"Cheng Guangxu, can't you say something nice?" Miao Xinyue glared at him. This guy had been belittling her the whole way. How could she be his senior? He was so disrespectful.
"I was wrong, senior, I was wrong, okay? I promise I'll stay by your side and protect you every step of the way." Cheng Guangxu raised his hands and swore an oath before the matter was considered closed.
Zhang Hongmei looked at Zhao Haozheng. This guy had really matured a lot lately. He just sat there with a smile, but he couldn't be ignored. He didn't talk as much as before; he was much more composed.
Zhao Hao saw Zhang Hongmei looking at him and smiled, "Hongmei, we made a profit, really, and the profit is very substantial."
"Hehe, I knew it. Why are you so happy?"
“Yesterday, Wyattroy came to my company. He was furious about the invitation from the McCann family, saying they were being unfair.”
"Heh." What could I say? Besides, what did my business have to do with them?
“He said he’d come over tonight; he wants to talk to Carlos McKen,” Zhao Hao said with a smile.
Zhang Hongmei rolled her eyes inelegantly, thinking, "A bunch of mentally unstable people."
"Uncle Zhao, if you're worried about Aunt Wang, you can go back first after dinner, and I'll arrange for someone to take us."
Zhao Tiancheng shook his head, "No need, your Aunt Wang is doing well. She even told me to bring you back. She said she couldn't sleep all night without you at home."
"Hehe. Me too, it's never as comfortable outside as it is at home. Okay, you guys sit down, I'm going upstairs to change my clothes, someone will be here soon."
Zhang Hongmei went upstairs with a smile, feeling much better.
I changed into a formal dress and styled my hair in a bun. I didn't know how to do anything else and didn't want to rely on others. I put on a matching red butterfly hair clip, and I immediately felt much more energetic.
I'll probably be shaking hands with a lot of people soon, so I'd better wear gloves. It's not really a matter of politeness; they're just accessories for the dress. After changing, I put the gold jewelry box—it's made of purple agate—into my handbag. I'll see if Anne can wear it later.
After everything was tidied up, they left the room and sat in the small hall, waiting for Huang Meihua and Annie.
"Mom, are Uncle and the others here?"
"Yes, they're here, downstairs. Why don't you go change your clothes first? Here's some jewelry I gave you, see if you like it."
Zhang Hongmei opened the box and showed it to Annie.
"What a beautiful purple! Does Mom know I like purple?"
"Hehe, Mom really didn't know, but I like this color, so I chose this one. You change your clothes in a bit, and we'll try it on. If it looks good, we'll wear it."
"Oh, Mom, why didn't you wear a necklace?"
"I don't like jewelry."
At this moment, Huang Meihua also came over. "Hongmei, it's better to wear them. Accessories are worn outside of clothes. Even if you don't like them, it's for others to see. And the ring, you can wear it over your gloves. It's fine if you can't wear earrings, but why don't you have pierced ears?"
"Okay, I'll wear the necklace, but I'll skip the ring. I'm afraid of getting hurt, and I don't like earrings."
Huang Meihua sighed, "Of all the girls I know, you're the only one who doesn't like jewelry. But you're naturally beautiful, so not wearing these accessories won't affect you."
"Thank you for your compliment." Zhang Hongmei went back, put on the necklace, and came out. After a while, the maid came out holding Annie's hand.
Zhang Hongmei picked up the agate jewelry and put it on Annie's head. It was just as beautiful as she had imagined. The jewelry was for a child, so it looked especially adorable.
Huang Meihua said with a smile, "It's really nice, I'll wear this one."
"Does it look good? I'm going to look in the mirror." Annie ran off.
Both of them laughed; this child was too vain.
The noise below grew louder, and more and more people arrived. This venue was a large hall specifically for receiving guests, so relatively speaking, this was the quietest place.
Eileen and Helen came up and said, "Mom, you should go down now." They nodded to Zhang Hongmei after saying that.
Zhang Hongmei smiled.
"Alright, Hongmei, you and Annie wait here for a while. Someone will come to invite you. I'll go downstairs to greet the guests."
"You go ahead with your work, I can take care of Annie."
Zhang Hongmei coaxed Annie to sit on the sofa and read. After a while, the housekeeper brought over a photographer. "Miss, the master instructed that you and Miss Annie should be photographed first."
Zhang Hongmei had no objections; in fact, she wanted to show Zhang Shouyi a photo of herself in formal attire.
The two took dozens of photos in the living room and the game room.
The matter only ended when the maid came to fetch the photographer. Women really have no immunity to these things, regardless of age.
"Sir, I need a large photo of my daughter and me to hang in my bedroom," Annie said hurriedly as the photographer was about to leave.
"Sir, wash two different ones, two large ones."
The photographer nodded. He was a little dissatisfied; he hadn't taken enough photos yet. It was rare to have such beautiful models in front of the camera, so why couldn't he have his fill? But he immediately thought that they would definitely come down soon, and then there would be more scenes, allowing him to enjoy himself to the fullest.
So he left with a smile. His requests were, of course, fulfilled.
The two continued reading. Annie's sweet, childlike voice was still very pleasant to listen to, which was why Zhang Hongmei had asked her to read to her.
It was already dark when the maid who was taking care of them turned on the light. "That's enough, Annie, take a rest. Are you hungry? Would you like a glass of milk?"
"Okay, I'm a little thirsty."
Zhang Hongmei laughed, "Of course I get thirsty while reading."
The two of them each had a cup of hot milk and sat on the sofa, slowly drinking it.
Suddenly, they heard music. The banquet must have started. They figured they'd be there soon. They rinsed their mouths, tidied themselves up again, and felt perfectly ready before they were at ease.
Whether you're willing or not is one thing, but you can't embarrass yourself, that would be very awkward.
This time, it was the butler who came to invite you. "Miss, the master is waiting for you downstairs. He needs to take you into the venue."
Zhang Hongmei thought the "Mr." the housekeeper was referring to must be Beth McKen. She went downstairs and saw that it really was him.
"Let's go, ladies!"
They were still arm in arm with Beth Macken and holding hands with Annie, a striking combination indeed. As they entered the venue, the only sound was music, and everyone was stunned. This young lady from the Macken family was just too beautiful!
Although she was without makeup, the beauty she possessed, accentuated by the red, instantly evoked a sense of solemnity in people's hearts.
Zhang Hongmei maintained a smile as she linked arms with Beth McKen, polite yet not distant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com