The day of the Shen Family's birthday banquet fell on a weekend.
The banquet would not begin until evening approached, but Jiang Mother dragged Jiang Nian out of bed first thing in the morning.
Her godmother, Song Jici's mother, had sent Jiang Nian a top-tier professional fashion team a while ago and commissioned over a dozen luxury gowns for her. Today, they could finally be put to use.
After wearing a school uniform for so long, Jiang Nian finally had a chance to wear an evening gown. This was also her first banquet since returning to the country, so of course she had to take it seriously.
Following her mother's advice, Jiang Nian tried on one custom-made gown after another.
After spending ages changing, they finally chose an evening gown that both of them were reasonably happy with.
It was a strapless, floor-length gown in moonlit white, with a predominantly dark green bodice and elaborate embroidery forming a dividing line that extended down to the waist.
The fabric of the skirt was exquisite, its satin as supple as rippling water and lustrous to the eye. The waist was drawn in snugly, and rather than an abundance of flashy details, the overall design was flowing and elegant.
Its exquisite tailoring, simple design, and graceful lines outlined her figure perfectly.
Once they had chosen the gown, the makeup artist and stylist spent another long while working on her, putting her hair up, applying her makeup, and adding jewelry.
Fully dressed and styled, she was like a star-studded night sky, radiant and impossible to ignore.
Jiang Nian gazed at her lavishly dressed reflection in the mirror and could not help marveling.
Just what I'd expect of myself. Gorgeous.
That afternoon, the three members of the Jiang Family finished getting ready and climbed into the car bound for the Shen Family Manor.
The Shen Family's estate was a classic European-style manor, with several interconnected villas on its grounds. On this special day, luxury cars drove into the estate one after another, and even two private planes landed on its airstrip.
Old Master Shen's birthday banquet had invited virtually every prominent wealthy entrepreneur in City A. It was a truly lavish, grand affair.
The Jiang Family's car slowly drove into the estate and stopped in front of the main villa.
The car door opened, and Jiang Nian took an attendant's hand as she slowly stepped out.
Looking up, she spotted Shen Hui greeting guests at the villa entrance.
Shen Hui had been exchanging pleasantries with the guests. When he turned and saw Jiang Nian in her finery, he froze briefly, a flash of admiration passing through his eyes.
He politely asked an attendant to escort the guests inside, then approached them with a gracious smile.
First, he greeted Jiang Nian's parents. "Uncle Jiang, Mrs. Jiang, it's been a while. Welcome."
Then he said to Jiang Nian, "Song Jici and the others are already here. You can go hang out with them first."
Jiang Nian's parents nodded warmly at him.
Jiang Nian smiled at him too and said playfully, "Then I'm heading in!"
With that, an attendant led the three of them into the villa. They parted ways in the reception hall, one side heading into the adults' arena of wealth and status, the other into the youngsters' little world.
Shen Hui had also sent invitations to his classmates for this banquet, so besides the young heirs and heiresses of wealthy families, some of Pluto's scholarship students were there as well.
Since he had invited them, Shen Hui had taken care of their evening wear and everything else himself. At least in terms of appearance, no one would feel out of place.
He could hardly invite his classmates to celebrate a birthday only to let them suffer other people's ridicule for no reason.
So when Jiang Nian found her little group of classmates, she saw that everyone, usually so casually dressed, had changed into exquisite evening gowns and smart suits.
They stood in a circle with glasses in hand, chatting and laughing, looking rather mature beyond their years.
Jiang Nian thought, Now this is decadent luxury.
"Wow, you all look so dazzling today!"
Her chatting classmates turned to see Jiang Nian's awestruck face, but they were even more overwhelmed than she was.
Because Jiang Nian looked absolutely beautiful tonight.
The shifting light in the banquet hall fell upon Jiang Nian, bathing her in a faint, almost holy glow.
The dark green across her chest set off her snow-white skin. As she approached, her beautiful collarbones peeked into view, and the hem of her gown stirred gently with her steps, like a fairy gliding across water.
They stared blankly as Jiang Nian walked up to them, only snapping out of it when Gao Wen spoke.
"Oh my god, Jiang Nian, you look incredible today!"
Gao Wen looked at Jiang Nian excitedly. She had thought the otherworldly Tong Chuhe was stunning enough when she saw her earlier, but Jiang Nian had taken her by surprise too.
At Gao Wen's praise, Jiang Nian's eyes curved with her smile. She gave a light twirl in front of her. "Pretty, right? My mom dragged me out of bed first thing this morning to pick a gown. I didn't even get enough sleep."
Tong Chuhe teased with a smile, "I think sacrificing that sleep was well worth it."
Song Jici and the others nodded too. Their hearts had all beaten a little faster when they saw Jiang Nian approach.
Off to the side, Fu Zhenzhen watched Jiang Nian become the center of everyone's attention, gripping her glass so tightly she nearly crushed it.
Her dark eyes fixed on Jiang Nian, surrounded by admirers, and venomous thoughts kept bubbling up uncontrollably.
Shen Hui had provided her gown as well. Although it was also a luxury gown, she had chosen it together with the other scholarship students in their class. It was nowhere near as exquisite or distinctive as Jiang Nian's custom-made dress.
On her own, she might have earned a compliment for looking fresh and understated, but standing beside Tong Chuhe and Jiang Nian, Fu Zhenzhen was completely outshone.
I won't accept this!
She had clearly redeemed the "Everyone-Loves-Me Buff" from the system when she made her entrance. Although everyone had complimented her outfit then, why could she not even measure up to Jiang Nian, who had no buff at all?
Jiang Nian noticed the hostile look Fu Zhenzhen was giving her too, but she did not care.
With the backing Fu Zhenzhen currently had, she could not get Jiang Nian killed anyway.
Ignoring that uncomfortable stare, she turned to chat with the others.
Noticing the glasses several of them were holding, Jiang Nian tilted her head in confusion. "You've started drinking?!"
"This is fruit wine I had prepared. The alcohol content is very low, so a little taste won't hurt."
Shen Hui, who had just finished receiving the distinguished guests, arrived in time to hear Jiang Nian's question and answered with a smile.
Hearing Shen Hui's answer, Jiang Nian grew eager to try the fruit wine. "Oh, I see. Then I'll just have a little taste."
She was about to pick up a remaining glass of fruit wine from the table when she heard 88 stop her:
[Don't drink that glass of wine.]
Jiang Nian paused mid-reach and asked in confusion:
[Why can't I drink this glass of wine?]
She examined the wine on the table closely. It had a ruby hue similar to grape wine, clear and transparent as it sat in the stemmed glass, giving off a fresh, fruity fragrance.
There appeared to be nothing wrong with it. It was just an ordinary drink.
But since 88 had warned her, there had to be something wrong with this wine.
Could it be...
[Could this be the glass that made Shen Hui lose control while drunk, leaving him shut in a room with Jiang Wenxue, where they were caught in the act?]
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