PB - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The two young ladies of the Shen family had interned at Ruifeng for two months, and with the end of the year approaching, it was time for them to return home. Before they left, Shen Shouxin hosted a banquet. As Shen Shoucheng's supervisor, Qiao Qi naturally couldn't be absent. It was rare for the Shen family to hold a banquet in Beijing, and with all of the city's high society on the guest list, the event was exceptionally grand.
Qiao Qi's gown had been selected and personally delivered by Shen Shoucheng, under the pretext of a farewell gift to thank her for her guidance, leaving Qiao Qi with no reason to refuse. Miss Shen's taste was excellent. The black gown made Qiao Qi's already fair complexion even more dazzling. The simple cut, combined with the wearer's gentle temperament, added a touch of elegance and solemnity.
So much so that when Doctor Su, who had known her for a long time, saw her, her eyes lit up. “You always dress well, but you have a habit of hiding your best features. Today's outfit doesn't have any of those old flaws. This Miss Shen seems to understand you quite well.”
“How could the heir the Shen family is grooming not have a discerning eye?”
“It seems you taught her quite diligently. Otherwise, the little girl wouldn't be sending you clothes and singing your praises.”
Qiao Qi shot her a look. “I thought you wouldn't have time to come tonight.”
Doctor Su went along with the change of subject. “I'm here, but my family gave me repeated orders to come tonight. I'm so busy all day; what time do I have to deal with all this?”
“Sister Qiqi.” Shen Shoucheng had been drinking; her face was flushed and she was beaming. “From now on, I won't be your assistant anymore, so can I call you Sister Qiqi?”
Qiao Qi smiled faintly. “You may.”
Doctor Su mimicked Shen Shoucheng, holding out her wine glass and calling out in a crisp voice, “Sister Qiqi.”
Shen Shoucheng lowered her head, looking shy. Qiao Qi rolled her eyes at Doctor Su. “Shoucheng, don't drink anymore. I see they have juice over here. If you switch to a glass of grape juice, no one will be able to tell.”
Shen Shoucheng looked up, her eyes sparkling and full of life. She replied, “Okay.”
Today's banquet was hosted by the Shen family, and waves of people came to chat and exchange pleasantries without pause. She didn't have Shouxin's tolerance for alcohol, and after a few glasses, her head was already spinning. She had finally found a free moment to come find Qiao Qi in the corner.
“Sister, are you okay?” Shen Shouxin had followed her over. The moment she stopped, their corner instantly became the center of attention. “You'd better not be feeling sick. If Mom finds out, she'll lecture me again.”
“I'm fine. You go on ahead. I'm just going to talk to Sister Qiqi for a bit, then I'll be over.”
“Okay.” Shen Shouxin bid farewell to Qiao Qi and Su Jiayin before leaving the corner.
Shen Shoucheng took a glass of grape juice from a waiter and held it in her hand. “Sister Qiqi, are you going to Shenzhen after the New Year?”
Qiao Qi wasn't surprised. She asked, “Have you figured anything out these past two months?”
Shen Shoucheng nodded, raising her grape juice to clink against Qiao Qi's wine glass. “Then I'll be waiting in Shenzhen to welcome your grand arrival.”
The moment Gu Jianchu stepped into the banquet hall, her gaze, as if with a will of its own, fell directly on the corner to her right. This was the second time she had seen Qiao Qi at a banquet, and compared to the one a few months ago, this was far more stunning.
The moment she entered, the spotlight focused on her. Even Qiao Qi couldn't help but look her way. The ends of Gu Jianchu's long hair were slightly curled, falling onto her smooth, bare shoulders. The low V-neck gown, combined with that heart-stopping face, was enough to make anyone fall for her at first sight.
Acquaintances came up to greet her, while strangers watched for an opportunity to strike up a conversation. The sense of distance Gu Jianchu projected was a chasm; very few could manage to exchange more than a few sentences with her. The resentful men who dreamed of plucking this thorny rose attributed her barbs solely to her family background, always thinking that if they had been born into such circumstances, they would be even stronger than her. Unfortunately for them, they never would be.
