The current situation in Tianyu has stabilized, but the industry has shrunk by more than half.
From being a top-tier company and the leader in City S, it has suddenly fallen to a third-rate enterprise, which means City S is undergoing a reshuffle.
Thus, a business gathering was organized.
“A date? Tomorrow?”
Xia Yuan sat up abruptly. She took a few steps and muttered, “That’s a bit rushed.” She glanced at the meticulous and serious Meng Xiyue, reached out to press down the page of the book she was reading, and pouted slightly, “Next time, you have to give me at least three days’ notice for something like this.”
Meng Xiyue looked up, “Hmm?”
Seeing her beautiful eyes filled with confusion, Xia Yuan huffed, “I haven’t picked out my dress yet, haven’t decided on a hairstylist, and most importantly, the weather has been dry these days, and I haven’t been to the beauty salon for maintenance.”
Meng Xiyue looked at Xia Yuan carefully, her expression calm and earnest, “You look beautiful as you are now.”
Instantly, Xia Yuan’s mood brightened. She giggled and sat down next to Meng Xiyue, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of course, I must be the most beautiful in your eyes. But at the banquet, I want to be the most beautiful one there.”
Meng Xiyue: “…”
She glanced at the determined Xia Yuan beside her, slightly tilting her fair chin, her eyelashes lightly resting on her eyelids, like a proud queen about to go into battle.
Meng Xiyue was silent for a moment, then cooperatively asked, “Why?”
Xia Yuan crossed her legs, flicked her hair, and glanced at the usually strict and cold Meng Xiyue, “At such business gatherings, although the main focus is on you elites, as a date, being beautiful and presentable is our battlefield.”
“Every strand of hair must be exquisite.”
Thinking of this, Xia Yuan picked up her phone and started contacting her hairstylist. She often visited this salon and was a VIP customer there, so booking a stylist in advance was still possible.
After making the call, Xia Yuan began to order a dress. It was indeed late to order a custom dress now, but the new collection dresses would be enough to make an impression.
She also needed to contact a makeup artist and book an appointment at the beauty salon.
Xia Yuan was busy non-stop. Normally, she wouldn’t have to handle everything herself, but there was no choice; time was too tight now.
After finishing the calls, Xia Yuan checked the time. It was past nine, “I need to hurry and put on a face mask.”
She rushed upstairs but turned back after a few steps to pull the slightly bewildered Meng Xiyue along, “You should come and put on a face mask with me.”
“Don’t rely on having good skin and neglect your skincare. When you get older, you’ll age faster.”
At this, Xia Yuan laughed and joked, “Don’t let it be that when I’m still beautiful, you’ve already aged, Meng Xiyue.”
Then, Xia Yuan felt a tight grip on her hand and turned to see Meng Xiyue looking down, her expression indifferent.
Suppressing her smile, Xia Yuan began to comfort her, “No matter what you become, you’ll always be my favorite.”
Meng Xiyue didn’t look away, her beautiful, slender fingers resting on Xia Yuan’s hand slightly warm, “Restraint.”
Xia Yuan clung to her, hugging Meng Xiyue’s arm, and said with a smile, “I don’t want to.”
She loved Meng Xiyue’s contradictory nature the most.
Once they were in the bedroom, they both cleaned their faces, and then Xia Yuan shared her face masks.
Meng Xiyue also had these things, using them twice a month and visiting the beauty salon once, which she found just right.
But now.
Meng Xiyue glanced at Xia Yuan, who was happily applying her face mask, and then carefully applied her own in front of the mirror.
The touch was slightly cool.
Seeing that Meng Xiyue had applied it perfectly, Xia Yuan glanced at her own in the mirror, also applied perfectly.
Then, the two of them leaned against the bed, Meng Xiyue continued reading, while Xia Yuan idly played on her phone.
When a video played with a slightly loud sound, Xia Yuan turned to see Meng Xiyue had no reaction. She touched her face mask with her fingertips and silently lowered the volume.
The fifteen-minute timer went off.
Meng Xiyue turned it off and glanced at Xia Yuan, who was engrossed in her phone, “Time’s up.”
Xia Yuan responded with an “Oh,” got out of bed, and followed Meng Xiyue to wash up. After removing the face mask, her face was glowing. Xia Yuan was looking at her face in the mirror when her phone rang.
“Meng Xiyue, can you get my phone for me?”
Her tone was so natural and matter-of-fact.
Meng Xiyue took the phone and accidentally saw the caller ID, ‘Brother.’
She walked over to Xia Yuan, swiped to answer the call, and gently placed the phone by Xia Yuan’s ear.
From the mirror, perhaps due to the lighting, the skin on Xia Yuan’s hand appeared translucently white, exuding a hint of an ascetic beauty.
Xia Yuan blinked her eyes, Meng Xiyue’s beauty always caught her off guard.
