These few rounds of socializing, Hu Jia had no idea how many people she had met, women, men, old, and young, none as beautiful as Lü Qingqing.
But it didn't matter, they would all be forgotten by tomorrow anyway.
Tong Hua watched Hu Jia try her best to cooperate with Tong Meng, and he was surprised. When did Hu Jia become so agreeable?
He thought for a moment, then leaned down and said a few words to the attendant beside him.
The attendant glanced at the cup in Hu Jia's hand, "Don't worry, I've arranged everything."
Let the music play on, let the dancing continue!
Such revelry had nothing to do with Lü Qingqing. She got up to go to the restroom. When she came out, a young man accidentally bumped into her. He was holding a bottle of red wine.
Beside him stood another person, who immediately bent down and picked up something.
The man who bumped into Lü Qingqing looked flustered and kept apologizing.
Lü Qingqing recognized him; he was one of Tong Hua's attendants.
When they first entered, everyone had been commenting on how Tong Hua, with his immense inheritance, was living extravagantly, buying villas and hiring attendants and nannies.
Lü Qingqing was magnanimous, comforting the attendant with a few words before letting them leave.
But as the two men departed, Lü Qingqing put away her smile and quietly followed them.
She had seen clearly that when the attendant bumped into her, a paper packet had fallen from his hand, like the kind used at a pharmacy for powdered medicine.
Coupled with the attendant's panic and the bottle of red wine in his hand, Lü Qingqing had a premonition that this person was up to no good.
As expected, the attendant went to a deserted corner and poured the powder from the paper packet into the wine bottle.
"Heh heh, Miss said that as long as this medicine is consumed in a small amount, it will induce drowsiness. When the time comes, you be sharp and lead that man to Miss's boudoir."
"Don't worry. By then, I'll lock the door, and no one will disturb Miss and that man even if they are making love in the room."
Lü Qingqing was speechless. To resort to such a despicable tactic was a disgrace to Tong Meng's lineage.
Lü Qingqing quietly walked back to the hall. She had a feeling that this scheme was aimed at Hu Jia.
Soon, the attendant reappeared, holding a tray. He kept circulating in the room.
Lü Qingqing silently kept an eye on him.
There were two bottles of wine on his tray. Whenever a guest needed a refill, he used the wine from the bottle on the left. The half-bottle on the right remained untouched.
It was not until Hu Jia signaled for a refill that he picked up the bottle on the right.
"Hu Jia!" Although she believed Tong Meng wouldn't give Hu Jia a strong dose, the thought of an unknown substance in the wine bottle made Lü Qingqing unable to watch him drink it.
"What is it?" Hu Jia indeed put down his wine glass and walked over.
"I'm tired." Lü Qingqing regretted it. She knew the brother and sister had ill intentions, yet she had let Hu Jia put himself in danger. Fortunately, she had witnessed that scene, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"Then I'll take you home." Hu Jia naturally supported Lü Qingqing.
"Brother Hu, if Sister Qingqing is tired, she can go upstairs and rest for a while." Tong Meng also came over, a worried expression on her face.
Lü Qingqing glanced at her coldly. This leaky sack was quite good at acting.
However, Lü Qingqing was not one to endure such humiliation. Especially since the other party had set their sights on Hu Jia, she couldn't accept this predicament.
"No need, I wouldn't dare sleep in someone else's bed. Who knows what mischief might occur."
"What do you mean, Sister?"
Tong Meng's eyes welled up with tears, making her look pitiful.
"What, are we not allowed to leave?" Hu Jia was already annoyed at being tricked into attending the birthday party. If Lü Qingqing hadn't asked him to play along for a bit, he wouldn't have bothered with this woman.
Now that he saw Lü Qingqing speaking harshly, he knew without thinking that Lü Qingqing had discovered something.
That chilling aura suddenly emanated from him.
"No, no." Tong Meng was anxious and angry. It was all Lü Qingqing's fault. The drugged wine had already been served, and she insisted on going home.
"I just saw Sister Qingqing looking so unwell and felt concerned. It's too tiring to travel home, so why not rest here for a while?" Tong Meng explained.
"Hmph. Miss Tong, do you not want me to go home, or do you not want my fiancé to go home?" Lü Qingqing linked her arms around Hu Jia's arm, looking at Tong Meng with amusement.
Huh?
Lü Qingqing's words stirred up a storm.
Who? Who was her fiancé? This Captain Hu?
Tong Meng was clearly taken aback by Lü Qingqing's words. She had even forgotten to ponder the specific meaning of Lü Qingqing's statement.
"Lü Qingqing, what kind of woman directly claims someone as her fiancé without reason? You have no shame, but our Brother Hu does." Tong Meng was truly angry.
"Silence!" Before Lü Qingqing could speak, Hu Jia's face darkened. "Lü Qingqing is my fiancée, and I, Hu Jia, am her fiancé. What is there to hide about that?"
What?
There was an uproar in the hall.
Some people even looked at the three of them differently. Just now, when Lü Qingqing had been escorting him around the hall, they had thought he was Lü Qingqing's lover.
Who knew the real one was someone else entirely.
"Exactly, calling our sister-in-law shameless, are you shameless for tricking our boss here?" Yu Yue blurted out, not missing a beat while munching on her seeds.
"Little Yue Yue, you say that, but if she had shame, she wouldn't be as good-looking as our sister-in-law," Li Yang added.
This time, Tong Meng couldn't hold back her tears. She had always thought Hu Jia was single.
"You said she's your fiancée?" she asked Hu Jia.
"That's right. Lü Qingqing is my fiancée, the only one by my side."
This statement not only shattered Tong Meng's heart but also struck Lü Qingqing's heartstrings.
"Hahaha!" Tong Meng laughed almost madly. She glared resentfully at Lü Qingqing beside her. "I was such a fool. You liar!"
Lü Qingqing was stunned. How was she a liar?
What had she lied to her about?
Wait, no, it was Tong Meng who had a problem now. How could she label her a liar in just a few words?
"I asked you about your relationship with Hu Jia, and you said you were colleagues, superior and subordinate, friends." Tong Meng continued, "And I, I even warned you..."
Tong Meng didn't finish, but the murderous glint in her eyes was unmistakable.
Lü Qingqing suddenly understood. It was during the incident where Huang Yuan was harmed and Li Yang was framed that Tong Meng and Lü Qingqing had a proper conversation.
At that time, Tong Meng had asked Lü Qingqing to honestly tell her about her relationship with Hu Jia. Lü Qingqing had indeed not lied then, but that was then, and this was now.
Thinking back, it was after that incident that Tong Meng hadn't targeted her as obviously. Instead, she had even warned her to be careful of Tong Hua.
"You said we were colleagues? Superior and subordinate?" Hu Jia's train of thought was truly unusual. His focus was always different from everyone else's.
Lü Qingqing didn't have the luxury to deal with him now. She looked at Tong Meng and said, "I didn't tell you the truth that day because I wasn't sure of my feelings for Hu Jia then. But today, I can clearly tell you that Hu Jia and I are engaged."
"So please understand this, Miss Tong, and don't have any more ideas about him. This man is mine!"
Hu Jia gazed at Lü Qingqing with a fluttering heart. He didn't know if Lü Qingqing had ever publicly declared her claim to him before, but hearing it now, he found every word beautiful.
This man is mine!
Haha...
This woman is also mine!