As soon as Shen Tong got out of the car, she saw Liang Xiaoyuan standing at the edge of the venue. As if by tacit understanding, Liang Xiaoyuan also looked at Shen Tong through the crowd, his eyes flashing with amazement. The pink dress tightly hugged Shen Tong's delicate figure, and the color choice made her look more youthful and vibrant, appearing even more charming and cute. The small rose on her chest added a touch of femininity.
Liang Xiaoyuan smiled at Shen Tong. Just as she was about to return the smile, she froze upon seeing the person beside him. In a beautiful long dress, with her usual calm expression, it was Xie Sangyan. Of course, how could such a banquet be without Xie Sangyan? And how could a banquet attended by Xie Sangyan be without Liang Xiaoyuan? After all, he liked her.
Shen Tong lowered her eyes despondently, overwhelmed by feelings of loss. She completely missed Liang Xiaoyuan's anxious reaction after noticing her expression. This girl had misunderstood again!
Chen Xiaoyong didn't care about any of this. Proud as a queen, she strutted on her thin high heels, pulling Su Xiao towards Xia Zixuan. Shen Tong followed closely behind. Su Xiao struggled several times before finally freeing his hand.
Chen Xiaoyong plastered a fawning smile on her face and respectfully said to Xia Zixuan, "General Manager, congratulations on your wedding!"
Xia Zixuan kept a cold face without speaking, only nodding slightly. His gaze slowly shifted to Shen Tong beside him, his eyes devoid of warmth as they fixed on her.
Shen Tong immediately put on a sweet and charming smile, graciously congratulating Xia Zixuan, "General Manager Xia, congratulations on your wedding! May you and your wife have a happy and fulfilling life together!"
Su Xiao stood by, looking at Shen Tong with disdain. What was there to congratulate? These were all arranged marriages, two people without any emotional foundation getting together. There was no happiness to speak of! He would absolutely never do this in the future!
Xia Zixuan didn't say anything, just coldly turned around. His gaze looked towards the bride in the distance as he strode towards her, leaving behind a cold and indifferent back.
A gossip entertainment reporter seemed to suddenly discover something. He sneakily approached the three of them, discreetly and quickly taking several photos. With a satisfied smile, he left the banquet venue. The editor would surely praise him for this! He'd definitely get a raise!
Shen Tong found a chance to hide in a corner. She felt like her head was spinning from this kind of banquet. At times like this, Chen Xiaoyong would have endless energy, running around everywhere. But this was also good, as it would increase their visibility. When they became famous, her own abilities would also be proven.
"So this is where you are! I've been looking all over for you." Liang Xiaoyuan's sudden voice behind Shen Tong nearly made her jump.
"Why are you here?" Shen Tong asked, adding in her heart, 'Why aren't you accompanying your Sangyan?'
"Don't look at me like that. I saw you standing here all alone and kindly came to keep you company." Liang Xiaoyuan flashed a big smile, his eyes full of tenderness.
"No need, you should take care of your Sangyan." Shen Tong's voice turned cold as she stared expressionlessly at the vibrant flowers in front of her.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Liang Xiaoyuan looked at Shen Tong at a loss, saying hesitantly, "Sangyan and I are impossible."
"If you know it's impossible, why don't you give up?" Shen Tong blurted out, her tone filled with resentment she hadn't even noticed herself.
"Do you have to be so aggressive?" Liang Xiaoyuan looked painfully at the petite and delicate woman before him. Whenever they talked about Xie Sangyan, the two of them would always argue. It had erupted again today.
"You think I'm being aggressive, or are you just guilty because I've exposed the truth? You can't possibly give her up," Shen Tong coldly looked at Liang Xiaoyuan, then turned to leave with a straight back.
"I always feel like you don't trust me. I've said I would give up Sangyan, and I'm doing so. It just needs time," Liang Xiaoyuan said, not without fatigue.
Shen Tong stopped in her tracks, realizing she would still need his help in the future. How could she fall out with him? But every time she encountered anything related to Xie Sangyan, she seemed unable to stay calm. Yet, she had no right to interfere in Liang Xiaoyuan's affairs, did she? Shen Tong wished she could slap herself a few times. She was being too emotional! She then turned around and said nonchalantly, "Of course I believe you!"
But in her heart, she was indifferent, believing that in this world, the most reliable thing was money, and only money could make people believe.
Liang Xiaoyuan's eyes were filled with a smile as he said gently, "It's good that you believe me. I'll treat you to dinner after the wedding."
"Mm!" Shen Tong agreed, then disappeared into the crowd.
The next morning, Shen Tong arrived at the company still in a daze. She had talked with Liang Xiaoyuan until very late the night before, and she couldn't even remember what she had said, only knowing that she had talked a lot. As soon as she entered the company, she felt something was off. When her colleagues saw her, they started gathering in groups, pointing and discussing, with thoughtful expressions on their faces.
"Hey, look, look, it's her, it's her," one colleague said in surprise.
"So it's her. Who knows, this might be her way of making her artists famous," another colleague said with contempt in their eyes.
"Hmph, she's nothing special," a female colleague holding a teacup said.
Shen Tong felt bewildered hearing these comments. It wasn't until she picked up a newspaper in the break room that she understood what it was all about. The newspaper prominently featured photos of her, Su Xiao, and Chen Xiaoyong. However, her face had been processed with a mosaic. The headline read, "Su Xiao and Mystery Woman in Couple's Outfits, Where Will This Love Triangle Lead?" The content mostly speculated about the relationship between them. Shen Tong was speechless. These gossip reporters really left no stone unturned. She also realized that the clothes Su Xiao wore that day were from the same couple's series as hers.
