Chapter 4

Yun Zhuoqing slipped into a corner seat. Barely a minute later, Jiang Nuan strolled over and, playacting casual, greeted her like she would anyone else, "Hey, Qingqing, you made it."
Yun Zhuoqing didn’t mind the nickname. She nodded, following the script, "Happy birthday."
Jiang Nuan let out a relieved breath, grinning. "Actually, today’s not my birthday. It’s tomorrow! But it’s easier to throw a party tonight, and besides, I wanted an excuse to wear this dress. Our family’s designer made it custom. What do you think, does it look good?" She blurted that last part out before she could think better of it.
The Jiangs were in the fashion business, so using her birthday to promote the family brand was standard. Nobody thought twice, but last year at her party, when people politely complimented her custom dress, Jiang Nuan had caught a complicated look in Bai Jiajia’s eyes.
She was quick to empathize, Jiajia had always seemed a bit uncomfortable with all of that. Since then, Jiang Nuan made a point of keeping the luxury details downplayed around her. But this time? Seeing Yun Zhuoqing come with Yuan Xin had made her so happy, she’d slipped and treated her just like her other friends.
What if Yun Zhuoqing felt the same as Bai Jiajia?
Jiang Nuan’s yellow dress suited her perfectly: the color and cut somehow brightened her whole presence. The Jiang family designer really did have serious skills.
"It’s beautiful," Yun Zhuoqing answered sincerely.
Jiang Nuan blinked, double-checking, but all she found in Yun Zhuoqing’s eyes was unflinching honesty, as if she’d just answered a math question. Thinking maybe her compliment had been too short, Yun Zhuoqing hesitated, then added, "The color really suits you."
Her tone was stiff, but Jiang Nuan wasn’t bothered at all.
She ducked her head, a little shy. "Really? I like yellow, too…"
"Are you all Jiajia’s friends?" A sudden, jarring voice cut through, slicing off Jiang Nuan and Yun Zhuoqing’s conversation.
Xiaoxue stood there, pointedly angled toward Jiang Nuan instead of Yun Zhuoqing, the one she’d seemed interested in earlier.
Obviously. Jiang Nuan was dripping in jewelry you could tell was expensive at a glance, while the bespectacled bookworm looked like she’d borrowed her outfit from her grandma, not even a bracelet in sight. No question who she wanted to suck up to.
Xiaoxue hadn’t come here just for Chen Huo. Worst-case scenario, even if things went nowhere with him, she still needed to network. Might as well start laying groundwork early.
Jiang Nuan looked startled at this girl, who didn’t seem to mind barging into someone else’s conversation in the slightest. She didn’t recall inviting her, but put on a polite smile anyway. "And you are…?"
Xiaoxue practically glued herself to a stiff Bai Jiajia. "I’m Jiajia’s friend! Jiajia said Young Master Chen invited me specifically."
Just having Jiajia for an intro wouldn’t be enough in this crowd, Xiaoxue knew to drop Chen Huo’s name for full effect.
No, that’s not what happened at all. Jiajia’s throat was dry but she had no idea how to explain. Jiang Nuan wasn’t actually curious; once she realized Jiajia had brought her in, she just smiled and nodded. "Oh, I see."
Xiaoxue looked smug. See? Dropping Chen Huo’s name worked like magic, even these heiresses had to give her face. She didn’t stop to consider that it was just a matter of good breeding not to be rude to strangers.
Not bothering to ask anyone’s permission, Xiaoxue simply plopped herself down next to Jiang Nuan. The cloud of perfume made Jiang Nuan wrinkle her nose. It got stronger as Xiaoxue leaned in, exclaiming over the bracelet on Jiang Nuan’s wrist: "Isn’t that the latest Alec release? I heard it’s limited edition, it’s wild seeing one in person! Guess being rich just hits different."
Jiang Nuan edged away, stiff. Xiaoxue’s "compliments" felt more like pokes, but since she was Jiajia’s guest, all she could do was play along, though her tone was clearly half-hearted.
"I have a friend whose boyfriend got her an Alec necklace, too. Looks like you both have great taste!" Not that Xiaoxue would ever admit her friend’s was last season’s, hand-me-down from a richer family member…
Jiang Nuan: "……"
Where on earth did this person come from?!
While Jiang Nuan was trapped in this forced socializing, Yun Zhuoqing made a quiet escape, heading off to the restroom.
Jiang Nuan didn’t even notice Yun Zhuoqing leaving. By the time she spotted the empty seat, Yun Zhuoqing was already long gone. Xiaoxue, caught up in her one-sided chatter with Jiang Nuan, still kept part of her attention on Yun Zhuoqing too, and caught the moment she slipped out, but didn’t bother to say anything. As for Bai Jiajia, her mind was too busy praying Xiaoxue wouldn't stir up some huge disaster. She had no time for Yun Zhuoqing at all.
Jiang Nuan is definitely going to hold a grudge against me after this, Bai Jiajia thought with a bitter heart.
Yun Zhuoqing, meanwhile, didn't go back right away after leaving the bathroom. Instead, she parked herself quietly on a chair in a secluded corner and pulled out her phone to study vocabulary.
It had suddenly struck her, not everyone showed up to a birthday party in basic sweats. The guys, even if they weren't suited up, at least wore half-decent button-downs, and the girls, even if they weren't in dresses, knew better than to turn up in baggy lounge pants.
