Xia Jiuwei walked in front, her steps light, almost bouncy.
She seemed satisfied with how easy it was to move in the dress, the hem swaying slightly with each step.
Along the parking lot road, European-style streetlights were scattered intermittently.
The dim yellow lights flickered past, casting Lu Nian’an’s face in alternating shadows.
“Why are you making such a serious face?”
Xia Jiuwei turned back to look at her.
The moment she spoke, she slightly froze—
Lu Nian’an’s expression was even calmer than she had expected, almost cold.
She didn’t ask further, simply took two steps back and reached for her hand.
“Let’s go.”
Her tone was light, as if she was deliberately brushing something away.
She led her toward the brightly lit estate building.
At the entrance of the banquet.
After a brief security check, the two were let in without issue.
Passing through the main corridor, the space suddenly opened up—
A spacious garden appeared before them.
The outdoor venue had been carefully arranged; the lighting was soft yet elegant.
Several buffet stations were scattered around, with professional chefs and staff moving efficiently and silently.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Lu Nian’an said softly, nudging Xia Jiuwei.
Xia Jiuwei instinctively turned back.
Only then did she notice that, at some point, Lu Nian’an had already been surrounded by a crowd.
Those people were well-dressed, refined in manner, their smiles carrying faint traces of flattery and calculation.
Lu Nian’an glanced at her side.
Only briefly.
She immediately put on that flawless polite expression again, calmly dealing with everyone.
Xia Jiuwei stood there for a moment.
In the eyes of others, she was elegant, composed, and impeccable—
But no one noticed the faint tension between her brows.
She looked away.
She knew—this was Lu Nian’an’s “work.”
She left.
Xia Jiuwei walked to the buffet area, casually picking a few exquisite desserts.
She also got a glass of fruit wine from the outdoor bar.
Then she found a seat.
It wasn’t far—she could still see Lu Nian’an from there.
She ate her dessert while watching her in the center of the crowd.
Her gaze darkened.
It was dark.
The banquet looked like it had another layer.
Every guest had threads trailing behind them.
Black threads—some thin, some thick, some barely visible, some almost dense enough to feel solid—intertwined into an invisible net.
They intertwined, extended, forming an invisible net.
Her gaze moved, finally landing on Lu Nian’an.
…Clean.
There were almost no such threads behind her.
Only a few faint gray lines, quietly hanging, nearly disappearing.
Completely out of place.
“This kind of place actually makes it easy to judge people.”
A voice came from across her.
Xia Jiuwei looked up.
A man had somehow already sat in front of her.
About twenty-something.
Dressed in a white suit, which should have looked neat—
but was instead wrapped in a heavy black aura, almost swallowing its original color.
She frowned slightly.
“Some people are here for business.”
“Some are here pretending they’re qualified to do business.”
The man spoke, his gaze scanning her.
“You don’t look like either.”
He smiled.
“So I’m a bit curious—how did you get in here?”
His tone was meaningful.
Xia Jiuwei didn’t look at him.
Her eyes remained on the distant crowd.
“What do you think?”
Her tone was flat, almost emotionless.
The man didn’t mind, as if he had found something amusing.
“They’re strange, aren’t they?”
“Even though they’re not familiar, they still force themselves to exchange pleasantries.”
He nodded toward the center of the crowd.
“That one—Lu Nian’an.”
“She’s quite a well-known figure in this circle now.”
There was a hint of pride in his tone.
“Someone like me can easily get close to her.”
He turned to look at Xia Jiuwei.
Waiting for her reaction.
—None came.
She didn’t even glance at him.
The man’s smile faded slightly.
“Sigh, I’m saying—”
“Don’t you want to seize this opportunity?”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Maybe tonight—you could grab your future.”
Before he finished—
His hand had already reached out toward her chin.
The next instant—
crack.
Xia Jiuwei moved too fast to see clearly.
She grabbed his fingers and twisted them back.
“Ah—!”
The man screamed in pain.
The sound wasn’t loud, but enough for people nearby to turn their heads.
He stood up abruptly, pointing at Xia Jiuwei with his other hand.
