The spacious banquet table was already full, and every dish had been served. Yet no one spoke or reached for their food. Every pair of eyes was fixed on Qing Nianyi, seated in the place of honor.

Qing Nianyi was still wearing a gorgeous black evening gown, though the details of its design differed from the one she’d worn earlier. As soon as she and Qin Heng parted ways, she’d gone straight back to her room and changed. She’d still chosen a similar black evening gown, though.

Because… she wanted to preserve the best first impression of herself in the boy’s mind. And now, right before her, was a chance to make up for it. She absolutely couldn’t afford to make another mistake!!!

……

Most of the guests were young people around Qing Nianyi’s age. As the future heirs to businesses in various fields, more than a few of them were also Qing Nianyi’s admirers.

Looking at Qing Nianyi in the seat of honor, dressed in a black evening gown different from the one she’d worn at the banquet, they kept their expressions composed. But most of them were secretly marveling at her beauty and charm.

With a figure so tall and curvy, a face beautiful enough to topple kingdoms, and a family background like hers, what man wouldn’t be smitten?

Before long……

Qing Nianyi slowly rose to her feet and lifted her glass toward the guests. Her rosebud lips moved, and her clear, lilting voice rang out.

“Thank you all for taking the time to come today, despite your busy schedules—”

A gentle smile graced Qing Nianyi’s lovely face as she delivered the speech she knew by heart.

She raised her glass, drank, and sat back down. Every movement was natural and graceful, with not a single thing out of place. But…

But if you looked closely, you’d see a trace of sorrow mixed into that calm, carefree smile……

“With Miss Qing personally hosting a banquet and inviting us, we should consider it an honor to be here.”

A cheerful-looking man at the banquet table stood up and was the first to respond to Qing Nianyi. Then he raised his glass.

“This glass is a toast to you, Miss Qing.”

He drained it in one go. Qing Nianyi had just started to rise when Xu Mo stood up beside her, a glass in his own hand.

“Our president isn’t feeling well today, so I’ll return this toast on her behalf as vice president.”

Then, before the man could say anything else, Xu Mo drained his glass in one go as well……

Xu Mo and Xu Yan, seated closest to Qing Nianyi, had noticed something was off about her expression as soon as she reached the table. There was even a trace of worry between her brows.

This wasn’t how Qing Nianyi usually looked around them. She was still smiling, but her whole demeanor was different.

So Xu Mo guessed that Qing Nianyi might not be feeling well.

That was why he’d stepped in to take the toast for her.

Xu Mo himself was the son of a major business magnate. He was also handsome and warm in manner, so he had no shortage of admirers. Now he’d stepped in to shield Qing Nianyi from a toast. Though he’d done it under the title of “vice president,” in front of so many people, it was practically a declaration of his intentions—a warning to all the other men there who were after her……

Xu Yan watched her little brother finally do something right for once and smiled with relief.

The man who’d toasted Qing Nianyi took the hint. He already knew Xu Mo, so after exchanging a few pleasantries, he found an excuse to save face and sat back down.

After finishing his toast, Xu Mo slowly sat back down too. He turned toward Qing Nianyi with an apologetic look and spoke carefully.

“I’m sorry, President. I took the liberty of doing that. I thought you might not be feeling well today, so…”

Qing Nianyi turned to him with a smile, then spoke softly.

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m the one who should be thanking you, Xu Mo.”

Xu Mo was a little overwhelmed by her gratitude. He gave an embarrassed smile, then sat back down.

But Xu Mo didn’t know that from the moment he stood up to make the toast until the moment he sat back down, Qing Nianyi’s gaze hadn’t lingered on him even once……

From the very beginning, Qing Nianyi had been looking toward the tightly closed doors ahead……

Because even now, with the banquet underway, she still hadn’t seen the boy.

The bitterness and frustration grew more intense, steadily gnawing away at Qing Nianyi’s fragile heart.

She missed the boy so much……

She wanted to see him as soon as possible, to explain everything to him……

If…… if he really had come to hate her…… she wouldn’t be able to bear it!!!

Just imagining the boy looking at her with cold, distant eyes in the future made Qing Nianyi feel as if she’d fallen into a freezing pit. Even her blood seemed to turn to ice.

It felt as if a sharp blade were tearing through and twisting inside her heart. She was utterly desperate and miserable……

And with the boy still nowhere to be seen, there wasn’t even a trace of the person she longed for in her eyes……

Once again, tears clouded Qing Nianyi’s eyes, and a stinging ache rose in her nose……

As if she couldn’t bear it any longer, she suddenly stood up and went over to Steward Ling.

“What can I do for you, Miss?”

Steward Ling stared in surprise as the young miss walked over to him. The guests were right beside them, yet she seemed to have stood up and walked away without saying a word.

Fortunately, no one at the table noticed anything amiss. They assumed Qing Nianyi must have had something urgent to attend to, which was why she’d left her seat to speak with the steward.

Qing Nianyi spoke slowly.

“Steward Ling, have all the guests for the banquet arrived?”

Steward Ling glanced over the crowd, then took a list from his pocket. After looking it over for a moment, he answered.

“There is indeed one guest who hasn’t arrived yet.”

At that, a little light returned to Qing Nianyi’s disappointed eyes.

“Who is it? What’s their name?”

Steward Ling checked the list carefully before replying.

“It’s the young master of the Feng Xun Group, the one I mentioned to you before—Feng Xun.”

It wasn’t the answer she’d hoped for, but Qing Nianyi still felt a little stirred……

Steward Ling had told her that he’d seen Feng Xun and the boy talking happily together at the banquet. That meant Feng Xun and the boy were surely friends.

Once Feng Xun arrived, she could talk to him and learn a lot about the boy.

Then she wouldn’t have to sit here waiting helplessly, afraid that the boy had come to hate her……

If the boy really had misunderstood something about her, she could use Feng Xun as a go-between and mend things between them.

……Maybe the boy would come with Feng Xun later, too?!

The more Qing Nianyi thought about it, the more she relaxed. The gentle smile she usually wore returned to her lovely face.

She smoothed her hair beside her ear and straightened her clothes. She had to show the boy the very best version of herself!

Not long after Qing Nianyi returned to her seat, the private room’s doors suddenly rattled. Then a man’s hurried voice rang out.

“S-sorry, everyone!! I’m late!”

Qing Nianyi’s gaze immediately snapped toward the man, her eyes brimming with delight and hope.

And the man standing at the doorway, panting hard—was none other than our very late young master Feng……