White Lotus 24
Xiao Weijing suspected that he must have had an auditory hallucination.
From the time they’ve met until now, Tang You had always acted like a weak and obedient girl.
She had never shown any anger or other negative emotions in front of him.
Docile and soft as a pool of water, or a soft candy.
Xiao Weijing asked calmly, “Wait, what did you just say?”
He thought he must have misheard.
He must have.
Maybe what Tang You had just said was “Goodbye, my fiancé”, or that word could be replaced with “my youth”, “my first love”, “my one and only”, etc.
In any case, it shouldn’t be such an extremely insulting and unbecoming phrase like “little bastard”.
Tang You stopped, turned around to look at him suspiciously, frowning.
The lights were brightly lit, and Tang You's complexion was fair; even the colour of her pupils was lighter than that of ordinary people, her eyes bright and clean.
A kind of beauty he had never before seen.
Tang You repeated sonorously, “I can finally be rid of you, Little Bastard.”
…This time, it wasn’t an auditory hallucination.
Xiao Weijing's body stiffened and his smile froze.
Tang You raised her feet unsparingly and left.
She didn’t want to have any further involvement with this “ex-fiancé”.
Although Tang You would soon be free of the title of "Xiao Weijing's fiancée", Elder Xiao had already expressed his intentions and had told all his employees that he would still be treating Tang You as a member of the Xiao family.
No one dared to be neglectful in their service towards her.
The maid respectfully took Tang You to rest, explaining, “Our Master has invited Mr. Zhao Shi for a game of chess in the afternoon. You can rest here for now; when he’s done with his game, I’ll come to escort you.”
Tang You thanked her, “Thank you.”
She was early, and there was no one else in the room yet.
Her long-cherished wish had come true. Tang You sat down, flipped through a few pages of a book, and drank tea as she read slowly and leisurely.
The door was pushed open violently, and the ashen Tang Xiao rushed in, calling out bitterly: "Tang You!"
Tang You quietly put the cup back in place, raised her eyes to look at him, and smiled, "What's the matter?"
Tang Xiao looked to be in a very bad state. Although he had been taking all kinds of health supplements, he couldn't stop prevent alcohol from hollowing out his body. Recently, Jiang Tao had been fighting with him incessantly because of Qixing—with the discord in his family disharmony, and the sudden notification from the old man about the "breaking off of the engagement", his temples were throbbing nonstop, and his eyes were totally bloodshot.
"Are you crazy?" After all, they were in someone else's house, so Tang Xiao tried to control his emotions, suppressing himself as he scolded, "With Xiao Weijing’s status, isn’t it entirely normal for him to keep someone on the side? I know that Wen Ling too, wasn’t she your elementary school classmate? There’s no way the old man would allow her to give birth to Weijing's child, how can such a person threaten your position——"
"Dad," Tang You looked at him as if looking at a monster, and asked, "The Qing Dynasty has collapsed long ago, hasn’t it? Can’t your brain have anything else other than breeding and wigs?”
Tang Xiao’s pride was hurt by her straightforward words, and he flew into a frenzied rage. "Ingrate! How can you talk to me like that? Aren’t I doing this for your own good?"
Tang You turned her face away disdainfully, "What you can’t bear to let go of is the marriage agreement. Is this for my good or for your own?"
Tang Xiao had been angered by her silliness countless times before, but this was the first time she had talked back to him so mercilessly.
The key was that what she said was really true.
Now that his veil had been ripped off unceremoniously, Tang Xiao’s temples throbbed incessantly.
Tang Xiao trembled and raised his hand angrily in a motion to hit her, “Do you still see me as your father?”
"Then, do you still see me as your mother?"
The Tang Xiao’s hand froze in mid-air at the unhurried words.
He turned around and saw Meng Yunqiu.
He immediately retracted his hand.
The old lady was in good spirits; in a rose-red dress that was of a slightly darker and deeper shade than Tang You’s, she stroked the cat in her arms, admonishing, "If I had known you would grow up to be like this, I’d have thrown you out to feed the dogs when you were born. Giving birth to a piece of char siu is better than giving birth to you—the only good thing birthing you did is to add to the country’s population!”
Tang Xiao’s pride couldn’t quite take being reprimanded by the old lady like this in front of his own daughter. He lowered her voice, "Mom."
Meng Yunqiu ignored him, gently took Tang You's hand, and glanced at him coldly, "I dare not recognise you as my son. Youyou’s affairs have nothing to do with you, and you don’t have to bother yourself with it at all in the future."
