Is She Beautiful or Not?

After dropping the four words "ruin the world and its people" that day, Zuo Tingyue didn't speak again, and Xun Yuan didn't linger after sitting for a while.

Over the past few days, she spent her time immersed in the studio and occasionally recalled the scene from that day.

The man's lowered gaze and faint smile, his deep and hoarse magnetic voice, the profound and shimmering look in his eyes when he gazed over...

He truly was a scourge to the world.

She didn't know where such a male sprite came from, specially sent to hook women's hearts.

Xun Yuan put down the tools in her hand with a sigh, took off her work clothes, and got off work.

President Zhang had sent her an invitation a couple of days ago, inviting her to attend his daughter's full-month banquet.

She changed into a different outfit, brought along the full-month gift she had bought for the baby, and drove to the Zhang residence.

The moment she stepped out of the car, she saw Jiang Yulin waving at her.

"Xunxun."

He called her by her reduplicated name, attracting the people in front of the villa to look over.

Xun Yuan's footsteps paused; for a split second she didn't want to pay him any mind, as she cared quite a bit about her dignity.

"Xunxun."

"Can't you hear me calling you?"

Jiang Yulin walked up to Xun Yuan, ignoring the gazes cast by everyone, smiling brightly and always maintaining a flippant demeanor.

Xun Yuan was helpless.

"I can hear you."

"Stop shouting."

Jiang Yulin stubbornly refused to listen to her, calling out without end.

"Xunxun."

"Xunxun."

"..."

Xun Yuan couldn't help it, her brows furrowing. Just as she was about to flare up, she heard a respectful "Mr. Zuo."

Her whole body stiffened, a reflex of tension taking over.

Then came that man's uniquely signature voice, piercing through the crowd and space, clearly falling into her ears.

--"I have other matters, farewell."

His voice was exceptionally detached. Being able to deliver the congratulatory gift in person was already giving face; as the top crown prince of the high elite, he naturally possessed this haughty pride.

In the end, she didn't even enter the door.

The heart hanging in Xun Yuan's chest let go, and she no longer paid attention to Jiang Yulin calling her "Xunxun."

All her poise and composure were shattered in an instant in front of him, and she despised herself inwardly, thinking how utterly spineless she was.

Throwing this matter to the back of her mind, she concentrated on attending the full-month banquet. She saw the newborn baby-a tiny little bundle, resembling a glutinous rice ball, fragile and yet endearing.

Mrs. Zhang stood guard beside the little baby, welcoming guests from all directions.

"You must be Miss Xun Yuan, right?"

Mrs. Zhang had a lovely voice, speaking with a gentle softness, and her handling of people and affairs was equally warm and considerate.

The corners of Xun Yuan's lips curved, her cool and aloof brows and eyes imbued with a tender touch, and she nodded. "It's me, Mrs. Zhang, hello."

"I heard from my husband that you are confident in repairing that enameled polychrome porcelain. Thank you so much."

"Mrs. Zhang, there's no need to be so polite; your husband has promised me a generous reward after all."

Xun Yuan didn't take undeserved credit; taking people's money meant dealing with people's matters.

Mrs. Zhang waved her hand. "That's the remuneration he ought to pay. To speak only of remuneration is too cold; beyond legal principles, there are also human sentiments. I am immensely grateful for your help."

Xun Yuan smiled faintly. "You are too courteous."

When the full-month banquet came to an end, Mrs. Zhang's hospitality was hard to refuse, and she stuffed a pile of gifts into Xun Yuan's hands.

Xun Yuan had no use for them herself, so she turned around and stealthily shoved them onto Jiang Yulin.

"That's what Mrs. Zhang gave you," Jiang Yulin protested.

"Eat them, to consolidate your foundation and nourish your primordial essence, and replenish your kidney qi," Xun Yuan replied indifferently.

"There's no need for that at all. With this hardware of mine, I'll be fine for at least thirty years."

Xun Yuan didn't listen at all. "Is that so?"

"I heard people at the club say that you and a young lady went into a room, and came out half an hour later."

With that said, she didn't give him a chance to retort, turned the steering wheel, and drove away.

Jiang Yulin: "Fuck."

He felt like murdering someone.

