Chapter 74
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu were both wearing pearl-colored gowns. Xu Jinnan’s was a slip dress with two thin pearl strands draped around her neck, the largest pearl dangling between her breasts, swaying gently with her movements.
Shen Shu’s dress, custom-made to match Xu Jinnan’s, had a similar neckline, but with lace and sequins covering most of her chest, as she preferred not to show too much skin. However, the elegant lines of her bare back were still a captivating sight.
As they stepped out of the car, arm in arm, they drew all eyes, like celebrities on a red carpet.
Tan Jie, arriving at the same time, felt a pang of jealousy as she watched them approach. Even her meticulously chosen designer gown seemed to pale in comparison to Shen Shu’s effortless elegance.
And it was all because of Xu Jinnan.
Without Xu Jinnan, Shen Shu wouldn’t be anyone.
She maintained a polite smile, then, seeing Chen Bo at the entrance, assumed he was waiting for her, and walked towards him, her head held high.
Before she could reach the steps, she heard Chen Bo’s voice call out, “Nan-jie! I’ve been waiting for you! My father’s waiting too. Sister-in-law…” His voice softened considerably on the last word.
They were walking ahead, not noticing Tan Jie behind them.
After a moment, Chen Bo glanced back, then smiled. “Miss Tan, you’re here too.”
Tan Jie’s expression softened slightly as she walked over, greeting Chen Bo before turning to Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu.
“CEO Xu, Shu Shu, it seems we’re destined to meet,” she said warmly.
Xu Jinnan smiled faintly, not replying, and Shen Shu simply nodded. “Teacher Tan.”
Tan Jie seemed to have a particular interest in Xu Jinnan, perhaps because of Xu Jinnan’s earlier flirtatious behavior, constantly seeking her attention.
Xu Jinnan felt Shen Shu’s arm tense slightly, as if she was about to pull away, and instinctively tightened her grip, their skin brushing against each other.
Shen Shu didn’t move again.
Just as they were about to enter the hotel, Chen Bo turned to Tan Jie. “Miss Tan, why don’t you go inside first? I’ll find you later,” he said.
Tan Jie: “…”
He continued chatting with Xu Jinnan, oblivious to her displeasure.
While Tan Jie was a relatively well-known actress, to him, she was just a slightly more prestigious version of an internet celebrity.
Just another Omega to flirt with when he was bored.
With Xu Jinnan here, he had no interest in other women. His father was waiting to speak to her, and Xu Jinnan’s status had changed considerably.
It might sound exaggerated, but his father had actually intended to greet her personally.
However, having already welcomed Xu Tao earlier, it would have been inappropriate to show Xu Jinnan the same level of deference.
“Nan-jie, about that land you suggested I use for the online platform, the one for the live streaming company… my father didn’t understand at first, he was even a little skeptical, but after meeting you the other day…” He paused as someone greeted him, then continued, “Especially with your recent successful investments, he’s practically begging me to join your team.”
Xu Jinnan thought Chen Bo, despite his playboy ways, had a good eye for opportunities and a wide network of connections. He would be a valuable asset in this industry.
His father, worried about Xu Jinnan’s influence on his son, had even invited her to dinner.
The conversation had been pleasant, and she had even shared some of her insights and resources.
The Chen family’s businesses were mostly traditional, recently expanding into real estate and catering, but with limited success. Her advice, forward-thinking and innovative, had impressed Mr. Chen.
Besides discussing investment strategies, she had also shared her views on the current stock market trends and other financial matters.
By the end of the dinner, Mr. Chen, after a glass of baijiu(Traditional Chinese liquor), had asked her to mentor his son.
Since he had made the request, she would grant him the favor.
“As long as he doesn’t cause any trouble,” she had said.
Chen Bo had a sort of hero worship for the original Xu Jinnan, often imitating her behavior, but Xu Jinnan wasn’t interested in being anyone’s savior.
This was a business transaction, a mutually beneficial exchange of favors.
In the business world, it was all about profit and connections.
Chen Bo had promised to be on his best behavior, to follow her instructions without question.
He led them towards the VIP area, where North City’s business elite were gathered. In the past, she wouldn’t have been allowed in this exclusive circle.
It was a world of sharks, and as a junior, she hadn’t been worthy of their attention.
But now, she was.
