Chapter 76 Where Are You Going with Him?

Chapter 76 Where Are You Going with Him?

When Guan Junshan walked over, the people gathered around the buffet table quietly stepped aside, except for the actor who had been lingering by Lin Haoda.

They had probably met once before, at some cocktail party or banquet, because Guan Junshan remembered the actor's cologne vividly—a thick floral scent with a woody undertone, jarringly out of place.

"President Guan." The man spotted him first and stepped forward. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." Guan Junshan hadn't taken a champagne flute yet, hands in his pockets as he nodded back, his smile was flawless. "Enjoy yourself."

The buffet table was long, tucked away in a corner, with plenty of space around. Thanks to Guan Junshan's presence, that spot suddenly felt crowded as people kept coming over to chat with him. Lin Haoda was stuck at the far end, repeatedly trying to slip away but failing.

After Guan Junshan had exchanged pleasantries with the surrounding guests, he showed no sign of leaving. No one spoke, and the atmosphere grew inexplicably tense. The actor turned to look at Lin Haoda, who was quietly standing behind the table, nibbling at a piece of cake with his head down, and took the liberty of calling him: "Haoda."

Lin Haoda looked up and met his eyes.

Assuming Lin Haoda wasn't familiar with Guan Junshan, the actor waved him over. "This is President Guan—come say hello."

Lin Haoda hesitated briefly before setting down his plastic fork. After a moment's thought, without any reluctance, he walked over slowly with downcast eyes and calmly saying, "President Guan," then, "Good evening."

It wasn't that he had to pretend not to know him at all; Lin Haoda just felt Guan Junshan would prefer it that way—best not to appear too familiar, to avoid raising suspicions.

Even though he had come tonight specifically to see Guan Junshan, Lin Haoda had imagined the scene many times on the way here: it should be just the two of them, no one else around. He would ask his questions and leave quickly, without much trouble or surprise.

"Hm." Guan Junshan's voice was neither warm nor cold, as if he were asking casually: "Traffic was heavy tonight. How did Mr. Lin get here?"

Lin Haoda was startled, unsure why he was being asked, but answered quickly: "Miss Jiang's driver brought me."

"I see." Guan Junshan smiled ambiguously, his dark eyes fixed intently on him. "So you're that close with my fiancée."

As his words fell, the atmosphere froze.

The actor standing beside Lin Haoda, though confused, sensed the tension between them. He put an arm around Lin Haoda's shoulder and whispered in his ear: "...Say something else—wish him happy birthday, be a little sweeter."

Guan Junshan kept a smile on his lips, his gaze subtly landing on that arm resting on Lin Haoda's shoulder.

Lin Haoda's eyes darted around, finally settling on Guan Junshan's lapel pin. He bit his lip lightly. "President Guan, happy birthday to you."

He was still holding a half-empty champagne flute, curled up in another man's arms, looking as if he was reluctant to even face him.

Guan Junshan restrained himself for a few seconds. A waiter passed by with a tray; without looking, he snatched a glass, walked over, and lightly clinked it against Lin Haoda's. "Thank you for your wishes."

Maybe because Guan Junshan had approached so suddenly, Lin Haoda instinctively took half a step back. The back of his hand hit the edge of the buffet table, and the champagne glass in his hand fell, shattering across the floor, a few pieces bouncing onto the tip of Guan Junshan's shoe.

The actor flinched, quickly releasing Lin Haoda. He glanced at the broken glass, then looked around for someone. "I'll go find someone to clean this up."

Lin Haoda reacted a beat late. Coming to his senses, he tried to follow. "I'll come with you..."

Before he could finish, Guan Junshan blocked his path.

Guan Junshan stepped closer, the tip of his shoe slowly grinding over the glass shards, producing a grating, teeth-squeaking sound. Lin Haoda had nowhere to go, backing up step by step until he melted into the shadow of a pillar.

When he could retreat no further, Guan Junshan's scent continued to close in, mingling with his breath, carrying a warmth that made him tremble.

So many people were still watching behind them. Though the hall's lighting had dimmed a bit, Lin Haoda's back, pressed against the pillar, began to tremble faintly.

"Scared?" Guan Junshan's voice was very low, very close, as if he were smiling. Lin Haoda couldn't tell, because he couldn't force himself to look up and meet Guan Junshan's eyes.

"So afraid of me." He finally stopped, the tip of his shoe resting on Lin Haoda's shadow. His tone was flat. "I didn't notice that before."

Lin Haoda struggled to steady his breathing and whispered, "President Guan." He felt he needed to explain again, even if Guan Junshan still wouldn't believe him.

He parted his lips and forced his voice to remain calm. "I'm not here to pester you."

Guan Junshan kept his hands in his pockets and said, "Oh," with a flippant tone, but at least he was listening.

Lin Haoda swallowed. "There are still a few things I want to discuss with you face to face..."

"Before that, why don't you tell me where Jiang Tianyi has gone?" Guan Junshan suddenly leaned in.

The scent of his aftershave and the breath hissing through his teeth became instantly unmistakable, enveloping Lin Haoda completely.

