"A gift?"
Xiao Chen was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself that this was going to be awkward again.
Last time he talked with Xiao Yufei about Xia Shiyun, he got lost in thought while recalling, and when Xiao Yufei asked him what he was thinking about, he blurted out that he was considering a birthday gift.
In fact, he hadn't taken Xia Shiyun's birthday to heart at all and had forgotten it the next day.
Even when he bought the rosary a few days ago, he only thought of giving it to Xiao Yufei for self-defense and never considered giving it to Xia Shiyun.
And now, the rosary had already been given to Lin Xuanying, and he had absolutely nothing on hand to give to Xia Shiyun.
"You're not going to tell me you didn't prepare anything, are you?" Xiao Yufei asked in surprise.
Xiao Chen honestly replied, "I forgot!"
"My goodness, how could you forget something like that?"
Xiao Yufei held her forehead, feeling that Xiao Chen was beyond help.
...
Xia Shiyun was still dressing up in her room, with a girl who was very close to her helping her, named Li Shanshan.
While combing Xia Shiyun's smooth long hair, Li Shanshan said with a laugh:
"Shiyun, don't be too beautiful today, you'll definitely dazzle everyone when you go out. Those boys might drool over you!"
Xia Shiyun said, "That's an exaggeration."
"Not an exaggeration at all; you're one of the two campus belles of Lanning High School. And in my opinion, Ling Xiaozhu can't hold a candle to you."
"Don't talk nonsense; I've met Ling Xiaozhu a few times, and she truly is a lot prettier than me."
"Are you being too modest?"
"Enough, let's not argue about these pointless things. I need to practice the piano; I have a performance later!"
Saying this, Xia Shiyun walked over to a piano in the room.
Li Shanshan seemed to remember something and asked, "Shiyun, I heard that the piano master Wu Fang is also coming tonight, is that true?"
Xia Shiyun replied, "Of course, he is my piano teacher. He will definitely attend the banquet tonight. The piano performance later is also my submission to him."
"Wow, you really can't slack off, then. Good luck!"
"Yeah!"
At that moment, Xia Mingfeng knocked on the door and entered the room.
"Shiyun, are you ready? The banquet is about to start."
Xia Shiyun said, "Almost."
"That's good, Yufei has already arrived, and Xiao Chen is also here."
Upon hearing this, Xia Shiyun's expression changed slightly, "Xiao Chen is here too?"
Xia Mingfeng said with a smile, "Today is your eighteenth birthday; how could he not come?"
Xia Shiyun shook her head, "I thought he wouldn't come. He has been avoiding me for the past two years."
"You..." Xia Mingfeng hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you really have no feelings for Xiao Chen?"
"I don't know what to say!" Xia Shiyun said, biting her lip, "Dad, do you want me to be with Xiao Chen?"
"Everything is up to you, I believe you will make the right choice!"
Xia Mingfeng knew his daughter would never choose Xiao Chen, so he said these words with ease.
In the past, he indeed considered the possibility of his daughter and Xiao Chen becoming a couple, but as his status rose over the years, and he met more and more important figures, his thoughts changed.
He had an excellent daughter and could find an even better man for her. In that way, not only would the Xia Family's status be solidified, but they might even reach greater heights.
It wasn't that he was selfish or power-hungry; it was just that years in high society had made him see reality more clearly.
As for Xiao Chen, he was becoming more mediocre, with an increasingly introverted personality. He might lead an unremarkable life, and finding him a job or arranging a marriage in the future would already be more than generous.
"I understand!"
Xia Shiyun nodded, feeling a sense of relief in her heart.
She had been afraid her father would value the relationship with the Xiao Family too much and force her to be with Xiao Chen, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
With this, she no longer had any worries.
She didn't mean to dislike Xiao Chen, and she always treated him as an older brother, but she just didn't have those kinds of feelings for him.
The love she yearned for might not be earth-shattering, but at the very least, it had to give her the experience of a racing heartbeat.
