Qin Xiaoyu knew that A Lei would definitely come that night. He was secretly hoping to see her make a fool of herself, so she decided to let him see as much as he wanted.
This time, instead of combing her hair up, she combed it straight down, letting it fall along her face, then gathered it up below her ears, rolled it back, and then coiled it up.
This hairstyle is more gentle and suits her graceful temperament better.
Her skin was naturally fair and radiant, and she rarely wore makeup when she lived in the north. Now in humid Hong Kong, she's even skipped skincare. This time, she went completely bare-faced, even foregoing lipstick.
When Qin Xiaoyu stood in front of the mirror after changing into a cheongsam, she was startled by her own reaction.
Her naturally willow-leaf eyebrows were delicately arched, her eyes were bright and clear with an indescribable melancholy, and her lips were a natural pale pink.
Paired with this simple yet luxurious cheongsam, she looks like a fairy from the moon palace, untouched by worldly affairs.
It is spiritual, yet cold and unapproachable.
She took a pair of diamond teardrop earrings from her suitcase, put them on, and they looked like two glistening teardrops, a perfect finishing touch.
Just thinking about A Lei's wide-eyed expression made Qin Xiaoyu feel like she had gotten half of her revenge. She picked up her handbag and stormed out of the room.
Judging from the astonished yet envious looks of passersby, she was successful.
Zhu Jiujiu didn't just send a car over; he himself was part of the car.
He got out of the car and opened the door himself. When he saw Qin Xiaoyu, his eyes lit up.
"I've prepared a set of jewelry, but I'm not sure if it'll suit me. Xiaoyu, do you think I should wear it?" Zhu Jiudi said humbly.
Qin Xiaoyu opened the box and glanced inside. It was a set of pearls, all of them perfectly round and of the highest quality. However, they didn't match her outfit. Even Zhu Jiudi, with his discerning eye, could tell that, which is why he asked the question without much confidence.
"Thank you, Ninth Brother. That's all for now, I won't take any more." Qin Xiaoyu thanked him with a smile.
When they arrived at the banquet, Qin Xiaoyu paused at the door. Zhu Jiujiu was the main character today, and going in with him could easily cause misunderstandings, especially if the hostess was there.
But Zhu Jiuyi took her arm without saying a word and strode inside, leaving her no chance to refuse.
As soon as they arrived at the door, they were bombarded with flashes of light.
Qin Xiaoyu tried her best to keep smiling, but her face was stiff. It took a while before the reporters let her go, and she was finally able to see everyone present clearly.
At this moment, she had become the focus of the entire audience. An unfamiliar face with classical Eastern beauty, it was hard not to notice her.
"Little one, is that you? I haven't seen you for a while, I thought you weren't coming!" Third Sister walked out of the crowd and took Qin Xiaoyu over.
Qin Xiaoyu spotted A Lei not far away at a glance. Was his face pale?
Is he really that jealous?
Having avenged her great grudge, she immediately forgot her cold and aloof persona and began to harbor mischievous thoughts.
"Emma, I heard Alex has many girlfriends, which one is the prettiest?" Qin Xiaoyu nitpicked.
"You're the prettiest, and there's another Greek girl who's pretty too, but she's not as smart as you; she's a fool." Third Sister's words never held back.
A Lei's face turned even uglier.
“I also think it’s a step forward that he found you,” Fifth Sister added, delivering another jab.
Qin Xiaoyu suspected that everyone in their family was a Scorpio, and that they were going further and further down the path of being cunning and scheming.
"Unfortunately, that's not what he thinks." Qin Xiaoyu smiled gloatingly.
"Did you two have a fight?" Third Sister started gossiping. "No wonder you didn't come together today."
"We don't need to argue, because we don't even need to argue in our relationship."
When Qin Xiaoyu finished speaking, A Lei's eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
“We really have no relationship, not even friends.” A Lei walked over with a wine glass and joined their conversation.
"Is that just a friend from the bedroom?" The third sister gave a knowing look.
"No, not at all," Qin Xiaoyu said arrogantly.
“I know the problem! More than a year has passed, and A Lei still hasn’t managed to get you into bed! Good heavens! What a failure.” Fifth Sister shook her head repeatedly, looking at A Lei with pity.
This should have been the moment when A Lei was most humiliated, but why didn't Qin Xiaoyu feel any pleasure from the revenge?
She didn't even dare to look A Lei in the eye. Was their relationship really as simple as she claimed?
“There’s absolutely no relationship between us. I don’t even deserve to be her friend.” A Lei’s voice was cold, like a pronouncement.
Qin Xiaoyu prayed in her heart, "You big fool, please stop talking. I was wrong, okay?"
"I'll borrow Xiaoyu for a bit, I'll return her in a little while." Zhu Jiujiu came over and rescued Qin Xiaoyu.
"It's too stuffy in here, let's go get some fresh air." Zhu Jiujiu led her upstairs to the second floor.
Everyone was on the first floor; the second floor was empty. Qin Xiaoyu walked to the window, and she felt like she was about to cry.
She needs to be alone for a while.
"Xiaoyu, I want to say a few words to you." Zhu Jiudi's voice was somewhat abrupt, and Qin Xiaoyu's heart was filled with alarm.
"There are many guests downstairs, Mr. Zhu, please go down and greet them. I'm fine, I can stay here by myself for a while."
“Let me finish. I’ve lived for thirty years and consider myself a carefree person, living according to my own heart and not wanting to be responsible for anything. But after meeting you, I suddenly want to have something to hold me back, to take care of someone. I know you still have entanglements with that big lawyer, and as long as you don’t agree to be with him, I still have a chance. Right?”
"No, you have no chance. There's no room for anyone in my heart." Qin Xiaoyu didn't want to give him any hope and simply closed the door.
"What about time? Will you give me that?"
"No." Qin Xiaoyu said and strode downstairs, her steps unsteady. Unexpectedly, she looked up and met A Lei's gaze.
"Why did you come up here too?" Qin Xiaoyu felt like she had been caught in the act.
"I'm sorry for coming at the wrong time." A Lei's eyes were cold as he turned and retreated.
"We are just..."
“You don’t need to explain to me! You have no obligation to explain to me. You said we have no relationship,” Are added after pausing.
"Okay, I have no obligation, we have no relationship." Qin Xiaoyu suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart, as if something had just been cut away with a dull knife, a tearing pain.
She returned to the banquet, but A Lei was gone. Her third and fifth sisters were chatting with different people.
The room was filled with unfamiliar faces, all looking at her with admiration, jealousy, and naked desire. Qin Xiaoyu felt bewildered and helpless.
Zhu Jiujiu didn't come down; could it be that he was also affected by the setback?
Jealousy truly drives people mad. Only now does she realize what she has done. She not only hurt A Lei, but also a complete stranger, Zhu Jiu.
What a foolish woman. It seems all of A Lei's women are the same kind of people. How much smarter is she than the others? She's just as ignorant and vain!
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