The Vanishing Beauty - Chapter 5 - 2

Chapter 5 - 2

Yu Jia, of course, had anticipated that she was coming along merely to serve as the supporting green leaf.

She just hadn't expected to be such a colossal green leaf—around the massive round table sat over a dozen people, and aside from Yu Meng, she was the sole female present.

The intent was blatantly obvious. If Yu Meng had attended "riding solo," it would have been far too monotonous, and for a woman to have zero female friends always raised a few eyebrows. Yet, having a girlfriend who ended up stealing her spotlight was the ultimate taboo.

Shuang had zero interest in tagging along just to drink with a bunch of older men.

As for Rui, she was youthfully vibrant and posed a genuine threat; if invited, she would sit there and, even if she acted as aloof as a chrysanthemum, still manage to dilute Yu Meng's radiance.

Thus, only she, Yu Jia, could be invited to strike the perfect balance.

The eldest sister, married, and held in high moral esteem. Able to anchor the room. Zero threat.

Yu Jia saw right through it without spelling it out; she could fully understand Yu Meng. The dating scene was a battlefield, and this gathering was filled with both laughter and hidden daggers. She genuinely wished Meng'er could score a victory and turn her dreams into reality.

The moment she stepped through the threshold, all eyes snapped toward her. Even with all her years of composure, Yu Jia felt outnumbered and broke out in goosebumps.

Yu Meng floated over with a sway in her step. She looked exceptionally stunning today, her hair left loose and straight, touched up with light makeup; bathed in the soft glow of the lights, she possessed the delicate tenderness of a young girl. Yu Jia took Yu Meng's hand.

Yu Meng addressed the table, "Let me introduce everyone. This is my sister, Sister Jia, the leader's wife..." Yu Jia quickly stopped her, cutting her off before she could say more.

Liangcai was present. He had seen her at the Xin family's concert. Noticing Yu Jia glancing his way, Zu Liangcai gave her a polite nod. Yu Jia returned the smile.

Next came Yu Meng's introductions of everyone seated around the table. A colorful array of men, eighty percent of whom harbored designs on Yu Meng.

Throwing this birthday party was also Yu Meng's way of putting a bit of pressure on Liangcai.

Meat, after all, only tastes delicious when people fight over it.

Going down the line, there was this president, that chairman, this secretary-general, that director, alongside painters, calligraphers, travelers, and the like. Yu Jia could barely keep track of who was who. They were all exceptionally accomplished, true figures of status. Some among them were widowers or bachelors, while others still had their wives at home. Yu Meng certainly didn't look twice at the married ones; she had no desire to carry the infamy of people saying these men abandoned their wives because of her. Weng Yang, a corporate group's assistant chairman, was also among the guests.

He was the last one introduced. His younger sister, Weng Yue, was away on a trip to Japan—though in reality, she had gone to undergo plastic surgery. He had come in Weng Yue's place to wish Yu Meng a happy birthday. He was one of Meng's die-hard fans, and the way he looked at her was brimming with infatuation.

Yu Jia found that gaze a bit sickening, resembling a greedy child sticking out his tongue to lick an ice cream cone.

The alcohol poured was exclusively Maotai, brought by one of the "presidents." He was a long-standing pursuer of Yu Meng with a rich history of failure, having never actually succeeded. Yet, the man refused to give up, and his tenacity was commendable. While he possessed a certain amount of wealth, Yu Meng felt he lacked genuine elegance and breeding, destined to remain a small-time boss no matter how hard he worked. Therefore, by deflecting things with a gentle touch over all these years, they had managed to remain strictly friends.

The drinking commenced. At first, everyone maintained a veneer of reserve. After a few cups, however, defenses began to crumble, rapidly plunging the room into a state of “Where shall I wake from my drunken sleep tonight? Willows on the riverbank, morning breeze, waning moon.” As fate would have it, the private dining room itself was named "Morning Breeze and Waning Moon."

Yu Jia felt like an imperial bodyguard or, perhaps more accurately, an elderly palace maid accompanying a favorite imperial concubine on her travels—and Consort Meng was dead set on getting "zuì" (drunk) tonight.

The meal had been underway for over an hour and was nearing nine o'clock. The painter made a proposal, declaring that since today was Mengmeng's grand birthday, they needed to liven things up: every single person had to step up and sing a line of a birthday song, with zero exceptions allowed! Even those completely tone-deaf were required to perform!

Yu Meng immediately clapped her hands together in delight.

The men were pushed into the spotlight and forced to sing. The catch was that the song choices had to fit the mood and remain clever, making it quite a challenge.

The painter went first, singing, “Woman's flower... swaying in the mortal dust... woman's flower... gently fluttering in the wind...”

Someone chimed in, "Our Mengmeng is even prettier than a flower."

