NABC 71 Engagement Ball
71 Engagement Ball
Wang Lu then added, "This is the famous stylist, Mr. Han Lie. He styled these dresses and accessories. You may encounter him on other occasions in the future."
Su Tong nodded in greeting, "Hello, I'm Su Tong."
Before she became beautiful, Su Tong was busy with work, but she was still very enthusiastic about shopping, especially choosing clothes that would make her look better, during her holidays. However, after becoming so beautiful, she doesn't care about that anymore. It's like how the most elite noble families don't care about wearing luxury brands all the time. That's how subtle human psychology is.
Facing the stylist Han Lie, who was staring at her excitedly with shining eyes, and kept muttering, "Miss Su, hurry up and choose! Just thinking about how such a beautiful woman like you will be wearing these designs makes me so excited! These dresses are so lucky! If the boss didn't forbid it, I would have given them all to you. It's the greatest happiness for these dresses to be worn by Miss Su, blah blah blah," and these exquisitely beautiful long dresses, Su Tong wasn't very interested. She politely looked at each one and then chose a conventional purple retro court-style off-the-shoulder embroidered long dress.
Wang Lu then added, "Choose two."
So Su Tong chose the white retro embroidered ink painting long dress that she had seen at the beginning.
After making her selection, Su Tong immediately noticed the stylist's eyes light up even more, as if exclaiming in admiration, "Miss Su, you have such good taste!" Su Tong sighed and gave the stylist a polite smile before returning to her room.
Since Su Tong didn't ask any questions, and Xie Chengjing wasn't a talkative person either, by the time Su Tong actually got into the car to attend the engagement ball, she had already changed into that purple retro court-style off-the-shoulder embroidered long dress. Only after getting into the car did she realize that Xie Chengjing was actually wearing such matching outfits with her today!
This was actually the first time Su Tong had ever seen Xie Chengjing dressed up. He was usually serious and aloof and didn't care much about his clothes. But since it was his nephew's engagement day, he was wearing a low-key, luxurious, and stylish dark purple suit tonight. The dark patterns on the suit were exactly the same as the embroidery on Su Tong's dress, which perfectly revealed his handsome features that were hidden by his cold demeanor.
When the bodyguard opened the car door, Su Tong thanked him and got in. When Xie Chengjing raised his calm eyes and looked at her, it was as if the whole world had fallen silent. Only she existed in his eyes. Su Tong suddenly felt her heart be hit hard.
Then she realized again that the ball she was attending with Xie Chengjing was the engagement ball of Xie Chengjing's nephew, the eldest grandson of the Xie family. She might meet Xie Chengjing's father, Xie Anbang, his brother, Xie Chengsheng, and other close relatives, as well as many people from a world she shouldn't have been able to reach, but whom she was meeting because of Xie Chengjing. Thinking of Xie Chengsheng, Su Tong instantly thought of Xiao Yang's father, Xiao Feijun, the extremely serious and upright superior she had only met once. The thought of possibly meeting Xie Chengsheng and Xie Anbang filled Su Tong with a completely different feeling than when she met Xiao Feijun; she felt an absurd, nervous tension, like an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.
Whether or not Xie Chengjing would meet his father and brothers was still uncertain, but it was certain he would meet most of the people in the Xie family's social network. Xie Chengjing's open declaration of attending the ball with Su Tong, completely uninhibited, dispelled Su Tong's worries. When there's such a vast difference in status and social circles, even the simplest relationships become incredibly fragile. Without mentioning much, Su Tong and Xie Chengjing tacitly let things unfold naturally, without discussing anything else, simply making Su Tong Xie Chengjing's date at the engagement ball.
After getting into the car, as it started to move, Xie Chengjing's gaze didn't fall on Su Tong's face. Instead, his right hand reached out and grasped Su Tong's left hand, which was clenched unconsciously by her side. He gently pried open Su Tong's fingers, which were clenched unconsciously out of nervousness. Su Tong's hand was pure white, like a carefully crafted work of art, while Xie Chengjing's large hand bore the calluses of years of handling guns. Yet, when they clasped hands, they looked remarkably harmonious. His voice was calm yet carried a reassuring strength, as if it were ringing in Su Tong's ear: "Very nervous?"
Su Tong thought for a moment, and finally gave a soft affirmative answer: "Yes."
Xie Chengjing tightened his grip on her hand slightly and uttered two simple yet reassuring words: "I'm here."
Although it was called an engagement ball, it was actually divided into two parts. The first part was for guests to arrive, exchange greetings, and for the engaged couples to toast each other. After most of the guests had arrived, the main characters of the engagement ball, Xie Mingyuan and Jiang Wenjun, would start the dance, and then the ball itself would begin. That's why Xie Chengjing had Su Tong prepare two outfits. The purple court-style long dress she was wearing now would be used for the toasting and greetings, and she would change into it once during the dance. The ink-wash style long dress would be used for the dance.
