Liu Jinzi was left standing in place, choking on exhaust fumes as she watched the car’s taillights gradually disappear. She shouted angrily, “At least take me off the blacklist!”
Yan Jiaojiao spent the entire morning selecting beautiful dresses to make a stunning appearance at the banquet. It wasn’t until the afternoon, when the makeup team arrived, that she finally settled on one to match her makeup.
Xie Chuanyan had been waiting downstairs for two hours. Hearing the sound, he immediately looked up.
Yan Jiaojiao smiled brightly at him, her upturned fox-like eyes exuding charm. Her elegant swan neck flowed into her collarbone, and the blood-red rose necklace was the perfect finishing touch.
The creamy white mermaid dress accentuated her enviable waistline. She was so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
She ran toward him, her smiling face blurred by the fluorescent lights.
For a moment, he seemed to see the sixteen-year-old Yan Jiaojiao, running toward him, standing fearlessly in front of him, telling everyone that she believed in him.
Yan Jiaojiao lifted the hem of her dress and twirled in front of him. “Are you dazzled by my beauty?”
Xie Chuanyan snapped back to reality and extended his hand to her, bending slightly. “You look beautiful. Let’s go, Miss.”
Yan Jiaojiao placed her hand in his with an air of pride. She had assumed Xie Chuanyan was only dropping her off, but to her surprise, he got out of the car with her.
“Are you also attending the birthday banquet?”
What was his relationship with that girl?
Xie Chuanyan opened the back seat and took out a box. Kneeling before her, he carefully replaced her shoes with high heels. “Yes, it’s Old Master Liu’s sixtieth birthday.”
Yan Jiaojiao looked down at him. Her foot appeared exceptionally delicate in the palm of his hand. His nose was high-bridged, and his lowered eyelashes were focused as he gently helped her into the high heels, as if handling a precious treasure.
It was often said that people with thin lips were cold and heartless, but Xie Chuanyan’s kindness toward her was always impossible to refuse and hard to resist.
Once her shoes were on, Yan Jiaojiao stomped her feet lightly. Seeing him extend his arm, she linked hers with his. After all, she was still Xie Chuanyan’s fiancée, and no matter how much she disliked him, she had to maintain appearances.
“Isn’t it a girl’s birthday? How did it become an old man’s?”
“Old Master Liu and his granddaughter share the same birthday, so they’re celebrating together.”
Yan Jiaojiao let out an “ah,” realizing they were almost at the entrance. “But I only prepared one gift.”
Xie Chuanyan handed the invitation to the waiter and looked down at her frowning, troubled expression. “Assistant Hao has already delivered the gift.”
Yan Jiaojiao finally relaxed but couldn’t resist retorting, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The waiter leading them to the hall glanced curiously at Yan Jiaojiao. Though the girl was beautiful and delicate, her beauty was almost overwhelming, and she seemed too spoiled and arrogant.
Who could tolerate such behavior? Just as he was thinking this, he felt a cold, piercing gaze.
Xie Chuanyan’s eyes were sharp and icy, like a sword ready to pierce through someone. In just a second, the waiter was too frightened to move, immediately lowering his head.
The banquet was held at the Liu family’s ancestral home. Old Master Liu had a passion for collecting antiques, and the decorative items displayed in the hall were all of immense value.
However, it was still far inferior to Morning Garden. At Morning Garden, even the handrails were gilded, and an entire room was filled with antique paintings and calligraphy. It was said that Yan Jiaojiao had bought them out of boredom, with some pieces even valued at over a hundred million.
Only after leading them to the banquet hall did the waiter finally relax. He glanced toward the dessert area.
A girl was encircled by a man, who leaned over in a possessive manner to lick the cream from the corner of her mouth. The girl’s face flushed with embarrassment, and she tried to run, but he pulled her back into his territory, holding her close and whispering soothingly.
Yan Jiaojiao was utterly shocked by Xie Chuanyan’s lack of restraint. How could he react like this in public!Her ear trembled as it was brushed by the man’s scorching breath. “Just a little longer.”
Yan Jiaojiao tried to break free. “Stop moving… Do you want to do it here?”
Xie Chuanyan’s voice was low and husky, his breathing restrained as he tried to calm himself.
“Go to hell!”
Yan Jiaojiao couldn’t help but curse at his suggestive words. Feeling something pressing against her abdomen, she didn’t dare move recklessly and vented her anger by biting his shoulder.