Jin Zhilan was there, as was Jin Zhihuan. Shen Shoucheng instructed the band to play, and a slow, gentle melody began. The eldest young master of the Jin family extended a hand, inviting Gu Jianchu to dance. Gu Jianchu smiled and placed her fingertips on his. In an instant, all eyes in the room were drawn to the dancing pair. People gathered around to watch quietly, and even Qiao Qi and Su Jiayin stopped their conversation to gaze at the graceful dance under the lights.
When the song ended, the banquet reached its peak. The music started again, and more people took to the dance floor. Qiao Qi withdrew her gaze, but it didn't focus on anything. Su Jiayin knew her well enough to see she was spacing out again. Qiao Qi's life was occupied by three things: work, sleep, and occasional bouts of zoning out. If no one disturbed her and she had nothing to do, she could stay that way for a long time.
So, when Gu Jianchu walked over, she was met with a strange scene: one woman staring blankly into the distance, the other holding a wine glass, lost in thought. It made her unconsciously lighten her steps.
Su Jiayin had seen her approaching out of the corner of her eye. Noticing her lightened steps, she smiled and teased, “What are you so nervous about?”
The sound of her voice brought Qiao Qi back to her senses. As her vision focused, she saw Gu Jianchu approaching. For a moment, she failed to react as usual, a look of confusion crossing her face. Su Jiayin seized on this as well, teasing, “Has President Qiao returned from her trip to the great void?”
Qiao Qi ignored her, instead offering Gu Jianchu a sincere compliment. “President Gu, you look beautiful tonight.”
“President Qiao, you don't look bad yourself tonight.”
Qiao Qi was different from Gu Jianchu. She rarely attended such banquets, and when she did, it was always with a specific goal in mind. Moreover, most people kept a wide berth from her, let alone praised her to her face. For the compliment to come from Gu Jianchu, of all people—regardless of whether it was sincere or not—made the first-time experience cause a rare blush to appear on President Qiao's face.
Su Jiayin's eyes lit up instantly, a mischievous glint in them. “I praise you all the time, and I've never seen you get embarrassed. Why are you getting all shy over a casual comment from Jianchu?”
Qiao Qi's expression suddenly hardened. She enunciated three words, her tone neither too light nor too heavy: “Su. Jia. Yin.”
Doctor Su's bravado vanished, and she instinctively shrank back. Qiao Qi was so petty. It was just a joke. Why did she have to turn on her aura like that? It was scary.
“You can be angry, but can you not give me the cold shoulder?” Qiao Qi ignored her and turned to leave, but Su Jiayin grabbed her. “Where are you going?”
“To touch up my makeup.”
Watching Qiao Qi's retreating back, Su Jiayin patted her still-fluttering chest and said to Gu Jianchu, who had witnessed the whole exchange, “Her.” She pointed to the disappearing figure. “She's actually very easy to embarrass, and she's a kind person. She has a bit of a submissive streak in her personality. What you just saw is rare.” She then turned to Gu Jianchu and said, enunciating each word, “You are not allowed to bully her.”
Hearing her last sentence, Gu Jianchu's lips curved into a smile as she feigned confusion. “How would I bully her? I've only met her two or three times.”
Su Jiayin raised a hand to wave away that smile. “Don't smile at me like that. It's useless; I don't fall for your tricks. I can't even count on two hands the number of people in this hall whose souls you've captivated. You're in a league of your own. With a crook of your finger, you have hordes of people to choose from to play with. But I'm warning you, not Qiao Qi.”
Gu Jianchu put on an innocent expression. “I'm really not interested in her. What on earth is going on in that head of yours?”
“You've always been very goal-oriented. Now that you know her real surname is Jin, it's not impossible that you'd seek her out if you needed a partner within the Jin family.” She glanced behind Gu Jianchu, but Gu Jianchu didn't turn, just kept looking at her. Su Jiayin continued, “The eldest young master Jin is quite fond of you, but you definitely hate his pestering. The youngest young master Jin is even less likely to catch your eye. Qiao Qi is your best choice.”
