The car stopped in front of the grand theatre. Yin Shuiling stepped out of the car, and at this moment, Xiao Fang, who was seated in the driver’s seat, asked her, “Rubus Coronarius, when am I coming back to pick you up?”
Yin Shuiling had a look at her watch and said, “Probably in three or four hours.”
“Okay.” Xiao Fang nodded her head and said, “Then I will go back to the studio in the meantime.”
“Okay.” Yin Shuiling nodded her head, and she waved her hand towards Xiao Fang, before ascending the steps in front of the grand theatre. She walked into the main lobby.
What Yin Shuiling did not know was that the moment she walked into the main lobby, a black Bugatti stopped, and the driver’s side door opened up as Yin Muchen walked out.
Some time over the past three years, he had gotten a new car. He has traded his Rolls Royce for a Bugatti.
After he stepped out of the car, Yin Muchen raised his head up to have a look at the grand theatre. Ding! A luxury vehicle stopped by his side. The door opened up, and Lu Shaoming walked out.
“Young Master Lu.”
“President Yin.”
Both men shook hands politely.
“President Yin, you also have some time to watch a play today?”
“Isn’t this play for charity? Since everyone has come, I would also support it with the small amount of power that I have. Young Master Lu, Mrs. Lu has become more and more capable over the past few years. Her winery has been gaining a strong foothold in the world of red wine, and in the past few years, she’s put on original theatre productions for charity purpose. This is really great for both the cause and her name.”
Lu Shaoming raised his eyebrows, and his face was full of love and pamper as he said, “She, she just likes to mess around. As long as she is happy, I support her in whatever she does. Let’s go, President Yin. Let’s go inside now.”
“Okay.”
They walked into the grand theatre together.
As they walked into the main lobby, they saw many members of T City’s upper class. Everyone shook hands and greeted one another, and at this moment, Lu Shaoming turned around and found Yin Muchen in a daze as he looked forward. He asked, “President Yin, what’s wrong? Why are you not focusing?”
Yin Muchen shook his head, and he had a calm expression on his face as he said, “I am fine.”
He only felt that his heart was beating a little quickly, as if it had gone out of control.
The moment he entered the main lobby, he had a whiff of a fragrance. It was a very very familiar scent. It was the one that he was mesmerized with in the past, but when he had a closer whiff of it, it was gone.
There was a thin and self-mocking smile on the corners of his lips. How could he think that she would be here?
She has not returned yet.
Looking at things now, he really missed her too much.
…
In the makeup room backstage, the entire crew was present. Xiao Zhou was in charge of managing the costumes and makeup. Within the past three years, Xiao Zhou married Lu Shaoming’s secretary Zhu Rui, and they already had a young daughter together. Their family was extremely blissful. Ning Qing was busy with the red wine business and handed the studio over to Xiao Zhou. Xiao Zhou was in charge now.
Yin Shuiling saw these familiar people being so blissful, and she had a happy smile on her face as she said, “Qingqing, which role are you missing? I am here.”
NIng Qing took a long spear with a red banner on it from the pile of tools and handed it over to Yin Shuiling as she said, “Today’s production is very classic. It’s about the female general from the Yang family. You will be playing Mu Guiying.”
“Mu Guiying? Isn’t that the female lead? I don’t want to, Qingqing. You can act this role out by yourself.”
“Shuiling, have you forgotten that there was a time during the school anniversary in high school, the character you played was Mu Guiying. Your voice is sweet, and the way you sing is very melodious. You don’t have to be humble.”
“That’s right, Miss Yin, you have such a good relationship with Ning Qing. Isn’t it the same whether you or Ning Qing acts it out?” Xiao Zhou handed the script over.
Yin Shuiling had a look and didn’t bother acting coy. It’s true that she’s a proficient theatre singer. “Okay.” She agreed to it.
…
The curtains in the grand theatre were pulled shut. The lights were switched on the stage. They invited all the powerful and famous people in T City for this charity play. In the front row, Lu Shaoming was seated on the left, with Yin Muchen on his right.
The seating for this type of large scale charity event was dependent on a person’s status. Yin Muchen had spent three years, and when he was 37 years old, he started off from scratch and already had the ability to be on the same level as the Lu Corporation that had been around for generations.
Yin Muchen was quietly seated. His facial expressions were calm. Actually he was not interested with whatever play, and he totally could ask Ma Rui to write a cheque for the charity event today.
But in the past two days, Ning Qing personally gave him a call to ask him to come over, and she said that he definitely had to come over to watch the show today.
In the past three years. There were no familiar people from the past by his side, his relatives, lover, friends…all these people had already left his side, but to Ning Qing, Yin Shuiling’s best friend, he still would give her some face.
This woman was the last gentleness that he had inside the bottom of his heart, so towards Ning Qing, he was willing to give her some benevolence.
At this moment, the large screen on the stage was pulled open. Loud applause rang out through the large hall. The play was officially starting.
There was a lithe and attractive figure that dressed in a traditional Chinese outfit. It was a girl dressed in a boy’s role. That person hid behind others and crisply shouted, “Where did that thief run to? I, Nai Yangzong, will protect my wife, Mu Guiying!”
This voice was clear and soothing. It was like pearls rolling on a jade plate. Her voice reverberated through the large hall and attracted everyone’s attention. It made others unable to help but listen to her intently.
Yin Muchen heard this voice, and his entire body froze. He looked that person in the eye, and that person had her long luscious locks tied up into a high ponytail. Her long white robe had a long green cape on the outside. Her red lips and white teeth were striking, suave, and cool.
