In the dressing room, Song Zhizhi was inexplicably bothered by Ji Baijian's words.
Did the man travel here from ancient times? How was this slutty? It's tasteful, alright?
"You don't like the color of the blush, Miss Song?" the makeup artist asked cautiously.
Song Zhizhi returned to her senses. "No, it's fine."
"Oh." The makeup artist continued applying makeup, noting Song Zhizhi's clearly dissatisfied face.
Applying makeup took nearly an hour.
Song Zhizhi was very satisfied when she walked out of the makeup room. Ji Baijian was waiting for her in the VIP room. When he saw her come out, he put down the magazine in his hand and rose from the sofa.
And...
Nothing.
After spending half a day together, Song Zhizhi already understood how stingy this man was with words.
The two of them left the ceremonial attire area and went back to the Song family residence in Song Zhizhi's car.
The two people did not converse much along the way. The feeling Ji Baijian gave off was of someone who was very aloof, very cold and very hard to approach.
But the truth was...
Song Zhizhi's laughed inwardly. She felt that she knew a lot of things that others did not know about Ji Baijian. This gave her a hard-to-explain sense of superiority. She was secretly proud of it.
The car pulled up at the Song family residence. Ji Baijian calmly got out of the car.
Song Zhizhi followed behind.
The two walked side by side, maintaining a respectable distance.
After some thinking, Song Zhizhi took the initiative to hold Ji Baijian's arm.
Ji Baijian turned to look at her. He had a very reluctant look on his face.
Fortunately, he did not outright refuse. Thus, the couple intimately walked together into the main parlour of the Song family's courtyard house.
The large banquet hall was already filled with a number of people. All the guests were young masters and ladies of high society dressed in suits and enchanting gowns. The place was very lively.
As the indisputable main character of the birthday party, Nie Xiaofei was receiving praises from everyone in the crowd. She wore a pure white evening gown set with brilliant diamond dust and had a diamond crown on her head. Her slender figure shone like an angel under the illumination of the light, attracting everyone's gaze.
Song Zhizhi knew that Nie Xiaofei would always put in a lot of effort on her appearance no matter the occasion so that other people could not help but notice her presence.
But now...
Because of the arrival of Song Zhizhi and Ji Baijian, the eyes of everyone in the hall instantly shifted to them.
It was not only because their appearances were eye-catching, but also because the two of them had never appeared in public together even though they had a marriage agreement. Everyone knew that Song Zhizhi already had someone she liked, and rumor had it that Ji Baijian was impotent, so the marriage agreement was bound to fall apart sooner or later. However, the two were actually walking together so intimately right now.
Nie Xiaofei's expression changed slightly at that moment.
It was not only because Song Zhizhi had appeared holding Ji Baijian's hand, but more importantly, Song Zhizhi's appearance today was much more gorgeous than she had expected. Her enchanting figure appeared charming and sexy under the golden dress. Nie Xiaofei could tell that the eyes of all the men in the room were focused on Song Zhizhi, gazing at her overly beautiful face and attractive figure.
She concealed her displeasure and took the initiative to go over to greet Song Zhizhi. "You're so late, sis. I was just wondering where you were. And you actually brought Young Master Ji here with you. What a surprise!"
Nie Xiaofei gave Ji Baijian a slightly shy glance like a young girl in love. Most men would be moved by her gentle, delicate look.
Nie Xiaofei could not actually be considered a stunning beauty, but her gentle mannerism and soft features gave off a fresh, innocent vibe, giving off the impression that she was naive and harmless.
"Did you help me bring Young Master Ji over because I brought Yi Wenhan over?" Nie Xiaofei asked, her fair face flushed in a particularly pleasant way.
The corners of Song Zhizhi's mouth curled up as she said bluntly, "No, you're overthinking it. The reason I brought Baijian over is because he's my fiancé."
Nie Xiaofei stared at Song Zhizhi, a little surprised but without revealing any other emotions. "But you just called off your engagement to Young Master Ji yesterday..." she said in her usual gentle tone.
"That was yesterday. I was momentarily confused and acted too rashly. Fortunately, you're holding a birthday party today, which is the perfect opportunity to let everyone know of the upcoming marriage between Baijian and I," Song Zhizhi's voice was slightly raised.