So there she was, shuffling in with her oversized hoodie and matching loose pants, standing out like a sore thumb as the lone misfit in the fancy hall. She decided to stay put for a while, she'd done what she came to do, anyway, so slipping away wouldn't cause a single ripple. Besides, this corner was almost suspiciously silent; no one seemed to even notice the chair existed outside the bathroom’s traffic.
Of course, the downside to a quiet corner: someone else might find it inviting too.
“Huo Jing, can I borrow you for a minute?” The speaker’s voice dripped with shyness, the kind that could have anyone guessing something blush-worthy was about to go down.
Yun Zhuoqing heard every word. The familiar voice paired with that syrupy tone made her vocabulary-loaded brain glitch for a couple of seconds.
Wait... wasn’t she just discussing hobbies with Jiang Nuan? Who the heck was “Huo Jing”?
Forget it, not my circus, not my monkeys.
Yun Zhuoqing reeled her wandering thoughts back in, only for her phone to buzz twice, barely audible even in the quiet.
Xiaoxue, busy making a move on Huo Jing, didn’t hear it. She was laser-focused, watching Huo Jing’s every micro-expression like a hawk looking for a twitch.
Then she saw it, Huo Jing’s lazy gaze sharpened, turning amused as he cocked a brow and asked, “Oh? And what exactly do you want?”
She did it! She got Huo Jing interested!
The rush left Xiaoxue almost giddy. With Huo Jing on the hook, the boyfriend seat was within reach. Everyone knew he swapped girlfriends like designer jackets, but he was also famously generous, every girlfriend got spoiled rotten. Xiaoxue didn’t care if she’d never marry into the Huo family; just dating Huo Jing would be bragging rights for life.
Sure, she’d come tonight saying she was after Chen Huo, spread that rumor herself, in fact, but deep down she knew that was more fiction than fact. Chen Huo barely glanced at girls. Huo Jing, on the other hand, was an entirely different game.
Xiaoxue shifted her pose, making absolutely sure her assets were on full display, all while sweetly explaining how she’d fallen for his charm...
Yun Zhuoqing finally switched her phone to messages, it was Jiang Nuan. They’d just swapped contacts moments ago, but already it proved useful.
Jiang Nuan told her almost all the guests had arrived. The cake-cutting was coming up, and she should come back now or she’d miss out on her slice.
She even sent a waving kitten meme at the end.
Yun Zhuoqing stared seriously at the screen for a few seconds, then tapped on the sticker to save it to her collection.
So much for hiding out in peace, Jiang Nuan’s message had blown her cover.
From around the corner, Xiaoxue’s voice floated on: “…Huo Jing, I really like you. Maybe… can I have a chance?” she asked, careful and trembling.
Only then did Yun Zhuoqing realize what she was overhearing, a dramatic confession scene aimed at “Huo Jing.” She decided to wait for the show to wrap up before moving on, but the other star of the drama wasn’t playing along. Silence dragged on awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nuan shot over another needy kitten meme, still asking if she’d arrived yet. Silence outside too; if not for Xiaoxue’s uneven breathing, Yun Zhuoqing might’ve thought the pair had vanished.
But clearly this play was going nowhere. Yun Zhuoqing stood up, put her phone away, and strolled right past the pair, not sparing them so much as a sideways glance.
Her whole aura screamed, “Pretend I don’t exist. Carry on, you two.”
Xiaoxue didn’t look; her hands trembled as she gripped her far-too-short skirt, gaze locked desperately on Huo Jing.
Except, she saw his eyes shamelessly follow Yun Zhuoqing as she passed by, interest deepening with a knowing smile. Clearly, he wasn’t even a little surprised to spot her there, as though he’d known all along who was hiding in that corner.
Xiaoxue knew there’d been someone behind her, she’d only realized a few seconds ago when the phone buzzed. Who could’ve guessed it was the country bumpkin from earlier?
Even worse, Huo Jing seemed way more intrigued by the bumpkin than her.
When Yun Zhuoqing brushed past without once looking at him, Xiaoxue shrank inward, desperately trying to go invisible. She hoped, against hope, they’d just ignore her.
After all, this guy had spent forever not rejecting her. That must mean he was considering it.
As for why he said nothing, he must be shy. Yun Zhuoqing concluded with her non-existent dating experience.
But the second Huo Jing realized the kitten who’d been hiding in the corner was going to keep ignoring him, the little thrill he’d felt suddenly soured into irritation.
Xiaoxue drew a steadying breath. She wasn’t about to lose just like this. She opened her mouth, ready to reel him back in, but he finally, indifferently, shot her down.
“Nope.” His tone was that lazy boredom anyone who knew him recognized, he was out of patience.
But Xiaoxue persisted, “Huo Jing, I look good, my figure’s great, you’d never be disappointed in me.”
Huo Jing frowned, making a low, annoyed tsk.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Even when his words cut like knives, his voice was low and smooth, almost like he was murmuring in a lover's ear.
“To me, you’re not even a match for that one who just walked by. Why would I ever be interested?”
Xiaoxue’s face went from flushed red to ghostly pale.
Huo Jing took in her reaction, a complicated smile flashing in his eyes.