Chapter 382
In the magnificent grand hall, among the dazzling dancers, a girl in a red skirt swaying gracefully paired with a tall and handsome man in a suit and leather shoes as they waltzed in carefree, relaxed steps.
They gazed into each other's eyes as if unaware of anyone else's presence, tacitly enjoying the atmosphere brought by the music and harmony. It was as if only the two of them existed in the entire hall, even the lighting seemed perfectly tailored for them.
No one was more compatible than they were.
Qiao Ying looked at the elegant features of the man, her eyes falling on his lips that were slightly redder than usual.
Her eyes were very calm, yet Qin Hanyue could feel some heat in them.
Qin Hanyue's senses were right, Qiao Ying with hormones running high was aroused by lust at the moment as she stared at the man's lips: Damn, I want to kiss him. Yôur favorite stories at novelhall.com
This damn place! Qiao Ying who always did whatever she wanted was for the first time restrained by the occasion and unable to act on her desires.
"What are you looking at?" The man's voice was low and seductive.
He was teasing her deliberately.
Because he noticed Qiao Ying's wandering eyes, even somewhat aggressive. It seemed she was not as pure and innocent as she appeared. This made Qin Hanyue secretly excited and delighted.
At the same time, he savored her passion from earlier.
If Qin Hanyue knew Qiao Ying's inner thoughts at the moment, he would surely be more furious than her, possibly to the point of becoming ill.
Qiao Ying: "Looking at your face."
Qin Hanyue chuckled and asked, "How do you like it?"
Qiao Ying admitted plainly: "It's comforting."
Qin Hanyue laughed again. To him, this was undoubtedly high praise. He looked at Qiao Ying and said, "It's my first time seeing you in a formal dress in real life. You really look beautiful."
His eyebrows and eyes were gentle. He spoke those words very sincerely.
It was this face that he still wasn't used to.
What also made him uncomfortable was that she wasn't accompanying him as his date tonight.
The music ended, and Qin Hanyue let her go, politely taking a step back. He took off his coat and handed it to Qiao Ying.
He was behaving very much like a gentleman.
"Thank you, Mr. Qin." Qiao Ying took it and put it on.
She saw Lin Cheng coming back, only to be intercepted halfway by Karina.
Qiao Ying looked at the scene not far away and said, "I told Ryan I'd show some sincerity."
The three of them were the main stars of tonight's banquet. Their current situation - two women vying for one man - was truly eye-catching, and people nearby intentionally or unintentionally drew closer to watch.
Qiao Ying was indifferent to Karina's magnanimity and well-meant advice. She was like a silly girl in love who only knew about romance and didn't consider her lover's circumstances.
She was too lazy to even bother humoring Karina with a response.
Under Karina's resentful gaze, Qiao Ying said to Lin Cheng: "Lin Cheng, I think this is a good occasion. Why don't you propose to me in front of everyone?"
At the circular bar ahead, Qin Hanyue who had his ears pricked up like antennas upon hearing Qiao Ying's words nearly lost control of his facial expressions.
He was extremely shocked, reacting so strongly inwardly that his chest where he'd been punched earlier ached in resonance.
Qiao Ying told him to pretend to be mute and stand farther away, so he guessed she must be planning to act out scenarios with Lin Cheng that would make him unable to remain calm.
At most, he could accept Qiao Ying taking Lin Cheng's arm as courtesy. He could convince himself that it was just etiquette, and bear her exchanging a few boyfriend-girlfriend lines with Lin Cheng.
But she was actually asking Lin Cheng to propose to her - taking the initiative to have Lin Cheng propose to her was the same meaning!
Qin Hanyue had the foresight to already make Qiao Ying promise not to overdo the act.
But now she was doing this... Did she not know what was considered overboard, or was she just placating him earlier?
Not only was Qin Hanyue greatly provoked, even Lin Cheng was tremendously shocked.
Propose?
She was willing to sacrifice this much?
Lin Cheng felt it was a trap. Earlier, she had refused to even pretend to be his girlfriend, yet now she was actively playing his fiancée.
He secretly glanced at the man nearby.
Lin Cheng finally understood what it meant to want to stab someone just from their gaze - it couldn't be hidden at all. Qin Hanyue didn't just want to stab him, he clearly wanted to chop him up and blend him to feed to his four dogs!
When Karina advised Qiao Ying to leave Lin Cheng, Qiao Ying instead blatantly asked Lin Cheng to propose right in front of her. It was practically slapping Karina in the face.
Karina's face beneath the black veil twisted slightly.
Those closest heard Qiao Ying's words very clearly, and it quickly caused quite a stir, with people crowding around.
Lin Cheng looked at Qiao Ying, speaking gently: "Are you sure?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes, if they continue forcing you and trying to take you away from me, then let's just get married directly."
Qin Hanyue's jawline tightened bit by bit. When Qiao Ying uttered the word "married", it instantly tensed into a sharp line.
He downed the glass of wine in his hand in one gulp. The icy liquid washed over his tightly clenched teeth.
Qin Hanyue's mouth was filled with sourness.