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The banquet was naturally led by Qiu Ruolan as she gracefully danced, her partner being a sponsor of the banquet hall.
He was a slightly balding middle-aged man, and when Qiu Ruolan approached him, he couldn't help but blush. Perhaps this was true admiration, devoid of any romantic entanglement, filled only with a sense of worship and shyness.
Huang Zihe had already been taken away by the married women led by Yao Lizhen.
Qiu Hai and Liu Jian stood together, engaged in conversation, while Yu stood on the other side chatting with a boy next to her. However, she was clearly distracted, her eyes scanning the room in search of Huang Zihe.
Autumn Wind picked up a drink from a waiter's tray as she passed by and headed towards Yu, intending to tease her about her star-struck demeanor. However, as she walked past Qiu Hai and Liu Jian, she was softly called by Liu Jian.
"Autumn Wind..."
Autumn Wind turned around with a smile but didn't dare to meet Liu Jian's gaze. "What is it?"
Liu Jian appeared even more nervous than Autumn Wind. He lowered his head in a flustered manner, unable to look at her, his expression filled with guilt. "I... I can..." He hesitated.
Liu Jian's stammering made Autumn Wind quiet down. She slowly lifted her head to look at Liu Jian, but her gaze happened to meet Qiu Hai's. Qiu Hai's face flushed slightly, yet he showed no intention of avoiding her gaze. His eyes were exceptionally pure, devoid of any darkness, bringing light to Autumn Wind. She thought Qiu Hai might say something to her.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Hai reached out and encouragingly patted Liu Jian on the shoulder, his eyes instantly filled with motivating strength. Autumn Wind even heard Qiu Hai firmly tell Liu Jian, "Go for it, invite Autumn Wind to dance!"
Suddenly, Autumn Wind felt insignificant, as if she were not an individual but rather a gift that could be exchanged at will. She lowered her head without saying a word and turned to leave.
But her arm was firmly grasped by a hand; the juice in her cup sloshed around dangerously close to spilling on her clothes. A waiter happened to pass by at that moment. Autumn Wind placed the cup on the tray, took a deep breath, and prepared to turn around and question whoever had stopped her.
"Can I invite you to dance?" Liu Jian's trembling voice came through.
Along with Liu Jian's voice, Autumn Wind clearly heard Qiu Hai emit a disdainful snort.
Her body froze slightly as Liu Jian's hand rested on her waist; with a gentle pull, Autumn Wind found herself following Liu Jian into the dance floor.
Turning her face away, she avoided any exchange of expressions with Liu Jian. Wherever she looked, she could see Yu's astonished expression.
Autumn Wind was actually more surprising than her, wondering why she was so obediently dancing with Liu Jian.
At the edge of the dance floor, Jolie took a cocktail from a server's tray, her eyes filled with resentment.
Yao Lizhen approached her from behind, holding a cup. Seeing Jolie shooting a hateful glance towards the dance floor, she playfully tried to divert Jolie's attention, "Hey, Jolie, why aren't you dancing? Don't you have a partner?"
Upon hearing someone speak to her, Jolie immediately retracted her sharp gaze, putting on a smile as she turned towards the source of the voice. Recognizing it was Yao Lizhen, her fawning expression intensified, "Oh, it's Sister Li Zhen! I haven't thanked you for bringing me here today..." Jolie slightly raised her cup towards Yao Lizhen.
In fact, Qiu Ruolan had not invited Jolie to her birthday party. That day, when Liu Jian was not around, Jolie had looked through the light blue invitation on his desk. After learning about the birthday party, she had been desperately seeking an opportunity to attend. Yesterday, she ran into Yao Lizhen at the mall and lied to her that she had accidentally stained her invitation and hoped that Yao Lizhen could take her along.
Yao Lizhen naturally knew this was a lie; how could Qiu Ruolan invite someone with no connection to her to her birthday party? Moreover, this person could be considered an enemy of Autumn Wind. It was unlikely that Qiu Ruolan would send an invitation to someone who might cause discomfort... But not wanting to confront Jolie, especially if one day Jolie really ended up with Liu Jian, and she would still have to interact with her, after much thought, Yao Lizhen chose to agree.
Hearing that Jolie was using this reason to toast, Yao Lizhen thought to herself that this woman must have quite a thick skin; she hadn't seen her name on the guest list at all...
With a slight smirk and a hint of sarcasm, she asked, "So? Didn't Liu Jian invite you to dance?"
Jolie's expression turned somewhat awkward, but she knew this embarrassment was self-inflicted. She looked at Yao Lizhen with a bitter smile and gently shook her head, her expression resembling that of Wang Baochuan, who endured in silence, "Just watching him quietly is also a kind of beauty!"
Such poetic language left Yao Lizhen at a loss for words. Just then, an old friend called out to her, and she cheerfully ran over.
After Yao Lizhen left, the tranquility on Jolie's face instantly froze. She suddenly downed the strong liquor in her cup, displeasure evident on her face.
In another corner of the banquet hall, Qiu Feng poured herself a drink and fixed her gaze tightly on Autumn Wind. This was her first time attending a private party since Yusha left.
That day she had just finished recording a show when she coincidentally ran into Qiu Ruolan while hailing a taxi. Qiu Ruolan pulled her into the car and instructed the driver to take her home.
