Shen Zichen was entranced by what he'd seen. Her red dress clung to her body, emphasizing her taut waist. The plunging neckline revealed the perkiness of her chest while the side slit on her skirt exposed the soft smooth skin of her thighs. 

As she danced with him, the loose tendrils of her hair swung back, adding to the charm of her bare neck. She was absolutely stunning tonight.

There was no hesitation in her steps and movement. Li Chuntao moved with confidence, seducing him, forbidding him to look at anything else but her. A trail of gooseb.u.mps followed his wake. 

Was she even aware of what she was doing to him? 

Shen Zichen pulled her closer, his strong arms snaking around her waist as her hands gently ran from his shoulders down to his arms, her eyes never leaving his. They moved in sync with each other, unaware of how other guests had stopped whatever they were doing to watch the two conquer the dance floor. 

Shen Zichen gave her a spin and she was face to face with him again, her chest pressed against his, their eyes never leaving each other. 

"I see that you've improved since the last time I danced with you." Li Chuntao whispered to him as they continued to follow each other's rhythm. 

"You always doubt me," he pointed out. "Why?" 

Li Chuntao giggled, amused that he was only questioning her now. 

"I don't make a.s.sumptions, Brother Zichen. I always base my decision on a person's action." 

His arm came back and wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as they continued to dance. She sighed and she felt his lips dangerously close to the sh.e.l.l of her ear. 

"What if you are wrong?" 

"Then I am wrong. I cannot predict everyone's thoughts. I'm supposed to make mistakes once in a while." She told him. 

"Then have you regretted something before? Something you wished you could've done better?" 

Li Chuntao wasn't sure why Shen Zichen asked these questions. Thinking about it, was she regretting something from her past? 

"Of course, I have regrets but that's a secret I have to keep," 

"Why? I can't believe you have regrets that you couldn't tell me." Shen Zichen knew her for a long time and there were secrets that only he and Li Chuntao were aware of. There were things that the two weren't ready to share with the rest of the world. 

She couldn't change what she'd done in the past and she wasn't planning to open the pandora's box that could hurt her, that could break her. It was a secret she intends to keep and hide until the day she dies. 

"It's better to keep some secrets to yourself," 

Li Chuntao gave him a small smile. He wouldn't understand and she feared that he would never look at her the same way again if he found out. 

The music finally came to a stop and it took seconds for the spectators to break from their trance and clapped at their performance. 

Shen Zichen released her and led her back to the table where Mu Jianyu was waiting. The man stood up and offered a hand towards Li Chuntao as soon as they arrived. He ignored Shen Zichen and asked Li Chuntao immediately. 

"Ying, this time, would you dance with me?" 

Mu Jianyu wouldn't allow Shen Zichen to ruin his night with 'Ying'. Taking a peek at Shen Zichen's face, Li Chuntao could see his jaws hardened but then he looked away as he took a seat at a safe distance. 

Li Chuntao placed her hand in Mu Jianyu's waiting hand with a small sigh. She now understood what Ying was feeling whenever she was torn between the two men. It must have been hard for her sister to keep both men at bay, making sure they wouldn't go for each other's throats whenever they were in the same room. 

Meanwhile, as Mu Jianyu continued to ignore her, Lin Meirong had been thinking of ways to torment him and Li Xiuying. Her eyes followed Shen Zichen who took a wine gla.s.s and sulked in a corner. 

Her lips curled into a smile, the gears on her mind wondering if there's a chance for her to charm the elusive Young Master of the Shen family. 

Didn't Mu Jianyu hate Shen Zichen? It wasn't really a secret given how Mu Jianyu openly glared at Young Master Shen whenever he was around Li Xiuying. Thinking about it, there must be some sort of history between Shen Zichen and Li Xiuying that Mu Jianyu couldn't let go. 

Lin Meirong slipped out of her seat and went to Shen Zichen, trying to figure out how she could earn the man's favor. 

"Young Master Shen, I hope you're doing well. I'm Lin Meirong. Nice to meet you," she plastered the best smile she could muster. The same smile that made her previous lovers go nuts when she smiled at them. 

Shen Zichen turned his head to look at her. It took him several seconds, which made Lin Meirong wonder if her trick worked. She slightly turned her head as she felt a blush creeping on her face.

'Why isn't he saying anything?' She wondered. 

The moment Lin Meirong invaded his private s.p.a.ce, Shen Zichen's nose scrunched up in disgust and when he looked at her face, he wondered how people could be fooled by a woman like her. 

He didn't find her appealing at all. In Shen Zichen's mind, she looked so fake that he couldn't tell what's real and what's not on her body. Even the smile she'd given him was fake and cringy, he couldn't help but wonder if she was really an actress. 

She scoffed and looked away, preferring to look at Li Chuntao's beautiful face than to look at this annoying woman near him. 

"What do you want?" He said irritably. 

Lin Meirong gasped, pretending to be offended by his harsh word. 

"Please, Young Master Shen. Don't be mad. I'm just wondering if you wanted to dance with me." She said pitifully, her eyes stung with tears hoping he would somewhat warm up to her. 

"I'm sorry but I don't dance with strangers. I'm also exhausted, so you can go back to wherever you came from." 

"Then what about later? Can you save your last dance for me?" Lin Meirong continued her attempt but Shen Zichen wouldn't hear any of it. 

"Sorry. There's only one woman in this room that I want to dance with and it isn't you." 

Shen Zichen didn't give her a chance to argue as he left her behind, not caring of what she would think of his brashness. 

From afar, Lan Jinyao had seen everything and she couldn't wait to have a chance to talk with Li Chuntao to tell her what Lin Meirong attempted to do. 

Lin Meirong went back to her seat just in time for dinner to be served. The moment the dish was revealed, she could feel her stomach churning from the scent. Her face paled as a nauseous feeling overwhelmed her.