At the end of May, the notable young lady of the Xia family, Xia Wan, held her 24th birthday banquet in their family villa. Every notable young ladies and young masters in their network were invited.
Those in the older generation were well aware of how much Xia Yongqiang's greed had expanded over the years. They knew he was planning to pull two families, the Bai and Ji families, to his side. However, he would still have to get both families to agree.
The Xia and Bai families had great relations over the course of three generations and the marriage agreement decided back then never specified names. Thus, the Xia family intended to marry off a girl who had come out of nowhere to Bai Youran. If the Bai family was to agree, it would be a loud slap across their faces.
"Mom, I heard that the Xia family invited Shen Xinglan today."
Yan Huihong appeared to be in a good mood on the outside but there was a hint of mockery in her smile. "The Xia family is doing very well in counting their chickens before they're hatched. But it's still up to Shen Xinglan if he agrees or not."
"Why wouldn't he agree?" Bai Youran began to analyze the situation. "The Xia family is a large bone to be gnawed on. There's no reason for Shen Xinglan to reject it."
"Did you forget about your aunt?" Yan Huihong's glance flitted. "It doesn't matter if Shen Xinglan agrees. Everything will be fine as long as the Ji family rejects it."
Bai Youran cried in surprise, realization dawning on him. How could he forget this? His paternal aunt was Shen Xinglan's stepmother and wife of the current head of the Ji family.
"Rest assured. Your grandmother has already spoken to your aunt. They'll be returning from overseas in a few months and we'll see how the Xia family regrets it. Xia Wan might even come crying and begging you to take her back!"
"Mom, Xia Wan likes me all along. She never wanted any of this," Bai Youran said, smiling.
Yan Huihong did not reply. Being a woman herself, she was able to see things more clearly than her son. If Xia Wan was truly unwilling to marry Shen Xinglan, she would have long incited trouble. It was only her silly son, Bai Youran, who still trusted in the girl.
"Mom, are you sure Shen Xinglan likes this sort of appearance?" Xia Wan, the main star of the night, looked delicate in her blue dress. She was so beautiful that she looked like a fairy who had descended on the mortal world.
Yao Lili looked at her daughter with satisfaction. "Of course. I spent money to obtain this information. It's said that all the women who appeared next to him had all clean and neat appearances. The kind looked ethereal."
"Will he like me?" Xia Wan appeared a little lost. She had never met Shen Xinglan.
His public appearances were rare and he did not allow the media to take photos of him as well. The only photo of him was taken from the news segment from the acquisition assembly. Ever since then, he became the prime target of all notable young ladies. Not only was he good looking, but he was also well-off. He had never gotten into any scandal with women but there was no shortage of women appearing next to him.
Moreover, he was a mystery in itself. His mother passed away early in his life and his father later remarried, giving birth to another son and daughter. He then took on his mother's surname. 12 years ago, he became missing after a kidnapping. Just as everyone had forgotten that there was still someone like him in the Ji family, he made a sudden return three years ago.
In the span of three short years, he gained control over the Ji family and also constantly eliminated the influence of other competing families. Presently, the status of the Ji family was already far above that of the Xia and Bai families.
"I heard that those women only accompanied him for meals and conversations. You must make him look at you with new eyes. Then, your grandfather will bring up the marriage alliance," Yao Lili said, prattling on and on next to Xia Wan. "Stay away from that Youran, lest Shen Xinglan finds about you two."
Yao Lili paused for a moment before continuing, "Stop doing anything to A Miao. If Bai Youran finds out that you're responsible for the incident, I'm worried that the Bai family will turn against us."
"I understand." Xia Wan nodded. "But what if that girl reveals it?"
"She'll always be a threat for as long as she lives." Yao Lili wore a ruthless smile on her face. "But it's not urgent. Once the marriage alliance between you and Shen Xinglan is decided, I'll get someone to take care of her."
The person that the mother and daughter were talking about was currently speaking to Xia Yongqiang. Xia Haixin carefully accompanied the latter.
"Mr. Shen, I'm so glad you come here!" Xia Yongqiang laughed. "Can I leverage my seniority to invite you and my granddaughter to take the first dance?"
Shen Xinglan frowned. Before he could speak, the beautiful woman with a pair of mesmerizing and large eyes beside him said, "But Mr. Shen is my partner tonight!"