During the ride, Qiu Ruolan personally handed her an invitation to the birthday party.
Looking at the light blue piece of paper, tears streamed down Qiu Feng's face in an instant. "Sister Sally, are you inviting me...?" It was well-known that only those whom Qiu Ruolan deemed important could attend her birthday celebration. For someone like Qiu Feng, who was not particularly prominent, this was indeed an honor.
Qiu Ruolan understood the struggles of Qiu Feng. She gently patted Qiu Feng's shoulder and whispered comfortingly, "Everything is over, look at me..." Qiu Ruolan tried to use her own experiences to console Qiu Feng, but before she could finish her words, she was overwhelmed by her own endless melancholy.
"Alright, don't think about unhappy things! Remember to come! You and Autumn Wind haven't seen each other for a long time, right? She's been saying she wants to see you, but her health hasn't been good, and she's afraid of causing you trouble..." Qiu Ruolan held Qiu Feng's hand. "You two can have a good catch-up then..."
Autumn Wind? What a familiar name. When those two words reached Qiu Feng's ears, her body trembled slightly, and all the past grievances surged back.
And now, Autumn Wind was standing less than ten meters away, yet she could only hide in the corner and drink alone.
Autumn Wind's figure had returned to form; her youthful skin glowed with radiance, yet she also exuded a mature charm like a noblewoman, with an air of dignity and elegance. Indeed, she was no longer the same person as before. Under the immense glow of wealth, she was someone I could hardly approach as a sorrowful individual. In the complex feelings Qiu Feng harbored towards Autumn Wind, there was now an added sense of inferiority. Since inferiority had turned into jealousy—baseless jealousy—her wealth carried my blood and sweat; I had to reclaim it...
However, Autumn Wind in the dance floor remained oblivious to the glares from Qiu Feng and Jolie on either side. All she wanted was to leave the dance floor quickly; she needed to distance herself from Liu Jian—further away. She even hoped that either Yu or Qiu Ruolan would impulsively rush onto the dance floor and forcibly pull her away.
But that hope vanished completely when Autumn Wind spotted Yu and Qiu Ruolan. At that moment, Yu was dancing gracefully with Huang Zihe in the dance floor, her face displaying youthful shyness. Meanwhile, Qiu Ruolan wore an even more peculiar expression; she looked at Autumn Wind with an expectant smile that seemed to say: "Hey, you two should get back together!"
With her hand resting on Liu Jian's shoulder clenched into a fist, Autumn Wind could hear the voice of resentment within herself: I endure, I endure, I endure...
Fortunately, the dance finally came to an end, and those who were embracing in the dance floor dispersed.
Before Liu Jian could react, Autumn Wind dashed into the crowd as if fleeing for her life. Her high heels caused her to stumble completely.
Yu suddenly appeared out of nowhere; she grabbed Autumn Wind's arm with a mischievous grin and a tone full of excitement. "Are you planning to get back together with Liu Jian?"
"What nonsense!" Autumn Wind glared at Yu but didn't stop moving as she slipped into the crowd behind her.
"Hey hey, don't run!" Yu caught hold of Autumn Wind's arm and followed her into the crowd. "I heard others discussing it; Sister Sally specifically invited Liu Jian today to prepare for your reunion!" Yu blinked playfully with a smirk on her face. "You didn't know? No way!"
"You’re new in this circle and believe such gossip? It's surprising you spend all day with me!" Autumn Wind dismissed it casually while scanning her surroundings. She spotted Qiu Feng sitting in the corner, swallowed hard, and stepped towards Qiu Feng.
As Autumn Wind approached, the fish holding her arm felt a bit panicked. When she realized that Autumn Wind was walking towards Qiu Feng, she hurriedly released Autumn Wind's arm in a fluster.
Qiu Feng was staring blankly at the empty Cup, her head lowered, when suddenly a pair of delicate hands placed a cup of plain water in front of her. Not expecting anyone to pay attention to her, Qiu Feng quickly looked up, only to see Autumn Wind's concerned face.
The two locked eyes and froze almost simultaneously.
Autumn Wind was taken aback by how haggard Qiu Feng looked after not seeing her for a few days. The thick makeup couldn't hide her sallow complexion, and her eyes appeared as if they had been punched, giving her the look of an old woman tormented by illness.
On the other hand, Qiu Feng was stunned simply because she didn't know how to respond to Autumn Wind's warm smile that felt like spring.
They exchanged a bittersweet smile, and Qiu Feng pushed away the plain water offered by Autumn Wind, calling over a waiter to bring two glasses of wine. She handed one glass to Autumn Wind, lifted it slightly, and drank it all in one go.
Autumn Wind bit her lip, looking at the light red liquid in the cup. She smiled at Qiu Feng and tilted her head back to finish the drink.
Having not had alcohol for a long time, as the cocktail slid down her throat into her stomach, Autumn Wind first felt a warm sensation, which soon turned into a burning heat. Instinctively, she stuck out her tongue and waved her hand rapidly.
Qiu Feng stared in disbelief at Autumn Wind's exaggerated actions, feeling a sense of ridicule in her heart; even if Cinderella leaped onto the branch, she could never become a noblewoman.
At that moment, Qiu Ruolan's birthday cake was slowly wheeled out. Before Autumn Wind could comprehend what was happening, she was pulled towards the Cake Cart.
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