15
The lives of the wealthy held an irresistible allure for ordinary people. This juicy gossip continued for several days, lasting all the way until the seventeenth, when netizens finally had time to digest it.
But just as they finished digesting the previous bite, the next one came right along.
On the seventeenth, the Yan family’s banquet would be held at the most luxurious hotel in the capital, Silika Hotel, at 7:30 PM.
It was now 2:00 PM.
The room was filled with expensive evening gowns that the maids had brought out.
Gu Xueyi gave them a brief glance but was not satisfied. The maids chattered on, introducing each one—this one was from the hands of a certain master, that one was a limited edition… Yet in Gu Xueyi’s eyes, they all looked cheap.
But she couldn’t very well attend wearing Hanfu either.
Chen Yujin, dressed in a well-fitted dark blue suit and looking immaculate, stood at the doorway. Looking toward Gu Xueyi inside the room, he couldn’t help but ask, “Does Madam find none of them to her liking?”
“Mm.” Gu Xueyi turned around.
She had nearly fully adapted to this world. Her knowledge grew richer by the day; only some more obscure things might still trip her up.
She suddenly pulled a concept from her memory.
“Hire a styling team directly.”
Chen Yujin raised an eyebrow. Good, he thought to himself. You’ve finally stopped doing things yourself and making a mess of it.
“As you wish,” Chen Yujin said, then went off to make a phone call.
Yan Wenshu flew back overnight.
Jiang Meng’s agent, wearing a baseball cap, went to pick her up at the airport.
As Yan Wenshu came out of the airport, she stared coldly at the agent for a full five minutes. The agent, drenched in a cold sweat and thoroughly uncomfortable, managed to squeeze out a strained voice: “Miss Yan… shall we get in the car first?”
Only then did Yan Wenshu look away, but instead of getting into the agent’s prepared van, she took a car she had called herself.
Half an hour later, Yan Wenshu met Jiang Meng.
It was now 2:30 PM.
“You want to go to the Yan family’s banquet?” Yan Wenshu’s tone was sarcastic and utterly merciless. It clearly said that Jiang Meng was not worthy of attending the Yan family’s banquet.
Jiang Meng’s expression stiffened, her facial muscles nearly failing to form a smile.
“Yes… This matter needs to be resolved, doesn’t it? You’ve come back to the country precisely for this, haven’t you?”
Yan Wenshu said coldly, “Fine. Let’s go.”
Jiang Meng breathed a sigh of relief.
The agent had already found a styling team for her privately, ready to once again outshine Gu Xueyi at tonight’s banquet and wash away the criticism and mockery flooding the comments sections on Weibo.
The agent turned around to make a phone call.
But after a moment, she came back with a stiff expression. “Studio X… isn’t taking the job. They’ve given priority to Ji Mingming’s booking.”
Jiang Meng’s face changed dramatically. “Ji Mingming is going to the Yan family’s banquet too? Does she deserve that?”
The agent thought to herself, isn’t that exactly what you’ve just done yourself?
Jiang Meng bit her lip and looked toward Yan Wenshu.
Yan Wenshu said impatiently, “You’re not expecting me to help you find one, are you?”
Yan Wenshu, with the Yan family name behind her, had deep connections in high-society circles both domestically and internationally. She could certainly get a better team—perhaps even a top-tier team.
But Yan Wenshu’s attitude poured cold water over Jiang Meng’s hopes.
Anxious not to lose to Gu Xueyi at such a moment, Jiang Meng had no choice but to call Cao Jiaye…
Before she knew it, 6:00 PM had arrived.
Gu Xueyi had just finished her styling. She opened her eyes slowly, first had the maid bring her some food. After eating her pastries and fruit leisurely and drinking a cup of hot tea, she finally rose to head to the hotel.
The styling team stood by, watching in a daze.
They had worked for top-tier A-list celebrities, for Best Actor and Best Actress winners at various film festivals, and, of course, for major wealthy families…
Among all these people, there were some with exquisitely refined features, some with outstanding charm and presence, and some with the commanding aura of a matriarch… But they had never seen a wealthy wife who combined all of these in one person.