She wasn’t particularly interested, but she still had to make an appearance – whether she enjoyed it or not, gaining access to this elite circle was one of her goals.
Shen Shu definitely wouldn’t be joining them, so she turned to her, intending to discuss it, then noticed Shen Shu was looking down at her phone. “Isn’t Cai Ying here yet?” she asked.
“I’ll call her,” Shen Shu replied.
Cai Ying had said she would be waiting at the entrance, but they hadn’t seen her, and she hadn’t replied to their messages.
“Who are you looking for? I can help,” Chen Bo offered.
Xu Jinnan, her chin lifting slightly, said, “Over there.”
Shen Shu followed her gaze and saw a figure in a lilac dress, standing alone like a solitary lily in a crowded garden.
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu walked towards her, telling Chen Bo to go ahead and greet his father.
He agreed, but lingered, intending to escort them to the VIP area after they found Cai Ying.
As they approached, they saw Cai Ying still searching for someone, her movements slightly frantic.
She had been looking for Han Ling, whom she thought she had seen earlier, but the figure had disappeared.
She had been scanning the crowd for a while, but hadn’t seen her again.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around to see Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu, realizing she had forgotten about them.
“What are you looking at? We called you, but you didn’t even hear us,” Shen Shu said.
Cai Ying, embarrassed, stuck out her tongue. She had been too preoccupied, even ignoring her phone.
“I thought I saw Teacher Han. It startled me,” she explained.
A waiter approached, and Xu Jinnan ordered two glasses of orange juice, one for Shen Shu, one for herself.
As Shen Shu took the juice, she said to Cai Ying, “Didn’t she say she also had a banquet to attend? Did you ask where it was?”
“You can ask her,” Xu Jinnan said, gesturing towards Cai Ying’s phone.
Cai Ying’s smile faltered. “It’s probably not her,” she said quickly. The person she had seen had been with another woman.
Perhaps she had been mistaken.
“Okay,” Xu Jinnan said, shrugging and taking a sip of her juice. She turned to Shen Shu. “You two can chat. I’ll be back in a bit.” She just needed to make a brief appearance; she wasn’t staying long, and she had already eaten.
“Okay,” Shen Shu replied, nodding.
The crowd was getting larger, and people were staring, so Xu Jinnan suggested they find a quieter spot to sit and wait for her.
“Don’t worry, I can handle this. I’ll protect Shu Shu,” Cai Ying said, puffing out her chest.
They started walking, but before they could even take two steps, someone stopped Xu Jinnan, wanting to chat.
Cai Ying and Shen Shu exchanged a look, stepping aside. “Your wife is quite popular now, isn’t she?” Cai Ying commented.
Shen Shu glanced at Xu Jinnan, her long, wavy brown hair cascading over her shoulders, the delicate lines of her collarbone and the pearl and gold necklace accentuating the elegant curve of her décolletage, the most striking feature of her dress.
“She is,” Shen Shu replied.
Popular.
Actually, Shen Shu and Cai Ying, standing beside Xu Jinnan, were also attracting attention.
Everyone knew Shen Shu was Xu Jinnan’s wife, the one she had pursued so relentlessly.
And Cai Ying, who rarely attended such events, wasn’t widely recognized.
Xu Jinnan introduced Cai Ying, and the people she was talking to, surprised, realized she was the Cai family heiress. They had heard about the mixed-race daughter of the Cai family CEO, but they hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful.
Cai Ying mumbled a few polite responses, then looked away, bored. She disliked these social gatherings; they were too superficial, everyone putting on a facade of politeness and propriety, their true thoughts and intentions hidden.
She hated pretense.
It was too complicated.
She linked arms with Shen Shu, scanning the room, a strange unease settling over her. Just as she was about to suggest they find a quieter spot, her eyes widened, as if she had just seen something incredibly shocking.
A familiar figure, a woman with alluring fox-like eyes, her arm linked with another woman in a white dress, emerged from a nearby doorway.
Perhaps drawn by the commotion, or having heard something, the woman’s gaze suddenly shifted towards Cai Ying—
Across the room, through the crowd, their eyes met, and Cai Ying saw a flicker of surprise in Han Ling’s eyes, her own breath catching in her throat.
She blinked slowly, her heart pounding.
She hadn’t been mistaken. It was Han Ling.
