2. Beautiful Friend
The three of them arrived at the banquet hall entrance. With Lin Yang as their host, they didn't need to show their badges. A row of young women in black suits stood up at the check-in desk to greet them, all beaming.
Vivian couldn't help but think: That's great.
It's great to be rich. It's not just about being rich; it's about being rich, young, smart, and having a family to rely on. They're admired wherever they go. It's great.
Vivian's life wasn't anything bad; to outsiders, it seemed smooth and respectable. A graduate of a prestigious university, she'd managed to save enough to afford her studies abroad, with her parents even squeezing in six figures for her to live on. As an ordinary urban family, her parents had done their best. After starting work, she wasn't exactly frugal, but she always lived within her means. Over the years, she'd saved enough for a down payment on a small house, a feat she'd exhausted.
Outsiders didn't know this. To others, she was one of those mass-produced urban girls in skyscrapers, with a respectable education, a glamorous job, and impeccable manners. Often, she herself would forget to remove the mask, as if that smile were permanently welded to her face, and removing it would only blur it into a bloody mess.
From school to work, she earned everything on her own, unable to slack off for a moment or risk falling. Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, suddenly realizing she was still living in a dilapidated apartment with a seven-figure mortgage to pay, and she would sigh.
*
Lin Yang and Feng Simiao chatted affectionately off to the side, occasionally greeting the guests. Vivian was idle. Fortunately, the time had arrived. The bell chimed, signaling the start of the dinner. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, clenched her shoulder blades, and, with her shoulders lowered and her head held high, she entered the venue.
It was another performance for her. Even if no one was paying attention.
Lin Yang is indeed a perfect boyfriend. He not only takes care of Feng Simiao, but also cares about her friends. He and Feng Simiao naturally sat at the main table. The main table is for distinguished guests or family members, so it is not convenient to arrange them. However, Lin Yang deliberately arranged her to sit closest to the main table.
This was certainly a good seat, but the table was full of strangers, and they had to make an effort to greet each other, otherwise there would be the risk of an awkward silence. Vivian had been smiling gracefully, chatting quietly with her neighbors, but she was very nervous inside.
Socializing with strangers is definitely a drain on her, as she is actually an introvert.
Fortunately, not long after the meal started, Feng Simiao quietly left the table and came over to squeeze into the same chair with her, gossiping quietly. Her uncomfortable mood was slightly smoothed out.
Maybe this is also the charm of rich people?
The wealthy people Vivian encountered were generally somewhat endearing, not the overbearing second-generation rich. Feng Simiao, for example, never bossed her around, always considerate without being overly demanding. Whenever the two of them went out for dinner or drinks, Feng Simiao would calmly pay the bill for anything expensive. For more affordable items, he would simply say, "It's your turn to treat me today."
Vivian knew that this was out of consideration for her.
Even when dining with Lin Yang, Feng Simiao would pack a portion for her even though she was still working overtime. A small box of sushi cost hundreds of yuan. Vivian meticulously photographed the photo, and the accompanying text deliberately expressed a sense of relaxation:
Leg day, indulgent meal.
The background is a bag that looks random, but at a carefully chosen angle, half of the logo is visible. This store is famous for being expensive.
Sure enough, someone in the comments got it, "Wow, even the fitness meals are Nishiki!"
She was satisfied and replied:
Occasionally
She knew that to be likable today, she needed to humble herself. The image of a superior persona was long since despised. She needed to demonstrate a standard of living that ordinary people could only reach by standing on tiptoe, while also maintaining an air of indifference.
Like a born rich girl, comfortable and relaxed.
At the time, Vivian didn't realize she was unconsciously copying Feng Simiao's life. But that wasn't her real life at all. The two of them had been parallel lines, never intersecting. It was only because she was hardworking and not stupid that these two people with such different destinies ended up sitting at the same table, drinking coffee.
She is not a golden girl like Feng Simiao.
She's just a gilded fake.
*
"Hey, Vivian, look over there, the second table on the right," Feng Simiao nudged her with his elbow, "the one wearing a white shirt."
"Please, there are at least two hundred men in white shirts at this event, and there are four at each table, miss."
"Haha, that's right. Of course I'll only show you the most outstanding one."
"Well, it does look good."
"Then...will I introduce them to you later?"
"What are you doing?"
"Just getting to know a handsome guy." At this time, Lin Yang came over and pulled his girlfriend to each table to toast. Feng Simiao winked at her and said, "Old Lin's friend, we have done due diligence, so there is no need to worry."
Lin Yang and Feng Simiao walked side by side towards the banquet tables. They were young, respectable, well-mannered, and well-mannered. They were truly a perfect match.
A moment later, they walked towards Vivian's table, followed by the man in the white shirt.
"This is Eric," Feng Simiao said, acting like a hostess. "This is my good friend Vivian, also my former colleague."
Eric bowed and extended his hand: "Nice to meet you."
Vivian squeezed his fingers.
Seeing that both of them were reserved, Feng Simiao said hurriedly: "You two should get along very well. You are both artistic all day long."
Weiweian gently hit Feng Simiao's arm: "Don't curse. 'Literary' is not a good word nowadays."
Eric took over the conversation smoothly: "Have you seen Chiharu Shiota recently?"
Vivian thought it was funny: Keep pretending.
But she still smiled and answered him: "Not yet in time."
"If you have time, why don't we go together?"
Vivian looked up and met his smiling eyes. His white linen shirt was half-new, two buttons undone, and wrinkled at the elbows. If anyone else looked like this, Vivian would definitely call him slovenly, but somehow, he looked so comfortable in this outfit that it was indescribable.
She had to admit that this person was really beautiful.
It took a while for Vivian to react, and she suspected he could see that she was a little dazed, so she quickly replied, "Okay, I don't understand, I was just looking around."
"Is that a deal?" He took out his cell phone sleekly.
She quickly swiped away the message on her phone and asked him to scan the code. After a soft beep, he still stood there, not moving. She looked at him with a hint of doubt, and he smiled and said, "I need to see if you accept my friend request before I leave. If you do, I'm afraid I'll never find you again."
He was just a smooth-talking young man. But her heart skipped a beat, as if it were being gently pinched by a small hand.
She lowered her head and clicked "Pass", shook her phone at him, glanced at Feng Simiao who was surrounded by people in the distance, picked up her coat and bag, and quietly left the banquet hall.
*
She rarely leaves an event early because the second half of such an event is the most interesting.
The first half of the event consisted of the official agenda, with speeches from leaders, performances, and raffles—all quite dull. The free time was when the real socializing began. People who weren't familiar with each other would toast each other, while acquaintances or friends would chat quietly or arrange for a second round, and then quickly depart. Those who couldn't leave together would feign unfamiliarity and leave separately, reuniting somewhere outside the hotel.
That was the most fun part for her. Otherwise, she wouldn't bother to dress up, put on a smile, and listen to the boring speeches that people on the stage thought were humorous or wise.
Now, after just three rounds of drinks, she hurriedly left because someone had already asked her to go to the second round. Eric was indeed handsome and seemed to be knowledgeable and interesting, but for Vivian today, a man's appearance was not that important.
She warned herself that at 33, time was flying, and she had to run faster to possess or keep something. She didn't have time to flirt or have a sweet romance with someone who was just handsome.
By this time she had arrived at the Peninsula Hotel late at night.
///
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