The cocktail party was a prelude to an upcoming charity auction. Though nothing would be auctioned at the party itself, the who's who of Tianhai City's elite were virtually all in attendance. In their eyes, attending such a function was primarily a chance to find business partners or individuals that could be beneficial to their interests. Of course, if one could get acquainted with a beautiful woman, that too would be a delightful affair since the young ladies eligible for the party were all from respectable families.
The majority of the guests at the party were known to Ding Wan'er, and likewise, most of them recognized her. Every time she attended such gatherings, various uncles and aunts would cling on to chat, eager to introduce their sons or relatives to her. In her heart, Ding Wan'er understood what they truly sought.
At this level of society, people became incredibly opportunistic. The examples of power marriages were far too common within this circle. Even if one were not particularly attractive, there would still be plenty of suitors – let alone someone as good-looking as herself.
As expected, upon arriving, Ding Wan'er was immediately greeted enthusiastically by someone named Auntie Yun, who whisked her away for a chat…
Spotting Ding Wan'er's helpless glance towards her, Leng Mei slightly arched an eyebrow, smiling faintly. She picked up a glass of wine and leaned casually against the railing, surveying the crowd as they mingled and exchanged insincere pleasantries. Watching her dear sister move confidently among the attendees, Leng Mei couldn't help but feel a sudden, unexpected surge of Lin Feng's image in her mind, startling her.
Why is Lin Feng always on my mind? What's going on with me??
While Leng Mei was lost in thought, an elegantly mannered gentleman approached her and spoke very politely, "Excuse me, miss, may I have a chat with you?"
Glancing at the man who had greeted her, Leng Mei, who was already irritated, delivered a particularly icy response: "I'm not available."
Giving the man a brief look, Leng Mei simply turned her back, no longer interested in observing the hall's proceedings, and just wishing to enjoy some quiet time by herself. She thoroughly disliked such environments and would never have come if not for accompanying Ding Wan'er as her safeguard. To her, everyone here seemed just too false, too pretentious.
"Excuse me, could we talk for a moment?" Yet another vexing voice made its presence felt.
"No, I don't have the time, nor the inclination," Leng Mei curtly put an end to the wannabe suitors' hopes, thinking to herself that their flirting skills were abysmal and lacked any sort of class. Lin Feng, on the other hand, had personality...
Oh God. Why am I thinking about Lin Feng again? What's wrong with me today?? Leng Mei felt off-kilter, unable to pinpoint the reason.
Watching Leng Mei shut down the two previous attempts at conversation, several others who had been eyeing her hesitated and then abandoned their approach. This woman was too aloof, not even leaving a sliver of face for them. Though she was beautiful, they deemed it wiser not to provoke her lest they embarrass themselves. With that, they redirected their efforts towards other young women present.
Leng Mei was happy with the quiet, relishing the absence of noise around her and savoring her wine, all while watching Ding Wan'er from afar…
After much difficulty, Ding Wan'er finally extricated herself from the crowd and headed straight to Leng Mei, who stood in peaceful solitude. She enviously remarked, "Sister Leng, how enviable – you don't have any bothersome people around you."
Leng Mei looked at her dear sister with empathy and said, "If you wanted, you could have that too."
Upon hearing Leng Mei's words, Ding Wan'er was touched but predominantly felt helpless, as she was not Dean Leng. Unlike her, she was still a university president. Even with family and consortium support, being in a thriving metropolis like Tianhai City, she needed the backing of the entire community for her school's development. Hence the need for Ding Wan'er to begrudgingly participate in these tedious social activities, all for the sake of her school's enhancement.
"Speaking of which, do you know Lin Feng from the logistics department?" Leng Mei suddenly voiced a thought, considering the idea of recruiting Lin Feng to work with her.
"What about him?" Ding Wan'er was puzzled as to why Leng Mei would mention him. The man worked in logistics; how could Sister Leng know him, let alone have any interaction with him?
"Nothing special, he's just really good at French. He subsituted a class for me once and the feedback was excellent. I'm considering transferring him to my department," Leng Mei mentioned casually, being straightforward as usual with Ding Wan'er.
Upon hearing this, Ding Wan'er was momentarily stunned, her heart leaping at the mere mention of Lin Feng – as if she feared a secret was on the verge of disclosure.
The thought of Lin Feng with that piece of paper and their supposed 'relationship' was worrying her.
What truly surprised her, however, was that Leng Mei was speaking of talents and qualities. She watched Leng Mei's face intently, hardly believing these words came from her. In Ding Wan'er's memory, Leng Mei never praised anyone, especially not men. No matter how well they did or how outstanding they were, they would never receive a compliment from Leng Mei.
So, Sister Leng is telling the truth, Lin Feng's French is very good? Ding Wan'er thought to herself. She was aware of Sister Leng's talent in languages. A person who could gain Sister Leng's approval wouldn't be just 'not bad,' would they? Why hasn't he ever told me he could speak French! Also, how did he start substitute teaching? No one told me that either. How can someone who hasn't even graduated from high school be allowed to substitute teach?
