiled silently. Li Ruobing was still far too prideful. She clearly had countless thoughts in her heart, yet refused to show any of them on the surface.
Just like before, when Su Rui said that he needed to be more intimate with Ye Qin in order to invite her as an endorser... Li Ruobing had reacted in exactly the same way.
Did Li Ruobing truly not care if Su Rui came into contact with other women?
No. How could such a strong-willed woman possibly enjoy seeing her boyfriend get too close to other women? Even if he was only her boyfriend in name, it was still unacceptable.
Yet Li Ruobing refused to say it aloud, because once she did, it would mean she had become emotionally involved in their relationship.
It was like that night when she and Su Rui had indulged themselves after drinking. After waking up, she had even given Su Rui money to prove that she had slept with him, to prove that their relationship had nothing to do with feelings.
If she voiced her opinion now and made the decision for Su Rui, it would mean she had lowered her head, given up her dominance, and fallen for him.
"What do you think?" Su Rui had no intention of letting Li Ruobing remain silent.
Su Rui knew very well that if he wanted to completely conquer a woman like Li Ruobing and make her put down her strength before him, he had to break through the layer of disguise around her and make her lower her head. Though it was difficult, Su Rui had patience. He would use little incidents and details, bit by bit, to utterly destroy her pretense of indifference.
"What do you mean, what do I think?" Li Ruobing asked flatly, frowning in confusion.
"What this young lady said—about taking a photo with me holding her by the waist." Su Rui smiled drunkenly, his gaze lingering on Li Ruobing.
"..." Li Ruobing paused for three seconds before replying stiffly, "What does your business have to do with me?"
"All right, since that's the case..." Su Rui deliberately drew out the last word. Turning toward the girl before him, he smiled. "How about this? We can go a little further. Holding your waist is still too distant... how about a princess carry?"
The moment he finished speaking, Su Rui caught sight of Li Ruobing's fingers tightening around her phone. Even her knuckles turned slightly white.
"Th-this... is that okay?" The girl covered her mouth in surprise. Under the lights, her long, fair legs began to tremble slightly as well.
Su Rui's performance tonight had been far too outstanding. Coupled with his handsome appearance, in the eyes of these wealthy little girls who had yet to enter society, he was undoubtedly the star of the night, a dreamlike figure like a Prince from a fairy tale.
Getting him to hold her by the waist for a photo was already outrageous enough.
A princess carry?
Oh my god... with so many people watching, was she dreaming?
The girl felt dazed. Her heartbeat began to accelerate wildly, and an unnatural flush appeared on her cheeks...
At the same time.
Li Ruobing's breathing began to grow heavier.
Su Rui glanced at her slightly.
He found that the rise and fall of her chest had become more pronounced. Clearly, the emotions in her heart were nowhere near as calm as she appeared.
"Then, I'm going to pick you up..." The smile in Su Rui's eyes deepened. He stepped toward the girl, breathing in the faint, elegant fragrance from her body as he slowly extended his arms.
Yan Jing.
Huashuo Hotel's top floor.
Popular Diva Ye Qin lay barefoot by the bed, a lollipop in her mouth and a bath towel wrapped around her without the slightest concern for her image as she scrolled through news on her phone. Wang Fang crouched beside her, applying body lotion for her.
"Tsk, tsk, Xiao Qin... your skin is getting smoother and smoother. Even I, another woman, can't help wanting to touch it a few more times. Tell me, our Xiao Qin is so outstanding, with such a great figure and such a pretty face. I wonder which stinking man will get lucky enough to have you someday..." Wang Fang continued joking with Ye Qin as she tended to her.
"I'm never getting married... I can support myself, so why do I have to get married?" Ye Qin raised her fair feet and lightly swung them.
"Women... no matter how outstanding they are, they'll have to get married eventually. Look at all those Hong Kong and Taiwan female stars. They made a name for themselves when they were young, then didn't they all marry into wealthy families later?" Wang Fang curled her lips dismissively. "These are a woman's best years. You can't wait until you're old and faded before thinking about this... Women lose their value when they get old! I'm telling you, the Eldest Young Master of the Yan Jing Chen Family has approached me several times already. He wants to meet you..."
"Come on, Auntie, stop filling my head with that nonsense. I'm not listening!" Ye Qin waved her hand in resistance. "Forget the body lotion. Auntie, help me find my sheet music..."
Seeing how firm Ye Qin's attitude was, Wang Fang did not dare say anything further. Ideas like these had to be changed gradually through subtle influence. Trying to force them on her might provoke Ye Qin into fiercely resisting and produce the opposite result.
"So annoying..." Watching Wang Fang search through a corner of the room, Ye Qin muttered softly before continuing to browse entertainment news.
Three seconds later, a highly liked video caught her attention.
"Young president? Piano master? Tongzhou City's Rising Genius Turns a Wen Feng Gala into His Private Concert, Stuns the Entire Audience!"
Ye Qin froze for a moment, then casually tapped the video open.
Before you continue