Chapter 482 - 422: Unnecessary
Chapter 482: Chapter 422: Unnecessary
After having a bite to eat, Zheng Shaojin led Xiao Man into the main hall. He nodded and greeted people in the crowd, both those he knew and those he didn’t, while also looking for a couple of his friends. Xiao Man saw that Yang Liu’er had moved to a different spot, surrounded by a new group of people and chatting animatedly with a radiant smile. ’Well, look at her,’ she thought. ’I was still concerned about her, but for all I know, she’s already forgotten I exist.’
Xiao Man followed Zheng Shaojin as he circulated through the crowd, deciding not to interrupt Yang Liu’er.
Although the refined, handsome, and slightly shy Zheng Shaojin, when he put his mind to networking, he handled it with an effortless and flawless grace. ’No wonder this guy was so successful in politics in his past life.’
While Zheng Shaojin was raising his glass to discuss something with a few other men, Xiao Man turned slightly and glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows to her left. She was surprised to see Tang Yaxuan walking past outside, a smile on her face. Accompanying her were Bai Qingyue and two young girls from the Bai family—Bai Lihua’s eldest and second daughters. Xiao Man had seen them before at a gathering at someone else’s home.
Suddenly, Bai Qingyue stopped and looked back. Xiao Man followed her gaze and felt a jolt of surprise. ’That beautiful woman smiling and waving a greeting to Bai Qingyue... is that Gongsun Ruxue?’
’Gongsun Ruxue once mentioned that although her family didn’t live in Beijing year-round, they had some relatives and friends here. Seeing how chummy she was with Bai Qingyue, could their two families be related?’
’If that’s the case, then there’s even less reason to get too close to Gongsun Ruxue.’
In truth, Xiao Man quite admired Gongsun Ruxue’s medical skills, and she was a nice person. Among her classmates, she was always willing to offer guidance and support without holding anything back, as long as it didn’t touch upon her family’s medical secrets. Xiao Man had always maintained a polite but distant friendship, unwilling to become a truly open and honest friend because she had her reservations. The reason was this: once, bored in class, Xiao Man had used her Divine Sense to casually scan her surroundings. After retracting it, something felt wrong, so she scanned again. Then she stared, wide-eyed. Gongsun Ruxue was clearly sitting not far behind her to the right, but when Xiao Man’s Divine Sense swept past, it saw only an empty seat!
’Is Gongsun Ruxue a ghost? Absolutely not! In broad daylight, in a world like this, what kind of ghost could possibly be that powerful?’
’The only plausible explanation was that Gongsun Ruxue possessed some kind of secret technique. That wasn’t particularly strange, because Xiao Man had one too!’
’She doesn’t seem like a Cultivator, since I can’t detect any cultivation from her. Could she be a Witch? My own cultivation is still too shallow; I can’t see through Gongsun Ruxue, nor can I estimate her Combat Power. But she has such an ethereal air and looks so pure and harmless. She probably isn’t from some evil sect, so it should be fine to remain acquaintances.’
But if Gongsun Ruxue had ties to the Bai family, that was another matter entirely.
’The Gongsun Family’s hereditary medical skills are so incredible they’re nearly on par with the Sun Family’s. So why didn’t the Gongsun Family appear when Mr. Bai was on his deathbed? Even if they couldn’t make it in time, they’re in Beijing now. I’d even bet Gongsun Ruxue got into the medical university’s traditional medicine program through the Bai family’s connections. As close family friends, the Gongsun Family should have been looking into Mr. Bai’s health and helping him recover. If so, they couldn’t possibly be unaware that he survived after taking a pill from the Tang family. And given Bai Qingyue’s personality, she would have definitely told Gongsun Ruxue who Tang Manman is. Yet, in all our casual conversations, Gongsun Ruxue has never mentioned a word of it, much less her relationship with the Bai family.’
’The Bai family has always wanted to get their hands on the medicinal herb I have. Could Gongsun Ruxue be after the same thing?’
Xiao Man raised a hand to her temple. She felt like she was developing a persecution complex.
This was the Sun Family’s party, not the Gu family’s, so Xiao Man couldn’t just leave because Tang Yaxuan arrived. Still, she didn’t want Bai Qingyue to spot her. That woman was shameless and an expert at pestering others—annoying enough to drive someone mad.
