Surrounded by Wolves
Jiang Wu lowered her eyes and brushed it off casually. “I don’t know much about any of that. I just wear it for fun.”
Then she called Liang Xiaoyue over and introduced her. “But I’ve got an expert here. You know Liang Xiaoyue, the CEO of Aetheris.”
The Second Young Master nodded toward Liang Xiaoyue. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
After Jiang Wu connected the two of them, Liang Xiaoyue got down to business first, while Jiang Wu found an excuse to leave.
She sat down in a relatively secluded lounge area beside the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall. For a while, Jiang Wu studied the pink diamond necklace in the reflection of the glass. Then she took out her phone and searched for information about the diamond’s auction. Very quickly, she found auction photos of the Rose Nebula pink diamond from five months earlier.
It wasn’t merely similar. It was identical.
Jiang Wu felt faintly uneasy. A symbol of love? Absentmindedly, she wound the tassels on the sofa seat around her fingers.
Meanwhile, the two girls who had just been making veiled jabs at her moved away from the crowd. “This is all your fault. Why did you have to bring up Jiang Wu? Sister Yue was treating us pretty well at first. Great. Now we’ve offended her.”
“We didn’t say anything that bad, did we?” One of the girls grabbed the other’s arm. “Why is it that every time we get mixed up with Jiang Wu, something goes wrong? It was the same at the café last time. Zheng Huayi was originally supposed to come too, but her dad got dragged into lawsuits because of the whole Jiang Wu situation. Now he won’t even let her leave Hong Kong.”
Halfway through the conversation, they both fell silent. It was as if they had suddenly realized the implication behind those events. Both immediately shut their mouths.
Almost at the same time, someone who had overheard them stopped nearby and greeted them. “Were you just talking about… Jiang Wu?”
When they recognized him, both girls’ eyes widened. “M-Mr. Gu.”
Anyone who watched even a little film or television would know the name Gu Jingsong. The second-generation entertainment heir of Hong Kong’s leading media family, blessed with a face handsome enough to dominate the industry, yet serving as one of its youngest behind-the-scenes bosses.
The girls hurried to greet him. Gu Jingsong gave them a simple nod. “Are you friends of Jiang Wu too?”
The corners of their mouths twitched stiffly before they forced out dry laughs. “Not really, not really. We respect Sister Jiang Wu very much.”
Gu Jingsong seemed to understand. “I’m an old classmate of hers, but we haven’t seen each other in a long time. Could I trouble you two to introduce us? Thank you.”
They were supposed to introduce a TVB mogul… to Jiang Wu? They were stunned.
Jiang Wu had been sitting there perfectly peacefully when, for no apparent reason, two young women suddenly stumbled over to apologize to her. At first, she had no idea what they were talking about. After listening for a while, she finally remembered.
These two were among the group of girls who had exposed her background before and joined Zheng Huayi in making snide remarks about her in the group chat. She had also seen them at the café.
Jiang Wu had no idea who had scared them into coming over to apologize, but they also said someone nearby wanted to see her.
Jiang Wu looked around. Maybe it was Sister Xiaoyue. Or perhaps Second Brother had just arrived. But both of them seemed to be surrounded by executives at the reception.
Jiang Wu didn’t think much of it. She was just about to look away when, in a daze, she caught sight of another figure. Her gaze stilled slightly.
Only when Gu Jingsong walked up to her and lightly tapped his wineglass against hers did he say, “Long time no see. When I saw your name on the guest list from the organizers, I almost thought I’d read it wrong.”
When Gu Jingsong sat down across from her, Jiang Wu thought she recognized him, but she didn’t dare assume.
She asked tentatively, “Sorry, are you…?”
Gu Jingsong: “…”
He let out a soft laugh and introduced himself. “Jingsong. I’m Gu Jingsong.”
Something tugged sharply at Jiang Wu’s thoughts. A name both long absent and strangely unfamiliar sounded beside her ear. So, it really was him.
For one brief instant, Jiang Wu seemed to return to high school, to the day Sister Xiaoyue had come to pick her up. From afar, amid the crowd, she had seen that boy everyone admired, who was brilliant, yet modest and polite.
