On the day of the banquet.
When the young girl came downstairs in her dress, He Wan’s gaze turned visibly venomous for a moment.
Last night, she had repeatedly dreamt of Yan Qing’s twisted, terrifying face, gripped by fear and palpitations yet unable to wake up.
In the half-dreaming, half-awake state toward the end, she had even uncontrollably knelt and kowtowed, crying out frantically, “I was wrong,” “Don’t come for me.”
This morning, she had barely managed to cover the dark circles and the bruise on her forehead with thick layers of foundation.
Now, seeing a face so similar to Yan Qing’s, she felt a throbbing pain in her temples and wished she could rush forward and tear it to shreds!
Lin Jian’s expression was also extremely unpleasant, his brows and eyes unable to conceal his agitation.
There was even a faint handprint on his face, as if he had slapped himself, suggesting that his dreams last night had been chaotic and intense as well.
Yan Sui lowered her head, struggling for a moment to control her expression.
He Wan: “This is the last time you’ll wear this dress.”
She hoped to see a look of sorrow or surprise on Yan Sui’s face.
And Yan Sui indeed fulfilled her wish.
The young girl looked puzzled and wronged, asking why.
He Wan sneered, “Don’t you know why yourself? You got it through some shady means, and you don’t even know if you’re worthy of it.
“If it weren’t for the many distinguished guests at today’s banquet, and the fear that you’d embarrass our family, do you think you’d still have the right to wear this dress?”
Tears welled up in the young girl’s eyes.
“That’s enough,” Lin Jian spoke up with a frown. “He Wan, say less.”
Then he turned to Yan Sui,
“Yan Sui, be careful. Smile when you meet people, mind your status, and don’t embarrass me.”
Yan Sui curled the corner of her mouth slightly but said nothing.
The driver was already waiting outside.
Lin Jian got into the car first.
Yan Sui watched He Wan walking ahead of her, counting her steps.
When she reached four, she suddenly and silently moved close to He Wan, whispering eerily in her ear:
“He Wan, my mother told me last night that she wants to come find you.”
He Wan froze instantly.
For a moment, it felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe, chilling her to the bone.
Her mind buzzed, and like a dog whose tail had been stepped on, she reflexively screamed:
“What did you say?!”
The piercing sound even startled the driver.
Lin Jian, already irritable, was suddenly jolted by the noise and grew furious.
“What are you screaming for?”
He Wan’s pupils trembled, unsure whether to question Yan Sui or her husband for his tone.
Caught between anger and fear, she found herself momentarily speechless.
The young girl, however, gave her a sweet smile and slipped into the car first.
In truth, she was just guessing.
She didn’t know what nightmare He Wan had had.
She had guessed right.
Her mother’s death was indeed connected to He Wan.
He Wan stood outside the car for a long time before finally getting in with a dark expression.
Throughout the journey, she made no further sound.
Her expression shifted, lost in thought.
By the time they reached their destination, Lin Jian and He Wan had managed to compose themselves somewhat.
The Lin family wasn’t particularly prominent in their social circle, and when the doorman opened the door, few people came over to greet them.
But the moment Yan Sui stepped out of the car, the number of gazes turned toward her instantly increased.
There were many elegantly dressed socialites today, but when that touch of moonlight fell into people’s eyes, all other starlight seemed to fade away.
Yan Sui took two steps forward, tucking her slightly curled long hair behind her ear, her delicate features glowing brilliantly.
Standing beside her, Lin Jian and He Wan looked more like bodyguards than parents.
Soon, someone came up to greet them.
“Mr. Lin, you’re here too.”
Lin Jian shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the person.
However, the person’s gaze remained fixed on Yan Sui, smiling as they said,
“Your daughter is truly outstanding.”
Lin Jian put on a smile and modestly replied,
“She’s been frail since childhood and only recently started socializing. She doesn’t know much, so please don’t laugh at her.”
“Not at all, please come in.”
Lin Jian glanced back at Yan Sui, signaling her to follow.
The young girl showed no sign of nervousness, standing tall with her back straight, chin slightly raised, her posture elegant yet naturally exuding a youthful liveliness.
Lin Jian was somewhat surprised that Yan Sui performed so well at her first event like this.
The group entered the banquet hall.
Whether familiar or unfamiliar, close or distant, everyone acted as if they were old friends, exchanging insincere yet enthusiastic greetings.
Yan Sui held a glass of sparkling water and followed behind Lin Jian, only needing to nod and smile at the appropriate moments.
Her striking beauty and low-key demeanor drew quiet murmurs from the crowd.
The daughter the Lin family had just taken back was actually this beautiful.
As for He Wan, she was still haunted by Yan Sui’s eerie words and only wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.
She went to find her friends in the socialite circle, grabbing a sister’s hand and gritting her teeth as she said,
“Don’t be fooled by that little bitch. She’s extremely cunning and has bewitched my son.”
“Really? Can she outsmart you? Shouldn’t handling a little girl like her be easy for you?”
“It’s not that simple.” He Wan’s eyes were bloodshot. “Liu Ling, I’m telling you, she’s creepy, almost not even human.”
Liu Ling looked at He Wan in surprise. “No way, she doesn’t seem like it.”
The casual remark made the already tense He Wan snap. “Why don’t you believe me?”
Her voice was a bit too loud, drawing puzzled glances from those nearby.
He Wan immediately realized her mistake, forcing herself to suppress her agitation and frustration as she managed a strained smile.
Liu Ling looked He Wan up and down, her expression puzzled, but she still walked over and patted He Wan’s shoulder.
“It’s fine. No matter how cunning she is, what trouble can a little girl with no one to protect her really cause?”
He Wan took a deep breath to steady herself, sneering as she glanced in Yan Sui’s direction.
“That’s true. Thankfully, my husband still listens to me. That little slut is about to be sold off.”
The soon-to-be-sold Yan Sui was brought before a man.
He appeared to be in his early thirties, with a pleasant enough appearance, but his eyes carried an unsettling, sticky feeling when he looked at people.
Lin Jian smiled at him and said, “Mr. Zhou, about the project I mentioned earlier, I hope you’ll give it some more thought.”
“But I’m not here to talk business with you today. I’d like to introduce you to my daughter.”
“Yan Sui, come and offer a toast.”
Zhou Jin’s gaze never left Yan Sui, especially as she approached, his smile growing even more pronounced.
“Yan Sui, right? Not bad, not bad. Mr. Lin has indeed raised a fine daughter.”
The best choice Lin Jian had picked out for Yan Sui was this Zhou Jin.
Although the other party was considerably older than Yan Sui and had been divorced once, Yan Sui had no education to speak of. Relying solely on her looks to marry into such a family could still be considered climbing the social ladder.
The more Lin Jian thought about it, the more he felt he had shown Yan Sui enough care, even affection.
He smiled at Yan Sui. “President Zhou is an exceptionally talented young man. Go and chat with him. No need to follow me around.”
At the same time, Zhou Jin also extended his hand toward Yan Sui with a smile. “Shall we go have a drink together?”
The young woman blinked, just about to speak, when suddenly, the noisy chatter around them fell silent.
Some people stopped talking in unison, others straightened their posture but lowered their gaze, and those holding glasses paused with them halfway to their lips.
She looked up. The doorman was respectfully holding the door open, head bowed.
A tall, slender man entered along with the cool night breeze.