"Oh dear, look at what I've done! Then I won't trouble you." Xia Yongqiang glanced at the woman. She was a mere starlet yet dared to put on airs in front of the Xia family. However, he said nothing out of respect for Shen Xinglan.
A Miao was hiding upstairs at the moment. She screamed soundlessly when she saw Shen Xinglan mingling with the other guests while wearing a neutral expression. "He's fooling all of you! He's no more than a shameless psycho!"
"Do I look okay?" Zhou Xiao walked out of A Miao's room, wearing her dress.
"You look good!" A Miao nodded.
Zhou Xiao was a little nervous. This was her first time wearing such a high-quality outfit. "A Miao, your eyes..."
"What's wrong with my eyes?"
"You're already a rich young lady now. No one will bully you anymore. You don't have to keep masking your eyes with makeup." She reached out her hand to touch A Miao's eyelid. "It's such a pity that you're always covering up your beautiful eyes."
A Miao had no time to give her an explanation and said concisely, "We'll see after some time, when I'm more familiar with them."
"It's so nice being a rich person!"
"What’s nice?"
Zhou Xiao lifted a plate with a slice of cake on it. "Look at the cream on this cake. It's so much more delicious than the one that we used to buy. It's so smooth and fragrant!" She then pointed at the hall. "Look at those girls. They're so beautiful! No, I should say that their dresses are beautiful!"
"Some of them aren't even as pretty as I am!" Zhou Xiao's expression dimmed. "Why is my life that bad..."
Seeing the reaction of her good friend, A Miao suddenly felt that she should not have brought Zhou Xiao here tonight. Now, she could only try and comfort Zhou Xiao. "Don't overthink it. If you wish, I'll give you plenty of good food to bring home later."
Zhou Xiao did not reply. Yet she was thinking deep inside, "Why isn't A Miao asking me to stay for a few more days?"
"How audacious! You actually dare to bring a stranger home!" A voice rang out from behind them. Xia Mei sized up Zhou Xiao with her chin raised. "Who is this stinking pauper?"
A Miao placed herself in front of Zhou Xiao. "This is my friend. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't show up in front of us." "What gives you the right to dictate that?" Xia Mei sneered. "This is my home! Do you trust that I'll go and get someone to throw her out?" "Very well. Go ahead and do it!" A Miao looked in the direction of the second floor. "Ruin Xia Wan's banquet and let's see who'll be the disgraced one in the end!" Xia Mei's expression changed. Truly, she had no courage to do so. She clenched her teeth. "Hey! You’d better be honest! If I catch you stealing things, I'll send you to the police station!" After threatening Zhou Xiao, she shot A Miao a glare before turning around to leave. Downstairs, Xia Wan appeared in the crowd with people surrounding her. Xia Yongqiang was currently introducing her to everyone. A Miao quietly brought Zhou Xiao to a corner of the hall. They sat
"Damn it!" A Miao cursed. She estimated that no more than two minutes had passed since the blackout. She could not make any more delay. However... The direction was headed toward the garden. She remembered that there was a large fountain there. She closed her eyes and in the next second, she turned around without hesitation. "Let her go!" The scene in the garden caused A Miao's anger to erupt. Xia Mei was suppressing Zhao Xiao at the fountain, forcing the latter's head into the water. A Miao ran to them and shoved Xia Mei aside. With a turn of her body, Xia Mei plunged into the water. "Zhou Xiao, are you okay?" A Miao helped Zhou Xiao sit down, frantically patting her back. "Ha... A Miao... Ha..." Zhou Xiao was gasping for breath. She then burst into tears and threw herself into A Miao's embrace. "A Miao! I thought I'm going to die! I nearly died earlier." Xia Mei pathetically c
"What's wrong with your car?" "The engine burnt out. I'm calling for a repairman." Bai Youran glanced at A Miao who was seated in the backseat without concealing his loathing at all. "Where are you going?" Xia Wan chuckled. "I'm treating A Miao to dinner today. Why don't... Why don't you come with us?" Thinking that he was being humorous, Bai Youran replied, "I'm coming along even if you don't ask me! I'll drive, so ask your driver to drive my car to your home." If it was Xia Wan who planned for their meeting with Bai Youran, then A Miao had become thoroughly stupefied after seeing Shen Xinglan in the restaurant... "Mr. Shen!" Xia Wan cried in surprise. "So you're also here for dinner!" Shen Xinglan was not alone and his female companion was a familiar face. A Miao felt like it was a face that she frequently saw on television. However, it was not the same one she met in Xi