Tang Xiao tried to explain, "I am also doing this for Youyou——"
"It's actually for your stepdaughter and stepson, right?" Meng Yunqiu smiled sarcastically. “Youyou is really extremely unlucky to have a father like you."
The moment the old lady came in, Tang Xiao’s imposing air was instantly weakened; he didn’t even dare retort at her harsh scoldings.
He couldn’t retort at all!
The old lady hadn’t raised a hand now, but Tang Xiao had been chased and beaten by the old lady since he was a child; she would beat him with whatever she laid her hands on. If the current situation was happening ten years ago, he was afraid that the old lady would have smashed a vase on his head by now.
It could be considered merciful of her to just scold him verbally like this today.
"Let's go," Meng Yunqiu said to Tang You warmly and affectionately, as if she was a completely different person from just now. "Grandma will take you to see Grandpa Xiao. We don't have to bother ourselves with him."
Tang You had long known that the relationship between Grandma and Tang Xiao was extremely poor.
When Tang You was ten years old, she found a newspaper in her mother's belongings that had been stored properly away; it was a statement about the size of a block of tofu published by Meng Yunqiu, about the dissolution of the mother-and-son relationship with Tang Xiao.
As far as Tang You could remember, her grandmother and father had no dealings with each other.
Meng Yunqiu's hands were full of wrinkles; she did not deliberately hide the fact that she was aging. She instructed simply, "That father of yours is a good-for-nothing pile of mud, don’t interact with him in the future."
Tang You nodded obediently, "Alright, I understand."
"If you encounter any trouble in the future, look for me or your Second Uncle," Meng Yunqiu looked at her with a smile, “Zexing is shrewd and a hard one to read, but he's reliable and won't bully you."
Tang You quite agreed with Grandma’s evaluation of Xiao Zexing, except for the last three words.
This person has bullied her quite a bit since the beginning.
But then, he had stopped, and was rather protective.
Tang You's assessment of herself was that she couldn’t be said to be extremely clever, and at best, she had a little vigilance.
She was glad that she wasn’t Xiao Zexing's enemy.
Tang You was very curious, "Grandma, you seem to have a very good relationship with my second uncle?"
Meng Yunqiu smoothed the cat's fur, "When Zexing was young, I raised him for a while."
She glanced at Tang You and smiled, "You weren't born yet back then."
As they spoke, the maid carried the old lady's beloved cat away, and Meng Yunqiu and Tang You sanitised their hands before arriving at the appointed location.
Xiao Zenian and Zhao Manlan were already seated; Xiao Zenian was even a little drunk and slow to react.
Zhao Manlan was restless, looking up at the slightest movement; when she heard the door open, she stood immediately and came forward with a forced smile, "Youyou."
Zhao Manlan did not sleep well all night after hearing Elder Xiao's notification last night, and there were faint green shadows under her eyes. Although she had carefully applied concealer, the exhaustion in her eyes could not be concealed.
She didn't understand why the old man had suddenly changed his mind, but guessed inwardly that it must have something to do with her own son.
Zhao Manlan took Tang You's hand and patted it gently, calling out to her affectionately, "Youyou, don't worry, even if there’s not shared destiny between you and Wei Jing, you can still come to Aunty when you encounter any difficulties in the future."
Although Elder Xiao had said that both children had agreed to break off the engagement, in Zhao Manlan's opinion, it must be because of Wen Ling again. In the end, it was also Xiao Weijing's fault; looking at Tang You now, she felt guilty and heartbroken.
Tang You smiled and said some words to comfort her. Only when she saw Elder Xiao approach did she let go of her hand and sat down obediently.
Xiao Zexing and Xiao Weijing were the last to arrive, coming in one after the other. Xiao Zexing first greeted Meng Yunqiu with a smile, addressing her respectfully, "Ms. Meng."
Xiao Weijing looked at the seating arrangement coldly and did not say a word.
The arrangement was a little weird this time; Xiao Weijing sat with his parents on one side, the old man was still in the main seat, and further down was Meng Yunqiu, Tang You, Xiao Zexing, and Tang Xiao.
Xiao Weijing and Tang You had been directly separated.
——However, since the engagement was about to be terminated, he would definitely not be arranged to sit with Tang You as before.
Xiao Weijing didn't understand what he was feeling at this time; he was had obviously been freed of the obligation, but he wasn’t happy.
