Jiang Fuyue didn’t know Zhao Yixin.
But Zhao Yixin had been sizing her up ever since she stepped through the door.
As the daughter of the Zhao family and a well-known socialite in Linhuai, Zhao Yixin’s beauty and figure naturally needed no introduction. In short, she was the most dazzling presence in the banquet hall—a true “It Girl.”
Long legs, a slim waist, and a height of 165 cm made her stand out among the female guests.
Originally, Zhao Yixin thought today’s birthday party would be her stage. But Jiang Fuyue’s arrival changed everything.
The butler’s warm reception of Jiang Fuyue and her companions immediately caused a stir, especially among a few second-generation heirs who were close to Yici.
Their jaws practically hit the floor:
“Holy cr*p! Absolute stunner! Look over there!
“When did someone like that show up in our circle? That waist, those legs—are they even real?”
“She’s as fair as snow, and even compared to Zhao Yixin, she’s not far behind.”
“Not far behind? Are you kidding? She completely outshines her!”
“Man, she’s gotta be over 170 cm tall.”
“Yeah, she’s a whole head taller than Zhao Yixin!”
“Those legs? I could admire them all year long.”
“…”
These guys weren’t far away, and their chatter was anything but discreet. Zhao Yixin heard every word, and the phrase “completely outshines” stung the most.
But it didn’t stop there. What followed hit even harder.
As soon as Yici made his entrance, he headed straight for the group, his eyes glued to her—Jiang Fuyue. No amount of effort could pull his gaze away.
Zhao Yixin thought, Since we’re all guests, surely Yici would come over and say hi to me and my group, right?
But no.
Yici just left.
He ignored them entirely, yet he was all smiles with that group of “riffraff.” And when he left, he even instructed the butler to personally attend to them.
Utterly absurd!
Zhao Yixin felt humiliated (though she would never admit it was jealousy). But she didn’t dare confront Yici directly—his family’s power was too great, and his temper was notoriously bad. So, she redirected her frustrations toward the lone Jiang Fuyue.
“Which family are you from?” She took the initiative, her tone sharp.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t respond, looking at her with mild confusion.
Zhao Yixin frowned. “Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me talking to you?”
“I heard you. I just didn’t feel like answering.” Jiang Fuyue’s face turned cold.
“What kind of attitude is that?!”
“My attitude depends on yours,” Jiang Fuyue replied, her voice calm, devoid of emotion.
“Heh.” Zhao Yixin laughed angrily. “No wonder you’re from the lower class—completely uncultured.”
Jiang Fuyue remained unruffled. “If I’m from the lower class, what are you? Upper class? Nouveau riche? Don’t tell me… you think you’re a princess?”
Zhao Yixin’s expression stiffened. Truth be told, she did think of herself that way. But she couldn’t admit it out loud—it was too embarrassing. “T-That’s irrelevant! I’m still far superior to you!”
“Oh? In what way? Appearance? Morality?”
“…” Zhao Yixin found herself speechless.
Jiang Fuyue turned to leave.
But Zhao Yixin blocked her path, unwilling to let her go. “Just look at your outfit—so improper! It’s obvious you lack any sense of class or upbringing.”
“My outfit?” Jiang Fuyue glanced down at herself.
“Every guest here today is dressed to the nines—men in suits and leather shoes, women in evening gowns. But you… and your group… What are you wearing? If you’re not part of our class, stop trying to force your way in. Mud belongs on the ground. No matter how much you pretend, you’ll never become a cloud.”
“Was there a dress code on the invitation?” Jiang Fuyue asked calmly.
“What?”
“A formal occasion—a proper invitation—would include a dress code. Mine didn’t. Did yours?”
“…” Zhao Yixin couldn’t answer.
“In that case, since this isn’t a formal banquet, and there were no specific dress requirements, is there an issue with what I’m wearing?”
Zhao Yixin suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
But before she could recover, another voice cut in. “Of course there’s an issue.”
A girl approached, lifting the hem of her dress with deliberate elegance. She was shorter than Zhao Yixin and not particularly striking, but her demeanor was undeniably arrogant.
She was accompanied by a group of men and women, who followed closely behind.
The crowd, sensing the growing drama, gathered around Jiang Fuyue, forming a circle.
Seeing this, Liu Bowen and Lin Qiao quickly pushed through the onlookers to stand by Jiang Fuyue’s side. “What’s going on?”
They had no idea what had happened but chose to support Jiang Fuyue without hesitation.
Even Wan Xiutong stopped chasing squirrels and returned to Jiang Fuyue’s side. “Jiangjiang…” she murmured nervously.
Jiang Fuyue gave her a reassuring look.
“Little Xue,” Zhao Yixin whispered excitedly, grabbing the newcomer’s arm. “You have to help me!”
Zhang Xue shot her a knowing glance. “Relax, I’ve got this.”
