39. Dinner Party
It was obvious who it was. Su Liu didn't even turn his head and tried his best to launch an all-out attack on the food on the table.
While she was enjoying it, Vincent dragged Ansel over.
"Good evening, Miss Su Liu. I'm glad you can come to the dinner. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you with my useless brother."
Vincent smiled elegantly and casually, his golden hair shining in the light of the crystal chandelier like a shimmering river at dusk.
Su Liu knew very well that this was not an occasion he could adapt to.
"Although I don't want to embarrass the Ives family, I really don't know what to do at this time. Please bear with me." She was out of tune with everything here, like a little chicken that had infiltrated a group of noble lions.
"That's good to know. You are not from the same world as us. Go back to your hometown as soon as possible!" Ansel resisted with disgust.
Vincent's face darkened slightly, "Ansel, when did you become so mean?"
Ansel snorted coldly, looking down at Su Liu condescendingly, "Only in front of this ignorant country bumpkin!"
Su Liu didn't want to argue with him now. After all, she was just an invited guest, and there was no need to argue with Ansel in Ives's house.
But her retreat did not make Ansel shut up.
"I've seen a lot of women like you."
Ansel judged her critically.
"Those who pretend to be reserved are actually frivolous and hypocritical. Those who appear pure and kind are actually evil and dissolute. You only pretend to be gentle and harmless in front of us, but your virtues behind the scenes are simply disgusting."
Ansel grew angrier as he spoke, and slammed his fist on the table.
"You are all power-hungry, selfish liars who will do anything to achieve your goals! You are only attracted by our power, status, and wealth. If we lose these, you will run away faster than rabbits!"
Su Liu heard the deep resentment in his tone and blurted out: "Have you ever been hurt badly by a woman?"
Ansel's indignant expression suddenly froze.
Su Liu felt that he had guessed correctly, "You've been hurt by many women, right?"
Ansel: “…”
Su Liu's disgust turned into sympathy. "What did they deceive you about? Your body or your heart? God."
She covered her mouth, her eyes suddenly becoming soft and compassionate. "No wonder you're so hostile to women. You must have been deceived after giving your heart to them. So pitiful! I'll never argue with you again."
Ansel's face flushed red, and his expression was full of colors.
Vincent looked at the two of them and suddenly let out a muffled laugh.
Ansel was irritated by the laughter and yelled at Su Liu in anger.
"Don't think you know everything, you little country girl! You're still just one-sided. You're clearly desperate to get close to the Ives family, yet you're pretending to be so noble! If I gave you a chance, you'd want to strip naked and climb into my brothers' bed right away!"
The roar was high-pitched and sharp, and it instantly spread throughout the hall.
Many people had already noticed the commotion here, and now it attracted even more attention.
Su Liu could hear the low, contemptuous, and sarcastic laughter coming from all directions.
She also caught a glimpse of the noble ladies' gazes, some of which were filled with pity and curiosity, some with contempt and ridicule, and some simply with a desire to see the show, burning hotly around her.
She suddenly became the focus of the room, being stared at, talked about, and laughed at by everyone. The atmosphere was so heavy that it was suffocating.
Just then, the sound of footsteps broke this unusual situation.
"Sorry I'm late."
The heavy door was slowly opened, and Admiral Ives, who had not yet taken off his military uniform, strode straight towards Su Liu.
He walked across the long hall, ignoring the fawning smiles of all the nobles until he stood in front of Su Liu.
"Something unexpected happened right before I got off work, so I couldn't get back in time. It's my fault. However, it's my honor that you were invited here."
Su Liu knew that the admiral was expressing his attitude: she was his guest and could not be mocked at will.
But how should she tell the admiral that she really couldn't adapt to such an occasion?
Huo Jie's gaze shifted from Su Liu to his younger brother, "Ansel."
Ansel had kept his head down since the moment he came in, and felt a chill on his neck after hearing the cold shout.
"Brother, brother."
"I have something to discuss with you. Come to my study." Huo Jie said calmly, then put on a gentler face and said to Su Liu, "See you later."
Su Liu nodded passively, then watched the two of them leave one after another.
"Ansel is most afraid of Huo Jie," Vincent asked humorously, "Do you want to peek under the door and watch Ansel being trained like a dog?"
Su Liu picked up the plate and said, "I'd rather have more dessert."
This was a disguised form of expulsion, and Vincent was hurt. "You seem to prefer Huo Jie, that cold stone?"
Cold and icy?
Su Liu felt that this view was not quite accurate. "The Admiral is very gentle."
Vincent's expression became very strange, as if he had heard some fairy tale, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak several times.
Forget it, if they can really become a family in the future, Su Liu will be so shocked by that guy’s true face that his world view will be shattered.
Another guest came up to chat, and Vincent let Su Liu do as he pleased.
Su Liu held the small cake, but had no desire to eat it.
When the Admiral came in just now, she paid special attention to his arms.
It was just covered by clothes, so the extent of the injury could not be seen.
At least she had to make sure that the admiral had no scars, otherwise she really couldn't feel at ease.
During the dinner, Huo Jie came out of the study and talked with others in the audience.
Su Liu was enjoying the fresh air on the balcony and saw the admiral handling everyone with ease.
Be indifferent but polite enough, neither lowering your posture nor making the guests feel uncomfortable.
Unlike her, who grew up in a poor countryside, the admiral was born with everything. The abundance of material and spiritual things made him always calm, decent, noble and confident.
The cold wind blew, and Su Liu's mind became a little clearer.
Don't think too much.
She was not one for deep thought.
After the dinner, the guests left one after another.
Huo Jie finally had time to see Su Liu at this time, and he also brought a piece of her favorite cake.
"My original intention was to get you more familiar with the Ives family, but I didn't expect Ansel to embarrass you in public. He will apologize to you tomorrow morning and promise that it won't happen again."
It was a private apology, not a public surrender.
The Ives family would not easily bow to ordinary civilians, even if they were indeed at fault.
Huo Jie felt guilty towards Su Liu for this and had even thought about how to make it up to her.
However, Su Liu did not ask for a public apology.
"I didn't expect him to say sorry to me, but if I could really see his expression of being unconvinced but having to apologize, I would feel extremely refreshed."
Huo Jie tried to discern her micro-expressions, but found that she really didn't mean anything sarcastic.
"You're not angry?"
Su Liu leaned on the railing, staring at him with a smile.
"Admiral, I've been used to being looked down upon ever since I can remember."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
