102: Chapter 101 The Real Su Bai

The music was still playing, the beat drumming away, shaking the deck until it vibrated slightly.

Su Bai's hand suddenly reached over and gripped her wrist.

Mu Qing was startled.

His fingers were hot, clamped around her wrist; the pressure wasn't heavy, but it was steady.

She lifted her head and met his eyes.

Those eyes appeared deep in the warm light of the string lights, with something roiling within them, suppressed, yet about to overflow.

He leaned close to her ear, his breath spraying against her earlobe, hot and warm.

"That... wasn't a phone." His voice was very low, audible only to her.

Mu Qing froze for a moment, and her face flushed bright red.

If what he was talking about wasn't a phone, then that meant...

She hurriedly pulled her hand back and pushed him away, the motion so abrupt that she nearly knocked over the wine glass on the table.

"I'm sorry!" Her voice was hurried and flustered. "I didn't... I didn't mean to..."

Su Bai frowned. What did she mean?

She had asked him out on a trip alone, hadn't refused to share a room, dressed like that to go out, and had been swaying in front of him all day.

What was the meaning of this current act? Playing hard to get, wanting to have her cake and eat it too?

Seeing this, he slowly sat back on the sofa and watched her.

Her eyelashes were trembling, and her lips were pressed together until they turned white.

She was huddled in the sofa like a frightened little animal; clearly terrified, yet refusing to run away.

"Mu Qing." Su Bai called her name.

Mu Qing lifted her head, glanced at him quickly, then lowered it again.

"Hm."

Su Bai looked at her.

"If you aren't ready, you can just say so."

Mu Qing's eyelashes fluttered.

She kept her head down, remaining silent for a long time—so long that Su Bai thought she wouldn't answer.

Then she spoke, her voice very small:

"I... am indeed not ready yet."

After saying this, she gripped the hem of her skirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as if waiting for some kind of verdict.

Su Bai watched her. He looked for a few seconds, then smiled. It wasn't a deep smile, but it was genuine.

"It's alright."

Mu Qing looked up.

Su Bai leaned back against the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, his posture lazy.

"If you aren't comfortable in this kind of environment, I can have Wang Zheng arrange a small boat to take you back."

Mu Qing froze for a moment, then hurriedly waved her hands.

"No, no!" Her voice grew hurried again.

"No need to take me back, I'll just sit on the side for a while."

Su Bai shrugged.

"Fine, suit yourself."

He then stood up, picked up the wine glass from the table, and walked into the dance floor.

Mu Qing sat on the sofa, watching his retreating back.

The floral shirt was bright under the lights, and below his shorts were a pair of long, straight, powerful legs.

His flip-flops slapped against the teak deck as he walked slowly and leisurely.

His figure stopped in the center of the dance floor, and the girls nearby lit up the moment they saw him, just like cats spotting a fish.

Su Bai stood in the center of the dance floor and took a sip of his drink.

The music was that kind of intense electronic music, with dense beats and bass that shook one's very chest cavity.

He didn't move; he just stood there, one hand in his shorts pocket, the other holding his glass.

But just by standing there, his aura was different. Like a wolf king walking into his own territory—no need to roar, no need to run; just by standing there, all the other animals knew who the boss was.

The first to approach was a tall beauty in a white bikini.

She circled around from behind him, pressed against his back, draped her arms over his shoulders, and whispered something near his ear.

Su Bai didn't turn around; he just tilted his head slightly.

The second one came from the left, wearing a leopard-print bikini, long hair cascading over her shoulders, with a voluptuous figure and a slim waist, pressing against his body and swaying to the music.

The third squeezed in from the right, wearing a black bikini, short hair, looking sharp, and stood directly in front of him, dancing face-to-face.

Then came the fourth, the fifth... as if drawn by a magnet, the girls gathered around one after another, dancing close to him.

Arms wrapped around him, waists pressed close, legs rubbing against him.

