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?"