Chapter 1

The midsummer night was filled with pouring rain. Lightning penetrated the mass of clouds, followed by the tremendous sound of dull thunder.

The colorful medieval church styled stained glass windows inside Pingcheng’s Academy of fine arts revealed the academy’s brightness. <<Ling Du>> is hosting a fashion charity banquet to celebrate its 10th anniversary tonight.

There is a unique event before the banquet starts, where guests would sign their name on the billboard and pose for pictures, and look for acquaintances to chat with.

It would be awkward to talk with a bunch of unfamiliar guests under such an occasion for most, but Ji Mingshu never had to worry about this kind of trouble.

“Jiang Chun isn’t coming tonight?”

“She most likely isn’t.”

“Indeed, she already spent so much money on ordering that pile of garbage; she wouldn’t have the ability to do charity even if she wanted to.”

If you didn’t listen carefully to what they were talking about, one would really think that they were feeling pity for the other woman, with the gentle way that those women conversed. Then the ladies exchanged looks, and all chuckled at the same time. The topic ended there.

Ji Mingshu was in the center of the group, but she didn’t say a word during their conversation. There was a slight smile on her face, but It wasn’t hard to tell that she lacked interest in the topic, and even some-what absentminded.

Upon seeing Ji Mingshu’s expression, one of the ladies quickly changed to a new topic. She looked towards Ji Mingshu’s face with a smile plastered on and asked, “Dear, isn’t this the dress you tried on in Paris two days ago? You look fabulous.”

“No, the one that I tried then was only a demonstration. I ordered the dress I’m wearing now from the autumn Paris Haute Couture week last year.” Ji Mingshu replied.

All the ladies there had attended Haute Couture before, so buying a few dresses from there was not uncommon, but they would only wear them to large banquets. Meanwhile, Ji Mingshu wore an Haute Couture dress to attend such a small bouquet! It was too extravagant! None of them concealed their envious expressions and went on to flatter Ji Mingshu, just like they always did.

As for whether Ji Mingshu paid attention to their compliments… that was hard to say because the young lady’s face was expressionless. After taking a few sips of the red wine to leave them some face, Ji Mingshu left the group with an “It was fun,” before exiting with Gu Kaiyang, the chief vice editor of <<Ling Du>>.

Upon Ji Mingshu’s exit, the ladies all let out an invisible sigh of relief. It was evident that Ji Mingshu wasn’t in the mood today; she appeared uninterested in the joke they told about Jiang Chun and didn’t react when they commented on her dress. If Ji Mingshu didn’t leave when she did, they wouldn’t know what else to flatter!

“What are you thinking about? You still have time to listen to that fake flatter when tonight is your bestie’s big day? Go look for Shi Qing in the banquet hall and fight her if she dares to stir up any trouble!”

Gu Kaiyang carried a smile on her face while speaking, nodding her head to the guests who passed by. Her voice came from the gap between her raised lips, and it deepened by three levels when she pressed her lips together.

Ji Mingshu lifted her eyebrows, but a loud noise behind them cut her off before she could reply. The two turned their heads around simultaneously.

The cameras were already flashing endlessly despite not knowing which reputable authority had arrived. The journalists who were still conducting interviews left their interviewees without hesitation and rushed to the signature billboard at the end of the red carpet, pushing their way into the crowd.

Gu Kaiyang narrowed her eyes and said, “I think that’s Su Cheng. Stay here and watch out for me, I’m going over.” Her reaction was fast, and she started walking when she was only halfway into her words.

Ji Mingshu watched the crowd from afar, uninterested. But suddenly, she saw a familiar figure standing next to Su Cheng, and she quickly straightened her back.

As if they had telepathy, the man at Su Cheng’s side also looked her way. His cold and distant gaze carried the chill of the summer rain as it bypassed the crowd and the white flashes of the cameras, reaching her eyes.

–

After the photographs and interviews by the signature billboard were taken, the guests were invited into the banquet hall, seated in a predetermined order.