Chapter 79

The crowd of guests quieted down for a moment, then a slight restlessness ensued.

“We welcome Zihua. How come he’s here? If it weren’t for him, would Zihua have been forced to go abroad?”

“Lower your voice. Xi Heng isn’t someone to be trifled with, especially with the Xia Family…”

“Is he trying to establish a relationship with Nie Lingbo? It’s unlike his usual style to be so eager… Wait, is that rumor true?”

…

Many exchanged glances, some in astonishment, some in realization. Those who didn’t know were also caught up in the intrigue.

Suddenly, everyone around discreetly moved away, pretending to be considerate, but secretly keeping an eye on the situation.

All the commotion and undercurrents seemed not to reach Nie Lingbo.

She sat there, poised and relaxed.

Seeing the man standing before her, her gaze lingered on him for a moment.

Xi Heng subconsciously tightened his grip on his wine glass.

Then, he saw Nie Lingbo shift her gaze away and ask Xi Zihua, “Is he your guest?”

Xi Heng’s figure staggered, almost shattering the wine glass.

Nie Lingbo’s gaze towards him was no different from that towards a stranger.

Xi Zihua glanced at Xi Heng and smiled lightly, “He is Xi Heng, my father’s son.”

This response was amusing, eliciting laughter from many guests who were eavesdropping. Looking at Xi Heng again, he indeed seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

Xi Heng was indeed uncomfortable, secretly resenting Xi Zihua for not giving him face.

He couldn’t deny it, yet couldn’t lower his dignity to ingratiate himself. He could only stand there stiffly, still looking at Nie Lingbo as if he couldn’t get enough.

Nie Lingbo’s distant attitude was like ice-cold water pouring down on Xi Heng’s head, but he still hoped that Nie Lingbo would say something to him, even just a greeting, or a polite remark.

He didn’t ask for much, just for Nie Lingbo to talk to him, the rest could be left for later—

Xi Heng waited almost eagerly, but when Nie Lingbo heard Xi Zihua’s words, she just nodded.

No curiosity, no greetings, no politeness, not even… another glance at him.

The masquerade ball officially began.

The most popular person naturally was Xi Zihua, who wandered among friends exchanging greetings and catching up, or was pulled onto the dance floor to dance.

Nie Lingbo sat on the sofa around the banquet hall, holding a glass of white wine, never joining the dance floor.

There weren’t many who dared to invite her, and those few were rejected by her citing physical fatigue.

Xi Zihua came back after making a round and asked Nie Lingbo:

“Shall I have someone take you back first?”

Nie Lingbo usually didn’t like attending useless social gatherings, so Xi Zihua was quite surprised that she came today.

But now that Nie Lingbo was here, it didn’t seem like she wanted to relax, and she didn’t seem to be discussing business with anyone either, which puzzled Xi Zihua even more.

“Sitting here without moving, is it because you haven’t seen someone you wanted to see?” she guessed.

Nie Lingbo shook her head halfway, then paused.

The black mask covered her face, resting on her delicate nose, shining with faint starlight like finely crushed black crystals, wrapping around a pair of intoxicating eyes.

At this moment, those eyes shimmered with a hint of hesitation, becoming even more captivating.

Xi Zihua watched, clutching her chest as she collapsed onto the sofa seat: “The beauty is killing me.”

Nie Lingbo remained unmoved.

She couldn’t explain why she had hurriedly finished her project, immediately bought the nearest flight ticket back, and even came to this insignificant banquet.

What was she waiting for? She didn’t know herself.

Nie Lingbo took a sip of wine and said:

“No need, a driver from the Nie Family will come to pick me up.”

“Okay.” Xi Zihua shrugged and continued to socialize.

When Xia Lei, worried about the waiter, went out to find him, she happened to run into the waiter leading Song Pianxian inside.

“Wow!”

Xia Lei immediately took a sharp breath.

This woman, Song Pianxian, was actually wearing a pure white long dress that reached her ankles, as fresh and beautiful as a neighboring Little Sister, enough to evoke a man’s or even a woman’s protective instincts with just one glance. And she even—

“You’re still wearing your cunning natural makeup!” Xia Lei quickly scrutinized Song Pianxian’s face carefully. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You must have done it on purpose.”

Xia Lei’s face was full of vigilance against the pitiful, innocent white lotus. Song Pianxian smiled:

“I’m here to find Xi Heng.”

Of course, this outfit was indeed prepared for Xi Heng.

Only then did Xia Lei remember the main point and quickly said, “No, it’s not suitable today.”

