The banquet started shortly after.
Everyone sat in their corresponding seats and paid attention to the stage where the hostess made speeches.
The host was none other than Lin Feiyi's friend, Ling Xiaoning.
Ling Xiaoning held the mic in her hands, scrutinizing Lin Feiyi, and showed off a bright smile, "Today is definitely a special day and is worth celebrating."
She continued, "Lin Feiyi is a very caring and warm being. She is an elegant and intelligent person. Her being my friend is one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me. You deserve whatever good things are currently happening to you. I hope you don't change and more birthdays to arrive!"
"I already said what I wanted to say. Now, I would like to invite the parents to give their messages to the birthday girl. Let's give a round of applause for Mr. And Mrs. Lin."
Sounds of loud applause filled the whole banquet hall.
Lin Si took the mic from Ling Xiaoning.
"First of all, I'm so happy that important people attended to celebrate my daughter's birthday" he paused and then continued, "She went abroad and barely returns! She once attended a banquet, but that was ages ago. I bet some of you might've forgotten her facial appearance. Looks like I was wrong! Y'all immediately recognized and showed importance towards her."
"She is our only precious daughter. I felt like she had grown up quite fast. I just want to say that I'm very proud of having you! Wish you happiness and long life! Happy birthday!" Lin Si spoke with enthusiasm written all over his semi-wrinkled face.
Lin Feiyi had a bright plastered on her face, yet innermost, it was filled with scoffing and sneering.
Lin Si might look like an ideal, warm and caring father, but he's absolutely the opposite of how he is.
He only cares about his own interests and benefits. He treats Lin Feiyi and his wife like a puppet on a string.
Ever since she was little, he made her do things she didn't like. She is pressured to be on the top and be the best among the best.
Su Yan cared about Lin Feiyi but was a submissive fool toward her husband.
"Let's just do whatever your father asks you to do, alright?"
She was pressured left and right.
Her mother wanted her to excel in fashion designing, piano, and ballet. Her father, in contrast, didn't want her to do these girly things and instead wanted her like chess, literature, political science, and business.
He wanted her to have connections with the Li's that trained her to be a qualified Mrs.Li.
He was devoured with greed for more money and power that he used his own daughter as a pawn for his status to be more prominent than it was.
"Alright, Let's now call the birthday girl to give her a message." Ling Xiaoning said enthusiastically on the mic.
Lin Feiyi stood up from her seat and elegantly walked toward the stage.
Everyone indulged in her elegance and breath-taking figure. Her figure and facial features were pleasing to one's eye.
They instinctively gave a round of applause as soon as she grabbed the microphone with graceful movements.
Her eyes curved crescents and then said, "I'm very grateful to everyone who attended! My friends, acquaintances, and my family. It brought a sense of great importance to my existence. I also would like to thank my fiance for caring enough to be one of the people who organized this banquet. I felt loved and special.." and then looked towards An Meiyou.
"I also would like to thank Miss An for attending! She is a good friend of my fiance. Thanks for being happy for me as well as my fiance. For others, that might not be much, but for me, it's everything. It's more valuable than this necklace that my fiance gave me.." She said as she gently caressed the necklace on her neck back and forth.
An Meiyou reluctantly lifted the corners of her mouth. She clutched her purse bag a little too tight, creating stretch marks on the bag.
She stared at the necklace on Lin Feiyi's neck. It was a silver stringed necklace decorated with little sapphire stones exquisitely.
'It was the necklace Harris brought the other day!' Her eyes can't help but become a little misty. She clenched her purse bag more tightly than before.
Murmurs suddenly filled the semi-quiet hall.
"Ah! So Mr.Li and that actress were just friends!" Someone exclaimed.
"Yeah! It's just all made-up rumors to ruin Mr.Li. Mr.Li is quite affectionate towards Miss Lin. Wow! I envy her!" Someone added.
Lin Feiyi focused her eyes on An Meiyou to grasp her reaction. Lin Feiyi had a victorious and proud smile plaster on her cold and delicate-looking face.
Her purpose in making that speech is to tell everyone subtly that she and Harris are a loving couple.
Second, she wanted everyone to think that the romantic relationship between Harris and An Meiyou is just rumors. Thirdly, she wants to enrage and grasp An Meiyou's hilarious reaction.