The Second Miss Sun welcomed the new arrivals into the hall with a smile. The moment Gongsun Ruxue stepped inside, she split off from the Bai family, her gaze sweeping the room as if searching for someone. Xiao Man hid beside Zheng Shaojin, watching her silently. If Gongsun Ruxue were to release even a hint of Divine Sense, Xiao Man would be able to detect it and discern her status as a Cultivator and her level of cultivation. But unfortunately, the girl was extremely cautious, relying only on her beautiful, expressive eyes to scan the crowd, revealing no trace of Divine Sense.
A few of the Sun Family elders came out to mingle for a bit, said a few words of welcome and thanks from the front of the hall, and then the ball began.
Sun Yiming had spotted Zheng Shaojin earlier, but he still made a beeline for Xiao Man to ask for the second dance. Zheng Shaojin clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "You’re one of the hosts. You should be looking after the young ladies who came without partners. Look over there—they’re all waiting for you! Manman and I came together, so we’ll be dancing the first three. You can have the fourth."
Xiao Man glanced at Zheng Shaojin, then said to Sun Yiming, "You and I can have the third dance."
Sun Yiming nodded with a smile. He knew Zheng Shaojin was just trying to pull a fast one on him. He knew Xiao Man’s habit: she would dance three times at most at these sorts of balls, and rarely a fourth.
As the magnificent sound of strings filled the air, a dance floor naturally formed in the center of the hall, where couples began to glide gracefully. Gongsun Ruxue stood in a corner, having just refused invitations to dance from several men. As she glanced over, her eyes fell upon Xiao Man on the dance floor.
Over on another side of the room, Tang Yaxuan spotted Xiao Man as well. Like a startled bird, she quickly dodged behind a group of people and found a place to sit down. She was terrified of Xiao Man now, deathly afraid that she would once again use her influence to have the hosts throw her out.
She may have avoided Xiao Man, but she couldn’t avoid Yang Liu’er. At the end of a fast-paced waltz, Yang Liu’er came off the floor to get a drink and immediately spotted Tang Yaxuan, who was sitting and chatting with someone in a soft, gentle voice, a sweet smile on her face.
She heard Tang Yaxuan say, "My mother’s at the Ministry of Education, and my father is working in G Province but will be transferred back to Beijing soon. My grandfather is..." Yang Liu’er’s good mood instantly evaporated. She sneered at Tang Yaxuan. "I’ve met shameless people before, but never anyone this shameless. You’ve got some serious nerve, don’t you? You don’t even pick your location when you’re impersonating someone? Tang Manman is just steps away, and you still have the guts to pull this? Come on! How about I take you up to the stage? There’s a microphone and a spotlight. You can introduce yourself to everyone!"
As she spoke, Yang Liu’er strode forward and grabbed Tang Yaxuan.
Tang Yaxuan was terrified. She stared at Yang Liu’er as if she’d seen a ghost, but her reflexes were quick. She shot up from her chair and bolted, running straight out of the hall.
The music started up again just then, so not many people noticed the small incident.
Another man came up to ask Yang Liu’er to dance. She looked toward the exit, conflicted, but ultimately couldn’t resist the allure of the cheerful, melodic music. She let her new partner take her hand and glided lightly back onto the dance floor.
Outside, Tang Yaxuan saw that Yang Liu’er didn’t chase after her and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But her heart seethed with resentment. ’It was so hard to get this chance to attend an upper-class party. I figured Xiao Man might not come, and even if she did, I could just avoid her. I planned to use this opportunity to shrewdly meet some young masters and ladies from wealthy families, which could only help my future prospects. I never, ever imagined that Yang Liu’er would be here too!’
For some reason, Tang Yaxuan was inexplicably afraid of Yang Liu’er.
It wasn’t just because the very first time they met, Yang Liu’er had cornered her in an alley and beaten her savagely. She hadn’t hit her face, but had instead focused on pinching and twisting the softest flesh on her body, her methods even more vicious than Wu Xiaorui’s. The pain had been so intense that Tang Yaxuan nearly fainted and later had nightmares that woke her in a panic. More than that, it was because this stunningly beautiful woman was completely unhinged, claiming the two of them shared a feud so deep they couldn’t live under the same sky. And the strangest part was, Tang Yaxuan felt like she was telling the truth—as if she really had seen her somewhere before!