Song Baiyan tightened the hand he held hers with: "Want to join me?"
"Mhmm." Tang Li nodded, feeling inexplicably at ease to the moving music—she knew why she was chosen to dance this dance.
She even suspected, it might not have originally been Song Baiyan who started the dance.
Because he came alone tonight.
But now, they were here dancing together.
If it wasn’t for this dance, leaving the National Assembly Hall, even if the incident at the state banquet didn’t spread to the entertainment industry, in the eyes of all the guests, they would certainly think less rather than more of her.
In traditional thinking, women are synonyms of being reserved and virtuous.
Her public confession to a man, in most people’s view, is seen as lacking self-respect.
Tang Li believed that as she walked out tonight, the first to criticize her would be her fellow women, because her prior behavior has added a smear of dark ink on the shackles they diligently built.
From the moment she stepped into the dance floor, everything changed.
Later when mentioned, people may not cling to the fact that she threw herself at the New President; after all, the New President invited her to dance. Everyone would only be envious of her being the lucky one, like a good fate—even if her confession did not yield results, it still made the New President treat her differently at the state banquet.
Perhaps, most of the guests won’t take her seriously as an adult.
Even so, Tang Li still felt a faint sweetness at the thought.
Suddenly the lights dimmed in the ballroom.
There were but a few lights haloing the edges of the dance floor.
Tang Li felt the hand on her waist hug a bit tighter, her body subconsciously pressing against Song Baiyan. In the dim light, they were close, the man’s chin almost touching her earlobe, and when she looked down, the collar of Song Baiyan’s shirt brushed against her nose.
Concerned about the guests around, Tang Li dared not behave inappropriately.
After a while, Song Baiyan’s deep and magnetic voice whispered by her ear: "How was your trip to Japan these past few days?"
Speaking of which, Tang Li remembered something: "I brought you a birthday gift."
"I’ll give it to you next time."
Song Baiyan saw she wasn’t willing to divulge more and smiled faintly, seemingly indulging her mystery, but the arm wrapped around her waist tightened.
Before the dance ended, he asked Tang Li, "Will you return to Lai Family tonight?"
Tang Li: "My luggage is all at Lai Family’s."
"Let Ji Ming take you back."
Tang Li said no need: "I can handle the people of Lai Family."
Song Baiyan heard this and said nothing more.
The state banquet came to a complete end at 11:30 pm.
Returning to Lai Family, Tang Li went straight upstairs.
Just as she bypassed the gently rising steps, the sound of a cup smashing rang from below. She didn’t care and went to her room.
But the living room downstairs was another scene entirely.
Lai Wenyan swept the cups from the coffee table to the floor. The housekeeper hurried over to clean up. Ouyang Qian placed her evening bag to one side and went up to pacify her husband: "Song Baiyan inviting Ah Li to dance means he didn’t take Ah Li’s rudeness to heart, you don’t need to think too much about it."
"What can I dare to think about now?" Lai Wenyan pulled at his tie.
Before leaving the National Assembly Hall, Ji Ming made a point to come over and convey Song Baiyan’s intentions to him.
—He said Tang Li was lively and adorable, and asked him not to blame the child.
The words were euphemistic, yet he was unable to let go.
Lai Yuaner muttered: "She’s never seen us as family, who knows what she told Minister Song."
Lai Wenyan’s face looked even worse upon hearing this.
"What nonsense you’re talking." Ouyang Qian pulled at her daughter.