His heart was still and silent.
When everyone was seated, Elder Xiao was the first to speak, "You all know the purpose of my calling you here, right?"
No one spoke; he glanced at Xiao Zexing and continued, " I made a mistake four years ago, and almost made a pair of mismatched lovers. Fortunately, there’s still a chance to remedy the situation; since both Youyou and Weijing don't like the marriage arrangement, let's just forget about this engagement."
The expression on Tang Xiao’s face was so full of pain that it looked like someone was cutting into his flesh with a blunt knife.
Elder Xiao looked at Tang You: "After the dissolution of the engagement, I will still treat Youyou as if she were my own biological child."
Tang Xiao heartache lessened, but when Meng Yunqiu cast him a light glance, he started to feel uncomfortable again.
He understood what Meng Yunqiu meant.
She had said very clearly just now, that she did not want and would not let him interfere with Youyou’s affairs again.
Tang You struggled with the old man's words for a while.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just say “own granddaughter”? Why did he have to say “own biological child” in a roundabout way?
While she was lost in thought, she heard Meng Yunqiu next to her say, "Then, let Youyou move to my place tomorrow."
Tang You was slightly stunned: "Huh?"
Elder Xiao said, "There's no hurry to move. If Youyou finds it troublesome, it’s fine for her to stay at Zexing's place."
Meng Yunqiu said leisurely, "Now that she’s no longer engaged, it's not appropriate for her to live there anymore, right?"
Tang You ate her food in silence.
The old man argued that she only needed to wait for the final result.
Xiao Zexing, who had been silent all this while, spoke up, "The house is so big; I live alone, and it’s empty. Youyou is obedient, there’s no trouble for her to live there."
Zhao Manlan still felt that it was a pity for the engagement to be broken off like this, and attempted to save it.
——What if Youyou and Weijing were able to ignite a small spark of love if they continue living together for a while?
She echoed, "Zexing's right."
Xiao Zenian grasped the words accurately and looked at Xiao Zexing, "It's rare to hear you say that your house is empty. Since you feel lonely, why don't you find a girlfriend sooner?"
Xiao Zexing smiled, "This matter can't be rushed."
As he said this, Tang You was caught off guard as she met his gaze.
Tang You thought Xiao Zexing’s words were very reasonable. After all, it is a marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event. How could one casually find a girlfriend so hastily because of loneliness?
However, Second Uncle's standards were so high; she didn’t know what kind of girl could catch his eyes.
Meng Yunqiu insisted on taking Tang You to live at her place, and as unreasonable as Elder Xiao was, he had no choice but to agree.
After Meng Yunqiu's decision was made, Elder Xiao frowned at Xiao Zexing and sighed deeply.
Tang You inadvertently caught a glimpse of it, but she only thought that Elder Xiao seemed to be harbouring some regret that his offspring hadn’t lived up to his expectations; he used to look at Xiao Weijing in exactly the same way.
After the meal, with a terrible expression, Tang Xiao took the lead to leave.
Meng Yunqiu still had something to discuss with the old man and had Tang You leave first.
When Tang You descended the stairs, the night was dark and deep; even the wind had also become cooler.
Before getting into the car, she heard Xiao Weijing call out in a suppressed voice, "Tang You!"
Tang You stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked at him indifferently, "What is it?"
Xiao Weijing had never seen such a cold expression on her face before and was momentarily lost in thought, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "I apologise for having neglected you these past four years."
"It's okay," Tang You smiled indifferently, her eyes forming crescents, "I didn't take it to heart anyway."
The more she appeared to not care now, the more terribly charming she was.
Xiao Weijing couldn't help drawing closer, "There is something I want to ask you. When you swam in the past——"
“Youyou.”
In an ink-coloured trench coat, Xiao Zexing approached slowly, interrupted Xiao Weijing with a smile, and looked down at Tang You, "Ms. Meng asked me to take you home."
Tang You agreed and asked Xiao Weijing, "Is there anything else?"
Xiao Weijing paused for two seconds. "No."
He was too embarrassed to ask in front of Second Uncle.
Xiao Weijing laughed mockingly at himself.
……He was probably out of his mind to have such a ridiculous speculation.
When he was in high school, Tang You was still in junior high, right?
How could a girl of that age drag a nearly grown man out of the sea?
Looking at her small, thin frame alone, it was obvious that it was impossible.
