Chapter 991: Chapter 991: A Night of Good Times

Chapter 991: A Night of Good Times

In a moment of desperation, Candice didn’t have time to think about whether she was jealous. She could only widen her eyes and secretly wink at Lu Ke, sending him a signal. She hoped Lu Ke would understand what she meant, but on the surface, she still had to maintain a calm demeanor and express her thanks. "Thank you!"

She then took the initiative to show her "friend" status. "I don’t know if you have time tonight? I can introduce you to my friends!"

Although he didn’t know the specific reason, Lu Ke accurately received Candice’s signal—she seemed to want him to leave the venue quickly?

Subtly, Lu Ke could guess that besides the scrutinizing gazes guessing his and Candice’s relationship, there was something else happening that he wasn’t aware of.

Lu Ke didn’t think much about it and went with it. "I still have some things to attend to and will have to leave soon. But, before I officially leave, it would be my honor to meet your friends." Even if he had to leave now, he couldn’t be too hasty, as that would be too obvious.

What’s more, Lu Ke genuinely wanted to meet Candice’s friends tonight, just as Candice had gone to Candlestick Park and met his teammates before.

Without waiting for Candice to introduce them, Adriana was the first to extend her right hand. "Since you know Marko, I’ll assume you know me too, but... Adriana, that’s my name!"

"I’m Karlie."

"Doutzen."

One after another, everyone came forward to shake hands with Lu Ke. Candice would introduce them from time to time, and Lu Ke responded politely to each one. Occasionally, Leonardo, who was standing next to him like a statue, also became a target. There were still many models who wanted to meet the top Hollywood star.

Although he was relegated to a supporting role, Leonardo didn’t mind at all. This wasn’t his first time at this fashion show anyway.

Leonardo stood by and watched, not showing any special reaction until Lu Ke’s introductions with the models were temporarily over. He then took the opportunity to extend his right hand and looked at Candice in a friendly manner. "I’m Leo, Lu Ke’s friend. I’ve always wanted to meet you, but I never had the chance."

Among the Victoria’s Secret Angels, Candice could be considered a small anomaly. In the past two years, Candice was the absolute rising star that Victoria’s Secret was heavily promoting. Her exposure and popularity had reached the top. She had been in the top ten of the world’s highest-paid models for two consecutive years, which made her the hottest commodity in the industry.

But Candice was very low-key.

Besides work, she barely attended any parties or events. She had no negative news, or more accurately, no news at all. In media interviews, Candice said that she was a complete homebody and preferred to stay at home and enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea with a good book.

Leonardo had been to the fashion show for many years in a row, but he had never had the chance to meet Candice. Until today.

Candice didn’t understand Leonardo’s intention. She didn’t even have time to shake Leonardo’s hand and immediately said with a realization, "Oh, are you here to find Erin? She’s over there..."

"No, no." Leonardo immediately panicked and waved his hands repeatedly.

But Adriana didn’t give Leonardo a chance to explain and said directly, "Don’t be shy. I can help you call her over."

"You really don’t have to!" Leonardo said firmly. He couldn’t help but get flustered and angrily bumped Lu Ke with his shoulder. "Didn’t you say you still had some things to do? Let’s leave now."

Lu Ke didn’t refuse. He nodded and said, "Of course. No problem."

Originally, Lu Ke was going to politely exchange a few more words, but Leonardo couldn’t wait. He turned and left. Lu Ke could only show an apologetic smile to Adriana and the others, and then he gestured to Candice. "I’ll call you." He then followed in Leonardo’s footsteps and left.

"Leo, what’s wrong?" Although Lu Ke was looking for a chance to leave, wasn’t Leonardo being a little too hasty?

Leonardo tucked in his chin, lowered his head, and said in a low voice, "We broke up."

"..." Lu Ke was slightly stunned, and then he couldn’t help but chuckle. "Even though you broke up, you still showed up at the fashion show tonight. Doesn’t that mean you’re mentally prepared?"

"Nodding from a distance is fine. But talking face-to-face, especially in front of her friends, is just too awkward!" Leonardo mumbled. His pace quickened, and he called out to Lu Ke, "Let’s go, let’s go." In a blink of an eye, the two of them left the backstage area, one after another.