At this moment, someone behind him whispered to another, “Isn’t that Miss Yin? Is she back already?”
“It must be Miss Yin. Look, Mrs. Lu is also out here. It turned out that this play is where these two sisters would be on the same stage. This is very interesting.”
Yin Muchen did not change his posture. He had a masculine charm to him, and his eyes had the reflection of the figure standing onstage. It turned out that his feelings were right; she was really back.
Everything around him slowly faded away. He looked at that woman. He had never thought of a day where she would suddenly turn up in front of his eyes. Time seemed to go back to a point many years ago. At that time, he was 18 years old. She had also appeared like this in such a lively state, and she brightened up his life.
Yin Muchen had a light arc on the corners of his lips, and he had a loving and gentle smile on his face.
Yin Shuiling, who was on stage, saw Yin Muchen at first glance. That man was seated in an eye-catching spot, but with the man’s handsomeness, no matter where he was in the sea of people, he could be identified at first glance.
Yin Shuiling’s entire face was burning now. She gave Ning Qing a glare in secret, meaning — Another good thing you’ve done!
Ning Qing raised her thin eyebrows up as she laughed, meaning — I will give you some help.
Yin Shuiling was furious, and she wanted to use the long spear to poke Ning Qing.
…
After the play was done, Yin Shuiling was removing her makeup in the makeup room backstage. Her sparkling black eyes were glaring at Ning Qing as she said, “Qingqing, what went on today? Didn’t you say that it was just a charity play? Then, then…why did he come today?”
“Shuiling, it really is a charity performance, but the charity performance definitely has to have charity donors. Shuiling, could you not have known that we have invited all of the powerful and rich people in T City? Talking about who is the richest person in T City, if Older Brother Yin is in second place, there would be nobody who would dare be in first place. I would definitely invite him over to give some support.”
“You…” Ning Qing was telling the truth. Yin Shuiling was unable to retort. Ning Qing has gotten even better with her glib tongue over these three years while Yin Shuiling was gone.
Yin Shuiling was frustrated. She’d just returned back to the country and would never think that a charity performance would entail so much else. She’d come because she trusted Ning Qing, and in the end, she was taken advantage of by Ning Qing.
She expressed her anger.
“Forget it, Shuiling. Don’t be angry anymore. Go and change your clothes quickly. You and Older Brother Yin would meet one another sooner or later.”
Yin Shuiling took the clothes from her and said, “Okay, Qingqing, I can tell now. No matter what I say, you make sense.”
Ning Qing: This is a given.
…
Yin Shuiling changed her clothes and came out, and at this moment, the makeup room was empty. She did not see Ning Qing anywhere. Yin Shuiling’s head hurt. This Ning Qing was probably up to something behind her back again.
“Qingqing, Qingqing…” She called out twice and headed towards the door.
She had one foot through the door, and she saw Yin Muchen standing in the corridor. The man was dressed in the custom made black shirt and trousers. They were well-tailored. He had a hand in his pocket, and he used another hand to hold onto a cigarette as he smoked. The smoke was surrounding him and gave her half of his cold, firm side profile and his mesmerizing sideburns. He looked extremely handsome.
Yin Shuiling froze. She had no time to react. Yin Muchen turned to the side and faced her directly. He stubbed the cigarette into the ashtray before looking over at her.
Yin Shuiling crashed into his deep, dark, warm eyes in an instant.
For a few seconds, Yin Muchen looked at her thoroughly from head to toe, from her thin eyebrows to her attractive maroon lips. He lifted his long legs and walked over to her side. His voice was deep as he said, “You are back?”
“Yeah.” Yin Shuiling ducked away from his gaze.
Yin Muchen looked on as she tried to duck away before he curled the corners of his lips up. “Where are you going now?”
“I am going out.”
“Let’s leave together then.”
“…Oh.” Yin Shuiling seemed as if she was the passive one.
Both of them walked down the corridor, Yin Shuiling did not say anything, and his charming and pleasant voice rang out by her ear. “How have you been over these past few years?”
Yin Shuiling stretched her hand out to tuck the strands of hair by her cheek behind her ear as she said, “Yeah, I have been pretty good.”
Yin Muchen turned his gaze over to the side to look at her. She was dressed in a translucent black T shirt and a tight white skirt today. There was a simple pair of sandals on her feet. She did not need any bright colours today. Such a monochrome pairing made her look refined and elegant, especially with her curvy figure that was visible at times from her T-shirt, and also that black bra inside. This was the type of sexiness that matched her age and her face, and it specifically belonged to her.
The scar on her right cheek was also gone.
“Shuiling, you have gotten prettier.”
The man said this sentence suddenly. Yin Shuiling’s long, thick eyelashes froze. She did not know what to respond with. She could not say that… You also became more handsome right?
She did not raise her head up, and she only laughed awkwardly. “Haha”.
This laughter made the man laugh softly.
Yin Shuiling instantly found herself very silly.
…
The lift was here, and they walked into the lift together. Yin Muchen pressed the button.
Yin Shuiling silently maintained some distance from him. Her face was a little hot. The moment she entered the lift, the material of his shirt brushed against her shirt, and she had a whiff of the masculine scent on his body.
It was still as clean and pure as it was in the past, but now, there was a…fragrance to it.
Yin Shuiling knew that it was the healthy and mature masculine scent on him. Time did not turn him into an old man. He was like premium red wine and had become more and more fragrant and pleasant. He exuded this fragrance.
Yin Shuiling felt her entire body go soft.
This kind of feeling was uncontrollable.
She felt very embarrassed.