Besides, Tang You and Wen Ling had such a bad relationship. If Tang You really was the one who had rescued him, how could the bracelet have ended up in Wen Ling's hands?
Tang You ignored him and walked off with Xiao Zexing, saying in a cheerful tone, "Second Uncle, you’ve really helped me out big time this time…"
It was a cheerfulness he had never heard before.
Xiao Weijing stood rooted in place, watching blankly as Xiao Zexing opened the car door, and the smiling Tang You bent over and entered.
Her waist is really slender, and the red made her skin seem incredibly fair. A corner of red dress accidentally stuck outside; Xiao Zexing bent over to help her tuck it away, squeezed the bun that was high up on her head, closed the car door, then went around to the other side and entered.
Xiao Weijing watched the car leave.
In the past two days, from before the dissolution of the engagement to today, he had been ignored by Tang You.
Tang You even dared to scold him today.
Xiao Weijing frowned in thought.
Could these be Tang You's new tactics?
If Tang You was relying on such methods to try to get his attention——
She was very successful.
Tang You had absolutely no idea as to what was going on in Xiao Weijing’s mind.
Sitting in the bedroom, she felt a headache come on when she thought about having to move again.
Clothes and shoes could of course be packed by the professionals, but there were a lot of piecemeal and private items that caused her to feel very troubled.
It always took a long time to pack everything up.
Tang Huhu had been very well-behaved these days. With his big tail fluffy on the ground, he watched as Tang You cradled some books to put into a box. A book clattered to the ground, and he immediately stood up, picked up the book, obediently put it in the box, and wagged his tail, waiting to be praised.
The mobile phone that was placed on the bed rang. Tang You reached for it; it was an unfamiliar number from the Xijing prefecture. She wiped the sweat from her face, knelt on the carpet and asked casually, "Hello, who is this please?"
"Tang You," came Wen Ling's trembling voice. "I'm no longer in contact with Xiao Weijing, why are you still being so ruthless? Will you only be happy when you’ve forced me to a dead end?!”
Tang You frowned, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Wen Ling said incoherently, "I've admitted my mistake now, can you spare me? The gym is my heart and soul. You know it too, I've had nothing since I was a kid, how would you know the difficulties of a poor family? I didn't want to be born in a poor family either, I didn't want parents who are impoverished ghosts; if my father was also a rich man, an official——"
Tang You interrupted her, "Then, do you know why the rich man, or the official, is not your father?"
Wen Ling asked reflexively, "Why?"
Tang You's face was expressionless: "Because they didn’t X your mother!"
Tang You hung up the phone without waiting for Wen Ling to react.
She repented silently in her heart.
No, she shouldn’t have dragged the other’s mother into it when cursing someone. This time, she had really been driven mad by Wen Ling, which was why she would blurt out such filthy words……
While she was repenting, someone knocked on the unlocked bedroom door thrice; Tang You heard Xiao Zexing's unhurried voice, "Can I come in?"
The startled Tang You’s hand shook, and her phone clattered to the carpet.
Tang You truly felt that her mobile phone was incompatible with Xiao Zexing's aura. After meeting him, she had already dropped it several times.
Having learnt from her previous experience, she quickly put the phone away, "Please come in."
Xiao Zexing looked down at the Tang You who was sitting on the carpet.
She wasn’t wearing the bunny nightgown again today. The new nightgown was that of a kitten; pure white, fluffy, with two ears that were faintly pink inside and a long tail hanging down behind her.
Tang You said, "Second Uncle."
"Why do you still call me Second Uncle?" Xiao Ze walked over to her and sat down casually. "You have nothing to do with Weijing anymore. Call me by name. Zexing, Xiao Zexing, Brother Zexing, it’s up to you, call me whatever you like.”
His words frightened Tang You so much that she waved her hands hurriedly, "No, that won’t do, that’s too disrespectful.”
For some reason, other than Tang Xiao and Jiang Tao, Tang You was naturally in awe of her elders, and had an innate reverence towards them.
Xiao Zexing did not continue to correct her term of address. He noticed a folded piece of paper next to Tang Huhu and picked it up. "What is this?"
Tang You was very embarrassed. "The math test paper from high school."
Xiao Zexing took it in his hands; upon unfolding it, he saw the two neatly written characters, ‘Tang You’, and ‘120 points’.
Next to the score was a lengthy chunk of encouraging words. After reading a few lines, it was her math teacher praising her for her recent seriousness in her studies, and the great improvement in her grades.
