After leaving the L Sisters, Jing Yi led Jing Zejun and Shen Xi to the outside of the banquet hall.
She looked around, found a suitable spot to sit, and took a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air.
"I've finally come back to life!" she exclaimed.
The other two looked at Jing Yi with amusement. "Was it really that dramatic?"
Jing Yi nodded with a serious expression.
[It's not an exaggeration at all! Ordinary people can't handle these banquets. You have to wear a smiling mask the whole time! You must be constantly mindful of your manners! And you can't even eat properly!]
Jing Zejun couldn't help but laugh, listening to Jing Yi's rambling.
Shen Xi sat down on a nearby wooden chair, looking up at the grand and elaborate banquet hall in the distance.
Wait, what kind of normal person attends a banquet only to sit outside?
A gentle breeze blew by, causing Shen Xi to shiver involuntarily, making the scene seem even more desolate.
Jing Yi noticed Shen Xi's movement and said with a hint of guilt in her voice, "Are you cold? Maybe we should go back inside."
Shen Xi smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "It's just a sudden temperature change, that's all." After all, how cold could it be at this time of year?
Besides, going back meant more socializing, which Shen Xi found rather troublesome.
"Just give me a few minutes, I'll go get some clothes from the car," Jing Yi said as she strode towards the parking lot.
Shen Xi watched Jing Yi's determined gait with slightly widened eyes.
Did this person even realize she was wearing an evening gown?
"Have you and Jing Yi known each other for a long time, Miss Shen?" Jing Zejun's voice brought Shen Xi back from her thoughts. She turned her head quickly to look at him.
"I suppose it's been quite a while, four or five years now." Although she hadn't really spoken much with Jing Yi for the first two years.
When Shen Xi first met Jing Yi, her initial impression was that this person was aloof and difficult to approach.
It wasn't until later, when they both failed the same course and ended up working together, that Shen Xi realized Jing Yi was actually quite nice.
"We were college classmates."
Jing Zejun nodded, aware that Jing Yi had studied Financial Management abroad. Although it didn't seem like a major Jing Yi would choose, he didn't think much of it.
"Are you also interested in Financial Management, Miss Shen?" Jing Zejun asked curiously.
Shen Xi smiled sheepishly, "Actually, I'm not interested in it at all. I even failed a course because I couldn't understand it. I just didn't have any particular interests at the time, so I followed my brother's choice and went for Financial Management."
Listening to Shen Xi's words, Jing Zejun's lips curved into an involuntary smile.
It seemed that Jing Yi's friend was quite an interesting person as well.
Perhaps seeing that Jing Zejun was a very gentle person, Shen Xi became more talkative.
"The reason I became friends with Jing Yi was because she also failed a course at that time. We ended up spending every day in the library together, keeping each other accountable..."
At that time, Shen Xi was very surprised to see Jing Yi collecting her grade report in the office.
As Jing Yi's classmate, Shen Xi naturally knew about her grades - she was consistently in the top three of their class, a true academic star.
She never imagined that Jing Yi would fail a course, let alone the same one she had failed.
It's no wonder Shen Xi was surprised. After all, she couldn't have known that some classmates could change so dramatically over the course of their studies.
Even now, Shen Xi still thought it was just her own stereotyping that had led her to misunderstand Jing Yi.
When Jing Yi had first arrived, she knew that her original self's major was Financial Management, and she was utterly desperate.
She was a pure liberal arts student - wasn't this asking for her life?
It wasn't until she had failed several courses and caught the attention of her professors, along with the looming crisis of not being able to graduate, that Jing Yi forced herself to catch up intensively.
Meanwhile, the two were engrossed in their conversation.
On the other side, Jing Yi had already reached the parking lot and retrieved several pieces of clothing from the car.
Just as she was leaving the parking lot, she heard some familiar voices.
"It's such a pity, we didn't get to chat much with the second young master of the Jing family earlier!"
"I know! I had just said hello, and he left. I wanted to talk more!"
"Hey, did you see Jing Zejun's expression earlier? He looked so provincial! Hasn't he heard of English names before?"
"Oh Lucy, he's only just entered high society. He grew up in a small town, you have to be understanding."
"And that fake heiress too, if I were her, I wouldn't have the face to come back."
"This is the Jing family we're talking about. Of course she'd want to cling on, even if she has to force her way in. You don't know, but I bet even the Jing family's bathroom is bigger than where she used to live!"
"Haha, Lucinda, your tongue is so sharp!"
"But I thought they seemed to have a pretty good relationship."
"Lucy, don't be so naive. Can't you see such obvious acting? Come on, they're just keeping up appearances."
"Putting on airs, it's all just because of her status as the Jing family's daughter. What's there to be so proud of?"
"Do you know that Jing Zejun is an actor? I saw her auditioning last time. I thought after she was brought back, she'd obediently play the role of the Jing family's daughter, but who knew she'd still be acting in films."
"Lulu, are you trying to steal her job?"
"Become a celebrity? I'm not that cheap. My dad would scold me if he knew!"
They were mocking Jing Zejun while walking towards the parking lot when suddenly a figure appeared in front of them.
Jing Yi stood before them, holding the clothes. Her lips curved into a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
The three girls' expressions clearly showed panic. They had thought the parking lot would be empty and had spoken freely.
"Ladies, just come from the restroom?" Jing Yi's languid voice drifted over.
Upon hearing Jing Yi's words, the three girls' faces darkened.
"...Miss Jing, we were just..."
After all, Jing Yi was a member of the Jing family, and the three girls were somewhat wary, not daring to confront her directly.
"If you didn't come from the restroom, does that mean your little mouths have been smeared with laxatives?"
The girl who had called Jing Zejun cheap earlier stepped forward, "Miss Jing, aren't you being too harsh?"
Jing Yi raised an eyebrow and let out a laugh. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes turned to the girl, making her tremble involuntarily.
"Harsh? Ladies, you should be grateful I'm only saying a few words."
"You!"
"What about me? Your speech is so halting, perhaps you should consider going back to the drawing board? Is it fashionable now to wrap up your cerebellum and use your cerebrum as a decoration?"
"What are you so proud of? You're nothing but a substitute picked up by the Jing family. To put it nicely, you don't even qualify as an illegitimate child!" The person standing on the left blurted out, somewhat flustered.
Jing Yi chuckled lightly, her eyes full of innocence, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, at least I'm a person with a sense of shame. I wouldn't flatter someone to their face and curse them behind their back."
"If you can't speak properly, next time you attend a banquet, I suggest you don't sit at the same table as others."
Lucy's face had turned red. She wanted to say something more, but the two people beside her pulled her away, preparing to leave.
Watching their retreating figures, the smile slowly faded from Jing Yi's lips, her eyes darkening.