“Originally, I could have let you in, but someone unexpected came today, so it’s not appropriate for you to appear now. I didn’t play you, and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter—”

As Xia Lei said this, she noticed the slight frown on Song Pianxian’s beautiful face in front of her, and she involuntarily changed her tone:

“Why would I intentionally play you? I would never do such a thing.”

Just after saying this, Xia Lei looked regretful. What was she doing here? Was she feeling sorry for her fiancé’s girlfriend? Was she a bit crazy?

Song Pianxian said, “Is there really no way? You know, today is different for me. I need to see Xi Heng.”

She paused. “If he really did leave me to accompany you here, at least it could put my mind at ease.”

Xia Lei clicked her tongue, thought for a moment, and said, “Well, wait at the door. I’ll call Xi Heng out for you to take a look and then leave.”

“Okay.”

Leading Song Pianxian to the entrance of the banquet hall, Xia Lei felt that her face was too beautiful, attracting too much attention even while standing at the door. She casually handed Song Pianxian a white mask.

As a result, when Song Pianxian put it on, the remaining half of her face looked even more like Nie Lingbo.

“…”

Damn, she’s really good-looking.

Xia Lei, like a dog admiring beauty, looked once, then looked again, only to realize that Song Pianxian was looking at her, her gaze somewhat serious.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Lei touched her own face.

Song Pianxian shook her head. “Nothing.”

She scrutinized Xia Lei, wondering if she could be Qing Lu.

Although Xia Lei’s personality—Qing Lu’s personality was developed later, raised to be a lady, it’s not impossible.

However, after carefully observing Xia Lei, Song Pianxian’s intuition told her that it probably wasn’t her.

And the important figure Xia Lei mentioned, Song Pianxian guessed it was Nie Lingbo, the other significant target of her observation this time.

Xia Lei not letting her in posed a problem.

As Song Pianxian pondered with a furrowed brow, she attracted the attention of many people. Instead of avoiding it, she maintained a fresh and delicate posture, standing still.

Soon, Xi Heng’s figure appeared at the door.

But Xia Lei was held back by an acquaintance who wanted to talk, so she couldn’t come out with him.

Song Pianxian took a step forward towards Xi Heng, who approached while blocking the curious gazes of others.

“What are you doing here?” he furrowed his brows. The white moonlight he had been waiting for seven years was just a wall away. He looked at Song Pianxian, wanting her to disappear from here as soon as possible, fearing that any gossip might reach Nie Lingbo’s ears.

“This is not where you should be. Go back.” he said, then saw Song Pianxian’s body tremble, like a magnolia swaying in the wind, making one’s heart tremble along with it.

“You invited me to meet today, and I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, but you never showed up.”

“This year is the anniversary of our relationship,” Song Pianxian said slowly and emphatically, her voice gentle yet firm, clearly audible to those around.

“Is it?” Xi Heng fell silent for a moment, then indifferently replied, “Yes.”

It was quite a coincidence that Nie Lingbo returned just as Xi Heng had been dating Song Pianxian for exactly one year. Perhaps it was a kind of fate. This thought crossed Xi Heng’s mind as he looked at the girl in front of him, with a mixture of indifference and pity.

Song Pianxian was good, but the one Xi Heng loved was Nie Lingbo.

The self-esteem shattered by Nie Lingbo’s blow just now returned to Xi Heng. He adjusted his tie and said calmly, “I invited you here just to tell you that our relationship should come to an end—”

“No need for you to say it,” Song Pianxian interrupted.

There was a hint of watery emotion in her eyes, tears welling up, making her even more poignant.

Some men in the crowd seemed unable to bear it and wanted to step forward, but were held back by their companions.

With the help of her emotions, Song Pianxian played her role perfectly, making each move with great stability.

First, she publicly declared her identity as Xi Heng’s girlfriend to avoid being mistaken for his mistress, which wouldn’t sound good.

Now, she acted like a naive girl who had been hurt, taking a step forward to force Xi Heng to step back.

“I don’t need you to tell me it’s over,” Song Pianxian said with tear-filled eyes, yet not shedding a single tear, as if clear waves were swaying in her eyes.

She took out a black card from her handbag, held it delicately between her slender fingers, and waved it in front of Xi Heng and everyone else, making sure Xi Heng and others could see it clearly.

“If my boyfriend’s heart is not with me, how could I not notice? Actually, I came to see you today not for our anniversary, but to break up with you, for a clean break.”

“Never expected that you wouldn’t even give this relationship a shred of dignity. Ningzhou Garden couldn’t wait for you, so I’m here at Jiuse to tell you in person, it’s over between us.”

The ballroom music played on, with no one else speaking.

Xi Heng’s breath caught in his throat.