“Madam…” A young man suddenly quickened his pace to Gu Xueyi’s side and bent down to straighten the hem of her dress.
Gu Xueyi turned her head.
The young man met her gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then managed to finish the rest of his sentence smoothly: “You should be careful, Madam.”
Gu Xueyi gave him a faint smile. “Alright.”
As she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of Chen Yujin waiting there.
The smile hadn’t yet faded from Gu Xueyi’s face, and Chen Yujin happened to catch that fleeting moment of her joy. Her brows and eyes curved slightly, and a glimmer of light seemed to spill from her gaze—a beauty entirely different from her usual cool, reticent self.
Chen Yujin paused for a moment, then stepped aside. “Madam, please.”
Who was Chen Yujin?
One of Yan Zhao’s capable right-hand men.
He often appeared at various events as Yan Zhao’s representative, and his network included countless influential figures. With one phone call, he had secured the most top-tier styling team for Gu Xueyi.
Gu Xueyi hadn’t yet closely examined herself in the mirror and was completely unaware of how she looked at that moment.
At 6:30 PM, their car arrived at the Silika Hotel.
The banquet hall was nearly fully set up. Waiters moved back and forth inside, and reporters were already stationed outside the hotel’s main entrance. However, Gu Xueyi and Chen Yujin entered through a side door, avoiding being caught on camera by the reporters.
As they walked inside, Chen Yujin asked, “The Second Young Master and the Fourth Young Master won’t be attending?”
“Hmm,” Gu Xueyi responded calmly, exuding the demeanor of a family matriarch. “Yan Wenjia is off filming, and Yan Wenbai has to study. Why drag the younger generation along?”
The younger generation?
Only Gu Xueyi treated them like children.
The hotel manager quickly approached, but upon drawing nearer, he was immediately taken aback.
The young man was impeccably dressed in a suit, his features handsome. The young woman trailing a long gown was breathtakingly beautiful. At first glance, they looked rather compatible.
If the manager hadn’t happened to see the trending post with a photo of Madam Yan, he might have mistaken her for Chen Yujin’s date.
“Here… here is the list. Please review it, Madam Yan,” the manager said cautiously as he handed over the banquet list.
Madam Yan was almost too beautiful. Her makeup today wasn’t at all aggressive—on the contrary, her aura leaned more toward quiet softness—yet the manager still felt an inexplicable pressure.
Chen Yujin let out a soft sigh. “Let me handle it.”
“Hmm?” Gu Xueyi turned to look at him.
Chen Yujin had never been this helpful before.
…But tonight’s banquet was the Yan family’s public face.
And besides…
Chen Yujin said evenly, “Madam is dressed so exquisitely tonight. How could she stoop to doing such a minor task?”
Gu Xueyi withdrew her hand and gave a slight nod, neither humble nor arrogant, unhurried and composed. “Then I’ll leave it to you, Secretary Chen.”
Chen Yujin took in her appearance and couldn’t help cursing under his breath, “Fuck.”
If the old Gu Xueyi was annoying…
The current one was even more… more impossible to deal with. She had become a different person—smart, with a perfect sense of propriety, striking in demeanor, and flawless in every word and action.
The charm in her every movement seeped in like rain soaking the earth, yet it could also hit you head-on with overwhelming force.
It created an almost absurd feeling of being unstoppable.
Before long, someone responsible for dealing with the media came to find Gu Xueyi.
“Madam Yan, here is the list of media outlets for today.”
Chen Yujin took a quiet breath and, sticking to the principle of seeing things through to the end, took it from her. “I’ll handle it.”
Then the person in charge of guest registration also walked over.
“Madam Yan, here is…”
Before the person could finish.
Chen Yujin: “I’ll handle it.”
Chen Yujin’s capabilities were formidable; handling a banquet was naturally more than within his reach.
As for Gu Xueyi, she wasn’t afraid of taking on such an occasion. But if there was a model better suited to this era for her to observe—taking the good and discarding the bad—that would be a good thing as well.
So, Gu Xueyi settled onto the sofa and sat there until 7:30 PM.
Then she slowly rose to her feet and walked toward the main hall.