As expected, she yielded to softness rather than harshness, and had to be coaxed, praised, and doted on.
This was similar to cats, she had to be stroked in the right direction.
"This is quite a high score, you were very good at math in high school." Xiao Zexing folded it carefully, handed it to her, and asked, "Why have you kept this?"
Tang You loved being praised the most; she tried to remain modest, but still, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up. "Because it’s the one and only time I got such a good score in high school. I've always been very bad at math, and having scored so well this once after much hard work, I wanted to keep this as a souvenir."
If the tail on the nightgown were real, it would have been as high in the air as Tang Huhu’s, and beginning to sway.
“When you scolded Wen Ling just now, wasn't it very logical?" Xiao Zexing smiled. "This proves that your talent in mathematics is not poor. Perhaps you just didn't get the correct guidance."
He heard it all!
Those filthy words!
Tang You blushed because of his first sentence, yet she couldn't help leaping for joy at the compliment in his latter sentence.
She had finally found the difference between Xiao Weijing and Xiao Zexing.
Every conversation with Xiao Weijing was dull, while talking with Xiao Zexing was always happy.
Even Tang Huhu seemed to like Xiao Zexing more, and was now even taking a book to him——
Wait!
On the cover of the book, was a nearly nude girl with cat ears being suppressed by a man in the suit. The man in the suit was tugging on the collar around the girl's neck and pressing down on her struggling legs.
Tang You's pupils quivered wildly.
She pounced instinctively, in a posture like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, attempting to snatch the book away before he could see it clearly.
Tang You succeeded.
The book was successfully snatched away; her lips brushed lightly against Xiao Zexing's shirt, and her soft hair brushed past his hand, staying briefly for two seconds before she pulled away quickly.
Xiao Zexing's Adam’s apple moved slightly as he looked down at her.
Tang You hugged the book and explained nervously. "Well… erm, this is something I’m just reading casually. I’m studying ancient and modern Chinese and foreign literature recently. This book is mainly about how to establish a pure friendship between different races. …"
"Mm." Xiao Zexing calmly adjusted his sitting posture, glossing it over, "I didn't expect that your tastes to be quite so wild."
No… Although she would occasionally read books that were more exciting and stimulating, most of the time, the books she read were very dreamy and gentle…
Tang You turned around abashedly and attempted to put the book away properly, smacking the good-for-nothing Tang Huhu’s head along the way.
How can you be so stupid my foolish child? Why reveal your mama's treasure to outsiders?
Xiao Zexing did not carry on with this topic. He stroked the Tang Huhu, who was lying by his legs; Tang Huhu's tail wagged happily and squinted, enjoying himself immensely.
"Didn't we say last time that Huhu should more exercise?" Xiao Zexing suggested, "You can take Huhu for morning runs."
Tang You flushed deeply, "…… but I can't get up in the morning."
She thought that she was probably a pig in her past life.
She could even sleep for more than 12 hours a day.
As long as there was nothing on, she could sleep from 8 o'clock at night to 12 noon the next day.
Xiao Zexing squeezed Tang Puddle's paw and said carelessly, "It just so happens that I do morning exercises every day. Why not let me take Tang Huhu for a run with me?"
Tang Puddle was a Chinese field dog. Although her was large in size, he had a super gentle personality. If someone else were to take him for a run, Tang You would still be a bit uneasy and worried that this big, silly dog would be bullied.
But Xiao Zexing was different; Tang Huhu had always been very close to him.
Now that Xiao Zexing was taking the initiative to make the offer, Tang You’s eyes immediately lit up. "Really? Will it be a bother to Second Uncle?"
"How can your business be considered bothersome?" Xiao Zexing smiled. "From now on, I will first pick up Huhu for a morning run, then send him back to you after the run. How’s that?”
Tang You nodded vigorously. "Thank you so much!"
Was there a better Second Uncle than Xiao Zexing in this world!
He’s simply a god!
Tang You was very moved, and then quietly put away the other books that were scattered not too far away.
Most of these books had been collected from Japan at great expense. Some were bought from the comic conventions when censorship was not so strict in the past. They were all the works of gods and goddesses, and couldn’t be bought anywhere now.
While hiding the books nervously, Tang You turned her head inadvertently and caught a glimpse of Xiao Zexing in her peripheral vision; his eyes were downcast, and his hand was squeezing a long, white, and soft thing… that looked like it was the tail on her skirt?