Veins popped in his eyes, rage barely contained.
The surrounding guests looked over.
But only showed awkward expressions.
No one stepped forward.
“You… you…!”
He gritted his teeth, raising his “injured” hand.
As if proving something.
—But the hand was perfectly fine.
No deformation.
No swelling.
Not even a mark.
The crowd’s gaze shifted from confusion to clear detachment.
The man froze.
He looked down at his hand.
Then back at Xia Jiuwei.
A cold unease slowly rose in his chest.
She was still sitting there.
Expression calm.
As if nothing had happened.
The man swallowed.
Didn’t speak again.
He quietly stepped back, then left, moving to another seat.
As if instinctively wanting to stay away from her.
Lu Nian’an glanced in Xia Jiuwei’s direction.
Let out a helpless smile.
She didn’t need to look closely to know—
something had probably happened again.
But precisely because of that, this banquet—repeated year after year without change—gained a little bit of color.
Otherwise, everything would be too dull.
Compared to her father’s birthday banquet, this was more like a high-level industry networking event.
Everyone here had their own purpose.
So did she.
Lu Nian’an’s father was clearly using her growing reputation to turn the banquet into a higher-value networking platform.
And she did not refuse.
Since this “once a year” event became fixed—
it actually saved her a lot of scattered social obligations.
Everyone would come to her.
More efficient that way.
Even if—
she never liked this kind of setting.
As an investor, dealing with people, evaluating them, building connections—this was part of the job.
She understood that well.
And she did it well.
Because she had to keep moving upward.
Toward a higher place—
high enough to become someone’s support.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted in a certain direction again.
Then quickly returned.
“Miss Lu, this is our company’s recent development—”
“If there’s a chance, we hope to collaborate—”
“There’s a private gathering next month, would you be interested—”
Voices rose and fell.
Business cards were handed over.
Gifts wrapped in exquisite packaging were presented.
Private deals whispered in lowered tones.
She responded appropriately, precisely, flawlessly.
The intensity wasn’t difficult for her.
Even easy.
Yet even so—
a familiar exhaustion slowly accumulated within her.
She didn’t like these conversations very much.
Each one reminded her of the past.
Those seemingly elegant smiles—
were always just calculations and interests.
As the conversations continued,
her attention drifted.
Sounds blurred.
The scene felt separated by a layer.
The people around her gradually dispersed.
As if she had faded out of existence.
Or as if she was never there at all.
“Hey hey, here, this is yours.”
A bright voice cut in.
Lu Nian’an snapped back to reality.
Before her stood a white-haired girl smiling with a hint of pride.
Xia Jiuwei held an elegantly plated dessert in one hand and a sparkling drink in the other.
“Stop talking. Eat first.”
She shoved the food into her hands and even made a “no talking” gesture.
Completely natural, as if she were taking care of someone fragile.
Lu Nian’an paused slightly.
Then obediently said nothing.
The two left the crowd and walked to a quieter corner.
The light was dimmer.
The noise felt farther away
Only the two of them remained.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?”
Xia Jiuwei sat on the edge of the flowerbed, legs swinging lightly.
Her tone was casual—but landed exactly where it needed to.
“Good job.”
Lu Nian’an’s hand paused mid-air.
She turned to look at her.
This banquet, repeated countless times, seemed to gain a slightly different warmth.
“What’s next?”
Xia Jiuwei asked between bites of dessert.
“Probably a speech, then the cake-cutting ceremony,” Lu Nian’an replied calmly.
Her tone had softened a little.
She briefly explained the schedule.
Xia Jiuwei listened, swinging her legs, occasionally nodding.
Like she was listening to something unimportant—
but still willing to stay.
On the other side of the banquet.
The butler of the Lu family moved through the crowd, brows slightly furrowed.
“Strange… the young lady was just here.”
He muttered to himself.
After a while—
he finally spotted her at a corner.
“Miss.”
He quickly approached.
“The master is asking for you.”
His tone carried unusual urgency.
Lu Nian’an looked up at him.
Her expression had already returned to its composed state.
“Alright.”
She stood up.
“Lead the way.”