Su Bai stood there, surrounded by a circle of women, like the Tang Monk falling into the Kingdom of Women.

Mu Qing sat on the sofa, watching that direction.

Her hands had gripped her skirt at some point, clutching it even tighter than before.

There was a strange feeling in her heart, sour and astringent, like eating an unripe orange.

Jealousy.

But besides the sourness, there was a strange excitement.

Her heart was beating fast, her palms were sweating, her throat was dry—it was like watching a thrilling movie, not knowing what would happen in the next second.

She didn't know why she felt this way.

She should have been angry, should have been sad, should have stood up and walked away.

But she didn't.

She sat there, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the man in the center of the dance floor surrounded by women, her heart racing.

Wang Zheng appeared out of nowhere, holding a glass of champagne, leaning against the side of the DJ booth.

He was reading the palm of the female DJ, holding her hand, pointing at the lines on her palm, and talking about something with a straight face.

The female DJ with short pink hair had very fair skin, which appeared even fairer under the lights.

Her figure was curvaceous, and she wore a fluorescent pink bikini with a transparent plastic raincoat over it, which shimmered under the lights.

After hearing what Wang Zheng said, she giggled, revealing a row of neat teeth.

Then she looked up and, following Wang Zheng's gaze, saw Su Bai in the center of the dance floor.

"Is this your friend?" She asked, licking her lips.

Wang Zheng nodded.

"How about it, handsome, right?!"

The female DJ smiled.

"He's insanely handsome!"

Wang Zheng watched Su Bai being surrounded by girls on the dance floor and laughed.

"This guy," he shook his head, then raised his voice and shouted, "Old Bai! Come up and play!"

Su Bai looked up towards the DJ booth.

Wang Zheng waved at him and pointed to the DJ deck next to him.

"I remember you used to know how to DJ, right? Come up and show off your skills!"

Su Bai put down his drink, walked out from among the girls, and jumped onto the DJ booth.

The female DJ stepped aside and sized him up.

Floral shirt, shorts, flip-flops, hair a bit messy from the sea breeze, but that face—sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a clear jawline.

She had seen many handsome men, but this one was different.

This guy was just purely, ruggedly handsome!

Her eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Su Bai.

"Handsome, you know how to play too?"

Su Bai glanced at the DJ deck.

"A little."

Wang Zheng laughed from the side.

"Don't be modest! Back in the day at my dad's club, he spun a set that blew the whole place away!"

He patted Su Bai on the shoulder.

"Come on, come on, show them what you've got!"

Su Bai stood in front of the DJ deck.

The female DJ handed him the headphones; he took them and hung them around his neck, then rested his fingers on the turntable.

The music stopped.

The deck went quiet for a moment, and everyone looked toward the DJ booth.

Su Bai's fingers moved, the turntable spun a full circle, and a bass note rolled out from the speakers—deep, like thunder in the distance!

Then he pushed a track, and a high note cut in—bright, piercing, like lightning splitting the night sky.

He pushed another track, and the drum beat followed, one hit after another, neither fast nor slow, perfectly synced to the rhythm of a heartbeat!

Repeating, layering, building up layer by layer!

When it reached the peak, he paused for a moment, and everyone held their breath.

Then he pushed all the faders up in one go, and the music exploded instantly!

The bass shook the deck, the treble pierced the eardrums, and the drum beats were as dense as a rainstorm pounding on a tin roof!

The girls on the dance floor screamed and began to dance wildly.

The female DJ stood beside him, swaying her body and watching him DJ.

His fingers were long and distinct, and as they slid across the turntable, it was like he was caressing something.

She swallowed, stepped forward, and pressed against his side.

At first, she just stood there, swaying to the music.

Then her hand rested on his arm, sliding along with his movements.

When his fingers pushed the faders, her hand pushed along.

When his fingers turned the knobs, her hand turned along with them.

Like a shadow, like a vine, like a vine wrapping around a tree.

Her body pressed closer, her back against his side, rubbing against his thigh.

Like a water snake.