As she opened the door, a blast of wintry wind surged at Song Qingchun, causing her to involuntarily shiver. She pulled her coat closer to her body.
Opposite from the villa was a cluster of bamboo; behind the bamboo patch was a manmade lake. Due to the low temperature, the grassy field that she crossed was still covered with patches of white residue from the snow that had fallen a few days ago.
Song Qingchun crossed the bamboo patch and finally stopped by the lakeside. The surroundings were quiet except for the occasional laughter and cheers that drifted from the villa; the bleak scene reflected her feeling perfectly, loneliness and anguish.
The moment Su Zhinian stepped into the villa booked by CEO Liang, a mellifluous voice drifted from within.
Initially, Su Zhinian had thought it was a CD playing as he handed his coat to the server. As he walked into the living room with Tang Nuo, he realized it was sang by the actual singer.
A group of men in suits reclined on the European style real leather sofa. In the embrace of some of the men were beautiful, young girls. They looked barely a day over eighteen; their skin looked so taut and bouncy that one would think water could drip out from the pores.
Opposite the sofa was a grand piano where a woman in white dress was seated. Her soothing singing accompanied the piano, creating a feeling of class.
"Isn't she that famous songstress? CEO Liang surely has invested a lot in this gathering; he even invited the real person to come sing live…" Tang Nuo, who had seen many beautiful faces, could identify the singer with just one glance at her profile.
When one of the men saw Su Zhinian and Tang Nuo, he pointed at an empty space on the sofa, signaling for them to sit.
After he was seated, Su Zhinian raised his glass at the men there. As he was going to take a sip of the wine, Tang Nuo leaned in to whisper in his ears, "…She looks prettier in person than on screen, a natural beauty, wouldn't you say? Based on my estimation, her chest is at least a C…"
Su Zhinian tossed down half of the wine without acknowledging Tang Nuo; it was as if Tang Nuo had not spoken.
The songstress' voice was indeed unique. In this day and age where new talents were sprouting like mushrooms after rain, one had to be uniquely talented to be remembered by the public. The fact that the songstress was, as Tang Nuo had said, famous went to show her immense talent. Since CEO Liang had burned through a lot to hire her to come sing at the gathering, the men listened with rapt attention.
After a song, Su Zhinian started to get bored. He leaned into the squishy sofa and lowered his gaze to stare at the wine in his hand. His attention drifted out of the room and out into the open.
"You are not to drink tonight… This, you can drink."
"Brother Yinan, I'm no longer a kid; I can legally drink now."
"Even so, alcohol is too cold; it's not good for your stomach…" After a short pause, Qin Yinan's gentle voice began again. "Now, that's a good girl."
Su Zhinian raised his glass and emptied it. As he slammed down the glass on the table, he could hear Qin Yinan again. "Do you like it? This is the birthday present I prepared for you. I've been meaning to give it to you, but there hasn't been an occasion that called for it until tonight."
Su Zhinian rubbed his eyes, grabbed the nearby bottle, and poured himself another full glass while his ears were still focused on Song Qingchun.
"I love it."