Chapter 23 So many fish to choose from.
The newcomer's voice carried a hint of laughter. Sheng Yi turned her head in confusion and saw a man in a sharp suit standing beside her.
When they met each other's gaze, the smile on the other person's face widened even further.
But...do they know each other?
Seemingly noticing the confusion in her eyes, the man leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Xiao You."
Oh! So this is the friend Xiaoyou was talking about!
Her thick eyelashes fluttered, and Sheng Yi's eyes overflowed with uncontrollable joy. She softly mouthed, "Where is she?"
Yan Shen coughed lightly, looked away, and said, "She's busy."
"Oh." Sheng Yi had actually anticipated this outcome, and couldn't quite say whether she felt disappointed or not.
She came here hoping to make some connections, but it backfired spectacularly. If she stays any longer, people will probably stop paying attention to her. Maybe she should make an excuse to leave? She doesn't even know if she can leave early.
She glanced around and noticed that the once quiet corner was now filled with people coming and going.
It seems that people from all walks of life have a gossipy heart.
By now, she could easily guess that this event wasn't a place you could just pay to get into. Wen Shili's presence was the strongest evidence of the identities of the other guests present.
And the fact that she's here is a mystery; I don't know where things went wrong.
Fortunately, after Yan Shen's interruption, Wen Shili seemed to have no intention of making things difficult for her anymore. The furrowed brows seemed to be just her imagination.
At this moment, his face was calm, and he even put away his lazy expression, reverting to the dazzling superstar in everyone's eyes.
Yan Shen's lips curled slightly, and his face suddenly took on a sinister look.
While Sheng Yi was still in a daze, she heard the man beside her bend his arm and ask, "Come with me?"
Sheng Yi: "..."
Just as she was about to doze off, someone handed her a pillow. Sheng Yi stepped forward, took his hand, and said, "Thank you for your help."
"It's my pleasure." Yan Shen glanced at the man beside him, smiled and waved his hand. "Teacher Wen, see you later."
The two walked away hand in hand, their intertwined arms like vines, clinging tightly together.
Sheng Yi: "Where to next?"
Yan Shen: I'll tell you later.
The two seemed oblivious to their surroundings, leaving everyone with a silhouette that sparked endless imagination.
As soon as the person involved left, the suppressed discussion suddenly erupted.
Out of consideration for Wen Shili's status, no one dared to approach too closely, only making rough guesses. However, judging from Wen Shili's expression, it was clear that the rumors about him and that woman were purely media hype.
"I told you it was fake."
"Oh dear, what a pity. I think she and Shi Li are a better match in terms of looks."
"Who cares about whether they match or not? She's a female celebrity, she'll just grab whatever comes her way."
Since they're not from the same circle, their conversations inevitably revealed some differences.
"Shh, stop talking, I feel a chill down my spine." Someone gently tugged at their companion's sleeve, causing the other girls to burst into laughter. "Why don't you check where you are?"
The speaker realized, "Maybe I'm overthinking it."
She secretly glanced at Wen Shili not far away, "But everyone should keep their voices down. If Sheng Yi can get close to the Yan family, he might have a great future."
The chattering sounds, scattered throughout the empty hall, were unexpectedly jarring.
Wen Shili stood there with his eyes down for a while, just about to go out for some fresh air, when someone holding a wine glass stood beside him familiarly, clicking their tongue in admiration, "Was that Yan family kid just now? Really..."
The other person spoke with practiced ease; he was a friend of his father's in business. Wen Shili didn't deliberately embarrass him and stood with him for a while.
Older people inevitably get excited when they see young couples. Once the topic started, they couldn't help but pull Wen Shili aside and say, "Last time, Old Yan was even trying to find a partner for his son. I think young people these days don't need us old men to worry about them at all, hahaha..."
He laughed exaggeratedly twice, and Wen Shili rubbed his fingertips together without responding. Before the next conversation could begin, he rolled up his sleeves, gave a slight smile, and said, "Excuse me."
"Hey—" The other person hadn't expected him to leave so suddenly, and waved behind him, calling out, "Give my regards to your father."
Wen Shili nodded and agreed.
Sheng Yi never expected that such a luxurious place would have such a quiet corner.
She had just spoken to Xiaoyou on the phone, and Xiaoyou said that she had indeed asked Yan Shen to take care of her, and told her not to worry and to have fun with him.
Sheng Yi asked her what had delayed her. Xiao You looked at the stack of documents in front of her and didn't know how to tell her about the eighteen blind dates her mother had arranged for her to meet that night.
If I hadn't been alert, I would have already fallen into a trap.
She said, on the verge of tears, "It's nothing, I just have a little indigestion."
Lin Hao sneered from the side, "These men should be burning incense to thank the heavens when they get home tonight."
Xiaoyou threw whatever she was holding at him, yelling, "Get lost!"
Sheng Yi vaguely heard Xiao Lin's voice on the other end of the phone, saying things like "men" and "get lost." She was startled and stopped bothering Xiao You to talk.
Yan Shen asked the waiter to bring some food. Seeing her put away the cable, he pushed the plate in front of her and asked with a smile, "How are you? Are you relieved now?"
Sheng Yi smiled but didn't say anything.
She didn't know how to tell him. Perhaps his timing was too perfect, so much so that even if he were a bad person, she would have no choice but to follow him.
And coincidentally, he looked very kind, so she chose to trust him immediately.
Having not eaten all afternoon, Sheng Yi was indeed a little hungry. She glanced at the fresh and delicious food in front of her and sincerely thanked Yan Shen again.
