Shang Lu stared coldly at her hand and said ruthlessly, “Take it away.”
Su Banxia swiftly withdrew her hand, his gaze sharp as a knife, making her feel as though her hand might just disappear.
If he doesn’t want to eat, fine, I’ll eat myself. The self-discipline of a foodie is to try hard to eat.
Although the pastries were indeed delicious, eating too many can be cloying. After having three or four pieces, she felt full and couldn’t eat anymore, so she set them aside.
The evening banquet of the Zhu couple was held in a hotel, with waiters specially greeting guests at the entrance. Luxury cars continuously arrived and parked around the hotel’s fountain.
Su Banxia had attended banquets before, but attending one in this unfamiliar world made her inevitably nervous.
After getting out of the car, she stood by the roadside, watching as Shang Lu’s bodyguards helped him down from the car. She couldn’t help but look at his legs with a pained expression.
If Shang Lu’s legs weren’t disabled, it wouldn’t have been Shang Jingyao’s turn to inherit the family business. How wonderful it would be if his legs could recover.
Su Banxia walked up behind Shang Lu, offering, “Let me do it.”
Shang Lu and Xiang Lei looked at her.
Su Banxia grasped the handles of the wheelchair, trying to push it forward, but to no avail. Her face flushed with embarrassment in an instant.
Xiang Lei spoke to ease her awkwardness, “Miss Su, let me do it.”
“No! Let me!” Su Banxia insisted firmly. “Shang Lu is my husband; I should be the one to take care of him.”
After saying this, she exerted more force to push, but the wheelchair remained as immovable as before, like a mountain, unresponsive to her efforts.
Xiang Lei frowned, “Miss Su…”
At the hotel entrance, many well-dressed people occasionally glanced their way. Among unfamiliar faces, some were sizing them up.
Su Banxia, on the brink of tears, gave up and looked down at her hands. Did she really lack the strength to even push a person in a wheelchair? She wondered if Shang Lu would think of her as useless.
Hanging her head despondently, Su Banxia approached Shang Lu and met his cool, dark eyes, which seemed to silently mock her.
In a silent exchange of glances, the wheelchair suddenly moved forward on its own.
Su Banxia: “…”
She looked up at Xiang Lei.
Xiang Lei explained, “Miss Su, there’s no need for you to push; the young master’s chair is an motorized wheelchair.”
Darn it!
Su Banxia felt her intelligence insulted as a flock of imaginary alpacas ran through her mind.
Quickly catching up to Shang Lu, Su Banxia glanced at the handsome profile of the man. He was indeed laughing at her just now; how mean of him.
Although it was the golden wedding anniversary of the Zhu family elders, many young people attended, including affectionate couples, as well as young masters and ladies from prestigious families. Such a banquet was either for business networking or simply for socializing.
Su Banxia, unfamiliar with these people, stayed close to Shang Lu, not forgetting her mission for the evening.
She didn’t enjoy attending such crowded banquets, but luckily, after greeting the Zhu family elders, Shang Lu found a quiet place to rest.
Su Banxia picked up a drink resembling fruit wine and leisurely observed the high society mingling at the banquet. The men mostly wore suits, while the women’s outfits varied greatly, giving the impression of a fashion show.
Young people formed their own circles, chatting and laughing together.
Su Banxia glanced at Shang Lu, knowing his notorious reputation in the circle, which explained why few dared approach him at the banquet.
Suddenly, a man approached her, confidently extending his hand with a smile, “Miss, may I have the honor of asking you for a dance?”
The man, in his twenties, wore a blue printed suit, resembling a peacock in full display.
Su Banxia, now Shang Lu’s wife, instinctively looked towards Shang Lu.
The peacock-like man followed her gaze to Shang Lu and feigned surprise, speculating, “Are you the Miss Su who left Mr. Shang at the altar?”
Su Banxia: “…”
Peacock, do you realize you’re treading on dangerous ground?
Not only did the peacock fail to realize he was treading on dangerous ground, but he also brazenly continued his dance in the minefield, casting a pitiful glance at Shang Lu’s legs.
“Mr. Shang, it’s not good to leave your wife hanging at such a banquet due to your mobility issues. Why not let me take her for a dance, to relieve some boredom?”
Su Banxia looked at him as if he were an idiot, thinking to herself, ‘You’re so dead.’
Shang Lu’s deep, cool black eyes glanced at the man, his lips pursed.
The peacock raised his eyebrows, smiling, “Mr. Shang, don’t be so petty. You won’t even let Miss Su dance?”
“I don’t want to,” Su Banxia immediately spoke up.
The air froze instantly.
Shang Lu looked slightly stunned.
The smile froze on the peacock’s face.
Su Banxia coldly said, “Go wherever it’s cool.”
The peacock, probably facing rejection from a woman for the first time, replied with a stiff smile, “Do you have something against me?”
Su Banxia smiled, “I have a problem with everything about you, dressed like a peacock in full display, it’s just irritating to look at.”
The peacock’s face changed completely, his lips trembling, probably fuming inside. Considering the setting, he couldn’t lash out and just walked away.
