C9 In the Ladies' Room

Looking at Tianyi's frightened expression, Gu Luo was filled with concern. He couldn't understand: "Tianyi, given your past relationship with Dongfang Ze, he wouldn't do anything to harm you."

"But, brother..." she hesitated. She thought she knew Dongfang Ze, but seeing him after a year, he seemed different, more elusive, and she couldn't quite figure him out.

Gu Luo organized the party under the guise of celebrating the company's half-year anniversary, inviting many prominent families with the real aim of finding a match for Tianyi.

Tianyi was reluctant, but staying home was too boring, so she reluctantly agreed.

As they entered the banquet hall, Gu Luo leaned over and said, "Sis, take a good look around. If anyone catches your eye, I'll help make the introduction."

Tianyi rolled her eyes at Gu Luo. Was this really her brother? It felt like he was trying to offload her like some unwanted burden.

"Brother, I don't like any of them."

She hadn't even glanced at the young heirs. The moment she stepped into the hall, she felt uneasy, not because of the crowd, but because she was worried about whether Dongfang Ze would show up.

Would he come? Would he not? Either way, the thought of him tugged at her heartstrings. Forgetting someone was proving to be no easy task.

Dressed in a white gown, her tall figure drew everyone's attention as soon as she entered the hall.

She didn't like being the center of attention, but having grown up in this environment, she had no choice but to adapt.

Gu Luo stayed with her for less than two minutes before leaving her to mingle with his guests.

Tianyi shot him a resentful look. Wasn't he supposed to be helping her meet someone? Yet, he abandoned her as soon as they arrived.

With a sigh, she decided to find a quiet corner to be by herself for a while.

Sipping a glass of red wine, Gu Luo hadn't even swallowed when her gaze was drawn to Dongfang Ze standing not far away.

Dressed in a sleek silver-gray suit, Dongfang Ze instantly drew the attention of many women in the room. Gu Luo swallowed his wine hard, his ears filled with the chatter of the swooning women nearby.

"Dongfang Ze is so handsome, he's dazzling. I can hardly keep my eyes off him."

"He really is handsome. It's hard to imagine someone like him having any shortcomings."

"What shortcomings? It's just that he's not very... you know."

"Not very is still a problem, right? I wonder which woman will be unlucky enough to marry him..."

Tianyi hadn't expected that even though all the Dongfang Ze dolls had been recalled, the stir they caused hadn't settled down. As the one responsible, she felt she couldn't stay in the ballroom any longer. She was ashamed of the hurt she had caused a man she once loved and wanted to hide immediately. If Dongfang Ze found her, she'd be in trouble.

With this in mind, Tianyi quickly headed toward the restroom. She needed to hide, but for some reason, she was so nervous that she felt the urge to use the bathroom.

As she exited the restroom, she was startled to find Dongfang Ze standing there, his gaze fixed on her, unblinking.

"Dongfang Ze, what are you doing here?" Tianyi reminded him, "This is the ladies' room."

Even though she spoke loudly to remind him, he acted as if he hadn't heard. He reached out, grabbed her hand, and instead of leading her out, he pulled her back into the ladies' room.