Yan Shen smiled and said, "If you like it, let them serve it again. It's hard to find such authentic flavors outside."
Sheng Yi asked him, "Are you familiar with this place?"
Yan Shen said, "It's alright."
The two huddled in a corner, exchanging a few words occasionally. Once Sheng Yi had recovered, Yan Shen led her to greet some unfamiliar faces.
Tonight's banquet is lively and grand, but it doesn't belong to her.
As they were leaving, the two bumped into Wen Shili again.
To be precise, it was Wen Shili who was waiting for Yan Shen.
Sheng Yi looked at the two cars parked shoulder to shoulder. Yan Shen's parking spot was insidious, practically blocking Wen Shili's path. If he didn't move, he couldn't even open the driver's side door.
"Wait for me in the car." Yan Shen opened the car door and let Sheng Yi get in first.
Sheng Yi knew they had something to say, so she sat obediently in the car and didn't want to look at her phone.
After leaving the banquet, some things will eventually be exposed to the public; she just doesn't have the energy to look at those messages for the time being.
The two men stood facing each other, and from this angle, they appeared to be about the same height.
Sheng Yi doesn't understand lip reading, but she can see that Yan Shen's smile is gentle. As for the other one, she glances away and thinks, "Never mind, I can't understand him."
Several minutes later, Yan Shen got into the car. Sheng Yi guessed that he and Wen Shili had a good relationship.
That makes sense; people in the same circle will always need each other's help someday.
"Aren't you curious about what he and I were talking about?" Yan Shen couldn't help but ask as the car started moving and Sheng Yi remained quiet.
Sheng Yi seemed puzzled by his question and shook his head, "You don't need to tell me."
Yan Shen twitched his hand on the steering wheel and said with a smile, "Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out?"
Sheng Yi didn't care, "Just remember to negotiate the price beforehand."
Yan Shen chuckled, "I'll definitely remember next time."
Sheng Yi rolled her eyes without any regard for her image, which made the laughter around her even louder.
The car was parked downstairs in the residential area, and the two exchanged contact information. Sheng Yi thanked him repeatedly, saying, "Thank you so much for your help today. It's just a bit late. I'll treat you to dinner another day."
"I was just helping a friend out, don't worry about it." Yan Shen waved his phone. "But you can call me anytime you want to eat."
Sheng Yi lived in an old-style residential area, and at this hour, only a few windows were still lit. Despite her repeated insistence that she often went home at this time, Yan Shen insisted that she go upstairs first.
She had her back to the building entrance, and even without turning around, she could feel a silent gaze following her. It was a strange feeling.
The motion-sensor lights in the hallway were a bit malfunctioning, so Sheng Yi turned on her phone's flashlight, quickened her pace, and climbed to her front door in one go. She took out her keys to open the door and was about to turn on the wall light when she heard a soft voice from the darkness, "You're back."
"Clatter." The keys fell to the ground. Sheng Yi turned her flashlight and shone it sharply towards the source of the sound, and a deathly pale face suddenly came into her view.
Sheng Yi instinctively wanted to scream, but the owner of the face immediately waved the flashlight in his hand at her, saying, "Stop screaming, the electricity bill we just paid hasn't been delivered yet."
Who else could it be but Fu Xiaodan, who is away on a business trip?
"Why are you back today?" Sheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief, tossed her bag onto the sofa, and took off her slippers.
Fu Xiaodan originally said she wouldn't get home until tomorrow, but she arrived early, and her face was covered in a face mask like she was painting a wall.
Fu Xiaodan, her face deathly pale, grinned at her, "Sister is efficient."
"Okay, you're the best." Sheng Yi had been tense all day, and now all she wanted was to de-escalate the situation. She carefully took off her dress, grabbed her clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came out, the phone had already come back on. Fu Xiaodan finished applying the last layer of face cream and reminded her, "Your phone seemed to have rung just now."
"ah!"
Oh no, I forgot Yan Shen is still waiting downstairs.
Sheng Yi hurriedly ran to the window and looked down. As if in response, the phone in her hand started ringing.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you." As soon as the call connected, Sheng Yi hurriedly apologized.
Yan Shen leaned against the car, looking up at the lights that had come on upstairs. "Yeah, I guessed you'd arrived too."
He guessed it, but didn't leave. Sheng Yi felt even more embarrassed.
Yan Shen said, "It's okay. If you feel bad, please treat me to a meal."
“Okay!” Sheng Yi readily agreed.
She was worried that she wouldn't be able to sleep, but when she woke up again, it was already past 10:30 the next day.
Sheng Yi stretched and yawned, then lingered in bed for a while before finally getting up.
Fu Xiaodan sat in the living room, typing on the keyboard with a serious expression.
"Why are you at it again?" Sheng Yi truly admired her high energy level; she had clearly stayed up even later than her last night.
Fu Xiaodan kept working, saying, "Do you think I wanted this? It's like the King of Hell is pressing for payment."
"Oh, okay." Sheng Yi wisely shut up, opened the refrigerator to check the stock, and asked her, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"
"You can do whatever you want, love you baby," Fu Xiaodan said sweetly.
Sheng Yi touched the goosebumps on her body and said, "Does it have to be so cheesy?"
Seeing this, Fu Xiaodan couldn't help but tease her a few more times, "This is nothing."
Sheng Yi roared angrily, "I'm going to fight you stinky couples!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaodan sighed softly, "Don't even mention it, it's like I didn't even talk to them."
They live in the same city, yet it feels like a long-distance relationship. Fortunately, Liang Hui understands her.
"You're so lucky, you have so many fish to choose from in the pond."
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