“Yuan’er?”
Hearing her brother’s voice on the other end, Xia Yuan said, “Brother, you’re off work?”
“Yes.”
They chatted for a few minutes, and then Xia Ke said, “Yuan’er, there’s a business party tomorrow, and I need a female companion. Can you come with me?”
Xia Yuan’s gaze fell on the quietly standing Meng Xiyue beside her. “Brother, I’ve already agreed to be Meng Xiyue’s companion.”
“I remember you have a secretary. Why don’t you take her?”
Although he was happy that his sister and Meng Xiyue had a good relationship, hearing Xia Yuan choose Meng Xiyue over him made him feel inexplicably jealous. He also thought it had been a while since he last saw Xia Yuan, so he said, “Then after the party tomorrow, come home and stay for a few days.”
Xia Yuan agreed, “Okay, I have something to tell you anyway.”
They talked for a while longer before hanging up.
Xia Yuan tilted her head, her eyes sparkling, “Meng Xiyue, you should come back with me too.”
Meng Xiyue fully understood what this meant.
Her breath caught for a moment, a tingling sensation spreading from inside out. She said, “Okay.”
…
＊
On the day of the party, Xia Yuan was as busy as a spinning top. She got up early, had breakfast, and then rushed out to get her skin treated, makeup done, and clothes picked out.
Meng Xiyue had a simpler routine. She worked all day and only started preparing an hour in advance in the afternoon.
……
Before setting off, Xia Ke went back to the Xia residence to change into a suit. He buttoned up and prepared to pick up his secretary. He had initially thought his sister would accompany him, so he hadn’t arranged for anyone else. In the end, he took Xia Yuan’s advice and brought his female secretary.
He happened to see Aunt Lin and couldn’t help but mention his sister. “Aunt Lin, why do I feel like Yuan’er treats her friends better than she treats me?”
Aunt Lin stifled a laugh, sensing Xia Ke’s jealousy. She asked, “Which friend?”
Xia Ke didn’t hide it. “Meng Xiyue.”
Upon hearing the name, Aunt Lin’s face stiffened, and her gaze towards Xia Ke became rather peculiar. She sighed, “Kids grow up.”
Xia Ke: “……???”
There was no time to ask Aunt Lin what she meant; he had to leave.
……
Xia Yuan held onto Meng Xiyue’s arm, dressed in a custom-made evening gown. A silver necklace with a blue diamond adorned her slender swan-like neck. Her slightly curled hair draped over her shoulders, and she wore a cold, elegant expression.
As Xia Yuan had said, she became the most dazzling presence at the event.
Xia Yuan glanced critically at the other ladies in the venue, then shifted her gaze to Meng Xiyue’s hair, which was styled up to reveal blue diamond earrings that matched her necklace.
She reached out to touch the blue earrings, which swayed gently under the light, sparkling brilliantly. She wanted to touch them again, but Meng Xiyue caught her fingers.
“Don’t mess around.”
Her voice was stern, but her expression held a hint of indulgence and tenderness.
Xia Yuan immediately behaved.
When it came to who was the most dazzling at the event, the answers from the men and women differed.
Similarly, the answers from the elite professionals attending the banquet and their accompanying partners also differed.
The former’s answer was Meng Xiyue.
The latter’s answer was either the most beautiful or the most powerful person.
The internal change of CEO at Tianyu added another “do not mess with” label to Meng Xiyue.
Many people in the business world wanted to connect with this new big shot.
Xia Yuan stood there for a while, listening to either praises of Meng Xiyue or discussions about business matters. She felt a bit out of place and just then, she saw her brother.
She said to Meng Xiyue, “I’m going to find my brother.”
Meng Xiyue looked towards the elegant Xia Ke, who was politely declining a lady’s request not far away, “Go ahead, I’ll come find you later.”
Xia Yuan walked over, happily saying, “Brother, why aren’t you talking with those people?”
Those people referred to business partners.
Xia Ke glanced at Meng Xiyue, who was the center of attention, and smiled, “Today’s spotlight isn’t on me.”
Looking at the focal point of the crowd, Meng Xiyue, Xia Yuan’s expression was filled with pride, “I know, it’s Meng Xiyue.”
Xia Ke: “…”
That boastful tone felt oddly familiar, reminiscent of when he used to brag about having a beautiful sister back in school.
He could only say, “You and Miss Meng seem to get along well.”
Xia Yuan took a sip of her drink, “Of course.”
After all, they were lovers.
Xia Ke felt a bit stifled, inexplicably upset. Just then, he spotted an old friend within his line of sight.
Li Ting.
Usually gentle, Xia Ke’s face now bore a stern expression.
After being dismissed, Li Ting had once gone to Tianyu, but the newly appointed CEO, with her clever tactics, had arranged a vice president position for him.
