Jiang Siyan was brought into this gathering with great fanfare, and Su Er was just a guest. Naturally, when their eyes met, she gave him a gentle and faint smile.
She was an outstanding graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, and she could portray even feigned emotions with utmost sincerity.
Amidst the sycophantic clamor, those eyes, gleaming like obsidian, added considerable credibility to that seemingly sincere smile.
Especially when paired with her sallow complexion, Jiang Siyan could actually discern a touch of rustic simplicity in the curve of her lips.
He smiled, noting that the sun had been shining brightly in the northern part of the city for the past two days.
Under the flickering lamplight, eyes lingered for a few seconds before quickly shifting away, like a sudden collision of gazes on a pedestrian crossing when the green light turns on. Pedestrians hurried along, each with their own way to go, nothing worth paying attention to.
As the crowd prepared to sit down again, Su Er lowered her eyes. Did she really expect someone to say, "Oh, I've seen you before," after that fleeting spark that night?
Moreover, having finally gotten a moment of free time, she wished she could stand there quietly like the porcelain vase beside her, simply serving as a decoration.
"Siyan, come, come, sit here." Tang Yonghao warmly invited, offering up the seat of honor.
The sound of footsteps brought with it a gentle breeze carrying the chill of spring dew, which momentarily cleared her drunken mind.
Su Er thought to herself, "This is so good. It would be best if I could focus all my attention on this Mr. Jiang and have some peace and quiet for a while."
However, things often don't go as planned.
Jiang Siyan stopped in his tracks, his well-defined knuckles tapping lightly twice on the back of the chair beside her, and asked, "Is someone here?"
There was still half-eaten matsutake soup in the white porcelain bowl, and it didn't look like anyone was sitting there at all. It was obviously a rhetorical question.
Su Er's eyelids twitched, and before she could even open her mouth, someone else answered, "No, no."
As soon as he finished speaking, the tableware on the table was neatly removed and replaced with a brand new set.
The waiters here are better at understanding people's feelings than those in other places.
The whole room was filled with people who were blatantly lying to him.
The large round table, despite the addition of a seat, did not feel crowded at all. Lin Shuqin's seat was separated from hers, and she had to figure out many things on her own.
Su Er glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering how to naturally suggest switching seats with Tang Yonghao. She had offended him earlier, so it wouldn't be bad to take the opportunity to be attentive to him.
However, Jiang Siyan did not give her that chance.
As soon as he sat down, he casually raised an eyebrow and asked, "Uncle, won't you sit?"
Tang Yonghao smiled warmly and gestured to everyone, "Sit down, everyone sit down."
Su Er sat down without really understanding what was going on.
Su Er kept her head down, trying her best to minimize her presence.
In order not to affect Tang Yonghao's occasional glances at Jiang Siyan, she barely touched her chopsticks, keeping her back straight, almost as if she were pressed against the back of the chair.
The dinner was even more lively than before Jiang Siyan arrived. Every few sentences, people would mention "Mr. Jiang" in their greetings, as if afraid of inadvertently neglecting him.
Su Er scooped up a spoonful of the now-cold soup and put it in her mouth. Suddenly, she remembered the phrase "Your Majesty" that was used so often in period dramas. She used to think it was exaggerated, but now she realized that it was even more so.
After going around in circles, Su Er should have finally understood the true identity and status of the person sitting next to her.
In short, it's exactly the same impression left from that night; it all boils down to just a few words—
We can't afford to mess with them.
Thinking of this, she subtly pulled her elbows in further.
Jiang Siyan leaned back in his chair, taking in all of those little movements.
Perhaps it was a remark made during the meal that pleased him, for Jiang Siyan pressed down on the base of the glass with his knuckles and gently swirled it. The faint chuckle that escaped from the tip of his nose drifted along with the wine clinging to the glass, drop by drop, into Su Er's ears.
She prided herself on having a good alcohol tolerance, but at this moment she was truly out of her mind due to drunkenness.
Taking advantage of Jiang Siyan's good complexion, Tang Yonghao, like a considerate elder, asked him a few trivial questions about his life.
After a few words, he lost his patience, waved his hand and said impatiently, "Just treat me as a guest at your drinking party."
Su Er scoffed inwardly at the thought that no one would dare treat him as a mere guest.
But once those words were spoken, naturally no one wanted to offend him anymore.
She wasn't the only girl sitting at the table; most of them, in this quiet moment, very tactfully offered a toast to the person next to them.
Only Su Er poked at a piece of beef that had just been given to her with her chopsticks, occasionally dipping it in sauce and pretending to put it in her mouth.
Lin Shuqin covered her mouth and coughed lightly.
Su Er's eyelashes trembled slightly. She tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, gripped her wine glass, and smiled just like the other girls present, saying, "Mr. Tang, I'd like to toast you."
The private room fell silent. Everyone at the table had been competing for fame and fortune for many years.
Why did Jiang Siyan not sit in the main seat? Was it just a whim, or was it simply because he liked the seat... or was it because of the person next to him?
Before figuring out Jiang Siyan's intentions, who would want to provoke him?
But after a few rounds of drinks, apart from the seat I chose at the beginning, nothing seemed particularly special.
Someone mustered up the courage to joke, "Mr. Tang, this wine is strong, don't tire Miss Su out."
The sarcasm was obvious to everyone, but the people at the table scrutinized Jiang Siyan and saw no sign of displeasure.
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