“It's really a shame you're a doctor.” There was a smile in Gu Jianchu's eyes. “Before you said that, I truly had no such intentions. But now that you've brought it up, it sounds quite reasonable and worth considering.”
Su Jiayin's expression soured. “I'm not joking with you.”
“Jiayin, we've known each other since we were children, yet you're only concerned with protecting her. I might get jealous, you know.”
Doctor Su looked disgusted. “I told you, I don't fall for your act. She's not like you. She's ridiculously soft-hearted. In short, don't you dare bully her.”
“And what if I do?”
Su Jiayin thought about it very seriously. “I'll beat you up.”
Gu Jianchu was not pleased. Her face went cold, and she ground out through her teeth, “Defending her in front of me is one thing, but you'd hit me for her sake? I'm going to go tell my uncle just how excellent your grades were back in the day.” Her peripheral vision caught Qiao Qi's hesitant steps, and in an instant, her expression returned to normal.
From a distance, Qiao Qi saw their serious expressions as they talked and slowed her pace so as not to disturb them. Su Jiayin noticed something was off from Gu Jianchu's rapidly changing expression. She turned her head and saw Qiao Qi waiting nearby. Smiling, she waved her over, and only then did Qiao Qi walk toward them.
“President Qiao, you're back just in time. I was just asking Jiayin how she met you.”
Qiao Qi replied, “I met Jiayin when I went to the hospital for a check-up while I was still in school. Later, I had too many minor health issues and didn't want to keep running to the hospital, so I'd just go to her directly.”
The three-person conversation was interrupted by Qi Simiao, who had just come in from outside. Qi Simiao had arrived earlier and, after running into Qi Sitian, had gone over to feign concern. Qi Sitian had been dismissive of her enthusiasm, which had annoyed her.
The two sisters had just finished arguing in a deserted corner—of course, it was mostly Qi Simiao doing the arguing while Qi Sitian listened impatiently to her racket. Because of this, Qi Simiao had missed seeing Gu Jianchu dance earlier.
Qi Sitian also saw the trio over here. Her eyes immediately lit up, sweeping away the annoyance brought on by Qi Simiao. She started to take a step, paused, then put her foot back down and headed in another direction instead.
Because she was in a bad mood, Qi Simiao was even more hostile toward Qiao Qi. She didn't even give her a proper look, chatting warmly only with Gu Jianchu and Su Jiayin. Qiao Qi's expression was placid, revealing no emotion; she didn't care. Su Jiayin, however, was repulsed by Qi Simiao's behavior and pulled Qiao Qi a few steps aside to get away from her, leaving Gu Jianchu to deal with the lovesick pest she had attracted.
Gu Jianchu deliberately grabbed Qiao Qi's wrist and asked, “President Qiao, have you seen Miss Shoucheng of the Shen family?”
Qi Simiao never imagined she would be ignored by Gu Jianchu right in front of Qiao Qi. Her face instantly darkened, and the look she gave Qiao Qi grew even more hostile. Su Jiayin ground her back teeth and glared at Gu Jianchu. The woman had completely ignored her earlier warning. Gu Jianchu didn't actually mean to harm Qiao Qi; she just found it amusing to see Su Jiayin bare her fangs to protect Qiao Qi and wanted to poke the bear out of spite.
Qiao Qi chuckled lightly and replied, “She probably drank too much and went upstairs to rest.”
“Since Miss Shen isn't here, why don't we go somewhere else? Jiayin, don't go home so early. Bring President Qiao with you.”
Su Jiayin thought for a moment. If she left, Qiao Qi would definitely just go home to work. So, she gave up on the idea of going home to sleep. “How about a soak in the hot springs? The masseuses at Jianchu's clubhouse are excellent. Haven't you been complaining about your sore shoulders and back recently?”
Qiao Qi naturally knew Su Jiayin was staying out of concern for her. How could she refuse such kindness? “Alright.”
Qiao Qi rarely visited such top-tier private clubs. Her life was so completely filled by those three things that she never deliberately pursued pleasure. Besides, she was a latecomer to the life of the rich and powerful; before anyone could teach her the ropes, she had already lost the energy to learn.
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