Inside the empty Room 306, no one was present.
Except—
Su Ziyu stood at the doorway, stunned for an unknown duration before slowly walking to the bed and squatting down. Her gaze fell upon the cigarette butts on the floor.
She meticulously counted them at least 18 times.
Correct.
A total of 13 cigarette butts.
It was evident that Li Qianfan had smoked these here before he left.
During the time it took to smoke these 13 cigarettes, he must have contemplated deeply.
And then, he left.
He had, however, left the Mini Cooper, adorned with his and Su Ziyu's portraits on the car door, in this city.
“Mom.”
Su Ziyu, without seeing Ning Xiaolan enter, spoke instinctively, “My little husband is gone.”
Sigh.
Ning Xiaolan, who had approached her from behind as Su Ziyu began counting the cigarette butts for the second time, let out a soft sigh.
What Su Ziyu could comprehend, she too could imagine.
“Mom, I want to go find him,” Su Ziyu continued. “I want to tell him directly that I enjoy being with him. I love him, I can’t live without him.”
Ning Xiaolan asked gently, “Do you know where his hometown is?”
“I know,” Su Ziyu replied, lifting her head. “It’s in Kunlun.”
Kunlun?
Ning Xiaolan’s lips twitched.
She had, of course, heard of Kunlun.
But "Kunlun" was not a city, and perhaps not even the mountain of the Queen Mother of the West legend.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever find him in this lifetime,” Su Ziyu said softly, standing up. “But I do know that I can search for him for my entire life.”
Sigh.
Ning Xiaolan sighed again. “Ziyu, tell me, what is all this? You two were doing so well. When I learned you could abandon your so-called pride and come to the hotel with him, my heart was filled with joy. And the outcome? Your mother!”
As she spoke, she felt a surge of anger.
But seeing the profound pain etched in Su Ziyu’s eyes, she dared not lash out.
“Whether man or woman, one must have dignity; that is certain,” Ning Xiaolan said, taking her daughter’s hand. “But the premise is to consider whether the offense to dignity was intentional or unintentional. You and Qianfan… alas, never mind. Let’s go, we’ll talk about everything when we get home. Perhaps when we return, Qianfan will be waiting for you at home?”
No.
When they returned home, only Old Su was there.
Li Qianfan’s phone remained switched off.
Seeing only the two of them return, and noticing their unusual expressions, Old Su wisely refrained from asking any questions.
He merely rubbed his backside periodically and hobbled into the kitchen.
His wife and daughter were destined for a sleepless night.
Old Su could not offer much help, other than to prepare them some late-night snacks.
Ning Xiaolan sat down and began to call or text Li Qianfan.
Su Ziyu, meanwhile, sat on the sofa with her knees hugged to her chest, gazing at the night sky outside the window, lost in thought.
Time.
Minute by minute, it flowed by.
Ten-thirty in the evening.
Li Qianfan, who had arrived at Victoria’s at nine, finally emerged from the bathroom.
For over an hour, he had reclined in Mo Hongti's personal bathtub.
There was a television on the wall.
On a chair beside it, there was a fruit platter, pastries, and cigarettes.
Mo Hongti was not in the bathroom.
This woman was exceedingly intelligent, understanding that Li Qianfan’s greatest need at the moment was solitude.
She also knew that when Li Qianfan’s emotions were unstable, a touch of flirtation on her part could greatly increase the chances of her desires being fulfilled.
However, Mo Hongti chose not to do so.
Because—
She wanted not only Li Qianfan’s person but also his heart!
“Brother, do you feel much better now?” As Li Qianfan stepped out of the bathroom, Mo Hongti quickly stepped forward. “Come, sit, have something to eat first.”
On the low table, delicacies were laid out, but no wine.
As Li Qianfan sat down, he reached for a cigarette, only for Mo Hongti to take it away. “You’ve smoked too much tonight; you can’t have any more. I’ve made you Tremella Pear Soup to soothe your throat.”
Li Qianfan looked at her and smiled. “I thought you were going to treat me to ‘Guo Se Tian Xiang’ tonight.”