Ding Wan'er's mind was now flooding with questions one after another. Lin Feng had been here for only a few days, so how did Sister Leng get to know him? With Sister Leng's temperament, all her suitors were driven away; how did Lin Feng get to know her without being beaten up by her? These many questions flashed through Ding Wan'er's mind, leaving her unsure of what to do.
Now, besides being shocked, Ding Wan'er felt astonished, which made her head swim in confusion. She didn't even know how to organize her thoughts, only biting her teeth in her heart and thinking that Lin Feng was just good at some French, nothing more.
At that moment, the host of the cocktail party, Li Wenkai, approached Ding Wan'er with a glass of wine in hand and said politely, "Wan'er, you look so beautiful tonight."
Li Wenkai was the Crown Prince of Li's Oceanic Group, the sole heir to the entire conglomerate. Although arrogant, he was not impulsive and known for his craftiness. Even though he usually wasted his time with a crowd of bad influences, he always behaved as humbly and politely as a French gentleman in front of Ding Wan'er, having pursued her for almost two years. From the moment he saw Ding Wan'er upon her return to the country at the airport, Li Wenkai was determined to win her over by any means necessary.
This cocktail party was also organized by Li Wenkai; he had no choice, as Ding Wan'er didn't give anyone a chance, even himself, when he went to pick her up from school to no avail. Generally, she lived with her grandfather on the school campus, which was only a few steps away from the school garden, and she seldom left the university grounds. Although it was said that she had another place outside, she rarely went back. He discovered that he could only see Ding Wan'er at social events like this. Therefore, he went to great lengths to arrange this cocktail party, mainly hoping to have a close conversation with Ding Wan'er. If he could win over Ding Wan'er, even holding such parties every day would be worth it.
"Thank you," Ding Wan'er said, fully aware of what Li Wenkai was planning, but she simply responded politely and courteously.
Leng Mei turned her head around, looking at Li Wenkai impatiently before questioning Ding Wan'er with her eyes, "Send him away?"
Ding Wan'er nodded helplessly, and Leng Mei stared at Li Wenkai without moving.
However, Li Wenkai didn't feel the slightest hint of the atmosphere becoming awkward, and he continued to pester Ding Wan'er with boring and senseless small talk, asking if she was busy with work recently and if she had any troubles, among other fruitless topics. In short, he was determined not to leave.
Ding Wan'er was speechless. Aside from the fact that the Li Family's Li's Oceanic Group was powerful and her father's company had many business dealings with them, the setting wasn't suitable for an outburst.
Seeing that Ding Wan'er wasn't asking him to leave, Li Wenkai secretly rejoiced, feeling more and more hopeful, and thus clung to her even more presumptuously.
With no other recourse, Ding Wan'er could only signal with her eyes to Leng Mei, hoping she would help get rid of him.
"Excuse us, we need to get home," Leng Mei suddenly interjected, cutting off Li Wenkai abruptly and without courtesy.
"Oh? It's still early. Stay a bit longer; there are still some upcoming acts," Li Wenkai said, unwilling to give up, as he wanted to spend more time with Ding Wan'er. He had gone through a great deal of trouble to see her today; there was no way he was going to let them leave so easily.
"No, we're very busy tomorrow with work," Leng Mei said bluntly, not giving Li Wenkai any face.
"Oh, then let me escort you two," Li Wenkai asked reluctantly, hoping that even a brief escort of Ding Wan'er would be beneficial. However hot his temper, he didn't dare create a scene with Leng Mei, so he could only ask Ding Wan'er.
"No need, we have our own car, and we only use female drivers," Leng Mei's response effectively cut off Li Wenkai's intention to follow, as cold as ever.
"Oh, then be careful on the road. I...won't accompany you," Li Wenkai said dejectedly. Despite his desire to escort Ding Wan'er, they had already stated they only wanted a female driver; what was he supposed to do, get a sex change? What a joke.
Li Wenkai thought to himself, I arranged this event just to chat more with Ding Wan'er. What business does Leng Mei have running over here, ruining my chances? Damn it, as soon as I have the opportunity, I will make sure to step on Leng Mei and have some fun! But that has to wait until after I've won over Ding Wan'er. If possible, maybe the three of us can...hahaha...
Though annoyed inwardly, Li Wenkai's mind wandered as he watched Ding Wan'er and Leng Mei's figures and appearances while they left.
Watching the retreating backs of Leng Mei and Ding Wan'er, Li Wenkai's eyes suddenly grew cold as he thought, just you wait, I will conquer them both one day. Even though that Leng Mei is as cold as an iceberg, her face and figure are top-notch, and trying something new with her would be interesting.
This wasn't the first time something like this happened; every time, Leng Mei had spoiled his plans, causing him frustration. Thus, Li Wenkai grew increasingly determined to win over Ding Wan'er, and then...