When Jiang Wu asked about him, Liang Xiaoyue had told her, “Gu Jingsong? His father is a big shot in the film and television industry. He used to be an award-winning TVB actor and has since moved behind the scenes. Gu Jingsong is practically a celebrity at school.”
Jiang Wu met him again later through the History and Cultural Heritage Club. He was the club president and always looked after her. She heard he held several different roles at school, and somehow Jiang Wu seemed to run into him everywhere she went.
After enough encounters, it gradually turned into Jiang Wu’s first hazy experience of affection. It began innocently. And ended just as innocently.
His voice lifted, still carrying the bright clarity of youth. “Your old phone number was disconnected. I couldn’t reach you. The organizers told me you were already in Paris and that you’d be attending tonight’s reception.” His voice softened slightly. “So, I came.”
Jiang Wu apologized, “Sorry. It’s just been so long since I last saw you. I thought you looked familiar just now, but…”
Gu Jingsong gestured toward himself. “Have I changed that much?”
Jiang Wu’s eyes curved into a smile. “A little.” But there was a difference between a boy in a school uniform and a man in a suit.
Gu Jingsong lowered his eyes. “You too.”
He thought Jiang Wu had changed so much because she had grown up. She was no longer the sixteen-year-old girl from back then. Because of that, he still wasn’t quite used to looking directly at her as she was now. He was more accustomed to watching the hem of her dress, the faint sparkle of the heels peeking out beneath it, or simply her shadow.
Jiang Wu remembered that the last time she had seen him was one evening after she received her acceptance letter to the gifted program at Peking University. They had vaguely talked about where each of them wanted to go.
Gu Jingsong had asked her, “Do you have to go to Beijing?”
Jiang Wu had answered, “Outside of Beijing, there’s nowhere in the world better suited for me to study history and cultural heritage.”
Then she had asked him in return, “What about you? Do you really have to go abroad?”
Gu Jingsong had smiled. “If I’m studying film, then of course I have to go abroad.”
Their conversation had been lighthearted, except that he never pierced that thin layer of paper between them, which left Jiang Wu a little disappointed.
Before leaving, Jiang Wu had asked him, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
Gu Jingsong looked at her and stayed silent for a long time. “You’re too young.”
When Jiang Wu was accepted into Peking University’s gifted program, she was sixteen. Gu Jingsong was eighteen. At first, she had naively thought that if he said something, she could try a long-distance relationship overseas. But he didn’t, so she let it go. Maybe not starting anything had been the right choice. Her feelings for him had actually been shallow. It wasn’t as though she had deeply loved him. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gradually lost touch afterward. It was just that the first person you ever liked, and never ended up with, was always a little special.
So later, Jiang Wu would compare every man who pursued her to him, always feeling that anyone who wanted to be with her had to be better than Gu Jingsong. Unfortunately, none of them ever caught her eye.
Huo Yingli was being held up nearby by executives coming and going to talk business. During a brief lull, he glanced over again and saw Jiang Wu chatting happily with another man. And he knew that man. Gu Jingsong.
The matter between Gu Jingsong and Jiang Wu was something all three of them knew about. Back when Jiang Wu was still in school, whenever she chatted with them, every few sentences she would somehow mention, “Brother Jingsong.” She had even said she wanted to introduce them. At the time, the few of them had only been unhappy because she had found herself a new “brother” outside the family. Now it was different.
They all knew that Ah Wu, who had never been particularly aware of romance, had once developed feelings for a man when she was young. It was a simple, innocent feeling, but it was enough to make them uneasy.
That was why, when Gu Jingsong happened to run into him two years ago and asked for Jiang Wu’s contact information, Huo Yingli had given him a fake phone number. Now, though, it seemed there was no stopping them from getting back in touch.
After the reception ended, Huo Yingli and Jiang Wu returned to the hotel together. She sat in the car scrolling through Gu Jingsong’s Moments. There wasn’t much there, mostly just work. A movie release here, promoting a friend there.
