"Grace, where are you taking me?" Grace Gu looked at the girl in front of her, dressed in a fitted pair of jeans that accentuated her figure. She asked, as she had noticed the bodyguards' awkward expressions when they left and didn't want to cause them any trouble.
"Of course, I'm taking you somewhere fun!" The girl appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen, but her voice was exceptionally cute, evoking an inexplicable urge to tease her.
As if worried that Grace Gu might refuse to go, she immediately tightened her grip on Grace Gu's arm. "Come on, Grace! You have no idea how my mother is practically trying to tie me up; it's such a headache."
Grace Gu smiled. She had heard this complaint from her friend many times before, yet their relationship seemed quite good. From a distance, she had caught a glimpse of the girl's mother—a rather shrewd-looking woman.
"Grace, please come with me? I'm scared to go alone," she said with a pitiful expression. That innocent little face combined with such a look made it hard for Grace Gu to refuse.
"But you already dragged me out here! Let's go!"
She quickly released Grace Gu's arm and blew her a kiss. "Grace, I knew you were the best! If my mother hadn't been busy today, I wouldn't have forced you to come."
Emily Gu spoke with an apologetic look; after all, they had been friends for nearly two years and she knew that Grace Gu wasn't fond of crowded places. If it weren't for her mother's commitments and not wanting to invite others along, she wouldn't have troubled Grace Gu.
"Alright then, let's go. But can you drive slowly?" Grace Gu suggested cautiously.
Emily Gu laughed even more broadly at the memory of their last racing adventure when Grace Gu had looked pale afterward; it was amusing—she had never seen anyone so terrified of cars.
"Okay! Today I'll show you what the slowest speed in the world is," she said dramatically while patting Grace Gu's shoulder.
Grace Gu thought about how no matter how grandly Emily described it, she'd still end up speeding anyway. With a deep sense of resignation, she decided she'd just have to get used to her friend's wildness!
Once they arrived at the banquet venue, Grace Gu could clearly feel the scattered gazes directed at them; she felt slightly nervous. Although she had attended similar banquets with Julian Bai before, she'd never encountered such stares as those lingering on her today—they made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Emily Gu wore a short white dress that made her look even more youthful and vibrant. She turned sideways toward Grace Gu and asked softly: "Grace, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Grace Gu shook her head slightly; it was just unfamiliarity. As Emily scanned the room with a smile and remarked playfully: "Do you feel like you're burning up all over?"
"You know? In this flowing blue dress today, I feel like you're an otherworldly fairy descending into our realm—not even considering those obnoxious men." Her teasing smile was infectious.
"Emily..." Before Grace Gu could finish speaking, many people had already turned their attention toward where they entered earlier—there were looks filled with awe and envy directed at them as well. Instinctively turning around herself,
Julian Bai approached slowly while holding onto a beautiful woman's hand. The woman appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wore a light blue long dress; if Grace Gu felt ethereal in hers then this woman exuded alluring sensuality.
Watching him approach without glancing away from the woman beside him caused Grace Gu's body to lean back slightly as if trying to shield herself behind Emily.
Emily looked shocked: "Grace... isn't he your..."