"Little Tong, what's going on?" Xiaoxi poked her head in from the doorway, asking worriedly, "They're all saying you did it on purpose. I know you're not that kind of person, you wouldn't joke about yourself like this."
Shen Tong looked at Xiaoxi with a bitter smile, "I don't know either. The clothes were indeed given to me by Su Xiao, but I didn't realize they were a couple's set. It's really troublesome."
"Mm," Xiaoxi, now understanding the truth, felt relieved. "But you're in for some trouble. Luckily, General Manager Xia isn't here, he's on his honeymoon. Otherwise, you'd be in for it!"
Shen Tong made a dejected face, "I hope he doesn't see it!"
"Shen Tong, Sister Lan is calling for you," Manager Wang said, looking suspiciously at the two of them.
Xiaoxi gestured goodbye and ran off in a flash.
Shen Tong quickly put on a sweet smile and said obediently, "Alright, Manager Wang. I'm so sorry you have to come personally to inform me every time. Next time, just give me a call if you need anything!"
Manager Wang looked at this sensible and tactful girl, nodding inwardly, "Little Shen is not bad! If she works hard, she'll have a bright future!" With that, he slowly walked away.
As she went upstairs, Shen Tong felt nervous. Had Xia Zixuan found out? Seeing Sister Lan, she asked obediently, "Sister Lan, did you need me for something?"
"The General Manager said to call him," Sister Lan relayed the message matter-of-factly, "Here's the phone."
Shen Tong simply used Sister Lan's phone to dial the number. Before the other party could speak, she took the initiative, "Hello, General Manager, this is Shen Tong. May I ask why you're looking for me?"
"What do you think?" Xia Zixuan seemed to know everything, calmly questioning her. He sneered, "Not long ago, you had rumors with Liang Xiaoyuan, and now you have rumors with Su Xiao. You really have some skills!" The last few words were almost squeezed out through his teeth, jealousy filling his heart.
"Regarding this morning's report, I just found out about it myself. I'm very sorry this happened," Shen Tong quickly responded, her mind racing. "And I don't intend to come forward to explain. Firstly, because we can use this news for some publicity, letting them speculate about our relationship. Secondly, if I come forward to explain, it might make things even more unclear. Besides, the newspaper didn't reveal my appearance."
There was silence on Xia Zixuan's end for several seconds before he slowly spoke, "Shen Tong, you really are surprising." He couldn't help but admire such a bold girl.
"Thank you for your praise, General Manager. I said I wouldn't miss any opportunities!" Shen Tong said without hesitation, her small face raised slightly with determination, her whole being full of fighting spirit. "However, if things get out of hand, I think I might come forward to explain if necessary."
Xia Zixuan returned to his usual coldness, speaking indifferently, "Do as you said with this matter. Let it be." With that, he hung up the phone without mercy.
Shen Tong heaved a heavy sigh of relief, handed the phone back to Sister Lan, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Lan! I'll be going now!"
Sister Lan took the phone back with an expressionless face. She had curiously watched the decisive girl throughout the call, listening to their conversation. She seemed to understand why Xia Zixuan valued her, but some things couldn't be said out loud. If she spoke, she'd lose her job. She knew her boundaries.
Shen Tong rushed downstairs and into the break room. She needed to teach the culprit a lesson. Seeing Su Xiao sitting arrogantly in a chair as usual, lost in thought, with Chen Xiaoyong nowhere to be seen, Shen Tong slammed the newspaper in front of him and shouted, "Su Xiao, explain what this is all about!"
Su Xiao picked up the newspaper, lowered his head to study it for a while, and concluded nonchalantly, "The clothes made it to the newspaper."
Shen Tong was almost hopping mad. This Su Xiao always did things his own way. If he hadn't made her wear that dress, how could so many things have happened? But she couldn't speak too harshly to the person in front of her, or he would surely lose his temper again. Shen Tong calmed herself for a good while before saying, "I don't care what your intentions were in giving me those clothes, but I hope the same thing doesn't happen a second time. I don't mind, but it damages your reputation."
Su Xiao's heart sank continuously, dropping to a corner he couldn't even see. Embarrassed and angry, he stood up and shouted, "You think I wanted to give you clothes? They were just given to me by someone else. I had nowhere to throw them, so I threw them to you. Dressing like that every day is really embarrassing!"
With that, he left with a childish anger. But something felt off.
She actually usually looked good.
No, he despised her, despised her! Su Xiao kept denying to himself. As he pushed open the door, he saw Chen Xiaoyong leaning against the doorway and glared at her before leaving.
Chen Xiaoyong had been standing by the door since they started talking. She now knew that the clothes Shen Tong wore that day were given by Su Xiao. Thinking back to how Su Xiao usually treated Shen Tong, it didn't seem like he liked her. But why did Su Xiao only give clothes to her? And couple outfits at that! This was what Chen Xiaoyong couldn't understand the most. What was certain was that Su Xiao's feelings for Shen Tong were unusual!
Realizing this, Chen Xiaoyong felt a bit jealous. The expression on her face became grotesque as she glared resentfully at Shen Tong inside the room, who knows what she was plotting in her heart.