As Jiang Wu looked through it, a message popped up at the top of her chat window. It was from Liang Xiaoyue.
[LXY: What a shame. You were busy tonight.]
Jiang Wu tapped into the chat, but before she could reply, Liang Xiaoyue sent another message.
[LXY: Actually, it’s a good thing. I heard Gu Jingsong basically never comes to events like this. He only came because he saw your name on the list.]
Jiang Wu didn’t know what to say. Liang Xiaoyue continued.
[LXY: I asked around. He’s never had a girlfriend. And last year he won a Gold Award for film production. Have you seen the movie that won?]
Jiang Wu hesitated.
[Ah Wu: What movie?]
Liang Xiaoyue kept her in suspense.
[Ah Wu: Watch it and you’ll know.]
Then she sent Jiang Wu a link.
Jiang Wu hadn’t even opened it when she felt a shadow fall over her. She instinctively flipped her phone face down and looked up into Huo Yingli’s slightly darkened peach-blossom eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Huo Yingli spoke lazily. His gaze moved down from her eyes to her lips, then to her slender neck and the necklace resting there.
Jiang Wu watched him hold a tie clip in his hand and reach toward her. She leaned away, but Huo Yingli still used the tie clip to lift the diamond resting on her collarbone. “What are you hiding from?”
The cold metal brushed her collarbone.
Huo Yingli’s voice carried the heaviness of alcohol. “Just looking at your new necklace.” He was standing a little too close, but he really was only looking at the necklace, asking hoarsely, “Did Gu Jingsong give it to you?”
Jiang Wu pushed his hand away. “No.”
The pink diamond slipped free from the tie clip and fell back into place, swaying gently between the graceful lines of her collarbones. It tapped lightly against her pale, porcelain-like skin. “Then who gave it to you?”
Jiang Wu couldn’t bring herself to say that the diamond had been Huo Qingzhi’s wedding gift to her. She hadn’t even dared think too deeply about the meaning behind the diamond. Instead, she turned to look out at the street. “I heard you only arrived this morning. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Huo Yingli could clearly hear her changing the subject. His voice grew even huskier. “Jet lag.” Then he continued asking, “When did you two get back in touch?”
“Just tonight. We hadn’t been in contact before.” Jiang Wu ticked off her fingers. “I already told you everything about what happened between us back then, didn’t I?”
That was true. Of everyone, Jiang Wu had told Huo Yingli the most about Gu Jingsong. Probably because she had always thought he was the best person to listen to those girlish thoughts of hers. So, she had never hidden much from him. Even in university, whenever someone pursued her, she would tell him and ask him to help judge the man. Ah Wu remaining single all these years was partly his doing. But now she was actually hiding things from him.
“Has anyone been pursuing you lately?”
Jiang Wu immediately denied it. “No.”
Little liar. Huo Yingli’s gaze swept over the Rose Nebula diamond. “Then what do you think of Gu Jingsong?”
Jiang Wu pressed her lips together. “He’s okay, I guess. We haven’t seen each other in a long time. He’s more mature than before. Though he was already pretty thoughtful and considerate back then.”
Huo Yingli asked directly, “Then do you like the old him more, or the him now?”
The blunt question left Jiang Wu at a loss. “Did you drink too much?”
Huo Yingli looked away. “Maybe.”
Jiang Wu stopped him from asking anything more. “Then from now on, no more talking. Once we get to the hotel, go to bed early.”
The car pulled into the hotel’s underground parking garage. Cherry took Jiang Wu back to her room first. Huo Yingli sat alone in the car for a long time.
His assistant waited beside the car for ages without seeing him get out. “Sir?”
In the dim, silent interior, Huo Yingli spoke hoarsely. “Find out who bought the Rose Nebula.”
“Yes.” The assistant had just turned to leave when Huo Yingli called him back.
“And… Send me everything on Gu Jingsong from the past few years too.”
“Understood.”
~~
Jiang Wu was still in a good mood tonight. She stepped into the suite in her heels, slipped out of the elaborate dress, and prepared to take a bath. But when she caught sight of the necklace around her neck in the mirror, she still drifted into a daze for a moment. Even just looking at it made her feel guilty.