With all the power sources she had, she knows that An Meiyou is just using Harris for her own purposes. But she is also aware that An Meiyou is starting to have feelings for Harris.
She wanted her to feel uncomfortable. And indeed, An Meiyou felt suffocated.
The second male lead, Ye Jing saw An Meiyou's complicated expression.
"Are you okay?" He asked worriedly
An Meiyou nodded her head and said, "I'm all good. I just need to go to the restroom real quick." She forced a smile.
"Are you really sure!?" Ye Jing asked again.
"Yeah! I Am! Trust me." An Meiyou stood from her seat and rushed out of the ballroom.
Despite An Meiyou's reassuring answer, he still felt a little worried. He wonders whether she felt affected by Lin Feiyi's words. He has heard about her matters with the Ceo.
He even saw them together once when Harris visited the shooting place. It is said that Harris is wary of women and doesn't socialize with them.
He sighed heavily and looked towards the ballroom door, waiting for An Meiyou to return.
'So the villainess did that on purpose! This is the plot where the male lead and female lead reconciled after the cold war between the three days right after this event.'
[Yeah! By the way, be prepared! The villainess is going to attack the Female lead later. You have to protect the female lead from the villainess!]
'Hmm' Qin Zichen hummed.
Qin Zichen was sitting in front of the male lead. He can't help but look toward Harris.
Harris suddenly stood up from his seat and also rushed out of the ballroom.
Qin Zichen had no intentions of following Harris. However, he saw the villainess also following the male lead.
Qin Zichen had no choice but to follow them to keep up with the plot.
Qin Zichen walked towards the long corridor and silently followed the character.
The corridor was devoid of staff. It was dead quiet. Only the sounds of Harris' footsteps and the resonating of Lin Feiyi's heels clicking against the marble floor.
The corridor was a little dark since the light source in the hallway was limited. Only the light from afar lights up the darker parts of the hallway.
The hallway had a cold and chilling atmosphere that made Lin Feiyi shiver.
Lin Feiyi halted her steps and looked behind her back. She felt like someone was following her. She looked back once again and saw no one. Qin Zichen, who was following Lin Feiyi had hidden in one of the rooms.
Lin Feiyi shook her head and continued her way.
'That was close!' Qin Zichen sighed with relief.
An Meiyou was in the washing room. The whole washing room was quiet except for the resonating of water gushing from the faucet and hitting the enamel sink.
She washed her hands and then scooped water with her both hands and washed her face with it.
She stared at her face in the mirror and breathed heavily. The water droplets slid down from her face to the sink and splattered little drops on her dress.
A series of mixed feelings filled her that she couldn't understand.
She thought she was bound to never feel complicated emotions, Why she decided to attend. But oh boy! She was so wrong.
She saw Lin Feiyi and Harris at the same table. Although Lin Feiyi and Harris weren't talking much, she still felt troubled.
And she didn't know why.
She keeps telling herself that she was only clinging to him because she needed his resources for revenge. She also admitted it to him. Nevertheless, seems like he didn't even care a bit about it.
She once tried to search for such strange feelings on the internet and some answered, It's an act of being in love.
'In love?'
She does not want to admit it and keeps denying and making excuses "Possibly, I wasn't just used to him not being around."
She can't sleep thinking about him all day long. His sweet whispers, tight warm hugs, and sweet kisses that she used to ignore.
She was once betrayed by her boyfriend in her past life. She didn't want to feel the feeling of betrayal once again.
After being reborn, she sees love as something that will drown her back to the abyss.
She sighed and then took out her white handkerchief embroidered with cherry patterns and wiped her face with it. She re-applied her make-up and then tidied her dress.
She opened the door and a tall man wearing a burgundy Tuxedo greeted her. She looked up and saw the guy's face.
She greeted with a slight smile, "Oh! Mr.Li!" She made her way out of the washing room then a hand grabbed her.
Her back was then pinned to the wall and someone's palm was pinned on the wall to prevent her from escaping.
"Harris! What are you doing!" She glared at him.
Harris's body was close to hers that he could even hear her unsteady heartbeat.
