Shi Jin had already reached Madam Ouyang's side and was intimately linking arms with her.
She smiled gently and brightly, "Qiaoqiao, I didn't expect to run into you at a place like this. Which artist did you bring to perform today?"
The words that came out carried a subtle, ambiguous tone, as if I wasn't worthy of attending such a high-society social event.
"Jin'er, Miss Sheng is a guest of the Xu family." Madam Ouyang raised her eyebrows, glaring at Shi Jin with displeasure, her tone serious.
Shi Jin's smile froze slightly. "Oh, I see."
Madam Ouyang: "You told me before that if you had the chance to meet Miss Sheng again, you would definitely apologize to her sincerely for what happened at the last banquet. Now is the perfect opportunity."
Upon hearing this, I was quite surprised. Madam Ouyang actually remembered the time when Shi Jin slandered me and even made her apologize to me again.
However, what Shi Jin said to her was clearly just to appease her; she had no intention of sincerely apologizing to me.
Shi Jin: "Qiao Qiao, I'm sorry. I was blinded by greed last time... Although you spilled a cup of coffee on me later, well, it's still my fault. I'm sorry!"
Sure enough, while she reluctantly apologized, she also secretly told Madam Ouyang that I had splashed water on her again later.
I glanced at her and didn't mince words. "Of course it's your fault. Who told you to provoke me first? For Madam Ouyang's sake, I won't stoop to your level."
Hearing my words, Shi Jin's eyes widened, but she looked angry but dared not speak out, and she curled her lips.
Madam Ouyang smiled, her face kind and gentle, and looked at my face. "Miss Sheng, I apologize again."
I recalled her with a sincere smile.
Unlike the arrogance of ordinary noblewomen, Madam Ouyang was able to treat everyone equally.
She and Shi Jin went behind a screen to the side. Just as I was about to leave, Madam Ouyang's voice came—
"Jin'er, I hope you remember this lesson and don't hurt yourself and others because of a man you can't have."
"...You need to focus on your own growth. Only when you become strong can you attract more outstanding people, instead of relying on your background, status, or means to coerce or entice them."
"The person you get that way isn't a good person either."
Listening to her earnest words to Shi Jin, I was stunned and felt a deep sense of respect.
She is truly a woman with sound values. She doesn't aid and abet evil, and she is also reasonable. Her teaching of Shi Jin is also out of genuine hope that Shi Jin will be well.
I couldn't help but recall Ms. Dai's previous teachings to me: it doesn't matter if you're uneducated or incompetent; just marry whoever you like, because you have the Sheng family to back you up.
...
Mrs. Xu invited everyone to her garden to admire and arrange flowers.
Autumn has arrived in Beijing; the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the sky outside is clear and blue.
Under the awning, the dining table was covered with a European-style vintage tablecloth. Some of the wealthy ladies were picking flowers, while others were arranging them.
I overheard from their casual conversation that Mr. Ouyang rose to power through his wife's connections. Despite appearing to be a virtuous and capable wife, Mrs. Ouyang is actually the de facto head of the Ouyang Group.
Ouyang is also her own surname.
To put it bluntly, Mr. Ouyang was a son-in-law who married into the family.
"Ouyang, you're the designer, come over and give your feedback on everyone's flower arrangements!"
Hearing Madam Xu's voice, I looked up and saw Madam Ouyang wearing a sun hat, walking towards me with a leisurely and carefree gait, holding a common roadside foxtail grass in her hand.
In stark contrast to her aristocratic image, she exudes an approachable charm.
Shi Jin followed behind her.
She walked to the long dining table and admired everyone's work. "Jin'er, tell me what you think?"
Shi Jin, dressed in a sleeveless white dress and wearing a lace-trimmed hat, tilted her chin slightly in a haughty manner. After looking around, she began to speak eloquently.
"The works of the ladies are impeccable in terms of lines, colors and materials. They are exquisite, vivid and elegant."
After she finished speaking, she walked to my side and said, "Qiaoqiao, you lived in a wealthy family for more than 20 years. Didn't you learn flower arranging? This arrangement... I have a hard time judging it."
Shi Jin looked at my work and seemed to look down on it.
Flower arranging is a must-learn skill for wealthy ladies and socialites, and of course I have studied it.
I smiled and said, “Miss Shi, when I was learning flower arranging at a wealthy family, you were probably still selling flowers on the street to make a living. Aesthetic sense is a very personal thing; it’s just a matter of personal taste.”
We're both orphans. I really don't know where she gets her sense of superiority from me. Is she showing off that she has two adoptive parents who are the richest in Asia?
Shi Jin looked at Madam Ouyang with a wronged expression after I retorted.
Madam Ouyang, however, was looking at the artwork on my table.
The other ladies used high-end vintage vases, paired with flowers that were colorful and exquisitely painted.
I used a white plate with floral foam, made from wildflowers from the garden. The first layer was green pompoms around the edge, the second layer was goldenrod, and the third layer was blue larkspur, arranged in a staggered pattern. Finally, I interspersed white daisies for decoration.
Nature and wildness.
“Qiaoqiao is right. Aesthetic sense is a very personal thing, and there is no standard,” Madam Ouyang said, walking towards me as she spoke.
"I really like this natural-themed dish of yours. It's so lively and rustic, just like the wildflowers and grasses along the path in this little garden," she said, looking at me with a smile in her eyes.
“Jin’er, you’ve forgotten again. The essence of flower arrangement is to embody the naturalness of ‘though made by man, it seems as if created by nature.’” She then looked at Shi Jin and reminded her.
Shi Jin smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Mom, I remember."
Without realizing it, I met her gaze. She glared at me, and I fearlessly rolled my eyes back at her.
Mrs. Xu invited everyone to continue drinking flower tea and chatting.
Around noon, lunch preparations began, and everyone returned to the villa.
I went to the restroom, which was reserved for guests and designed to rival a five-star hotel, with several partitions.
“Dad… I’m still a guest at the Xu family’s house, and Mom is outside. It’s not appropriate to be here… What about the bathroom… Someone could come in at any time…”
"That's more exciting! Pull down your underwear!"
The moment I opened the bathroom partition door, I seemed to hear Shi Jin's voice, as well as a deep male voice!
Realizing the meaning of the conversation, I was so shocked that I dared not breathe, covered my mouth, and sat motionless on the toilet.
That male voice sounds like Mr. Ouyang!
He and Shi Jin...
"Move the phone again, I can't see clearly..."
"Play by yourself and show me..."
"Dad... um..."
Hearing the ambiguous, seductive moans of the woman, I was shocked, and my scalp tingled.
Shi Jin is having an affair with her adoptive father, Mr. Ouyang, and they are currently flirting via video call... right here in a guest's bathroom!
That's insane!
The foul language kept assaulting my ears. Then I remembered something and quietly turned on the recorder.
A thought popped into his mind: Since Shi Jin is Ouyang's lover, why is he forcing Fu Yanshen to marry Shi Jin?
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