It was raised just enough for everyone in the hall to hear.
In that instant, the whole venue rose in an uproar.
So Song Zhizhi had appeared with Ji Baijian to announce the marriage between the two? So the rumor that Song Zhizhi had a man she loved was false?
"But you said that Young Master Ji is impotent and you'll have to be an idiot to marry him," said Nie Xiaofei. It was clearly a deliberate attempt to drive a wedge between the couple, but she could somehow do it while maintaining her innocent facade.
Song Zhizhi gritted her teeth and turned to look at Ji Baijian.
Luckily, Ji Baijian had always been expressionless. He did not show any reaction to Nie Xiaofei's words.
Song Zhizhi turned back to Nie Xiao Fei, her expression unhappy. "Nie Xiaofei! You can be considered half a lady. Do you really need me, your elder sister, to teach you what you should say and what you shouldn't?"
Nie Xiaofei was stunned by Song Zhizhi's sudden harsh attitude.
Song Zhizhi never spoke to her like this before. Scolding her in front of so many people was no different from embarrassing her in public. And because of her docile persona, she did not dare to retort.
She bit her lips hard, looking wronged.
Song Zhizhi would no longer be fooled by Nie Xiaofei's hypocrisy. She did not give Nie Xiaofei an easy out. She turned away and announced to the crowd, "Ji Baijian and I will be getting married soon. We will notify everyone after we've confirmed the date. I hope everyone here can attend our wedding."
It was so quiet that one could hear a needle drop. Someone quickly broke the silence. "Of course. Congratulations, Miss Song and Young Master Ji."
Slowly, more and more voices joined in.
Nie Xiaofei's birthday party had suddenly become Song Zhizhi's party. All the guests enthusiastically offered their congratulations to Song Zhizhi.
After all, without Song Zhizhi's protection, Nie Xiaofei could not even be considered a high society young lady.
Nie Xiaofei's face was a bit tense.
Had Song Zhizhi gone crazy? She called off her engagement just yesterday, and she's already publicly announcing her marriage at Nie Xiaofei's birthday party today? She was showing no consideration for Nie Xiaofei's feelings at all!
Ji Baijian belonged to her, Nie Xiaofei! She was the one who was supposed to marry into the Ji family!
At that moment, Yi Wenhan walked over from a corner in the crowd.
Yi Wenhan had always "kept a low profile". He rarely appeared in front of a crowd. The fact that he was stepping forward at a time like this must mean that he could not hold back anymore. He asked, "Song Zhizhi, what's the meaning of this?"
Song Zhizhi stared at Yi Wenhan. Wearing a pair of bookish glasses, he had the appearance of a refined scholar, yet the only thing Song Zhizhi could think of when she looked at him was his merciless face on that day. It took every ounce of self-control she had to not fly into a rage there and then. She said, "Let's talk."
With that, she turned to leave the banquet hall to have a conversation with Yi Wenhan.
"Wait," Ji Baijian intervened and called out to Song Zhizhi.
Song Zhizhi looked back at him.
He couldn't trust her?
Ji Baijian did not give Song Zhizhi an answer. He merely unbuttoned his coat slowly, then took it off and draped it on her shoulders.
Song Zhizhi was now feeling even more confused. She could feel Ji Baijian's body heat lingering on the coat, as well as his unfamiliar scent.
"It's cold," said Ji Baijian. The smile on his face was obviously meaningful, but in the eyes of others, it was clearly filled with love.
Such an act of affection surprised everyone on scene. They never knew the two of them were so intimate, yet it felt so right somehow.
The faces of Nie Xiaofei and Yi Wenhan, who stood nearby, were unbelievably stiff. But in the end, they did not erupt in front of the crowd.
Song Zhizhi did not care about the gazes that were focused on her. She knew why Ji Baijian had done that. He disliked that she was showing too much skin! The natural possessive nature of men!
She stood on tiptoe and whispered in Ji Baijian's ear, "Thanks."
The corners of Ji Baijian's mouth curled stiffly as he forced a smile in front of everyone, but even that awkward action was unbelievably good-looking.
The interaction of the two was regarded in the eyes of outsiders as the intimate behavior between lovers.
Rumors that the two had no love for each other were seemingly ill-founded.