Xia Qianchi followed Shen Xinghao and Lei Xi in silence. They led her into the side hall, which was mostly filled with Hai Xin’s students. At a glance, she saw Xing Tuo and An Qi.
An Qi wore a fire-red, form-fitting dress that trailed on the floor, her slender and curvaceous figure accentuated by her exquisite makeup, making her look beautiful and charming. Standing next to Xing Tuo, they looked like a perfect couple.
They are a couple, she thought, carefully suppressing her disappointment. She wore a simple, off-white cocktail dress prepared by Lei Xi, her long hair casually tied back, her face bare of makeup. Among the glamorously dressed crowd, she was like a gardenia flower standing alone among various famous blooms – fresh, elegant, and unremarkable. Yet her sudden appearance still caused quite a stir.
“Is that Xia Qianchi…”
“Why is she here?”
“She actually dared to come? An Qi is here too…”
“…”
Shen Xinghao gave Xing Yun a meaningful glance. Xing Yun immediately set down her crystal glass and walked towards the main hall, soon returning with Xing Shiyao.
“Qianchi!”
Xia Qianchi looked up and saw Xing Yun and her father. “Dad,” she called.
Xing Shiyao nodded, asking, “How is your mother?”
“She’s fine,” was her only response. Their relationship had been reduced to this perfunctory greeting. She felt a twinge of sadness, wondering how many years it had been since they’d last met.
A strong smell of alcohol rushed towards her, and she immediately came to her senses, turning to wipe away the words on the glass with a slight panic on her face. But it was too late; he had already seen them and laughed: “It turns out I’m not the only one with wandering thoughts.”
Her face turned red, and just as she was about to explain, Xing Tuo put his index finger to his lips and made a gesture for her to be quiet.
He stared at her, then suddenly reached out and embraced her, burying his head deep in the crook of her neck. Her body immediately stiffened, not daring to move, suddenly finding it hard to breathe: “You…”
