The car arrived at the styling salon.
A top stylist personally took care of Su Tang’s makeup and styling. She was naturally blessed with exquisite bone structure and striking features, giving her an excellent foundation.
Paired with the champagne-colored haute couture gown she had personally chosen, its sheer fabric shimmering with light and adorned with pearls, the dress made her skin look as smooth and pale as jade while accentuating the elegant, slender lines of her shoulders and neck.
Her delicate, fresh makeup enhanced all her natural advantages. It took away her usual gentle and obedient air and replaced it with a touch of poised, dazzling elegance and aristocratic charm.
She looked absolutely radiant, and her entire presence was instantly elevated.
Not long afterward, Lu Zheng entered the salon to pick her up.
The moment he stepped into the lobby and raised his eyes to see the young woman standing beneath the lights, his footsteps abruptly stopped.
A flash of amazement crossed his dark eyes.
A few seconds later, his thin lips curved upward as he spoke in a low, magnetic voice, “You look beautiful. It suits you very well.”
Su Tang’s eyes curved slightly as she answered politely and sweetly, “Thank you, Brother Lu Zheng.”
The two of them sat side by side in the car.
Lu Zheng’s gaze settled on her as he asked casually, as though merely making conversation, “What did you and Lu Huai talk about at the gown boutique this afternoon?”
Su Tang gently rubbed the fabric of her gown between her fingers, her expression calm and composed. “Nothing much. We just talked for a little while.”
Seeing how unperturbed she looked, Lu Zheng did not ask any further.
The car traveled smoothly, and more than ten minutes later, it came to a steady stop at the entrance of the banquet hotel.
Tonight was a gathering of the city’s elite, with more than half of the city’s powerful families and wealthy households gathered there.
The crystal-lit ballroom was dazzling, filled with elegantly dressed guests, and people continued to stream in. By now, almost everyone had arrived.
The moment Lu Zheng entered the ballroom with Su Tang by his side, everyone’s eyes immediately turned toward them.
The young woman was dressed in top-tier haute couture, her slender figure graceful and elegant. Her features were striking yet pure and refined.
Among the many wealthy young ladies present, she stood out particularly, drawing everyone’s attention.
Quite a few people secretly marveled at her appearance and began whispering among themselves, curious about who this girl was who could enter the banquet alongside President Lu.
The host of the banquet had a close personal relationship with Lu Zheng and immediately walked over with a smile, warmly greeting him with familiar ease.
The moment their conversation ended, another burst of murmurs arose from the entrance of the ballroom.
The guests who had been chatting animatedly all turned toward the doorway, surprise appearing on their faces.
Someone instinctively rubbed his eyes, almost thinking he had seen incorrectly.
Lu Huai was dressed in a refined white suit, his handsome figure exuding a gentle and warm aura.
Beside him was Sun Wenyu, dressed in an extraordinarily luxurious moon-white gown. Her makeup was sweet and delicate, and she held onto his arm.
A subtle undercurrent immediately swept through the entire ballroom.
The two young masters of the Lu family had arrived one after the other, each bringing a female companion to the banquet.
For a moment, everyone’s eyes moved repeatedly between Su Tang, Sun Wenyu, Lu Zheng, and Lu Huai.
The atmosphere in the ballroom instantly became rather delicate.
Many of the children of long-established wealthy families present had grown up watching Su Tang and Lu Huai together.
At gatherings of all sizes in the past, Lu Huai had always had only one person by his side, Su Tang.
That little girl who was always glued to him, calling him Brother Huai at every opportunity, was known by everyone as Lu Huai’s devoted little shadow.
But today, Lu Huai was still as gentle and refined as ever, yet the person nestled beside him had changed.
Soft murmurs gradually spread through the crowd.
“Isn’t that the second young master of the Lu family? Who’s the girl he’s brought as his companion today? I’ve never seen her before.”
“Wasn’t the little girl from the Su family always by his side before? How come he has someone else with him now?”
“Looks like they’ve really gone their separate ways…”
Some people quietly compared the two women standing on either side.
Sun Wenyu was dressed in a white haute couture gown. She looked gentle and beautiful, graceful and proper, the very image of a refined young lady from a prestigious family.
Yet the Su Tang standing opposite her was even more eye-catching.
She wore a champagne-colored haute couture gown, with scattered pearl-like light shimmering across its skirt.
Her features were striking yet retained a hint of youthful softness. She possessed a rare combination of purity and beauty, with the kind of exquisite bone structure seldom seen even among the elite circles.