An Meiyou tried to push him away with her palms on his sturdy chest. But to no avail, He was so strong that she gave up.
She looked directly into those black ink eyes he possessed. The eyes that she was avoiding the whole day.
His face was surrounded with coldness, But the eyes were the complete opposite. They were filled with unexpressive warmth and affection.
She again struggled and threatened him in a low voice, "Let go of me."
Harris ignored her threats and softly asked, "Do you love me?"
She avoided his gaze and lowered her head, "I don't."
"Liar."
An Meiyou scoffed, "What liar? How many times do I have to tell you? I'm using you for fame. I'm using your resources to destroy someone. If I love you, I won't chase you for money and power." She spat out those words coldly.
"But I don't mind if you use them. I know you miss me." He said shamelessly said but with a calm face and tone.
"Puh! What miss? I never did!" She crossed her arms.
"Last night, you were crying in your dreams, whispering my name affectionately. You stopped right after I hugged you." His lips suddenly curved into a goofy grin.
An Meiyou was filled with disbelief.
'So it wasn't a dream. It was him who accompanied me that night!??' She screamed internally and then her cheeks turned red like tomatoes.
She nervously stuttered, "H-How D-Did Y-Y-you g-got in?"
"That little assistant of yours let me in." His eyes were sparkling like gems.
"What little assistant!? Wen Xiaoxia won't even let a man get close to me!" She yelled at him with her cheeks still dyed with tomato color.
"I told her I was your boyfriend. She let me in then I saw your pitiful state! I gave you hugged! Shouldn't you thank me?" He said cheekily
"Thank you? No way! Excuse me!" She still struggled but she was trapped in his arms.
Her emotions finally got the best out of her, "Why are you playing with me like this?! You said you will marry none other than her-" She didn't get to finish what she wanted to say when a strong and dominating kiss cut her off.
She was stunned that she didn't move.
Lin Feiyi, who was hiding saw this passionate scene.
Her face can't help but darken.
Remorse and hatred devoured her black eyes. She was biting her cherry red lips, and her nails dug deep into her palms. Her knuckles were also on the verge of breaking because of intense fist-clenching.
Qin Zichen saw everything happening to the leads.
He can't help but feel disturbed by Lin Feiyi's dark and killing intent aura that she held around her.
[Beep! Lin Feiyi's blackening rate is 84.. 88]
'System, what is this feeling?'
[The villainess is releasing a black aura that only you can feel. Neither her knows about that black aura she held. The black atmosphere indicates that she is angry and feeling intense remorse.]
[Becareful though, since only you can feel it. It can also affect you and might trigger the poison inside your original body in your real world.]
'Alright!'
Harris was so immersed in the deep kiss that he didn't want to stop.
An Meiyou realized she was being kissed. Hence, she didn't hesitate to bite his lips fiercely.
Harris groaned in pain and retreated. An Meiyou took this chance and ran away.
Harris looked at An Meiyou's retreating back with disappointment. He wiped the blood and saliva off his lips and tidied his once messy tuxedo.
Lin Feiyi was stuck on her spot and intensely gritted her teeth.
She saw the figure of harris leaving.
Her wobbly legs managed to take a step and walk. She had nothing in her mind but to kill An Meiyou.
Harris went back to the hall and didn't see An Meiyou.
An Meiyou didn't return to the hall but instead went into the hotel's massive garden.
The flowers and plants were decorated in a lovely and exquisite manner.
The trees were swaying with the wind back and forth, giving her peace of mind.
The whole garden was dead-quiet. Only the sounds of the wind moaning and the resonating of the leaves rustling.
The night breeze was refreshing but was piercing through her skin which made her shiver.
She hugged herself to shield herself from the cold breeze.
Despite the cold breeze piercing her, she quite likes the gentle atmosphere.
Her throbbing head and heart had calmed down a bit and her lips released a sigh of relief.
She continued to look around and saw a sparkling light blue magnificent and a breath-taking clear lake.
She was fascinated by the clear lake that she couldn't help but walk towards it.
Moonlight shining on the calm lake gives An Meiyou a serene feeling. She touched the waters and saw her own reflection.
She held the long skirt of her gown and placed it on her lap so that she may crouch comfortably. She touched the water slightly and felt the cold temperature of the water.