Victoria’s “Guo Se Tian Xiang” was related to beautiful women.
“Guo Se Tian Xiang” could be enjoyed anytime, but not tonight. Mo Hongti spooned a bowl of Tremella Pear Soup for Li Qianfan and handed it to him.
Li Qianfan took it. “Why not tonight?”
“Because your emotions are unstable tonight,” Mo Hongti explained. “I only wish to be your woman and share mutual warmth and concern. I do not wish to be a plaything for you to vent your ill temper.”
Li Qianfan remained silent, lowering his head to drink the soup.
“Brother,” Mo Hongti said, “after you’ve eaten and drunk your fill, I’ll take you back to the Week Hotel to collect your car, and then you can go home.”
Li Qianfan’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t want to keep me here?”
“As I said, not tonight.” Mo Hongti shook her head. “To be honest, when I went to find you at the hotel earlier, I intended to have a night of passion with you. I even dared to hope that after you divorced Su Ziyu, you would marry me, disregarding Du Junlin’s threats. But during your bath, I did a lot of thinking.”
Li Qianfan ate slowly.
Mo Hongti spoke in detail—
“Brother, do you remember that night, after I danced ‘Wu Yi’ for you, I sat on your lap, hoping you would stay?”
“I believed no man could resist Mo Hongti in that state.”
“But you resisted.”
“The look in your eyes was incredibly pure.”
“It wasn’t that I wasn’t beautiful enough. It was because, that night, you saw me, Mo Hongti, as a mere phantasm of flesh and blood.”
“Even then, you were able to maintain such absolute purity.”
“Then why, tonight, when Su Ziyu took the initiative, did you become so flustered?”
“Because you love her.” Mo Hongti spooned another bowl of soup for Li Qianfan.
Li Qianfan quietly thanked her and took the bowl.
“You fell in love with Su Ziyu in just a few days of knowing her,” Mo Hongti’s eyes filled with envy for Su Ziyu. “Perhaps, this is what they call love at first sight?”
Li Qianfan nodded.
He then began to recount to Mo Hongti Su Ziyu’s reaction after he had sent the wrong message.
Mo Hongti propped her chin on her hand, patiently listening to him speak.
Occasionally, she would interject with a well-timed question.
The more Li Qianfan spoke, the more relaxed he became.
He didn't realize that this was an environment for him to pour out his heart, deliberately created by Mo Hongti.
Compared to a twenty-one-year-old impetuous youth, Mo Hongti, who had been married eight times yet maintained her unblemished reputation, was undoubtedly an expert in matters of the heart.
It was not too difficult for her to imprint on Li Qianfan’s subconscious the message: "I am your confidante. You can confide in me whenever you face troubles. You can consider me your haven of warmth."
Li Qianfan finally finished speaking.
“I daresay Su Ziyu regrets it now. Because after she calms down, she’ll realize that your mistake wasn't a violation of her dignity, but rather, because you cared for her so much that you became nervous.” Mo Hongti retrieved a fruit platter from a nearby serving cart.
There was only one type of fruit in the platter:
Red grapes.
She delicately picked up a red grape with her slender fingers and brought it to Li Qianfan’s lips.
Smiling, she said, “After you eat this grape, I’ll take you back.”
Li Qianfan hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.
As the cool, sweet red grape entered his mouth, he closed his lips.
But he gently bit down on her two jade-like fingers.
He quickly opened his mouth.
Mo Hongti, acting as if nothing had happened, withdrew her hand and stood up. “Let’s go.”
As Li Qianfan reached the doorway, he suddenly asked, “What’s the situation with the Du family?”
“My dealings with the Du family don't require your concern,” Mo Hongti replied. “I firmly believe that as long as you are here, no matter how powerful the Du family is, they will have to beg me humbly.”
Li Qianfan chuckled.
Just as he was about to step out—
Mo Hongti raised her hand and pointed to the low table. “Brother, after tonight, you can come and have them anytime in the future.”
Li Qianfan turned back and looked at the plate of red grapes.
Mo Hongti tiptoed and whispered into his ear, “Red grapes. Their skin is tender, their flesh is sweet, and they are very juicy.”