Song Pianxian held the black card and tapped Xi Heng’s chest with its edge, right where his heart was.

Her innocent, pure eyes looked at Xi Heng, as if seeing through his despicable nature.

“I haven’t spent a penny of your money. Today, I’m returning it to you.”

She lifted her chin, eyes wide as if afraid tears might fall accidentally.

“We’re even now. From now on, we’re strangers.”

Song Pianxian slammed the card hard against Xi Heng’s chest, then turned to leave, the hem of her white dress swaying in a graceful arc.

She was stopped.

Turning back, Song Pianxian looked at Xi Heng, who was holding her arm.

“Let go of me.”

There was a murmur around them.

“Can’t let go even after breaking up, Young Master Xi? How petty.”

“Tsk tsk, the poor girl is already in such a state, why don’t you let her go?”

Even the young master from the Xu Family approached Song Pianxian eagerly.

“May I have the honor of escorting you home?”

Xi Heng couldn’t help but loosen his grip. He shouldn’t have tried to keep Song Pianxian. He was planning to break up with her anyway, so letting her leave cleanly would prevent any future questions from Nie Lingbo.

But seeing Song Pianxian turn to leave, he acted on impulse, especially with the Xu Family’s young master trying to chat her up, which displeased him even more.

“She doesn’t need you to escort her,” Xi Heng said in a deep voice.

The Xu Family’s young master, not one to hold back, retorted, “What? Young Master Xi, even your ex-girlfriend needs your approval?”

“You!”

Xi Heng refused to let go of Song Pianxian, and a confrontation between them seemed imminent.

Onlookers marveled at this turn of events. Xi Heng had just made it clear he wanted to end things with the girl, but now that she had beat him to it, he clung on like a dogskin plaster, unwilling to let go.

Some looked towards Xia Lei. His fiancée’s rival was causing a scene, airing their dirty laundry for everyone to see. Xia Lei’s mind was practically glowing with envy.

Xia Lei hadn’t expected things to escalate like this. But aside from the novelty of being green with jealousy, watching Song Pianxian dump the scumbag felt really satisfying.

“Men are so despicable,” a whisper reached Xia Lei’s ears.

Huh? Who was voicing his inner thoughts?

Xia Lei turned to see it was Xi Zihua standing beside her.

Taking another glance, Xia Lei realized that most of the party guests had gathered around to watch the spectacle unfold—

Xia Lei’s gaze lingered at the back of the crowd, in an inconspicuous corner.

Oh crap? How did that person end up here too!

While talking to Xi Heng, Song Pianxian quickly scanned the crowd.

The women all looked remarkable, and their gazes toward her seemed normal, none of them stood out as particularly different.

Perhaps further interaction would be necessary to identify anyone, or maybe Qing Lu wasn’t even here.

Anyway, given her current state, she couldn’t continue.

Song Pianxian reached a preliminary conclusion. Having achieved her goal, she was ready to leave.

She politely declined the Young Master Xu’s offer, then confronted Xi Heng, but the more she resisted, the more determined he became. Finally, he said, “I’ll have someone take you home.”

Song Pianxian hadn’t expected Xi Heng to be so shameless. It was fine for him to want to break up, but he couldn’t accept being the one dumped?

However, Song Pianxian had come here today to sever all ties with him, including this appearance. Unfortunately, her current status was too lowly, and if Xi Heng tried to force her, she had no way to resist.

As Xi Heng tightened his grip on her wrist, Song Pianxian quickly pondered her options. Seeing this, Xi Zihua couldn’t bear to watch any longer and decided to step in and stop this farce.

As soon as she moved, another tall figure passed by her, standing out from the crowd.

Nie Lingbo stepped forward, glancing at Song Pianxian’s tightly held wrist. Xi Heng, as if scalded, abruptly released his grip.

“Ms. Nie, I didn’t mean to—”

“Treating a girl like this is too rude,” Nie Lingbo interjected, seeming oblivious to Xi Heng’s explanation.

She glanced at Song Pianxian’s wrist hanging limply by her side, then her gaze slid down to her pure white dress, slender waist, and rose up her chest, swaying gently, inch by inch, from the collarbone to the swan-like neck, until it rested on Song Pianxian’s face.

Beneath the white mask, were translucent, teary eyes, pink cheeks, and lips coated with pale pink lip gloss.

Those light brown eyes blinked gently.

Tears that hadn’t fallen from beneath the mask streamed down her cheeks, like dewdrops on a flower.

Nie Lingbo reached out, her hand under the young girl’s chin, using her thumb to wipe away the tear.

“Don’t cry.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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