She couldn’t help but gave an extra glance to the car, burning the model and license plate into her memory. Her pupils shrunk when she noticed that it had a special unit number.
Probably a special government plate.
The owner was not just any rich second-generation—he was also the son of some sort of government officials.
She retracted her gaze and followed Zhu Xianglan and Su Muran. Deep down, she felt a little gloomy. Why does Auntie only care about Su Muran? It wouldn’t hurt to pay her a little more attention and remind her to catch up with them. For a moment, she seemed to have forgotten that she was the niece and not the daughter.
In the hall dazzled by lights, there were well-known faces everywhere. Su Muran had thought that she would be causing quite a stir in a gathering like this, but she knew now that she wasn’t the only celebrity present. Some were top dogs of the industry, more famous and popular than herself. Before these people, even if Su Muran was a fool, she wouldn’t do anything out of line for attention. She walked beside Zhu Xianglan, basking in praise directed at her.
Of course, as soon as Zhu Meina stepped in, many eyes had stopped on her fiery red dress that barely held her chest in place. The fabric at her chest seemed like it might tear at any moment. Men offered burning stares, while women gave looks of disdain.
Zhu Meina enjoyed the attention of the men.
Men conquered the world, while women conquered men.
She took a cup of red wine from the table and sipped at it at a corner, looking for suitable prey. A good deal of time passed, but none suited her taste.
At last, she set her sights on a man.
He was tall and of solid build, with thick shoulders and lean waist. His clothes could not hide his sightly figure, and he stood straight as a pole. He seemed like a gentleman.
Zhu Meina always believed that she had an eye for people. The man she had her eyes on was either rich or of high status. The man walked with a steady and presentable gait, likely the mark of a soldier. In the first place, he could not have been a no-name if he was invited to Old Liu’s birthday party.
It shall be him, she put the glass to her scarlet lips and quaffed the wine, leaving a lip-print on the transparent wine glass. She then advanced slowly.
She headed straight for the man, after calculating out her angles.
Of course, she wasn’t stupid enough to strike a conversation with trite lines like “Hi, my name is…” or “Nice to meet you…”.
The man seemed to be in thought and did not notice her coming. When he straightened himself to leave, Zhu Meina caromed into him.
The man frowned and extended a hand to support her. His hands came into contact with the smooth skin on her shoulders, but he let go quickly without showing any emotions in his eyes.
“Sorry,” said Zhu Meina, brushing her hair behind her eyes with a hand. She was aware that her profile was incredibly beautiful. In her current state, no one should be able to take their eyes off her.
However, the man simply turned and walked off.
Did he just…ignore me?
“You got your eyes on him or something?” said Su Muran as she walked closer with a slice of cake in her hands. She had the air of a lady, her refined movements uncopyable by the likes of Zhu Meina.
Zhu Meina spruced up her outfit. “No. I just happened to knock into him,” she said with a forced smile.
“Oh…” Su Muran covered her mouth and laughed. “My dear cousin, you are getting ideas above your station if you are thinking about marrying him.”
“And why’s that? I believe we are both unmarried, no?” Zhu Meina misliked how Su Muran had to dampen her spirits at a time like this. What made her so sure that she wouldn’t succeed? She supposed she did stand some chance.
Wasn’t there the quote that goes “Anything is possible”?
“That is most certainly true,” said Su Muran, nibbling at the cake with all the grace in the world. “But do you know who that man is?”
Naturally, Zhu Meina didn’t. All she knew was that he had to be rich.
“Heh…” Su Muran gave a sudden laugh. “He’s Lu Yi of the Lu Family, the inspector of Sea City, son to Lu Jin and grandson to Lu Yuanyang. You think you have a spot beside him?”
She wasn’t even fit to be his attendant.
Su Muran turned around and tossed an extra glance at Lu Yi, a look of interest in her beautiful eyes.
She picked up another piece of cake from the table, but ate less of it this time.
She turned around, ignoring Zhu Meina’s cloudy face. What an idiot, she should try to remember who she was before trying to have any ideas about Lu Yi.
Any woman would have wanted a man like Lu Yi to herself, but not many had the ability or status to make that happen.
Su Muran has had her own fantasies, but she knew some things were made impossible after the episode between the Su Family and Ye Family.
Zhu Meina’s face was flushed with anger. At that moment, she would have given anything in exchange for ripping Su Muran’s face off. She looked down on her, no? She told her that it’s impossible for her to get him, no? That she was a toad, a toad that never belonged with a swan, no? Fine then. She would show her. She would show her how a toad can devour a swan.
She tidied up her outfit and swaggered to Zhu Xianglan.
Zhu Xianglan, having been in the Su Family for more than ten years, naturally had her own circle and connections. She chatted amiably with some other upper-class women, introducing her daughter to them. Su Muran had behaved exceptionally well too. She had, after all, received excellent education since young, and there was a refined air to her. Plus, she was fairly famous too. Though she didn’t receive the award, it didn’t change the fact that she had starred in many TV dramas and movies, which made her a little more prestigious than the average upper-class children.
Zhu Xianglan chatted with the people around her for a little longer, but the appearance of a woman made her face darken. The fake smiles faded from her face. She couldn’t even be bothered to fake them anymore.
“Here I was wondering who it is. So it’s you, huh?”
Zhu Xianglan smiled, a smile that was clearly insincere.
“So what if it’s me? Are you the only one allowed here?” hissed an upper-class lady, her eyes roving from Zhu Xianglan to Su Muran. There was no love lost between her and the Su Family.
That included Su Muran, the woman who nearly stole her “daughter” (Yan Huan)’s Best Actress Award. With those poor acting skills? Who are you kidding?