After Xia Mingfeng left, Li Shanshan immediately asked gossipingly, "Shiyun, who is Xiao Chen? Your boyfriend? Since when did you have a boyfriend? How come I didn't know about this?"
Xia Shiyun gave her a speechless look and said, "I just grew up with Xiao Chen since we were little, that's all. There's nothing messy going on."
"Wow, so he's your childhood friend, that's practically the same as a boyfriend, isn't it?" Li Shanshan exclaimed in surprise, "If those guys who are pursuing you knew about this, wouldn't they be green with envy?"
"Can you be serious? I still don't know how to face him!"
Seeing that Xia Shiyun was somewhat annoyed, Li Shanshan stopped joking and asked, "He likes you, but you don't like him?"
Xia Shiyun hesitated slightly before nodding and saying, "I've rejected him before!"
"Then that's settled, why are you still troubled?"
Xia Shiyun shook her head and said, "I'm definitely going to see him when I go downstairs later, and I'm worried it'll be awkward."
"What's the big deal? If you're afraid it'll be awkward, just talk less. I'll help you smooth things over."
"Really?"
"Of course, aren't we good friends?"
...
As it neared seven o'clock and the banquet was about to start, more and more socialites stepped into the venue.
Before Xia Shiyun made her entrance, many people would mingle and get to know each other. In society, networking is crucial, and having more friends is always a good thing.
Quite a few people also approached Xiao Yufei to strike up a conversation, but Xiao Yufei coldly brushed them off after a few words, causing them to beat a hasty retreat.
"Miss Xia has come out!"
Someone shouted, pushing the atmosphere of the venue to a boiling point, as all eyes focused on one spot.
There, Xia Shiyun wore an elegant princess dress, looking as beautiful as a swan, radiant and dazzling.
Her black hair flowed like a waterfall, her skin was as smooth as jade, and it seemed fragile to the touch. Despite the crowd's attention, she maintained her composure with a gentle smile, exuding elegance and approachability that left people marveling and inwardly admiring.
"Hey, Shiyun is here!"
Xiao Yufei gave Xiao Chen a pat, quite annoyed that he seemed to be sleeping.
Xiao Chen, of course, was not sleeping, just squinting his eyes.
He opened his eyes, glanced at Xia Shiyun, and said uninterestedly, "She's busy dealing with the guests; she won't come over here, no need to be nervous."
"It's you who should be nervous, why would I be?" Xiao Yufei retorted indignantly, "If she doesn't come over, aren't you going to take the initiative to greet her?"
"There's no need, it'll just make things more awkward!"
"Seems like it!"
Xiao Yufei didn't continue to press Xiao Chen and took out an exquisite box to give to him, saying, "Give this to Shiyun later. It's her eighteenth birthday, and it wouldn't be right if you didn't give her a gift."
Turning eighteen signifies adulthood, stepping into another stage of life, and is of great significance, otherwise, this celebration wouldn't be so grand.
"What about you?" asked Xiao Chen.
Xiao Yufei replied nonchalantly, "I'm so close with Shiyun. The gift doesn't really matter."
Xiao Chen thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "No need, you chose this gift for her, you must have put a lot of thought into it. You should give it to her yourself, I can give her something else."
Xiao Yufei asked curiously, "Didn't you say you didn't prepare a gift?"
"Just thought of something on the fly, a gift doesn't have to be a tangible object."
...
There were many well-wishers, and Xia Shiyun responded to each of them in turn until she reached an elder with a white mustache, respectfully saying,
"Teacher, when did you get here, and why are you alone?"
Stroking his mustache, the elder smiled kindly and said, "I just arrived. This place is full of young people, no one knows an old man like me."
"How could that be? You're a renowned piano master in Huaxia. Who hasn't heard of your name?"
No sooner had Xia Shiyun spoken than someone gasped, "He's the piano master, Wu Fang!"