A Miao was walking downstairs for her meal when she heard Xia Mei's voice. She then turned around to go upstairs. "Stop right there!" Xia Mei threw the photo at her. "It's fine if you embarrass yourself, don't get us involved!" The photo depicted A Miao, dressed in a chick costume, delivering condoms. She picked up the photo but before she could take a clearer look, Yao Lili's voice resounded. "What is this?" Yao Lili snatched the photo out of A Miao's hands. Before long, she began screeching. "Disgusting! How can you do something like this?" Seeing the development of events, A Miao thought she might as well sit down. "It's just a job. You all don't have to make a fuss about it." "Job?" Xia Mei grabbed the photo and waved it in front of A Miao's face. "This photo is pinned up in our school board. Now everyone knows that there's someone in Xia family that does this sort of shady busine
"Is this stinky tofu?" Shen I pinched a block of the tofu with his fingers and gave it a sniff. He nearly vomited. He rushed to the door, about to open it. "Don't open the door." Shen II stopped him while he opened the windows. "The smell will get out." Shen I was dumbstruck as he imagined the entire office floor being filled with the smell of stinky tofu. He could not help but wanting to retch. "Boss, why don't you take a shower and change your clothes?" Shen II did not dare to look directly at Shen Xinglan. Shen Xinglan, who had not spoken all this while, slowly raised his head. The first thing he did was loosening his necktie. Then he took off his suit and shirt and walked into the bathroom. While walking in, he began to slowly turn around. "Hehehehehe..." Shen I swallowed uneasily. "Boss..." "Oh no. Did he get so mad that he lost his mind?" "Go.&quo
A ripping sound resounded as the man tore A Miao's shirt and began touching her all over. She felt something rising from her stomach and then vomited all over herself and Xia Mingde. "Let me go… You bastard, let me go!" Without even bothering to wipe her mouth, she felt around for the table lamp on the floor and swiped Xia Mingde with it. "F*ck!" Xia Mingde blocked her attack with his arm and snatched it out of her hands. With a turn of his hand, he landed a hard slap on her face. "You bitch." A Miao fell on the floor. Xia Mingde once again grabbed her thighs and ripped her skirt with one smooth movement. "No! Let me go… Mom… Help!" A Miao stared at the ceiling with tears streaming down her face. The only thing she could think of was her mother's final words. Thud! Just as she was about to close her eyes and waited in despair for Xia Mingde to climb over her, the door abruptly opened. "Boss, how s
Shen I held onto A Miao's arm and took no more than a few steps before turning his head to ask, "Boss, where should we…" "Just find a random dark room." Shen Xinglan waved impatiently. "Not the underground." "Understood." Noticing that A Miao was faintly trembling, Shen I comforted her while dragging her. "Don't worry. I'll be locking you in the storeroom. When boss' mood improves the next morning, I'll let you out." Worrying that she would catch a cold at night, Shen I kindly found a particularly small storeroom and even placed a quilt inside. When he saw how A Miao lied on the quilt without moving, he said nothing and locked the door. It was pitch-black inside the storeroom without even a hint of the moonlight. In the darkness, A Miao began to quiver. She could not stand staying in a cramped space like this. To a claustrophobic person, this was life-threatening torture. "Let me out! Let me ou
Shen Xinglan ordered the hospital to inform the Xia family that A Miao was involved in a car accident. "How did you end up getting involved in a car accident? What about Shen Xinglan?" Xia Wan questioned her as soon as she entered the room. Yao Lili and Xia Mei carefully observed A Miao. "Where are you injured?" A Miao raised both of her hands. "If that guy didn't dump me on the roadside, I wouldn't have been hit by a car." It was Le Yi who told her that Xia Wan might get suspicious if A Miao said that Shen Xinglan dragged her home. "Don't tell me you've gone blind!" Xia Mei said, evidently happy over A Miao's misery. That was because the bedridden A Miao was wearing a pair of shades. Beside her, a nurse who was preparing to leave immediately replied, "Her eyes were injured. She can't see light for the time being." "What sort of injuries are these? You're even staying in such an expensive ward