Fortunately, Nie Mi did not really care how valuable the gift was. He put it away, raised his head, and faced Qiao Nian, saying, “By the way, I have reserved a spot for you at the main table. You can sit with me later.”
She was sitting with him?
Qiao Nian imagined the scene. She could already imagine the many inquiring gazes on her. She didn’t like to show off. Thus, she declined his invitation without thinking too much about it. “I don’t think I would like to sit at the main table. I’ll just look for a random table. You don’t need to make a reservation specifically for me.”
“You don’t want to sit at the main table?” Nie Mi saw that she refused his invitation without even considering it and anxiously said, “There are a lot of people here today, and since you’re here, I was planning to introduce you to my friends.”
“I’m not good with such situations, so let us forget about it.” Qiao Nian refused quickly. It was obvious that she was not interested.
“Okay.” Nie Mi knew her character well. She wasn’t the kind of person who liked to stand out and would most likely not agree to sit at the main table.
It was just that Qiao Nian had agreed to speak up for traditional music twice previously. He held on to some hope that when she grew up and came to Beijing to enter university, she would be more willing to make friends with people outside her circle.
Unexpectedly, she was still the same as before. She was still uninterested in making friends.
After mentioning it once, Nie Mi also stopped forcing her. He said, “I asked someone to reserve a place at the main table for you, thinking that you would be coming and you would like to sit with me. It’s okay if you don’t want to. There will be other chances next time when you come to Beijing to study. Next year, I will not hold any more birthday parties. I will just invite you, Su Huaiyuan, and a few more friends to have a meal together.”
Qiao Nian raised the corners of her mouth. She pulled down the brim of her cap and determinedly said, “Then, I will treat you next year.”
Nie Mi laughed and said, “Okay, I will be looking for the most expensive restaurant. I’m going to order all the dishes and eat as much as I want!”
He was just joking.
He knew that Qiao Nian wasn’t short of money. At least among her peers, although she didn’t look like it, she was actually much richer than many of her peers.
“Okay.” Qiao Nian readily agreed. Her eyebrows were stretched out leisurely, and her appearance was casual and relaxed. She seemed like she wasn’t even bothered by the thought of the expensive treat. Her expression was very calm.
Nie Mi laughed and stood at the door, chatting with her about the music exchange convention.
While they were chatting, the juniors of the Nie Family came out to look for him. He was the protagonist of this banquet. As such, it was impossible for him to leave so many people in the banquet hall and only greet Qiao Nian.
Although Nie Mi was unwilling, under the repeated urging from his family, he led Qiao Nian in first. He told her to message him if she needed anything. He then had no choice but to leave temporarily.
As he walked away, the inquiring glances directed at them naturally decreased. Qiao Nian was at ease and lowered the brim of her cap. She found a relatively small corner and walked over.
Unlike the many people who dressed up to attend the banquet, she was wearing a sweater, jeans, and canvas shoes.
Her outfit was too low-key, so she looked shabby among the other guests.
Many people who noticed her frowned contemptuously when their gaze landed on her.
They assumed that she was a Qing University student under Master Nie and had never been to such an event before. That’s why she was dressed so plainly.
