Fan Shengmei took a deep breath and, arm in arm with Su Ran, stepped into the party hall. Instantly, bright lights, a cacophony of voices, and a mingled scent of perfume assaulted her senses. She instinctively tightened her grip on Su Ran's arm, her eyes darting nervously around. Just then, several familiar figures came into view in the distance—people from a rival company, pointing and whispering at her with malicious smiles. Fan Shengmei's heart tightened; a sense of foreboding washed over her.
"Oh, isn't this Fan Shengmei? What, you've found a new sugar daddy?" a woman in a bright red dress said sarcastically. Her sharp voice was particularly jarring amidst the noise of the hall.
Fan Shengmei's expression changed slightly. Before she could speak, Su Ran stepped forward and stood in front of Fan Shengmei, saying, "Please watch your mouth. Miss Fan is my friend, and she is not someone you can slander at will."
"Friend? Young Master Su, don't be fooled by her. She's just a poor woman who's trying to climb the social ladder." Another man sneered, arms crossed, his eyes full of contempt.
Su Ran frowned, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes: "What's the point of you people slandering others without cause? Miss Fan's abilities at work are far beyond what you can compare to."
Fan Shengmei felt a surge of emotion; she hadn't expected Su Ran to stand up for her like this. However, just then, the hall door was pushed open again, and Meng Yanchen's tall figure appeared in the doorway. His gaze quickly swept over the crowd, landing on Fan Shengmei and Su Ran, and his expression instantly turned grim.
Meng Yanchen strode over, and those around him seemed to sense the chill emanating from him, unconsciously making way for him. "Shengmei, come with me." Meng Yanchen's voice was low and cold as he reached out to pull Fan Shengmei along.
Fan Shengmei was startled by Meng Yanchen's sudden action. She instinctively took a step back, bumping into Su Ran. Su Ran grabbed Fan Shengmei and looked at Meng Yanchen, saying defiantly, "Mr. Meng, Miss Fan is with me now. It doesn't seem appropriate for you to forcibly take her away like this, does it?"
Meng Yanchen glared at Su Ran, his eyes seemingly spitting fire: "Su Ran, this is between me and Shengmei, you'd better not interfere."
“Why can’t I interfere? Miss Fan isn’t your possession; she has her own choices.” Su Ran didn’t back down and held Fan Shengmei tightly.
Caught between the two, Fan Shengmei was momentarily at a loss. She looked at Meng Yanchen, then at Su Ran, her heart filled with mixed emotions. People around them began to gather, whispering and glancing back and forth between the three of them.
"Shut up, all of you!" Meng Yanchen suddenly roared, his voice echoing in the hall. Everyone was intimidated by his imposing manner and fell silent for a moment.
"Meng Yanchen, don't go too far! This is a public place. Do you think you can do whatever you want?" Su Ran said loudly, his hand still not letting go of Fan Shengmei.
Meng Yanchen looked coldly at Su Ran: "Su Ran, I'll give you one more chance. Let Shengmei go."
"I won't let her go! Unless Miss Fan herself says she wants to go with you," Su Ran said firmly.
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two, Fan Shengmei was extremely anxious. She didn't want to escalate the situation in this setting, and she especially didn't want to see Meng Yanchen and Su Ran clash because of her. "Stop arguing!" Fan Shengmei shouted, her voice trembling slightly.
Meng Yanchen and Su Ran both looked at Fan Shengmei, their eyes filled with expectation. Fan Shengmei took a deep breath and said, "Yanchen, I came here for the project, not what you think. Su Ran has indeed helped me a lot, and I can't just leave like this."
Hearing Fan Shengmei's words, Meng Yanchen felt a sharp pain in his heart. He hadn't expected that the project was more important to Fan Shengmei than he was. "Shengmei, you..." Meng Yanchen hesitated, his eyes filled with disappointment.
"Mr. Meng, you heard it too, Miss Fan doesn't want to go with you. You'd better leave." Su Ran said smugly.
Meng Yanchen stared at Su Ran, his eyes filled with hatred. He knew that if he forcibly took Fan Shengmei away today, it would only make her more resentful. "Fine, Su Ran, you just wait," Meng Yanchen said through gritted teeth, then turned and left.
Watching Meng Yanchen's departing figure, Fan Shengmei felt a pang of disappointment. She knew that Meng Yanchen must have misunderstood her. However, Su Ran was still holding her hand, and so many people were watching; she didn't know what to do.
“Ms. Fan, don’t mind him. Let’s continue with the party; maybe we can find a solution for the project,” Su Ran said with a smile, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Fan Shengmei forced a smile: "Okay, sure."
However, after the conflict, Fan Shengmei had no heart to continue socializing. Her mind was filled with the disappointed look in Meng Yanchen's eyes as he left, and she was filled with regret.
For the next few days, Su Ran took Fan Shengmei around the party, introducing her to various connections. While Fan Shengmei outwardly complied, her mind was constantly on Meng Yanchen. She didn't know how Meng Yanchen was doing, nor how to explain things to him.
After leaving the party, Meng Yanchen sat alone in his car, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Anger and jealousy mingled within him, making him incredibly agitated. He couldn't understand why Su Ran was always by Fan Shengmei's side, while he was always unable to be with her due to various reasons.
How will this conflict end? How will Fan Shengmei view Meng Yanchen and Su Ran's behavior at the party?
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