After Lu Ke and Leonardo left, the models started to get restless again, eagerly talking about this fresh piece of meat who made a dazzling appearance tonight.

"Didi, what do you think?" Doutzen’s voice came from the side, interrupting Candice’s thoughts. Candice felt a little guilty. Her first reaction was to think of Lu Ke. She didn’t even realize that her voice had risen unnaturally. "What do I think? I don’t think anything!"

This time, it was Doutzen who was confused. She looked at Candice in bewilderment. "I was just asking what you think of Adam and Behati. Now that they’ve gone public, aren’t you envious? Why are you reacting so strongly?"

"Oh, oh, oh." Candice quickly hid her panic. "I think it’s good. As long as they’re happy."

Doutzen didn’t think too much about it. "I still think it’s better to keep a low profile. Otherwise, the paparazzi will follow you everywhere like gum. It’s really annoying. Sometimes they’ll even throw rocks at your window in the middle of the night just to get a few shots. They’re everywhere." Doutzen had a lot to say about this and complained a lot.

Candice nodded absentmindedly in agreement.

After a successful show every year, there was always an after-party. Candice never felt it before, but today, she felt that it was incredibly long. Every second was a torture. Her mind had already left the noisy and bustling scene. She was thinking about how to avoid being followed by paparazzi after the party and how to get to the Hilton Hotel not far from here.

...

Carefully, Candice peeked out. The entire underground parking lot was quiet. There were no more cars coming in and out, and she could even clearly hear the sound of engines from the street outside. Only then did Candice feel relieved. She opened the car door and got out of the driver’s seat.

However, Candice didn’t walk like a thief. She walked at a normal pace, pretending to be calm.

Imagine in the dead of the night, a figure moving slowly and quietly. It would create a misunderstanding even if there wasn’t one, and it would be more likely to attract unnecessary attention. What’s more, even if she was accidentally recognized by others, her current open and calm demeanor would make her more trustworthy if she used an excuse to get away with it. But if she looked guilty, it would be a self-confession.

Candice walked into the elevator at a leisurely pace, and her figure disappeared as the elevator doors closed.

Following the room number she got from the text message, Candice took a while to find her destination. She knocked on the door softly. After a moment, the thick wooden door slowly opened. The crack in the door was pitch black and she couldn’t see anything, but the light from the hallway outlined the silhouette of a handsome face.

The corners of Candice’s mouth couldn’t help but curl upward. Although she had walked with her back straight and pretended to be calm the whole way, she felt like Catwoman in a movie, tiptoeing and dancing on a red carpet. All the nervousness, panic, and anticipation vanished the moment she saw the man in front of her.

Lu Ke’s eyes fell on Candice. The corners of her delicate face were turned up in a proud and bright smile, as if she was showing off her excellent performance and eagerly waiting for praise. This made the corners of Lu Ke’s mouth curl up uncontrollably. They reflected Candice’s smile, and the arcs were so similar, they complemented each other.

Even though they had just met tonight, it felt as if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

In fact, they had a lot to talk about. For example, Candice’s silent support, but she never told Lu Ke that tonight was the biggest event of the year. For example, Lu Ke’s surprise appearance, which showed his charm under the gaze of a group of Victoria’s Secret Angels. And also today’s game, tonight’s show, the locker room, and tonight’s group interrogation... and so on.

There were so many topics to talk about, but after they truly met and were alone, they all became unimportant. The only thing that mattered now was that he and she, the two of them, were together. That was enough.

So, Lu Ke didn’t hesitate any longer. He reached out his right hand, grabbed Candice’s left hand, opened the door, quickly pulled Candice in, closed the door with his foot, and then turned around. He pressed Candice against the wall, supporting his hands on either side of her face, and firmly trapped her in his arms.

The entire action was smooth and seamless. Candice didn’t even have time to react before she was already deeply trapped in Lu Ke’s embrace with nowhere to escape.

The bright and cold moonlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling window, and the silver light vaguely outlined the silhouettes of the two figures in the pitch-black night. Then, they became intertwined.

The temperature in New York in December had already dropped significantly. The cold and bitter wind howled outside, but the temperature inside was slowly rising. You could even see sweat slowly dripping down, and the air was filled with a warm steam.

It was another night of good times.

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