“Even if the invitation didn’t specify, any guest with basic manners and respect for the host wouldn’t dress as casually as you,” Zhang Xue declared, addressing Jiang Fuyue.
Wan Xiutong blushed deeply, while Lin Qiao looked visibly uncomfortable.
They had already worried about being underdressed for the event. Now that someone had pointed it out, their confidence crumbled.
Even Liu Bowen, despite his limited-edition sneakers, felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Among them, only Jiang Fuyue remained unshaken. Her cool gaze swept over the crowd before she suddenly asked, “Today is Yici’s birthday. Did any of you pay attention to what he was wearing?”
Zhao Yixin and Zhang Xue froze.
Of course they had. How could they not notice the boy who had captivated the entire room?
He wore a tracksuit today—premium gray accented with gemstone blue, a custom design by a certain sports brand.
No matter how premium, it was still just a tracksuit.
Jiang Fuyue posed another soul-piercing question: “When it comes to etiquette, do you know what ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ means?”
Zhang Xue pursed her lips.
Zhao Yixin frowned deeply.
In the crowd, a few guys began whispering:
“Yeah, exactly! If Yici’s so casual, doesn’t it make us look like idiots for showing up in suits and bow ties?”
“Looks like Young Master Yi didn’t want this to be formal. If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered with this stupid suit. It’s so tight I can barely breathe!”
“I even hired a stylist to do my hair, and now I’m stuck with a head full of gel that feels like it’s melting in this heat.”
“Keeping it casual is definitely better. That’s how real bros roll!”
“…”
Their agreement was almost unanimous.
Zhao Yixin: “?”
Zhang Xue: “?”
Then someone in the crowd said, “And these girls—why are they all dressed up like peacocks? Does Yici even care about them?”
That one comment made most of the women blush furiously.
Everyone knew why they were here today and why they’d gone to such lengths to outshine one another. They didn’t need to say it aloud—every single one of them was here to win Yici’s favor.
They were dreaming of his admiration, hoping for love at first sight, then deeper affection on the second meeting, and—ideally—marriage by the third.
It was an unspoken rule, something everyone understood but didn’t discuss. Now that it had been so blatantly exposed, many of the women were so embarrassed they wished they could disappear into the floor.
None of them dared speak up to support Zhao Yixin or Zhang Xue anymore.
As the standoff dragged on, Yici, who had been outside welcoming guests, returned.
“What’s everyone doing here?” The crowd instinctively parted to make way for him as he walked over to Jiang Fuyue, his curious gaze sweeping over the group.
Zhao Yixin, who had initially wanted to keep stirring trouble, instantly shrank back at the sight of Yici.
Zhang Xue’s eyes flickered. Watching Yici stand side by side with Jiang Fuyue, she quickly adjusted her expression and plastered on a friendly smile. “I hadn’t seen them before, so I just came over to say hello!”
Yici didn’t think much of it.
Zhang Xue changed the subject smoothly: “Oh, by the way, don’t forget to open the gift I gave you. That was two months of my allowance, you know. Don’t let it sit in the storage room like last year and gather dust.”
Yici, not understanding why she suddenly brought up gifts, responded absentmindedly.
Zhang Xue pressed on eagerly, “Guess what I gave you this year?”
Truthfully, Yici had no patience for this. All he wanted now was to show Jiang Fuyue around and create an opportunity to be alone with her.
If it were his usual self, he would have already said something cutting to send her packing.
But this time was different. Jiang Fuyue was right beside him—he couldn’t afford to appear rude.
He coughed lightly and threw out a random guess: “A watch?”
Zhang Xue’s eyes lit up with delight. “How did you know?”
Yici: “…” I didn’t want to know.
How long is she going to keep babbling? This is so annoying!
At that moment, Zhang Xue suddenly turned to Jiang Fuyue, her gaze soft and seemingly casual but filled with intent. “What did you give him?”
The question sounded offhand, but it was clearly premeditated.
Jiang Fuyue smiled faintly. “Just a small trinket.”
“So modest! It must be something extraordinary then!” Zhang Xue replied, her words dripping with sarcasm.
Yici immediately interrupted, “The gift doesn’t matter. What matters is the thought behind it.”
Zhang Xue gritted her teeth. He’s defending her again?!
Every word is in her favor!
The more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became. But her smile only grew brighter. “If it’s something Yici values so highly, then the thought behind it must be incredibly special.”
“Of course!” Yici blurted out without hesitation.
The truth was, he had no idea what Jiang Fuyue had gifted him.
He had been too busy earlier and had only managed to place the box in his room without opening it.
But for some reason, he was utterly confident that whatever Jiang Fuyue had given him would be exceptional.
Zhang Xue’s curiosity grew even stronger. “Wow! Now I’m really curious. What about everyone else? Don’t you want to see it?”
“Yes!” someone in the crowd shouted, setting off a wave of enthusiasm.
Zhang Xue added fuel to the fire: “Young Master Yi, why don’t you show everyone?”