Someone seemed to touch the pocket of his suit. Lin Haoda looked down and saw the invitation letter held in Guan Junshan's hand.

"This is hers." He glanced at it and smiled, holding it up and shaking it. "My fiancée gave it to you. Was it her way of having you attend in her place? Or..."

"Staying by my side all night, as my date?"

Guan Junshan's eyes were pitch-black, naturally adept at feigning affection. He stood beneath a stained-glass window, moonlight spilling down, illuminating half his profile.

Lin Haoda didn't answer. The alcohol in the champagne wasn't strong enough to intoxicate him, so he couldn't even entertain such an illogical scenario as the one Guan Junshan suggested.

When the music started, the actor who had left returned, followed by a uniformed waiter who cleaned up the broken glass.

"Did you offend him?" the actor asked Lin Haoda jokingly after Guan Junshan left. "I've never seen him be so... with anyone else."

Lin Haoda didn't catch the last word; the drumbeat was too loud, drowning it out.

As the host of tonight's banquet, Guan Junshan was naturally pushed forward to deliver a speech. A spotlight shone on the circular stage. Guan Junshan had changed into a velvet suit, and as he stood before the microphone, the gem on his tie clip caught the light and sparkled.

Lin Haoda stood below the stage, lost in the crowd, listening to him give a brief speech of thanks, talk about the group's latest business ventures, mention his mother who was still in the hospital, and finally thank his fiancée, Miss Jiang.

Amid the applause, Guan Junshan raised his champagne glass and toasted the entire room.

Lin Haoda's champagne glass was empty. The waiters carrying trays were busy and far away. So in the midst of the clinking sounds, Lin Haoda stood still, quiet, until the crowd dispersed.

By the time the first dance began, Lin Haoda was already starting to get drunk.

His head ached, his reactions were slowing down. When he reached for a dessert, he almost knocked over the champagne tower, but someone steadied him.

Lin Haoda turned and saw the actor. The man had apparently been looking for him for a while and complained, out of breath: "Why are you wandering off by yourself?"

Lin Haoda let out a small burp and said to him, "I'm not wandering off."

He had been right here all along. Guan Junshan had already switched to a new dance partner; the previous one kept stepping wrong. Lin Haoda had been counting her beats from the edge of the dance floor and realized they never matched.

He shared this observation with the man next to him. The man shook his head helplessly. "You're drunk. Let me take you upstairs to rest."

Lin Haoda hadn't planned to stay overnight. He reached up and tugged at his collar, feeling for a tag but not finding it—then remembered Jiang Tianyi had already cut it off. Still, he had to return the suit somehow, so he begged: "Can you take me home? I can't afford this outfit."

The man frowned, glanced back at the dance floor, and finally relented. Taking Lin Haoda's arm, he asked, "Where's your driver? At the entrance?"

Lin Haoda blinked dizzily. "What driver?" How could he possibly have a driver?

It would have been awkward for them to keep standing there struggling, so the actor just pulled out his phone and called his assistant: "...Bring the car around. Wait at the front entrance. Yeah, we're going to my place tonight."

Seeing him hang up, Lin Haoda looked up, now calmer, and docilely asked: "Can we go now?"

The temperature had dropped at night, and a thin mist was rising.

Lin Haoda stepped outside and was hit by the cold wind, which actually cleared his head.

The man was still dragging his hand down the stairs. Lin Haoda shook his head and saw clearly that below the steps was a black van, with only the ivory interior visible through the open door, the rest seeming to merge with the night.

Instinctively, he pulled his hand back and asked dazedly, "Aren't we going home?"

The man thought he was being coy, turned his head and smiled, reached out and stroked his flushed cheek with a finger, and coaxed in a low voice, "Right... How about going to my place?"

Lin Haoda pulled away from his touch, stared at the man's face for a few seconds, and was about to turn around and go back into the banquet hall when footsteps suddenly rang out behind him.

Heels clicked lightly on the marble floor, and the sound grew more urgent as it approached.

Before Lin Haoda could even turn his head, he felt his arm being grabbed from behind.

The person grabbing him had large hands with ice-cold fingertips, and didn't know how to control his strength.

Lin Haoda's grip hurt, and he was exasperated, desperately wanting to escape, to shake him off.

He had barely struggled for two seconds when the familiar voice of Guan Junshan sounded behind him: "Lin Haoda."

Lin Haoda turned around. In the dim light of night, everything around was covered by a faint fog, all gray and unclear.

The light bulb above flickered continuously, the filament jumped, then gave a soft "crackle."

Lin Haoda finally felt his vision become bright again. The fog dispersed a bit, and the moon emerged from the dark clouds.

Guan Junshan's face, like a beautiful painting, finally came into view where the light and dark met.

"Where are you going with him?"

His voice was flat, his true emotions suppressed beneath a peaceful facade.

Lin Haoda stood at the bottom of the steps and slowly raised his face. In the bleak moonlight, he noticed a faint glimmer off Guan Junshan's teeth, and a somewhat inappropriate metaphor suddenly came to mind: Guan Junshan seemed like an emotionless vampire.

It was as if, because his beloved prey had been lured away, he could no longer contain himself and decided to personally mete out punishment.