*

Returning to her studio, Xun Yuan received a phone call.

"Are you done with your business? I have no use for you here."

The person on the other end said something, and she let out an "en" before hanging up the phone.

The sun was setting, and the orange-red evening glow spilled in through the glass, enveloping her entire body and softening the aloof aura about her. She sat composedly at the desk, her eyelids half-drooped as she attentively outlined the colors, her curled eyelashes casting shadows. The exquisite enameled polychrome porcelain was rejuvenated under her slender fingertips.

When she worked with focus, she possessed an unmaskable beauty, that sense of mystery unfettered like a restraint, releasing itself to the fullest in an empty space.

When Yun Tang walked in, she happened to catch this scene. Her body paused, and astonishment flashed through the depths of her eyes.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Xun Yuan finished outlining the last stroke with her hand before turning her head to look over.

A beauty turning her head with a faint smile-no matter how one looked at it, it was exceptionally heart-capturing.

Recovering her wits, Yun Tang let out an exaggerated cry, "Great beauty Xunxun, how can you be so pretty?"

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that using beauty as a weapon is immoral?"

Xun Yuan raised an eyebrow, appearing somewhat surprised by her presence here.

Yun Tang, the second young miss of the Hong Kong Yun family, had also grown up in a honey jar since she was little, and they had crossed paths a few times recently.

"Why is the second young miss of the Yun family coming over here?"

"I haven't seen you in a few days, and I heard from the one surnamed Jiang that you were busy with work. After asking around for the location, I came to find you."

"You weren't around these past few days, and I had even fewer people to play with. There are hardly any girls of the same age to hang out with. Now that you've finally appeared, I couldn't afford not to find you."

Yun Tang spoke with the mindset of a little girl, and one could tell at a sound that she had been spoiled by her family.

Xun Yuan found it amusing inwardly; wasn't this girl a bit too overly familiar?

"Why do you call me Xunxun?" she asked, recalling the form of address she had just heard.

"Can't I call you that? But it really sounds so nice, though."

Yun Tang said with a cheeky smile, her eyes monitoring Xun Yuan's expression; only upon seeing that she wore no look of displeasure did she speak thus.

"If you want to call me that, go ahead."

Xun Yuan didn't feel any aversion to this form of address; moreover, she rather liked Yun Tang's disposition-passionate, vibrant, and spoiled by indulgence.

"Xunxun, wanna go hang out?"

Xun Yuan pointed at the antique porcelain bottle in her hand.

"Wait until I finish this step?"

"Okay."

Yun Tang sat off to the side, watching Xun Yuan outline the patterns on the antique. She didn't understand these things, but she simply felt that Xun. Yuan like this was extremely beautiful.

She was exceptionally well-endowed by nature, with a body of ice and bones of jade; her pretty facial features went without saying, and her figure was also exquisitely proportioned. Her slender waist was no more than a grip, her exposed delicate wrists were clear and crystalline like jade, and even the strands of her hair possessed a just-right, fluffy perfection.

What stood out the most was still that aura about her-aloof yet serene, enchanting yet full of amorous flair. Her kind of allure wasn't an intentionally displayed seductiveness, but rather a sense of narrative weight polished by the passage of time. Every single movement and gesture was undeniably moving, and simply... very bewitching.

She was like a mysterious Pandora's box, causing people to look upon her with awe while simultaneously longing to explore.

The more Yun Tang looked, the more fond she grew. Taking out her mobile phone, she snapped a photo and posted it to her Moments.

The accompanying text read: Beauty Xunxun is slaying me.

*

Club.

Jiang Yulin idly fiddled with his mobile phone. Just as he opened his Moments, he saw the update posted by Yun Tang.

He was equally struck by her beauty, though he had always known Xun Yuan was gorgeous.

He shoved the screen toward the person beside him.

"Is she beautiful or not?"

"Tell me, is she beautiful or not?"

Zuo Tingyue lowered his gaze to look. In the photo, the woman's posture was elegant, her wrist bones crystalline, and her skin better than snow. Holding a paintbrush, she was sketching and drawing on the porcelain bottle, the play of light and shadow casting a halo over her. That bewitching and mysterious aura rushed forth to meet him.

"Tell me, is she beautiful or not?"