Overwhelming Jealousy (Part 2) (Dedicated to Lü Xi for the Diamond milestone)

Jack shouted her name in her ear, and it took a long while for Lily of the Valley to snap out of her daze. She cast an apologetic look at Jack and offered a faint smile. "Yes, they make a very well-matched pair." In her fluster, she turned to walk away, but Jack reached out once again to invite her. "Don't refuse. Your cool elegance makes many a gentleman hesitate to approach. Why choose to leave yourself stranded here? Letting your beauty blossom on the dance floor is such a wonderful thing, Rose."

Lily of the Valley raised her eyes to look into the azure depths of his gaze, where she saw her own tiny reflection, and parted her lips with a smile. "Because you are not my Jack!"

Before the words had even faded, the man seized the opportunity to pull her straight against his waist. Her eyes widened in astonishment as her entire body was drawn into his embrace. With a graceful spin, the two of them entered the dance floor effortlessly, moving like freely weaving fish.

Unable to keep pace with him, she stumbled and nearly collided with his chest. Before she could fully recover her wits, she felt the man taking her left hand to guide her. Demonstrating the distinctive gentleness and elegance of an English gentleman, Jack eased the pressure of his grip and changed to a light hold around her waist.

Led by Jack, Lily of the Valley gradually caught the rhythm, her steps shifting back and forth to match his. Yet, the woman's brows furrowed slightly as she shifted her body closer to lean against his shoulder, lowering her voice to say, "Dragging me onto the dance floor without my consent, Jack—such impolite behavior is not your style!" Knowing the inherent, unreadable arrogance deep in the bones of Englishmen, she had misjudged Jack's move. Even so, looking past his shoulder, she could still faintly see that embracing couple, and she noticed that the smile had vanished from Mo Zhicheng's face, replaced by a tightly knitted frown of suspicion between his brows.

"Who told you to keep your mind on someone else the entire evening?" Jack teased lightly in her ear. Standing a full one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, the man made Lily of the Valley appear all the more petite and charming in his arms.

"He is merely my boss." In her anxiety, the words slipped out before Lily of the Valley could stop them. The moment she spoke, however, she realized she had let her tongue run away with her, and she was immediately met with Jack's subtle smile. "Oh, so Mr. Mo is the Jack in your heart!"

With that single remark piercing her facade, Lily of the Valley looked as though her secrets had been exposed, her face flushing with embarrassment, which only drew an even deeper and richer smile from Jack. "What a pity. Even an outsider like me can see that Mr. Mo and Miss Leng are a couple. Don't you have a saying in China about mutual affection and kindred spirits?"

Lily of the Valley froze for a moment, then involuntarily raised her eyes to look at the profound amusement shining in the depths of Jack's gaze. Their eyes met in the warm air, and in his eyes, she saw her own profound sense of loss.

The brief exchange of glances between the man and woman was laid entirely bare before Mo Zhicheng's eyes. Leng Tingyu immediately sensed the man's frame stiffen slightly. With a nimble and graceful spin of her own steps, Leng Tingyu caught Mo Zhicheng's wandering expression. She turned her head slightly to look, only to discover not far away that Lily of the Valley was dancing fluidly with a handsome, dashing English gentleman. A wave of unease rippled through the woman's heart; though she wished not to suspect anything, she could already faintly sense where Mo Zhicheng's aloofness and detachment tonight originated!

By the time Lily of the Valley fully absorbed Jack's mention of mutual affection and kindred spirits, she was already overcome with a profound sense of loss. Suddenly, she pushed Jack away and, caring nothing for the attention of the onlookers, fled the dance floor with a heavy spirit. Taken aback, Jack strode swiftly after her, reaching out to catch her by the wrist. "I'm sorry, Lily of the Valley..."

"——"

"Where on earth are you going?"