Due to unforeseen maintenance at Cloud Top Garden, Jiang Muyun’s birthday banquet was ultimately held at the equally prestigious Southern Star Garden.
That is one of the most mysterious and luxurious private clubs in Jiangcheng, renowned for its stunning sky garden and glass-domed banquet hall.
It is never open for public reservations and usually only accommodates the top political and business elites and prestigious families.
For this banquet, Su Qinghan used some of the Su Family’s connections to book the entire top floor.
The scale of her expenditure once again became a hot topic among their circle.
On the night of the birthday banquet, the sky darkened and the lights began to shine.
Southern Star Garden was bathed in a flowing, colorful glow.
At the entrance of the exclusive elevator leading directly to the top floor, uniformed attendants stood respectfully, carefully verifying the identity of each invited guest.
Perfumed dresses and silhouettes; a gathering of celebrities.
The men were impeccably dressed in suits and leather shoes, exuding an air of distinction.
The women were adorned with jewels, their gowns swaying gracefully.
The air was filled with the rich fragrance of fine champagne, perfume, and fresh flowers.
The venue was like a fairy-tale world, with countless crystal chandeliers and candlelight reflecting off each other, while melodious live string music flowed through the air.
Beyond the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was Jiangcheng’s breathtakingly brilliant nightscape, as if the entire city were lighting up blessings for tonight’s birthday celebrant.
As the organizer and de facto hostess of the banquet, Su Qinghan arrived early.
At this moment, she was standing on the terrace outside the side door of the banquet hall, her back to the indoor commotion, making a final adjustment to the cuffs of her evening gown.
Wearing a midnight blue velvet mermaid gown, it accentuated her tall and straight posture and cool temperament.
Only, her brow was slightly furrowed, her eyes a little vacant, not fully immersed in the atmosphere of the impending feast.
“Qinghan.”
A crisp voice came from beside her.
Dai Feng walked over.
Tonight, unusually, she wore a stylish black pantsuit with a clean high ponytail, giving her a very heroic and striking appearance.
She walked up to Su Qinghan, not looking at the night view outside the window, but directly focusing her gaze on her friend’s face, her sharp eyes seeming to pierce through all disguises.
“You have something on your mind today.”
Dai Feng used a statement, not a question.
Su Qinghan paused in her movement, then returned to normal.
“What’s on my mind? Nothing. Today is Muyun’s birthday party. I’ve put so much thought into preparing it, I should be happy.”
“Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen it long ago,” Dai Feng said, hands in her pockets, her tone calm but hitting the nail on the head.
“If you were truly, wholeheartedly looking forward to holding this birthday party for Jiang Muyun the way you appear to be, you wouldn’t be wearing that expression right now.”
Su Qinghan was silent for a few seconds, then turned her face to look at Dai Feng.
The light cast dim shadows in her deep eyes.
“Nothing, really nothing. I am devoted to Muyun, and Muyun… she also values my feelings.”
She said the last half sentence slowly, as if convincing herself.
“She’s been spending a lot of your money again, hasn’t she?”
Dai Feng spoke abruptly, her tone carrying a barely detectable mockery.
Su Qinghan, hit on a sore spot, did not immediately retort.
Yes, she was indeed willing to spend money on Jiang Muyun, from the airport pickup upon returning to daily expenses, from luxury goods to this extravagant birthday banquet, she had never been stingy.
But this kind of spending seemed to have gradually changed its nature.
Jiang Muyun became increasingly picky about prices, and her standards for things “worthy” of Su Qinghan and this occasion grew higher and higher, to the point where sometimes Su Qinghan herself felt… it had gotten somewhat out of control, becoming an invisible burden and a show-off.
What made her even more uneasy deep down was that staying by Jiang Muyun’s side, the money, time, and effort she invested seemed not to have brought an equivalent emotional return that made her feel secure and settled.
Jiang Muyun’s “cherishing” was more like an enjoyment of the state of “being doted on,” a kind of effortless control, rather than mutual sincerity.
And Yan Yu…
That name uncontrollably intruded into her mind.
That Yan Yu, whom she had “dismissed” with money, rejected with cold words, and even publicly distanced herself from, seemed to treasure even the tiniest, most insignificant things she had given.
Those three years of vague companionship, those details she had long forgotten.
In Yan Yu’s eyes, they seemed to be plated with a stubborn light.
‘Yan Yu… did she really love her as much as she showed?’
‘Really… was it not just for the money?’
This doubt had been haunting her like a ghost recently, from time to time.
“I’ll go in and see how the preparations are going.”
Su Qinghan avoided Dai Feng’s gaze that seemed to see through everything, turned around, and intended to go back into the banquet hall.
In the moment of turning, her gaze quickly swept the surroundings.
On the terrace, there were only the two of them for now; not far away, a waiter with his back to them was organizing drinks.
Dai Feng’s attention also seemed to be momentarily drawn by the rising noise inside the hall.
As if possessed, Su Qinghan’s hand reached into the inside pocket of her suit and pulled out her phone.
Her fingertips quickly slid, entered the password, and opened that encrypted photo album folder named “Work Materials.”
Inside was nearly empty, with only one photo.
It was that profile photo of Yan Yu under the dim bedside lamp.
Skin pale and cold, eyelashes drooping, quiet and fragile, yet breathtakingly beautiful.
Her gaze lingered on that photo for less than two seconds, yet her heart inexplicably tightened and skipped a beat.
‘Yan Yu, she had become much more beautiful.’
A surge of palpitation and irritation welled up.
She, as if scalded, quickly turned off the screen and shoved the phone back into her pocket, so fast that it stirred a slight breeze.
‘What the hell?’
‘It’s all messed up.’
On the day of celebrating the birthday of the romantic interest she was pursuing and spending a fortune on, at the doorstep of the banquet about to start, secretly looking at another woman’s photo… Su Qinghan felt that this version of herself was extremely shameful, even somewhat despicable.
But why, in that fleeting moment just now, when she saw Yan Yu’s clear eyes…
Did that subtle suffocation in her heart caused by Jiang Muyun and this banquet get strangely overridden by another, more chaotic and unfamiliar emotion?
‘Heart a little disturbed.’
Began uncontrollably thinking about some inexplicable things.
‘For example, will Yan Yu… come tonight?’
‘If she comes, what will she look like?’
“Qinghan?”
Dai Feng’s voice pulled her back from her brief trance.
“Hm?”
Su Qinghan immediately restrained all emotions, her face returning to calm composure, as if that moment of wavering had never happened.
“It’s time to go in. The star of the show should be about to appear.”
Dai Feng looked at her, not pressing further.
“Okay.”
Su Qinghan took a deep breath, adjusted her gown, forcibly suppressed the tumultuous thoughts stirred by the phone deep into her heart, straightened her back, and walked toward the center of that dazzling light.
Only, at the moment before stepping into the banquet hall, the corner of her eye still uncontrollably cast a very quick glance toward the entrance elevator’s direction.