Everyone burst into laughter and took a drink. The second person, a "chairman," hurriedly searched his phone for a track and belted out in a warped, off-key tune, “The one who loves me is blindly devoted without regret... yet I suffer a lifetime of heartbreak for the one I love...”

Hilarity erupted around the table.

Yu Meng teased, "Point taken." Another drink went down.

The third person was a "secretary-general." He had a decent voice and launched right into a Cantonese track, “I like you... those captivating eyes... your smile even more enchanting... wishing once more... to gently caress... that adorable face...”

He possessed genuine singer-level talent. Cheers rang out across the room, followed by another round of drinks.

It was the turn of the next person.

Then the next.

Another one.

And yet another.

...

Finally, it was Zu Liangcai's turn.

To be honest, seeing a room full of these men, it wasn't as though he felt entirely immune to a sense of crisis. But having navigated the worldly arena for so many years, he possessed both refinement and strategy, and demanded magnanimity of himself. Did he have a formal pact with Yu Meng? No. Had he made any promises? None. Having practiced self-cultivation for so many years, he naturally understood the subtext behind Yu Meng inviting so many men here.

The more she tried to provoke him, the more he needed to keep his cool. Zu Liangcai brewed his composure, cleared his throat slightly, and prepared.

Every single person at the table turned to look at him.

Liangcai's speaking voice was normally low, but when he sang, his pitch rose somewhat, carrying an indescribable, magnetic quality. Locking his gaze on Yu Meng, he sang, “A woman such as you... making me joyful, making me fret... making me willingly give you my all...”

In an instant, a jolt resembling an electric current ran through Yu Meng's entire body.

Yu Jia, gripping her arm, could even feel a slight tremor.

He understands me. Yu Meng thought to herself. Out of all the songs sung around the table, this one struck closest to her heart.

Isn't this precisely the kind of woman she longed to be? One who brings both joy and worry. The joy lay in how exceptional and mesmerizing she was; the worry lay in the constant threat of losing her at any moment. She wanted to keep men perpetually on tenterhooks. Truly beautiful things, humans included, must always carry a trace of melancholy.

The private room door swung open. A small service cart rolled in slowly, carrying a cake with a single candle planted in the center, its flame flickering brightly. Two attendants, a man and a woman, entered—the man escorting the cake while the woman cradled a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Yu Jia quickly stood up, gesturing in a certain direction to signal the attendants that Yu Meng was the birthday star.

The men began to sing the birthday song. Several of them whipped out their phones, frantically snapping photos and recording videos. Amidst the chorus of "Happy Birthday to You," Yu Meng rose to her feet like a queen or a princess, clasping her hands together with a radiant smile. She surveyed her surroundings before lowering her gaze slightly toward the cake.

She accepted the flowers and immediately handed them over to Yu Jia, asking her to hold them.

Facing the candlelight, she made her wish. The men all stood up, forming a loose circle around her. Yu Meng brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, leaned over, and blew out the candles, offering repeated expressions of thanks.

Yu Jia prompted, "Aren't you going to accept the presentation of flowers?" Weng Yang hurriedly vaulted over three chairs, retrieved the bouquet from Yu Jia's hands, and presented it to Yu Meng's embrace. He had ordered these flowers himself; he wasn't about to let anyone else steal the credit.

The painter egged them on, "Look at that, such a handsome guy presenting you with flowers."

Yu Meng smiled resplendently, murmured her thanks once more, lowered her head to look at the blooms, and praised how gorgeous they were.

Someone else chimed in, "Give her a hug, give her a hug."

The aforementioned chairman stepped forward; since he was hosting this banquet, he rightfully deserved the first embrace. Yu Meng accepted gracefully and stepped forward to share a brief hug with him.

Weng Yang recorded the scene on his phone and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

Yu Meng offered nothing more than a demure "Thank you," wearing a playfully coy expression.

The chairman, however, chimed in, "I have plenty to say—may all your wishes come true!"

Liangcai remained lingering nearby, waiting his turn for an embrace. To everyone's surprise, once the chairman finished, the hugging segment abruptly ground to a halt. Yu Meng had planned it this way. When it came to Liangcai, she intended to employ a strategy of "hunger marketing."

Next came another round of heavy drinking.

As the revelry drew close to eleven o'clock, the gathering finally wound down to a close. Half the dishes remained unelected on the table, especially the grand centerpieces, which had barely been touched as everyone focused entirely on drinking while the food was neglected. Feeling it was a terrible pity to let them go to waste, Yu Jia asked the waitstaff for takeout boxes and carefully selected the remaining morsels.

Most of the men had drivers waiting, or had called cabs themselves, ensuring they could get home safely.

Yu Meng sidled over to link arms with Yu Jia, speaking in a spoiled, coaxing tone, "Sister Jia, thank you."

Busy picking out food, Yu Jia brushed her off, "Alright, alright, the birthday is over. Just stay happy and safe."