She didn't care.
She was splashing her hands, enjoying the sensation of the water hitting against her paw.
She can't help but chuckle. It reminds her of those days when she was in the adoption house.
While she played with the waters with relish, She saw Lin Feiyi's darkened expression reflecting into the calm waters.
She tried to look back, But then, Lin Feiyi grabbed her hair.
She yelled in pain, "Ouch! Lin Feiyi! Get off me!"
Lin Feiyi ignored her and dragged her towards the cold lake. Lin Feiyi immersed her head into the waters. She was grasping An Meiyou's hair tightly, refusing to let go.
Lin Feiyi lifted her head up by grasping her hair.
"You wench, you stole my Harris then you dare tell me to stop. You unreasonable?" She said in a calm but pompous manner.
"Unreasonable me? You're the unreasonable brat in here! You are causing trouble for Harris. He can't freely love the woman he cherishes because some clingy and psycho fiance is holding onto him." She said in a mocking tone.
Lin Feiyi was annoyed by An Meiyou's words that she dove An Meiyou's head into the lake again.
The lake was bubbling because of An Meiyou's muffled breaths.
An Meiyou was struggling to breathe underwater and she can't help but grab Lin Feiyi's hair.
Lin Feiyi yelped in pain that she was forced to remove her hands from An Meiyou's hair.
An Meiyou didn't want to fight with Lin Feiyi and wanted to distance herself. When Lin Feiyi had loosened her grip, she took this chance to walk toward the pavement.
But to no avail, Lin Feiyi had once again yanked her hair.
An Meiyou twisted her hand and pushed Lin Feiyi.
Lin Feiyi slipped and was forced to the deepest part of the lake. She tried to help Lin Feiyi but Lin Feiyi only took this chance and tried to drown her.
Qin Zichen was walking around looking for Lin Feiyi because he lost track of her.
His keen ear heard muffled voices and screams from afar.
Lin Feiyi kept shoving An Meiyou down and An Meiyou also pulled Lin Feiyi with her.
They were fighting underwater and Lin Feiyi was first to lose because she didn't know how to swim.
An Meiyou panicked.
Lin Feiyi's grasp on her hair had loosened and saw Lin Feiyi's figure retreating away from her.
She rose from the water to take a breath and then found out that she lost Lin Feiyi.
Tried to look for her but it was already late at night and the light source was limited.
The moonlight may be shining but it was dimly lit on the spot of the lake they were in.
She yelled, "Lin Feiyi! Where are you?!"
"If you're there come out!" She dove down and looked for her.
Qin Zichen finally found where the noise is coming from.
He saw An Meiyou wandering aimlessly in the lake with her clothes wet and sticking to her skin.
He came closer and An Meiyou swam closer to him.
"Miss An what's happening here?"
"Lin Feiyi drowned! I lost her! Please help!"
Qin Zichen was suddenly alerted.
He didn't hesitate and jumped on the cold lake.
The waters were so cold that made An Meiyou shiver. She hugged herself and felt a warm jacket wrapped around her.
She looked up and saw Ye Jing.
"What happened to you? You were gone for almost half an hour." He asked then looked over to Qin Zichen who rose from the waters carrying Lin Feiyi in his arms.
"I'll explain it to you later but we need an ambulance." She urgently said.
Ye Jing took out his phone from his pocket and dialed the ambulance.
Lin Feiyi had fainted and was limply lying in Qin Zichen's chest.
Qin Zichen placed her down on the pavement.
He locked his fingers onto the back of his left hand and pressed it on her chest.
He was pumping her heart and was pressing his lips onto hers from time to time.
Ye Jing and An Meiyou on the side were feeling nervous.
Harris soon came and saw what was happening.
Their screams and yelling had drawn a group of people which led more curious fools to gather and see what is happening.
Plus, the ambulance that came urgently.
Everyone gathered and saw Lin Feiyi being gently placed on the stretcher.
Murmurs of a large group of crowds filled the whole place.
Su Yan and Lin Si also came to quench their curiosity.
They saw their daughter being carried to the stretcher and inside the ambulance van.
"Oh my! It's my daughter! Feifei!!" She worriedly shouted and walked towards the van.