Chapter 55 The Face of Jealousy, the Posture of a Protector
A young lady from a wealthy family pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and looked at him with disdain.
"Where did Xia Mian come from? How did she become a guest of honor in the Fu family? I think Old Madam Fu must be blind. She treats such a girl of unknown origin like a treasure."
"I've heard that Xia Mian is a young lady from the Xia family, and that the Xia family has three brothers. Have you heard of them?" Another socialite chuckled.
“Those three brothers are all quite handsome, but their minds are a bit different from ordinary people,” a woman in a red dress continued. “They dote on the nanny’s daughter like a treasure, while their own sister Xia Mian is neglected.”
"Maybe there's something wrong with Xia Mian? If one brother doesn't love her, it might be the brother's problem, but if none of her three brothers love her, then... maybe she really does have some unknown issues?"
"That makes sense."
Song Tianxue listened indifferently to the lively discussion among the young ladies in her sisterhood. Her gaze fell lightly on Xia Mian, who was not far away. Xia Mian was very beautiful, as beautiful as a porcelain doll.
She was only eighteen years old, but her temperament was outstanding, brighter and more dazzling than many of the girls present.
A girl like that...
"Miss Song, aren't you the vice president of the calligraphy association? I wonder if we could have the honor of appreciating your calligraphy?"
Suddenly someone looked at Song Tianxue, and the person's voice was loud. Instantly, all the socialites and young ladies present turned their attention to Song Tianxue.
Madam Fu and the others were admiring the four characters "厚德载物" (Hou De Zai Wu), which Xia Mian had just written.
The handwriting is clear and flowing like clouds and water, and the strokes are powerful and vigorous like swimming dragons.
Upon seeing this piece of calligraphy, the expert from the calligraphy association couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss Xia's brushwork is superb; this work is truly exceptional! It has the style of ancient masters!"
Although not many others understood calligraphy, they could all see that the characters were fluent, the lines were dynamic, and the layers were distinct, fully demonstrating the charm of calligraphy.
"I've already raised 500,000, and I'm willing to donate another 500,000, just so Miss Xia can give me this artwork." A greasy-looking young man with slicked-back hair spoke in a greasy voice, his nonchalant gaze sweeping over Xia Mian without even glancing at the artwork.
Xia Mian stood there with an elegant demeanor. Before she could speak, Fu Yanshen's deep voice rang out.
"No gifts or presents."
He stepped forward, coming to Xia Mian's side, just blocking the young man's greasy gaze, and his warning look fell on Lin Shao.
Lin Shao subconsciously took two steps back. What a terrifying gaze!
Cold and sharp, filled with murderous intent, like a drawn sword that could pierce through him in a second!
The temperature of the entire banquet seemed to suddenly drop to freezing point.
No one dared to speak.
Lin Shao chuckled awkwardly, "I was just saying it offhand, haha... I was just joking..."
He quickly retreated into the crowd, wishing he could disappear from the banquet immediately.
As Fu Yanshen stared intently into his dark eyes, a chilling sensation suddenly rose from the soles of his feet.
His back was covered in cold sweat. He had almost no doubt that if he were to act rashly again, Fu Yanshen would dare to shoot him through the forehead.
"Isn't Xia Mian just from a poor, down-on-their-luck family? She's not even from a real wealthy family, at best she's on the fringes." A young lady from a wealthy family muttered jealously, "Why is Chief Fu so protective of her?"
"This isn't really protection, is it? It's just that Young Master Lin is so disgusting and greasy. Anyone whose eyes he looks at feels disgusting," someone added.
"Isn't this protecting them? When have you ever seen Chief Fu involved with a woman?" the young lady said indignantly. "Miss Song, didn't we hear that the Song and Fu families were going to have a marriage alliance? Why didn't you listen to the rumors?"
Song Tianxue was silent for a moment before speaking, "Those are just rumors."
The Song family had previously proposed a marriage alliance with the Fu family, but the Fu family directly refused.
It made her unable to hold her head high in the family for a long time, especially her sisters, who were all smiles, laughing at her for being so weak and actually wanting to marry into the Fu family's heir.
The Fu family is not one that just anyone can look up to!
Song Tianxue felt irritated. She was the only daughter of the eldest branch of the Song family, and she would be one of the candidates to inherit the Song Group in the future.
Why is she not good enough for him?
Song Tianxue felt a tightness in her chest and was very irritable.
I haven't heard of any women around Fu Yanshen before, and some people even say that he's not interested in women. Could it be that he likes Xia Mian now?
"Tianxue, if you ask me, Chief Fu might actually like girls who are good at calligraphy..."
A socialite nudged her arm and whispered in her ear, "Tianxue, it's rare to see Chief Fu, who never shows up at banquets, here today."
Song Tianxue glanced at her best friend Zhou Yaran, afraid that if she overreacted, she would incur Fu Yanshen's dislike and backfire.
While they were still hesitating, Zhou Yaran suddenly shouted, "Tianxue, hurry up! Tianxue is the vice president of the calligraphy association! She wants to show off her skills too!"
Song Tianxue was startled, "Ya Ran!"
Zhou Yaran pushed her forward, "Go quickly!"
Xia Mian stood beside Fu Yanshen, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The man was tall, handsome, and noble; she was graceful, elegant, and poised.
Madam Fu's eyes and brows were full of smiles; the more she looked, the more satisfied she became. They were such a perfect match!
They're a perfect match!
As Xia Mian watched Fu Yanshen standing beside her, chasing away the greasy, fly-like Lin Shao, an indescribable sense of security surged into her heart, and her heart pounded wildly.
She lowered her head slightly; the man's aura was extremely aggressive, constantly assaulting her senses.
When I looked up again, I saw a woman with big, wavy hair walking over. She strolled to the rice paper, picked up the brush, and started writing!
Song Tianxue took a deep breath, gripped the calligraphy brush, and the four characters "Ning Jing Zhi Yuan" (meaning "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision") leaped onto the paper. Whether it was nervousness or something else... it was hard to tell.
When I finished the last stroke of the character “远”, my hand trembled and the ink smudged.
She wanted to make amends, but it was too late!
This is an incomplete work!
A look of panic crossed her face, and she instinctively wanted to throw the paper away, but the expert from the calligraphy association had already rushed over.
They started giving their comments in a very serious manner.
"Vice President Song is here too! This piece is very well written, but the character 'far'... is a bit..."
He shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Song Tianxue's face turned pale; she hadn't expected that she would mess things up!
A few sighs could be heard from the surrounding area.
Her pale face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She regretted not coming up! Coming up had only brought her shame. She could already see the mocking faces and looks on the faces of her sisters below the stage.
"Sorry, I made a mistake."
"Just throw it in the trash."
She pulled out a piece of Xuan paper, crumpled it up, and threw it away angrily. Then she stared at Xia Mian with a cold and resentful gaze.
"Miss Xia, are you satisfied now? Aren't you feeling quite smug?"
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