Yu Meng murmured, "I am happy, and I am safe."

Weng Yang lived close to Yu Jia's neighborhood, so Yu Meng asked him to drop Jia home.

Yu Jia flatly refused. Now that the dinner was over, she had no desire to continue socializing with these men; she had already checked the transit routes before coming, intending to take the late-night bus home for peace of mind and convenience. However, she told Yu Meng that she had already called a ride-hailing car.

Yu Meng feigned exaggerated concern, "Sister, is that safe? In the middle of the night like this, what if someone robs you or worse?"

Yu Jia repeatedly assured her it was safe and told her not to worry.

With the wine finished and the night growing late, Yu Meng sat alone by the massive round table, facing the remnants of the cake. When a waiter poked his head in to clean up, she shooed him away, claiming she wanted a little more quiet time to rest. The waiter asked if she needed tea, to which Yu Meng replied she did not. Only at this moment did Yu Meng suddenly plunge into a wave of melancholy.

Another year older. A crack in the floor-to-ceiling curtains revealed the colorful nightscape outside. For some reason, Liangcai's song continued to echo in her mind: “A woman such as you, making me joyful, making me fret...”

She couldn't help letting out a chuckle.

Her phone buzzed. It was a video message from Haoyu containing a birthday blessing, followed by one from Zhengyu. The brothers had coordinated their efforts to wish their mother a happy birthday in unison. Yu Meng felt a sense of quiet gratification.

After a short while, she stood up. Feeling slightly unsteady on her feet, she braced herself against the back of a chair for a moment before making her way toward the private washroom inside the suite to touch up her makeup. Not for anyone else, but for herself—if she was going to be beautiful, she had to do it thoroughly.

She pushed the door open. Someone was standing inside. Yu Meng gasped in fright, stumbling half a step back. But the figure reached out and yanked her right inside. Yu Meng felt a force stronger than a tornado pull her through the doorway; her body was suddenly lifted, and she found herself hoisted up to sit on the marble vanity counter.

Focusing her eyes, she saw it was Liangcai. He had deliberately hidden inside the entire time.

"What are you doing? Setting up an ambush? Playing guerilla warfare? This isn't your Yimeng Mountain region!" Yu Meng's face flushed with peach-blossom color, making her look breathtakingly stunning.

Liangcai dispensed with the sweet talk, leaning straight in to capture her lips. Yu Meng struggled, but Liangcai pressed forward with a forceful kiss.

Slap!

She dealt him a clean ear-flick across the cheek. Inwardly, she cheered—that was none other than the great leader Zu she had just smacked! What a thrill! On the surface, however, she maintained a smiling, witty front, "To help sober you up."

Liangcai wasn't angered, though he didn't smile either; having consumed alcohol, he only appeared graver. He reached out to cup her bottom. "Unwilling? Then I'm leaving." He made as if to actually walk out.

Yu Meng hastily whispered, "Sing that song again."

Ternary logic briefly stalled, but Liangcai actually began to sing, brimming with deep affection, “A woman such as you, making me joyful, making me fret...” Before he could finish the next line, Yu Meng leaned down and locked her lips fiercely onto his.

Amidst a flurry of motion, a bottle of liquid hand soap rolled onto the floor, and her high heels, unable to resist the pull of gravity, dropped onto the tiles with a pair of soft thuds.

...

Arriving at the bus stop, Yu Jia suddenly remembered she had forgotten the takeout boxes. She had spent forever packing the leftovers, only to leave them behind because she got distracted talking to Yu Meng. They were all good dishes, and leaving them behind was an absolute waste. Pondering for a moment, Yu Jia finally turned back and headed toward the hotel.

The lights in the private dining room were still on. The hallway was dead quiet. The cake still sat there like a collapsed mountain. The waitstaff hadn't cleared the room yet. Spotting the bag of packed food sitting right on the chair, Yu Jia grabbed it and walked out.

As she reached the doorway, she suddenly felt the urge to use the washroom. The journey home was long, she had no idea when the next bus would arrive, and after standing out in the cold night air, the urge to relieve herself grew even more pressing. Better just take care of it here.

Yu Jia smoothed her clothes and walked with steady strides toward the washroom. She hadn't drunk much tonight—mostly sticking to soft drinks.

Pushing open the door and lifting her eyes—Yu Meng was sitting on the vanity counter while Liangcai kissed her.

The washroom looked as though it had just survived World War III!

Yu Jia let out an involuntary shriek of shock, immediately clapping both hands over her mouth as the urine inside her froze mid-stream and threatened to flow backward.

She spun around and bolted.

What in the world was this!

Panicking and losing all direction, Yu Jia completely forgot her handbag and the takeout food, fleeing straight toward the exit. It was a true case of "shitting and pissing oneself in terror."