Tang You turned around; the tail was still in his hands. He happened to be squeezing it, and with the force from both directions, the nightgown slipped downwards with the slight tug, revealing a white neck.
Their eyes met; Xiao Zexing let go of her tail.
Tang You picked up the tail and looked down to inspect it.
Fortunately, it was not spoilt.
Letting go of her tail, Tang You asked in confusion, "Second Uncle, what were you doing?"
There was no change in Xiao Zexing’s expression; his hands closed slightly. "I wanted to see what material it was…… Is this a cat’s tail? It’s rather cute, and suits you well.”
"Yeah!"
Of course it was cute!
This is something she found after sieving through countless pyjama brands.
It tugged at her invincible girlish heart, precisely striking at her love for furry things.
Tang You did not doubt his motives and thought that Second Uncle was really curious about the material; she had finally met a bosom friend who could appreciate her pyjamas. She took the initiative to approach him, knelt on the carpet, deliberately pulled the tail from her skirt around and put it directly in Xiao Zexing's hand, offering it like a treasure for him to touch.
Xiao Zexing looked down at her.
Her hands were very small; her fingers were also very slender, and her fingertips were tinged with a natural faint pink.
Her nails were also clean and neat, small, and delicate.
The tail was very soft, white and pure like a cloud.
Xiao Zexing's body stiffened slightly.
Tang You didn’t realise it at all. She tilted her face, her eyes sparkling, “Among all my nightgowns, this tail is the softest! The ears are also very good. Ah, yes, I also have a bunny nightgown, you should’ve seen it before, that tail is a furry ball, and also feels great to touch…"
After the tailgating accident on that rainy night, Tang You had completely dropped her guard against Xiao Zexing.
Girls would always be full of immense trust and gratitude for those who give a helping hand in times of crisis.
Like how a cat, after completely dropping its guard against its owner, would voluntarily expose its pink, tender belly to let it be stroked.
The cat would not suspect that its owner would hurt it.
Neither would Tang You suspect Xiao Zexing of having any ulterior motives.
Tang You grew excitement as she spoke; her small cheeks were tinged slightly red, her lips were soft, and the small teardrop mole at the corner of her eye added more vividness to her being.
Her hair and clothes were full of the faint scent of vanilla milk.
He had tasted it once; it was very sweet.
Even sweeter than it looked.
Tang You's knees gradually turned red from the prolonged kneeling, looking so pitiful that one couldn’t help but want to dote on her.
He wanted to help her massage them.
Or wickedly make her cry, then smile and hold her in his arms to coax her, kiss her wet eyelashes, and make her happy.
To love and dote on her.
Xiao Zexing's eyes were dark; he squeezed her fluffy tail, the dimples on his cheeks flashing, "Very soft indeed."
But he wasn’t soft at all right now.
The next day, as her schedule was already filled with plans for her photoshoot, she really had no time to spare to pack her things, so Tang You temporarily postponed the move for another day.
In her apartment, she cooperated with Ah Mai to finish shooting a new series of photos, then sprawled wearily on the sofa to rest.
While playing with her phone, her elbow accidentally brushed down the small square bag beside her; the contents fell out, and an invitation floated right next to Miao Jiaxi's leg.
Miao Jiaxi put down her milk beer and picked it up.
She sat cross-legged on the carpet; after reading the contents of the invitation, she was full of emotion, "You rich people really know how to have a good time. Even after living for so long, I’d never expected that there’d be such a thing as a society ball in our country.”
"It's organized by the rich young ladies who can't attend the Paris Society Ball. It’s only happening for the third time this year." Tang You did this and that on her phone casually, "The people attending are all famous heiresses from the political and business world, and the review of the attendees is rather strict."
Miao Jiaxi froze. "You guys still have to be reviewed before you can attend a ball?"
"Their small circle is very cliquey and elitist," said Tang You with a smile. "If it wasn’t because of my relation to my grandmother, I wouldn't have been able to attend."
Tang You was telling the truth. A couple of decades ago, the Tang family was still well-to-do, but now, it has long lost its former glory. This was why everyone felt that Tang You was just climbing up the social ladder after Elder Xiao announced the engagement back then.
The invitation was made exquisitely, with a light blue background and gold lettering. When unfolded, one could smell the faint fragrance of lilies on it.
Tang You did not receive an invitation for the previous two balls, but now that she and Xiao Weijing had broken off their engagement, Meng Yunqiu handed casually her one.