Chen Yujin, having already taken care of everything, immediately followed, staying half a step behind her.
Outside the hotel, Chen Yujin’s assistant was responsible for receiving the guests.
Only when a guest of Jian Changming’s caliber arrived would Chen Yujin need to greet them personally.
The hotel gradually grew noisy with chatter.
Outside the hotel, the reporters excitedly snapped photos of every luxury car and every person stepping out of them… The gathering of such a group of people represented a power capable of shaking a small European country.
And being able to bring so many people together was something only a few top-tier wealthy families could accomplish.
“Mr. Jian has arrived!”
“Mr. Jian…”
Immediately, a surge of people flowed toward him, all eager to make an impression on Jian Changming.
Gu Xuemin and his wife, mixed in among them, couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.
If Gu Xueyi could win Yan Zhao’s heart and make the Yan family truly acknowledge their marriage alliance, how glorious would their position be?
Reaching the level of families like the Yan and Jian families—that wasn’t something achieved merely by making more money…
Jian Changming was accompanied by Jian Rui and Cao Jiaye.
Facing the countless people currying favor, Cao Jiaye couldn’t help but reflect that this was the pinnacle of glory that came from marrying into the Jian family… His gaze flickered. How many investments and projects might he secure tonight?
But Jian Changming paid no attention to those people. He turned to Chen Yujin’s assistant and asked, “Where is your Executive Chen?”
Before he could get an answer, a sudden exclamation erupted from the crowd: “That’s… Jiang Er!”
“What is Jiang Er doing here?”
Someone couldn’t help but blurt out a curse: “Holy shit!”
Jiang Yue had brought his younger brother, Jiang Jing. Dressed in a black suit and mingling among a crowd of businessmen, he looked more like a gangster than anyone else.
He walked with long strides, looking straight ahead without a sidelong glance.
The reporters frantically raised their cameras.
Holy crap!
This was huge news!
The Jian family had always been on good terms with the Yan family, so Jian Changming’s appearance was no surprise.
But Jiang Er showing up here—what did that represent?
…It represented far too many things!
This was even more explosive and valuable than the time an actress accompanying some wealthy businessman had tripped and nearly exposed half her chest.
It was at this moment that Jiang Meng arrived at the hotel entrance.
Yan Wenshu got out of the car first, with Jiang Meng following closely behind.
Cao Jiaye had ultimately secured her one of the top styling teams in the country—even better than the one the agent had originally contacted.
Jiang Meng curled her lips into a poised, alluring smile.
Today, she would still be the one to outshine everyone else.
But as she stepped out of the car, Jiang Meng realized that the people ahead of her—Jian Changming and Jiang Yue—had drawn all the attention. No one had even noticed her…
Of course, that didn’t matter. What mattered was the moment she came face to face with Gu Xueyi.
Jiang Meng steadied herself and followed after Yan Wenshu.
Inside the hotel, Chen Yujin was about to go greet Jian Changming when he saw Gu Xueyi also move.
He hesitated for a moment, then still fell half a step behind.
He thought Gu Xueyi was going to receive Jian Changming, but as she drew closer, he heard her part her lips gently and say with a faint smile, “Good evening, Mr. Jiang.”
Her voice was especially pleasant, a delight to the ear.
The people around instinctively parted ways, revealing Gu Xueyi behind them.
Gu Xueyi walked gracefully toward Jiang Yue.
She wore a floor-length gown, her brows lightly traced and her lips softly touched with color.
Suddenly, Chen Yujin’s eyelid twitched. Before he even realized what he was doing, he had already instinctively bent down and lifted the hem of Gu Xueyi’s gown.
In that instant,
it seemed as though everyone felt time freeze for a brief moment.
Jiang Yue’s gaze also locked in place.
…So this was that sweet reward?
Jian Changming frowned.
Chen Yujin and Gu Xueyi…
And what was Jiang Er’s involvement?
Also…
It turned out Gu Xueyi wasn’t here to greet him after all.
The reporters suddenly snapped back to reality and pressed their shutters vigorously.
There truly existed beauties in this world for whom bending down to lift their hem felt like a great honor in itself.
**