CEO's Ugly Flash-Marriage Wife Hides So Many Identities
Chapter 304: A Toast to Your Hidden Depths

Chapter 304: Chapter 304: A Toast to Your Hidden Depths

The two of them sat at the dining table, and it was then that Qiao Rui realized that somehow, a bottle of red wine had appeared on the table without her noticing.

She froze and looked at him.

Pei Liyan picked up two tall wine glasses and placed them in front of each of them, one for each.

The man personally poured her a glass of wine.

Qiao Rui remained silent, watching him raise his glass. "Come, let me toast to you!"

"Toast to me?" Qiao Rui was stunned for a moment. "Why toast to me for no reason?"

"Because you’re a beauty!" His gaze was fixed steadily on her, his long fingers gently swirling the glass of red wine.

Qiao Rui couldn’t decipher any emotion in the man’s eyes.

She simply felt that tonight, Pei Liyan seemed rather enigmatic.

Especially after he had received a phone call from Fang Mo and stepped out before returning—he appeared somewhat peculiar.

Even though he was sitting there leisurely, his posture was impeccably upright. Without saying a word, he exuded a certain sense of authority, and the intensity in his eyes was undeniably imposing.

For a moment, Qiao Rui couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his words.

Pei Liyan continued, "Before, you pretended to be unattractive, letting everyone believe you were just some plain country bumpkin, and you hid in the shadows while everyone joked about you. Yet, you didn’t get angry.

At the time, I wondered: you’re still just a girl, how could you not be upset being talked about like that?

But you truly didn’t mind. You almost seemed to enjoy it.

With remarkable composure, you played with us all, and in the end, everyone was thoroughly embarrassed.

This glass of wine, I toast to your hidden depths."

"Oh, so you’re mocking me?" Qiao Rui shrugged. "I’m not some beauty. Back then, it was just for self-preservation. You know my sole objective has always been to find my brother."

As she said this, Qiao Rui locked eyes with the man. "And as I recall, someone promised to help me find my brother."

"There’s no need to speak to me like that. I promised to help you, and I haven’t forgotten." Pei Liyan responded, "However, this is the first time you and I are sitting quietly like this, sharing a drink."

Qiao Rui raised her glass, and their glasses clinked.

She took a sip of wine, the crimson liquid rolling over the tip of her tongue and spreading throughout her mouth, rich and smooth with excellent flavor.

Seeing her drinking posture, it was clear that she wasn’t unfamiliar with wine. On the contrary, she appeared rather proficient in etiquette.

"You drink red wine often, don’t you?" Pei Liyan raised his glass and took a sip as well.

Qiao Rui didn’t deny it. "I’ve had my fair share."

"By the way you savor wine so skillfully, it doesn’t seem like you drink occasionally. Seasoned in the art of drinking?" Pei Liyan asked in return.

Qiao Rui chuckled but didn’t respond directly. Instead, she countered with a question, "My dear Mr. Pei, the way you flirt and banter with women so effortlessly suggests you’ve had your fair share of romantic exploits, no?"

Pei Liyan couldn’t suppress a low laugh. "You truly never let yourself lose out in a conversation."

"I’ve already lost enough." Qiao Rui replied.

"Oh, lost enough?" Pei Liyan raised an eyebrow.

Qiao Rui spoke with a meaningful tone, "If I hadn’t, how would I end up sitting here drinking wine with you, even having to turn my phone off? Isn’t that right?"

The two danced around the topic, speaking in riddles without addressing it directly, yet they understood each other’s meaning.

Pei Liyan chuckled. "Didn’t I turn off my phone with you as well? It’s fair, isn’t it?"

"If you put it that way, it does seem fair." Qiao Rui placed her glass down and prepared to eat.

In the late-night snack delivered, there was steak. This dinner was truly a fusion of Eastern and Western elements.

Qiao Rui picked up a knife and fork, ready to cut into the steak.

Pei Liyan also picked up his knife and fork, elegantly cutting the steak into small pieces.

Qiao Rui noticed his movements were exceptionally skillful, and most notably, graceful, prompting her to admire him slightly.

Seeing that she hadn’t started to eat, Pei Liyan placed the neatly cut pieces of his steak in front of her, then swapped her untouched plate with his, continuing to cut.

"Thank you," Qiao Rui expressed her gratitude.

Lowering her head to look at the steak in front of her, cut into perfectly neat shapes as if done by someone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, Qiao Rui felt a subtle flicker of surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so refined and gentlemanly.

At least this was a stark contrast to his earlier streak of mischief.

Watching him calmly sitting there slicing steak, Qiao Rui chuckled and picked up her fork, spearing a piece of beef and placing it in her mouth.

The steak tasted incredible, tender and free of any gamey flavor.

Pei Liyan looked at her, his gaze as intense as ever.

"Do you know why I want to capture Qi Yun?" Pei Liyan asked.

Qiao Rui froze. "No, I’m curious why you’re telling me this."

Pei Liyan suddenly let out a laugh. "If you don’t want to know, then forget it."

Qiao Rui froze again and said, "Since you’ve already started, you might as well finish. Talking halfway leaves no meaning."

"Qi Yun is currently Song Muyu’s right-hand woman. Without her by Song Muyu’s side, certain matters will become much easier to deal with." Pei Liyan spoke flatly.

Qiao Rui’s pupils constricted; she hadn’t anticipated that this was his angle.

She snickered, tinged with derision.

Pei Liyan remained unruffled, his gaze as sharp as ever.

"In other words, she’s become an obstacle." Pei Liyan’s tone was cold.

"Is that so?" Qiao Rui raised an eyebrow, her eyes glittering—waves of mockery rippling beneath.

"By the way, how’s that friend of yours who got betrayed by the man resembling Song Xun these days?" Pei Liyan abruptly shifted the topic.

Qiao Rui’s heart skipped a beat.

There it was—her slip-up revealed.

"She’s doing well." Qiao Rui replied calmly. "Leaving that scumbag, she’s started a whole new Chapter in her life."

"Really?" Pei Liyan picked up his glass, his gaze profoundly fixed on Qiao Rui. "Then, we ought to toast to your friend’s rebirth."

Qiao Rui smiled faintly, a cold glint rising from the depths of her eyes. "Since you suggest it, of course, we must toast."

The two raised their glasses and clinked them again.

"What do you think—has Fang Mo caught Qi Yun yet?" Pei Liyan inquired.

Qiao Rui took a sip of wine before smiling faintly, her eyes flashing with a sharper chill. "Why ask me?"

"Because my lady is a woman of hidden depths. I believe your predictions on certain matters might be spot on." Pei Liyan replied with a faint smile.

"If you must ask me, then I can confidently say Fang Mo won’t capture Qi Yun. Worse, he might even get hurt."

Pei Liyan paused, lifting an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then let’s wait and see."

"Sure, I’d like to see the outcome too." Qiao Rui replied with a subtle smile.

At this moment.

Qi Yun and Song Muyu returned to the Song Family, accompanied by Jiang Jinfeng.

On the way, the three of them wore serious expressions.

Suddenly, Qi Yun turned her head to glance behind the car and said to Jiang Jinfeng, "Someone’s following us."

Jiang Jinfeng glanced at the rearview mirror smoothly, then said, "I see them—a black car and a white one, one on either side."