Perhaps it was on Meng Yunqiu's account?
Tang You guessed.
Though the engagement was just annulled last night, it was likely that everyone who had a good relationship with the two families had received the news.
And were also aware that Tang You was now in Meng Yunqiu’s care.
Miao Jiaxi asked, "Then, do you still want to go?"
“I’ll go,” said Tang You. “Grandma asked me to attend. She thinks interpersonal skills are also very important.”
Tang Xiao was not qualified enough, and those people wouldn’t have sent her an invitation because she was Tang Xiao’s daughter. Tang You had never been to such an event before.
Miao Jiaxi continued to ask, “Are there any rules involved?”
Tang You thought back to what Meng Yunqiu's had said and shook her head. "There are no rules. The only thing is that men are required to wear formal suits, and women, formal gowns."
After all, it was a society ball, and Tang You understood Meng Yunqiu’s intentions— she hoped that she could more friends within this circle. Meng Yunqiu was rather famous in the business world, and one of the factors was her strong social skills—basically, she didn't make enemies, only friends.
Although Tang You didn't have such grand ambitions, but since Meng Yunqiu wanted her to go, she would.
Anyway, she would just deal with things as they came. It was just attending a ball, she wouldn’t lose any flesh because of it.
Meng Yunqiu had long prepared a gown and shoes for her. It was a long, dark green silk dress, light and soft, that draped down like running water.
She had also assigned her own personal chauffeur to her.
However, when she arrived at the entrance of the ball, Tang You was turned away.
The other party explained to her courteously, "My apologies, Miss Tang, the ball requires one to have a male escort."
Beside them was a couple entering arm in arm, looking at Tang You in surprise.
Tang You spoke with him calmly, "May I ask when this rule was set?"
The attendant, who had long been instructed by Zhao Die, and replied politely, "It was just set this year."
Sensing unfriendly gazes, Tang You glanced to the side.
Zhao Die and Song Yu were standing next to some rose bushes not too far away, seeming to be watching the scene.
Zhao Die and Song Yu were the main organizers of this year's event. Zhao Die had always been somewhat interested in Xiao Weijing, while Song Yu seemed to be interested in Xiao Zexing.
Thanks to Zhao Manlan, Tang You could get to know of such news.
Zhao Die was most likely deliberately making trouble for her, and had gave the attendant this last minute instruction to deliberately embarrass her.
Tang You kept smiling. "I see. Thank you."
She ignored the surprised or inquisitive gazes of the people around her, straightened her back, and turned——
Unexpectedly, she crashed into a warm chest; the faint scent of cedar and vetiver filled her nose.
She raised her head and saw Xiao Zexing.
He was in a formal suit and leather shoes; his white shirt was accessorised with a dark green tie with thin diagonal stipes, which happened to be the exact same colour as the gown she was wearing.
His big hand fell upon her soft, slender waist, holding her firmly to prevent her from falling.
Song Yu, who was not far away, was stunned.
The small squarish bag in her hand fell straight to the ground, and the unclasped flap of the bag fell open, lipstick, mirror, and the like spilt out onto the ground.
In full view of everyone, Xiao Zexing ignored the gazes around him and tightened his grip on Tang You's waist calmly, then carefully adjusted her slightly skewed earrings.
His fingers brushed her earlobes inadvertently; Xiao Zexing looked down at her with a smile in his eyes, revealing a trace of indulgence, "Why didn’t you wait for me to get off work? Why are you running around by yourself?"
Without waiting for Tang You to react, Xiao Zexing calmly took her by the waist, blocking off the gazes around them, and in the silence, walked steadily to the attendant.
The attendant was stunned; he addressed him respectfully, "Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Zexing had a tall stature that gave off an oppressive air; the attendant had to tilt his head upwards as he broke out in cold sweat.
Everyone knew that he was most protective of his shortcomings.
Xiao Zexing looked down at him, smiled and asked, "One has to bring a male escort to attend the ball? Why do I not know that there’s such a rule? Who was the one who made it?"
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The author has something to say:
A small scene:
Sometime in the future, Second Uncle took all of Youyou’s treasured books out and brought them before her. Smiling, he said, “Good Youyou, choose one that like.”
Youyou trembled and tried to leave. “Can I not choose? Can’t the normal kind do?”
Second Uncle put down the books, held her by her ankles, and wrapped her in his arm. He smiled gently and said, “Then, let’s take one book at a time. Let’s go with one book first for today.”