Fortunately, no one dared approach the dessert area, and the guests avoided staring too closely, assuming it was just a couple flirting.
It wasn’t until Xie Chuanyan left that Xie Kejia dared to approach Yan Jiaojiao. Wearing a strapless gown with her hair elegantly styled into a wool-like curl at the ends, she carried the graceful air of a young lady who had studied abroad.
As she drew near, she overheard Yan Jiaojiao muttering something under her breath—likely nothing pleasant.
Yan Jiaojiao kept stabbing the cream with her fork, mangling the cake and the bread beneath it beyond recognition.
“Seriously? You two were just being all lovey-dovey here, and my brother still hasn’t managed to calm you down?”
Xie Kejia asked in surprise, noticing Yan Jiaojiao’s furious expression.
Yan Jiaojiao widened her eyes. “Who’s being lovey-dovey with him? I was forced to submit to his tyranny. I’m the victim here, okay?”
She puffed out her cheeks and stuffed a piece of cake into her mouth. Finding it overly sweet, she spotted a server passing by with a tray and reached for a glass of red wine, ready to gulp it down.
Xie Kejia swiftly stopped her. “My dear, please behave. Even if you want to drink, don’t do it in front of me.”
She looked at Yan Jiaojiao with pleading eyes.
If Yan Jiaojiao got drunk, wouldn’t she be blamed for it again?
Yan Jiaojiao didn’t push the issue and asked the server for a glass of orange juice instead.
She scanned the crowd in the banquet hall, her gaze inevitably drawn to Xie Chuanyan. Dressed in a sharp suit, he was surrounded by people offering toasts, all wearing ingratiating smiles while he remained expressionless.
She looked away. “Why hasn’t anyone from the Tian family arrived yet? Did that red-haired girl lie to me?”
Xie Kejia, her mouth full of cake, mumbled, “What red-haired girl?”
“The birthday girl.”
“Her name is Liu Jinzi.”
“Oh.”
“You came to her birthday party without even knowing her name?”
“She begged me.”
Yan Jiaojiao said it with such conviction that Xie Kejia almost believed her, if not for knowing about their past conflicts.
Seeing Yan Jiaojiao constantly scanning the crowd, Xie Kejia asked, “Why are you so fixated on the Tian family? Tian Wei can’t possibly come back from the dead.”
Yan Jiaojiao sighed, thinking of the plot from the book, and warned, “Just don’t tell Xie Chuanyan about this.”
Xie Kejia nodded in agreement. Though she feared Xie Chuanyan, he listened to Yan Jiaojiao, and in comparison, Yan Jiaojiao seemed far more intimidating.
Just then, the guest of honor arrived. Old Master Liu led Liu Jinzi downstairs, officially beginning the birthday celebration.
Liu Jinzi glanced around nervously in front of the towering cake, her eyes finally settling on Yan Jiaojiao with a flicker of envy.
She looked beautiful tonight too, in a playful and cute yellow floor-length ball gown, but she paled in comparison to Yan Jiaojiao.
She had spent a whole month preparing for this, and that wicked woman still outshone her!
After cutting the cake, Liu Jinzi clung to Old Master Liu’s arm and cooed, “Grandpa, I wish you longevity and boundless happiness. Since it’s also my birthday today, could you grant me one wish?”
Old Master Liu, doting on his granddaughter, smiled and nodded in agreement.
Yan Jiaojiao noticed Liu Jinzi’s gaze lingering on her and felt a sudden sense of foreboding.
“I’ve heard that Yan Jiaojiao is exceptionally skilled at playing the piano. I wonder if I could have the honor of witnessing it?”Yan Jiaojiao choked on the cake she hadn’t swallowed, coughing lightly a few times. A familiar large hand patted her back from behind, while Xie Chuanyan shot a cold glare at Liu Jinzi.
Liu Jinzi shivered. Hadn’t she just asked Yan Jiaojiao to play the piano?
The atmosphere instantly froze over. Yan Feng stepped forward to smooth things over, “Old Xu, my precious daughter is naturally accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. However, she fell ill recently and is still too weak, so we’ll spare everyone from her humble performance.”
Liu Jinzi scoffed under her breath, “Hmph.”
She clearly couldn’t play the piano at all, yet they claimed she was accomplished in everything. Liu Jinzi had wanted to embarrass Yan Jiaojiao, but it seemed that wasn’t going to happen. This birthday party was truly boring.