The solemn and formal engagement ceremony had already taken place that morning. Even though Xie Mingyuan, sitting in the lounge, still longed for the woman he couldn't have, he was already another woman's fiancé. However, on the eve of the ball, he still didn't want to go out and face the guests and his new fiancée. He was still trying to escape the fact that had already happened.
His younger brother, Xie Mingxin, was dressed in a princely white suit today. He knew perfectly well that Xie Mingyuan had previously vehemently resisted the marriage but ultimately failed. Sitting casually on the table in the lounge, he mocked his once carefree but now often melancholic older brother: "Brother, I have to say, you're too weak. You've tried your best, and although you didn't escape, Jiang Wenjun is a decent woman in every way, and she's pretty too. It wouldn't be painful for you to sleep with her and leave a child. As for who else you like, you know more about our circle than I do. After you get married, you and that Jiang woman can have a child under her name, and you can live with whoever you want. Why make such a fuss? Brother, I hardly recognize you anymore."
Those unfamiliar with Xie Mingxin might see him as a handsome young man with delicate features, who is usually polite yet aloof. Only when he is engrossed in physics research might they mistake him for a bookworm. However, Xie Mingyuan and his family know perfectly well that there is no one in the Xie family more cunning than him.
However, no matter how many tricks Xie Mingxin had up his sleeve, how mischievous he had been since the first year of junior high school, and how many girlfriends he had already dated at the age of 19, Xie Mingyuan still saw him as just a child. Hearing him say that, Xie Mingyuan just smiled and didn't say anything.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Xie Mingxin became even more excited and said with great confidence, "You said this morning that you invited her over, right? I want to see who she is that has bewitched a handsome guy like my brother."
Although unwilling, Xie Mingyuan's rationality prevented him from being impolite at the ball since they were already engaged. He suddenly felt a little reluctant to face his younger brother, who didn't yet understand true love. Thinking that the ball was about to start, he got up to go out and greet the guests with Jiang Wenjun. Looking down at Xie Mingxin, who maintained a mature demeanor but was clearly still somewhat childish, and knowing he would be meeting that overly beautiful yet aloof woman today, he said, "I don't want you to see her."
Then, thinking about the closeness between Xie Chengjing and Su Tong, she couldn't help but sigh that even if she had been wary of her second uncle from the beginning, it would have been useless. She couldn't help but smile bitterly and said to Xie Mingxin, who was completely confused, "But even if you don't see her now, you probably will in the future."
Human nature is hard to change. No matter who Xie Mingyuan falls for, his chivalrous and considerate nature towards beautiful women will not change. Besides, Jiang Wenjun is only following her parents' wishes to get engaged to him, and there is nothing wrong with that. So when he came out of the lounge and saw his elegant fiancée Jiang Wenjun in an autumn-colored cheongsam, he still smiled and stepped forward, letting Jiang Wenjun take his hand.
Because it was his nephew's engagement, Xie Chengjing, the uncle, arrived quite early. When he arrived at the venue, Xie Chengjing walked over expressionlessly, opened the car door on Su Tong's side, and extended his hand to her. Suddenly, Su Tong felt that nothing she was about to face was worth her anxiety and fear. She placed her hand in Xie Chengjing's warm and broad palm, and then, with his help, she was pulled up. As she stood facing him with her hand on his elbow, she felt incredibly at ease.
Before Xie Chengjing and Su Tong arrived, everyone remarked that Xie Mingyuan and Jiang Wenjun were a match made in heaven.
24-year-old Xie Mingyuan is handsome and dashing, the eldest grandson of the Xie family who relinquished his inheritance rights but still achieved considerable success in the business world. 22-year-old Jiang Wenjun is elegant and beautiful, the youngest daughter of the Jiang family, a translator proficient in multiple foreign languages. In the capital city, they are arguably the most prestigious couple, attracting the attention of almost every family with any standing in the city. When this young engaged couple stands together, Xie Mingyuan, in a sleek black tailored suit, appears tall and slender, while Jiang Wenjun, in a subtly elegant classic cheongsam, looks even more graceful and outstanding. Both wear polite smiles, making them a truly pleasing sight.
But when the doorman called out their names and Su Tong walked in unhurriedly with Xie Chengjing by her arm, the hall, which had been filled with clinking glasses and lively conversation, fell silent for a moment.
Author's Note: Thank you to the bookworm mm for the landmine! ~\(≧▽≦)/~ 166 Reading Network