“To be honest, I like the one in champagne more.”
“She’s unbelievably beautiful. She has such a youthful face, yet she can completely carry the presence of haute couture. That’s incredibly rare.”
“It’s a pity she’s beside President Lu. Who would dare make a move on her?”
Everyone’s eyes repeatedly swept between the four of them, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle unfolding before them.
Su Tang was not accustomed to such a lively and extravagant setting, and she felt slightly awkward.
Almost instinctively, she moved a little closer to Lu Zheng.
That small display of dependence softened the depths of Lu Zheng’s dark eyes.
Just then, a bright and lively figure pushed through the crowd and ran straight toward Su Tang.
“Tangtang!”
Song Zhenzhao, dressed in a pink haute couture gown, hurried over with her bright eyes fixed firmly on Su Tang, her face filled with amazement.
“Oh my goodness! You look absolutely gorgeous today!”
Song Zhenzhao was the daughter of the Song Group. Her family was wealthy, her connections extensive, and she had an open and straightforward personality. She was fiercely protective of her friends and had been Su Tang’s best friend since childhood.
She turned to Lu Zheng and said, “President Lu, I’m borrowing your sister for a while.”
Before Lu Zheng could say anything, she happily pulled Su Tang toward a corner.
Looking Su Tang up and down, she could not stop exclaiming in admiration.
“I always thought you were pretty, but once you put on this gown and had your makeup done today, you completely outshone everyone here!
I saw you from far away just now and thought I was mistaken!”
Su Tang’s eyes curved slightly as she listened to the praise, and the corners of her lips lifted into a small smile.
After finishing her praise, Song Zhenzhao happened to glance at Lu Huai and Sun Wenyu standing together not far away.
Her smile immediately faded considerably.
She had not expected Lu Huai to actually bring Sun Wenyu here.
Song Zhenzhao looked at Su Tang worriedly. “Tangtang…”
Su Tang smiled and shook her head calmly. “I’m fine.”
At first, she had indeed felt a little uncomfortable, but now she no longer cared.
Su Tang might appear gentle and obedient, but Song Zhenzhao knew very well that deep down, she was actually someone with tremendous determination who dared to think and act boldly.
When she had liked Lu Huai, she had dared to disregard everyone’s strange looks and pursue him without hesitation.
Although she had failed in the end, Song Zhenzhao had never seen regret in Su Tang’s eyes.
So when Su Tang told her she was fine, Song Zhenzhao believed her.
She smiled. “Want something to drink?”
Su Tang nodded. “Sure.”
The two of them went to the dining area.
“Champagne?”
“I’ll have some.”
Su Tang did not like red wine, but she found the taste of champagne acceptable.
The two clinked their glasses and quietly stood to one side, sipping their champagne.
After a while, someone came over and called Song Zhenzhao away.
Bored by herself, Su Tang went to look for Lu Zheng.
She found him surrounded by several senior figures from partner companies who were engaged in conversation with him.
Afraid she would be bored, Lu Zheng asked her to sit in a quiet lounge area nearby.
Su Tang sat alone on a sofa in the corner, lowering her head as she stared at the floor.
She did not know how much time had passed when the sound of casual footsteps approached.
Bai Yu had just finished drinking with some friends. When he turned around, he caught sight of the girl in the lounge area, and his footsteps immediately stopped, intense amazement filling his eyes.
He walked closer and studied her carefully. The more he looked, the more familiar she seemed.
A few seconds later, he finally matched her face to the memory of a much younger girl.
It was that little girl from the Lu family who had always followed behind Lu Huai!
When she was young, she had been small and thin, timidly following behind others without daring to say much. Who could have imagined that several years later, she would grow into such an elegant, beautiful young woman?
Unable to resist, Bai Yu stepped forward and greeted her with a smile.
“Hey? Are you… Tangtang?”
Su Tang looked up and gave him a polite nod. “Young Master Bai Yu.”
He was a friend of Lu Zheng’s who had lived overseas for many years. He had previously come to the old residence to visit Lu Zheng, and Su Tang had met him a few times.
Bai Yu clicked his tongue in admiration, his eyes full of appreciation as he praised her without reservation.
“Oh my goodness, it really is you! When you were little, you used to run around after Lu Huai, and you were such a timid little thing. How did you grow up to be this beautiful? You’re absolutely gorgeous!”
He had always been straightforward and carefree, without many hidden intentions. Seeing such a beautiful and sweet girl, he immediately became interested.
He leaned a little closer and asked with a smile, “Do you have a boyfriend now?”