Jiang Wu took the necklace off, placed it in her jewelry box, and forced herself not to think about it anymore. The bath was filled with rose petals, and bath products, fruit, and sparkling water had already been arranged beside the tub.
Jiang Wu moved the bath towel aside and lowered herself into the water, sending delicate ripples across the surface. The bathwater rose over her slender legs. As she sat down, the water surged more strongly, striking the sides of the tub before rolling back around her. It wrapped around her pale skin once more and submerged her in warmth. Soon she was soaked through, soft and damp all over.
Jiang Wu hummed a little tune and leaned against the tub. Thinking of her precious kitten still at home, she picked up her phone for her usual daily check of the camera feed. She normally checked on Bingbing during the day, but with the reception today, she hadn’t had the chance. She wondered how he had been doing.
Jiang Wu tapped the screen and opened the camera feed. The phone screen went from dark to bright. Once the image sharpened, it was pointed directly at a little cat’s face. The enlarged round face noticed the red indicator light come on and immediately started pawing at the camera.
The video filled with the soft rustling sound of paw pads rubbing against it. Jiang Wu’s heart softened at the sound, and she cooed sweetly, “What’s wrong, bb?”
Just as Jiang Wu asked, the fluffy paw nudged the camera, and the image tumbled over. After a dizzying tumble, the camera landed facing a man who had just come out of the bathroom and was in the middle of putting on a robe.
The first thing Jiang Wu saw was the striking breadth of his shoulders and back, along with the strong, sharply defined lines of muscle. She yelped in shock, dropping her phone outside the bathtub.
Huo Qingzhi still hadn’t fully put on his robe. It hung loosely around his arms, his physique carrying an effortless, masculine intensity. Hearing the sudden commotion, he turned his head slightly toward the sound. Fine droplets of water fell from the ends of his damp hair.
And Bingbing was still pawing at the little camera.
The moment Jiang Wu made a sound, she realized the other side of the camera could hear her. She clapped a hand over her mouth and froze for two seconds before scrambling to retrieve her phone. She was just about to shut off the feed when she saw Huo Qingzhi walking toward the camera.
The man bent down and reached out. His long, well-defined fingers filled the video frame as he grasped the device with clear purpose.
Huo Qingzhi picked it up. “What were you trying to see?”
The camera feed was dim. Combined with the dark robe he was wearing, it gave Jiang Wu an inexplicable sense of unease. The robe had a deep V-neck, revealing the clean line of his collarbones and the droplets of water sliding continuously down his neck and Adam’s apple before disappearing beneath the fabric.
Jiang Wu couldn’t shake the strange illusion that he could see her through the camera screen.
She stealthily set her phone on the ledge beside the tub and sank deeper beneath the rose petals, speaking softly toward the microphone. “I wasn’t trying to see anything. I was just checking on Bingbing.”
After hearing her explanation, Huo Qingzhi set the robot back down, angling the camera toward the cat bed a short distance away. He was no longer in the frame, but if Jiang Wu was guessing correctly, he had placed the robot on their bedside table. She could even see a copy of Game Theory in one corner of the screen, propping the robot up.
Huo Qingzhi’s voice came from outside the frame, but from somewhere very close. “You’re in Paris?”
“Mm.”
Huo Qingzhi commented on her behavior. “You left very suddenly.”
Jiang Wu made up an explanation on the spot. “I have a friend in Paris. She suddenly asked me to come over that day, so I… didn’t get a chance to tell you.”
For a long while, there was no response from Huo Qingzhi on the other end. Instead, Bingbing came over from his cat bed, meowing and trying to rub against her. As a little male cat, Bingbing was especially clingy with Jiang Wu at home.
But a man’s hand soon appeared in the video, blocking the kitten from rubbing against the robot and gently pinching his chin. The veins on his forearm pulsed with the movement, restraint, and reassurance.
Huo Qingzhi’s slightly lowered voice sounded again, directly exposing the real reason she had run. “You’re this upset just because I touched one piece of your undergarment?”