Chapter 77: What’s Going On?

Why had the fresh lilies of the valley withered? Linglan stared in disbelief at the scene before her. Tang Pei hurried to her side, gazing at the wilted bouquet with astonishment in his eyes as well. One of the project managers asked, “Who was responsible for this?” Xiao Zhou arrived just in time, and Jiang Min glanced over, responding, “Xiao Ye was in charge of purchasing these.”

Lin Jia steadied Ye Linglan, turning slightly to ask her in a low voice, “What’s going on here?”

Ye Linglan clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms as she tried to calm herself, again and again. More and more guests were gathering, and now was not the time to assign blame. What mattered was to implement the emergency plan at once. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Min was a step ahead: “Director, we need to switch to Plan B immediately. Let’s move this away for now.”

The three project managers, who usually vied and schemed against each other, now held their tongues in front of so many guests. Even if they wished to dodge responsibility, they would never show it. They all looked to Tang Pei. “Director Tang?”

“Plan B, now!” Tang Pei’s voice was low and urgent. The situation was critical; there was no time to lose. He glanced at his watch—the banquet was about to begin. With a courteous smile, he turned to reassure the nearby guests, soothing their curiosity. He caught Lin Jia’s eye, and Lin Jia immediately understood, quickly directing several guards to remove the lilies of the valley.

Tang Pei’s gaze kept drifting toward that woman. Jiang Min and Xiao Zhou were already arranging for Plan B, but she alone remained standing there in a daze, staring in the direction the guards had gone. In that fleeting moment, he saw a lingering, arrested look in her eyes—as if she were still hoping for something, and yet had already lost it.

He remembered that night. They had sat at the guests of honor’s table, admiring the fragrant lilies of the valley. She had called them “valley lilies,” each tiny bell-shaped flower swaying gently. He could almost hear her voice in the darkness, trembling with words left unspoken: “It’s as if I’m clutching happiness tightly in my hands.”

“What happened?” A man’s voice cut through the air.

“Mr. Mo.” Tang Pei hurried over.

The crowd, sensing what was appropriate, parted to make way. Hearing the voice, Ye Linglan turned around. Against the light, she saw a tall, upright figure approaching. He walked toward them at a measured pace, his deep question resonating with each step, the tension in the room returning as quickly as it had eased.

She gazed at him: a black tailcoat of the finest fabric, fitting him perfectly, his eyes deep and clear, his brows slightly drawn in displeasure. Beyond his broad shoulders, she glimpsed the opulent crystal chandelier overhead, its refracted light dazzling and strange. From this angle, the shimmering radiance seemed to surround him, casting a halo at his side. So this was how he stood above all others, surveying the world at his feet.

“It’s nothing serious, just a minor incident,” Tang Pei replied, downplaying the matter. After all, this was Mr. Mo’s birthday, and the withered lilies of the valley could become fodder for gossip, or worse, for idle journalists to spin into tomorrow’s headlines.

Yet the man’s eyes had never left the pearl necklace around her neck. Each lustrous bead shimmered with a subtle iridescence, making her pale skin seem even more luminous. He stared intently, a storm brewing in the depths of his gaze. He remembered how, as she turned, her brows had drawn together faintly, and her eyes had been a sea of bewilderment and loss.