Li Ting, who used to have absolute authority at Tianyu, found himself restricted everywhere. His once obedient and respectful subordinates had all turned against him, showing none of their former respect.
The collaboration plan he proposed was opposed by every senior executive in the company; not a single person supported him.
The new CEO, Liu Xing, the son of shareholder Liu, who used to be his follower, now dared to put on airs in front of him, always helplessly telling him.
There was no way around it; Tianyu wasn’t his to command alone, and he couldn’t make decisions.
He was ridiculed both openly and secretly.
How could Li Ting, who had always been a favored child of heaven, endure this? He quit directly, intending to start his own business.
This time, he came to find partners for his new company. In his view, these people should be grateful that he lowered himself to invite them.
As a result, only some insignificant companies paid attention to him.
Reality gave him a harsh slap, especially when he saw Meng Xiyue being the center of attention. That should have been his position, his glory, now all ruined.
This woman was simply her nemesis.
Li Ting’s face darkened, and his gaze at Meng Xiyue was extremely vicious.
Xia Yuan naturally noticed Li Ting too. Seeing him staring at Meng Xiyue like a bug in the shadows, she felt disgusted on Meng Xiyue’s behalf.
Although she didn’t understand business matters, she knew that it was Li Ting who first caused trouble by suppressing NS If Meng Xiyue hadn’t held on, NS would have been finished long ago.
Meng Xiyue was merely retaliating, yet Li Ting looked like he wanted to kill someone, which was truly ugly.
Xia Ke knew Li Ting’s nature; if someone provoked him, he would retaliate a hundredfold. It was from that time that Xia Ke began to distance himself from Li Ting’s circle.
He whispered in Xia Yuan’s ear, “Stay away from Li Ting for a while.”
Xia Yuan pouted, “Brother, don’t worry, I’m not stupid.”
Xia Ke wanted to reach out and ruffle Xia Yuan’s hair, but she blocked him, “Brother, don’t mess around. I spent over three hours on this hair.”
Xia Ke: “…”
Xia Ke happened to see the next collaborator for the Xia family. He instructed, “I’ll go over there for a bit. We’ll go home together later.”
Xia Yuan: “Got it.”
Xia Yuan glanced around the venue out of boredom and noticed some old acquaintances in a corner. She decided to go over and rekindle their superficial friendship.
But just as she took a few steps, she overheard a conversation.
The woman in the red dress said, “Hey, have you heard about that Meng Xiyue? She acts all high and mighty. The company bosses are all praising her skills, but who knows what kind of deals she makes behind the scenes.”
The woman in the yellow dress added, “Exactly. This NS company, never heard of it before, and it climbed up so fast. Who knows what dirty tricks they used.”
The woman in the white dress chimed in, “You guys should stop talking. I heard that this female CEO is ruthless. You know Li Ting from Tianyu, right? She took him down just like that. Be careful, or you’ll be next.” She covered her mouth and giggled.
The woman in the red dress scoffed, “She’s no better than us. In fact, she’s worse. What can she do to us?”
The three of them laughed again.
Just as the woman in the red dress was about to say something else, she was suddenly slapped hard across the face, leaving her stunned.
Holding her face, she looked up to see a beautiful woman staring at them expressionlessly.
The woman in the yellow dress reacted, “How dare you…” but before she could finish, she was slapped too.
The woman in the white dress, seeing trouble, reached out to scratch, but the other woman deftly dodged and slapped her as well.
The three of them finally reacted and lunged at the woman, resulting in a chaotic brawl.
Screams suddenly pierced the air.
The crowd finally noticed the four women fighting and those nearby rushed to break it up.
Meng Xiyue, who was in the middle of a conversation, immediately had a bad feeling, especially after hearing the sharp scream.
She looked over and saw Xia Yuan in the crowd, her hair a mess, chin held high in defiance.
Meng Xiyue’s grip on her wine glass tightened, her heart skipped a beat. She quickly set the glass down and hurried over.
“If anyone dares to say another bad word about Meng Xiyue, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”
As Meng Xiyue approached, she heard this declaration.
Her heart trembled, and all other sounds faded away. The people around seemed to lose their color, leaving only the bright and dazzling Xia Yuan.
Meng Xiyue’s heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of her chest.
Her throat was dry and parched, and she stared at her without blinking, parting her lips: “Yuan’er.”
The fierce light in Xia Yuan’s eyes seemed to be switched off instantly, and she immediately softened, tilting her head and smiling brightly at Meng Xiyue.
“Meng Xiyue, I won.”
As she spoke, Meng Xiyue had already reached Xia Yuan, looking at the scratches on her face, pursing her lips.
Xia Yuan gave a soft, ingratiating smile, then said with a hint of grievance:
“Meng Xiyue, they were badmouthing you.”
That’s why I fought them.
