This was Song Ying's first time attending a party with Madam Xu.
Madam Xu was very eager to show off her precious daughter, but hadn't found the right opportunity yet. Either the occasion wasn't suitable, or Song Ying had classes to attend.
This time, Lu Lanshan's engagement party happened to fall during Song Ying's summer vacation at home, making it the perfect occasion. Madam Xu was delighted to finally be able to take Song Ying out and show her off.
As it happened, everyone around them was very curious about the Xu family's biological daughter and wanted to know who this remarkable person was.
Madam Xu and Song Ying were surrounded by curious society ladies. Apart from a few who didn't get along with Madam Xu and made some sour comments (which were promptly rebuffed by the protective Madam Xu), most were trying to flatter Madam Xu and showered Song Ying with elaborate compliments.
The last time Song Ying attended a charity gala, she was brought by Huang Jie as the adopted daughter of the Shi Family - an unimportant tag-along. People around her had been indifferent then.
Just a few months had passed, with only a slight change in her status, and these people's attitudes had undergone a complete transformation. It was truly interesting.
The Xu family had come as a group of four. Following behind Madam Xu was also the Xu family's young son in middle school, Xu Yiran. He was wearing formal attire and following behind his mother and sister with a look of utter misery on his face.
It seemed that boys of this age generally disliked being taken out by their mothers, especially when mother was surrounded by a group of chattering women. His face showed particular impatience.
Xu Xing had encountered some business partners at the entrance and stayed behind to exchange pleasantries, leaving his wife and children to go ahead.
Xu Yiran had no choice but to follow behind Madam Xu and his sister.
Amidst the chorus of flattery, Song Ying heard a familiar sarcastic voice. Clearly, Shi Li was also present.
Song Ying scanned the surroundings but couldn't see Shi Li. However, she did notice someone else searching for Shi Li with the same posture as herself.
"Mom, I think I saw my sister. I'm going to find her," Song Ying said.
Madam Xu reached out to stop her. She wanted to say that Song Ying must have seen wrong, as the Shi Family and Lu Family had fallen out long ago, so how could Shi Li possibly be here?
However, due to the presence of several society ladies around her, she couldn't say this out loud. In the end, she only managed to utter a sound of "Ai."
Before she could stop her daughter, Song Ying had already walked away.
Unable to leave the ladies around her to chase after Song Ying directly, Madam Xu could only ask her young son to go along and keep an eye on things. "Yiran, go with your sister."
Madam Xu gave her son a meaningful look, telling him to watch out and not let Song Ying be bullied.
Seeing her son quicken his pace to catch up with his sister, Madam Xu turned back to the ladies around her to explain, "This girl was raised in the Shi Family for half a year, you know. She's about the same age as the Shi Family's daughter. They were cousins at home and classmates at school. The two of them are very close."
She shook her head with a smile, "She's particularly attached to the Shi girl. Her father and I even feel a bit jealous when we see it."
Someone commented, "That's good, actually."
The group then proceeded to say many flattering things about this matter.
Song Ying had heard Shi Li's voice and was searching for her throughout the hall, but couldn't see her.
Xu Yiran, being a boy with longer strides, quickly caught up with Song Ying, who was restricted by her small formal dress.
Looking at Song Ying bumbling around like a headless fly, Xu Yiran furrowed his brows, which were seven parts similar to Song Ying's, "What are you looking for?"
Song Ying, of course, couldn't say she was trying to locate Shi Li by following the sound of her voice.
She flashed her trademark smile and said, "I thought I saw someone I knew earlier, but when I got here, they had disappeared."
Just then, Song Ying's gaze met with a classmate who was also searching for Shi Li. They exchanged knowing smiles.
So what was Shi Li doing at this moment?
After Bo Yiyang entered the dressing room, she had stepped back a few paces, leaving the space for the official boyfriend.
Lu Lanshan had finished her makeup and only needed to change into her evening gown before she could beautifully take Bo Yiyang's arm and meet the guests.
Lu Lanshan's evening gown was a high-end foreign design, with diamonds hand-sewn and inlaid into the tulle skirt by the designer, making it extremely bright and eye-catching.
Especially under the dressing room lights, the entire gown shimmered with flowing light.
One glance was enough to know that this gown was not cheap.
At this moment, a simply dressed young woman entered the dressing room. She first greeted Bo Yiyang, "Hello, Mr. Bo."
The young woman was carrying a tray with a glass of orange juice on it.
She called out to the person in front of the makeup mirror, "Sister Lanshan, you've been up early doing makeup, you must be hungry. I brought you a glass of orange juice to tide you over."
Not knowing the background of this girl, Shi Li had only one question in mind: if she hadn't eaten, shouldn't she have brought a piece of cake or bread? Why bring a glass of cold orange juice?
Under Shi Li's puzzled gaze, the girl seemed to trip over something, and the tray in her hand involuntarily tilted towards the hanging evening gown.
The stylist's mouth formed a large 'O', but it was the makeup artist, who had finished her work and was resting nearby, who rushed in front of the gown, blocking the flying orange juice.
The makeup artist lady did her best, with most of the orange juice spilling on her, but a small portion still splashed onto the evening gown.
The girl was startled by this turn of events and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to."
Shi Li and the makeup artist together inspected the juice stains on the evening gown. Lu Lanshan's expression changed from shock to anger in an instant, especially when she heard the makeup artist say regretfully, "The dress is stained."
Tears began to fall from the girl's eyes, and she looked helplessly towards Bo Yiyang.
The handsome man pressed his lips together, not knowing who he was trying to comfort, "It's alright, we can send it for dry cleaning and it will be fine."
He took a couple of steps forward, intending to appease the frost-faced Lu Lanshan, "Jing Xuan didn't mean it. She was just being thoughtful, worried you might be hungry and wanting to bring you some orange juice. She didn't expect this to happen."