Just then, Chen Bo’s voice came from behind her.
“Miss Cai, do you know Miss Han?”
Cai Ying, her gaze still fixed on Han Wenling, her voice slightly dazed, asked, “Miss Han?”
“Han Wenling,” Chen Bo clarified, his tone suggestive. Han Wenling, with her beauty and charisma, was the type to attract younger women, similar to Xu Jinnan.
Shen Shu felt Cai Ying’s hand tighten around her arm, the grip almost painful, and she instinctively tensed, sensing something was wrong.
“Cai Ying?”
Cai Ying, snapping out of her trance, turned to Chen Bo. “What did you say her name was?”
Chen Bo, puzzled, repeated the name.
Han Wenling.
Cai Ying’s voice rose slightly, drawing Xu Jinnan’s attention, who saw her hurrying towards the other woman, her pace so quick she almost bumped into a waiter.
It all happened so fast.
Shen Shu followed Cai Ying, exchanging a brief look with Xu Jinnan as they went, both of them realizing, with a sudden jolt of understanding, what this meant.
Han Wenling…
Within seconds, Cai Ying reached Han Wenling.
Her hurried approach made her stumble slightly, and Han Wenling instinctively reached out to steady her, then withdrew her hand as Cai Ying regained her balance.
Cai Ying looked up at Han Wenling, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes searching.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
Her tone was calm, but her voice betrayed her, like a branch trembling in the wind.
Han Wenling’s hand returned to her side, her fingers fidgeting slightly.
She felt a strange mix of emotions, something she had never experienced before. Using a fake identity had been a whim, a spur-of-the-moment decision, but after meeting Cai Ying a few times, she had found her intriguing, her innocent cheerfulness a welcome distraction from the complexities of her own world.
Even without any physical intimacy, she had enjoyed spending time with Cai Ying.
If there was one thing she regretted, it was Cai Ying’s apparent lack of interest in material possessions.
She had offered her a black card, her car keys, but Cai Ying had been more delighted with the bracelet, a relatively inexpensive gift.
She had occasionally considered the possibility of Cai Ying discovering the truth about her identity, but she hadn’t dwelled on it. Besides power and profit, she rarely cared about anything deeply.
She had even rationalized it, thinking, So what if she finds out? We’ll just break up. It’s not like I’m desperate.
But now, looking at Cai Ying’s reddened, tear-filled eyes, she felt a pang of guilt, a strange nervousness she had never experienced with another woman.
“Ling Ling, who is this?” the woman beside her asked, leaning in close.
Han Wenling frowned, not at the question itself, but at the way Cai Ying’s eyes darkened at the woman’s words.
“Ying Ying,” Shen Shu said, arriving just then and standing beside Cai Ying. It was clear now.
Han Wenling was Han Ling.
Cai Ying’s tutor.
Xu Jinnan joined them, her expression grim. “She’s asking who you are,” she heard Cai Ying say, her voice choked with emotion.
Cai Ying didn’t look at the woman beside Han Wenling, her gaze fixed on Han Ling, waiting for an answer.
Han Wenling looked at Cai Ying, her eyes flickering towards Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu, then around the room, aware of the curious stares.
What could she say? Explain herself?
Tell Cai Ying about her agreement with the He family heiress, the fake engagement meant to benefit both their families?
For a moment, looking at Cai Ying’s heartbroken expression, she almost did. Then, she decided against it. It seemed pointless.
It was her own fault.
She had never imagined Cai Ying would be connected to Xu Jinnan. She usually investigated anyone she got involved with, but with Cai Ying, she hadn’t bothered. She had seemed so innocent, so pure.
After a brief hesitation, she said, “I’m her fiancée.”
Cai Ying heard the words, not from Han Ling, but from a stranger.
Tears streamed down her face, her lips trembling, and Shen Shu, her heart aching, reached for her hand, but Cai Ying pulled away, taking a step closer to Han Wenling.
“Really?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
She always avoided trouble, and anyone connected to Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu was trouble.
Or so she thought.
She didn’t notice the conflicting emotions stirring within her, the hesitation that belied her usual decisiveness.
And she didn’t realize the weight of that single word, the way it would change the course of her life.
“Yes,” Han Wenling replied.
Slap!
Cai Ying slapped her.
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