Su Banxia asked Xiang Lei, “Who is that guy?”
Xiang Lei informed her, “He’s the eldest son of the Zhu family.”
Su Banxia: “…”
Oh no, she had offended the host’s son at the banquet.
“This plot is too thrilling,” Su Banxia thought to herself.
She sat down next to Shang Lu, glanced at his indifferent profile, and asked, “Shang Lu, will I be kicked out?”
Shang Lu’s gaze lightly fell on her, scrutinizing her facial expressions, making her tense.
His tone was cold, “Regretting it?”
Su Banxia blinked sincerely, “How could I? He ran off too fast; I didn’t even get a chance to really perform.”
Xiang Lei: “…?”
What do you mean by ‘perform’?
Are you referring to your combat ability in arguments?
Having spent the whole day with Shang Lu, Xiang Lei’s impression of Su Banxia was being constantly updated. She was somewhat like the rumors but also very different.
Su Banxia thought she heard Shang Lu laugh, but when she suspiciously looked at him, his beautifully contoured face remained perfect, his expression always indifferent and cold, seemingly unaffected by others.
Having drunk too much fruit wine, Su Banxia felt the urge to visit the restroom. After waiting for a while and unable to hold it any longer, she stood up: “Little Stone, I need to use the restroom. Stay here with Shang Lu and don’t move, I’ll be right back.”
Xiang Lei glanced at Shang Lu and replied, “Okay, Miss Su.”
Su Banxia walked a few steps but still felt uneasy, she looked back and said, “Make sure to wait for me.”
Then, she hurriedly left.
Rushing to the restroom, Su Banxia saw a line of girls queuing and showed an expression of agony.
Why?!
Perhaps because there were too many people attending the banquet tonight, even the restroom at this high-end banquet had a queue. Could it be that the scenes in novels where the female protagonist overhears ‘evil supporting female characters’ badmouthing others in the restroom were false?
Why can’t a large hotel have more restrooms!
Su Banxia quickly left to find a restroom on the second floor. After running upstairs with her dress in hand, she finally found an unoccupied restroom.
After taking care of her needs, she breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted her makeup and dress before leaving.
Her phone vibrated in her bag, and she quickly answered it.
Xiong Da’s naive voice came through: “Miss, I saw Shang Lu by the pool.”
“What?!” Su Banxia gritted her teeth. Didn’t she tell them to stay put and not move until she came back?
To prevent Shang Lu from falling into danger, she had specially called Shang Fu and asked for Xiong Da and Xiong Er, two professional bodyguards, to come over. Thankfully, she was prepared.
“You keep watching, I’ll be there right away.” Su Banxia hung up the phone, lifted her black dress, and ran.
As she ran, she worried, hoping that nothing would happen to Shang Lu.
She had been pushed into a pool before and understood the feeling of being engulfed by cold water, feeling heavy and powerless as she sank, that near-death experience was painfully suffocating.
In the original storyline, Shang Lu was pushed into the pool and not rescued in time, which caused him to miss the last chance to treat and recover his legs. She absolutely had to prevent this from happening.
Su Banxia ran downstairs with all her might, not caring who she bumped into, and stumbled towards the outdoor pool.
The outdoor area was crowded with people, and amidst the dazzling sight, some recognized the suddenly appearing Su Banxia and came over to greet her.
“Miss Su… long time no see.”
Su Banxia roared: “Get out of my way!”
Everyone was startled and quickly made way. The girl, holding up the hem of her dress, ran like a fleeing princess through the crowd towards the other side.
When Su Banxia reached Shang Lu, she was almost out of breath, panting heavily, and had even lost one of her shoes.
People silently watched the scene unfold.
Breathless, Su Banxia said in broken sentences: “Didn’t I… say… to stay… where you were?”
“Miss Su, what act are you playing now?” A young and pleasant male voice sounded.
Su Banxia lifted her eyes and glared fiercely in that direction. Which scoundrel was it?
The man was dressed in a white suit, handsome with slightly raised eyebrows and a somewhat mischievous smile, “Even lost a shoe, can’t stay away from Shang Lu for even a second?”
Shang Lu’s gaze fell on the girl’s foot, which had lost a shoe. Her delicate and translucent little foot was stepping on the rough ground, slightly reddened.
Realizing Shang Lu was looking at her foot, Su Banxia’s toes curled up, and she quickly lowered her dress to cover it.
Xiang Lei picked up the shoe and handed it to her: “Miss Su, your shoe.”
Su Banxia took the shoe and quickly put it on without caring about her appearance. She glared at the man in the white suit and demanded, “Who are you?”
The man who pushed Shang Lu into the pool might very well be this man, smiling with ill intentions, clearly up to no good.
“Do you not recognize me?” The man glanced at Shang Lu. “Shang Lu, why don’t you tell her.”
Shang Lu said, “Qi Jiashu.”
Su Banxia’s fierce expression froze. Qi Jiashu was Shang Lu’s only good friend. She immediately broke into a smile: “It’s better to meet you in person than to hear about you, hello Mr. Qi.”
“…” Women indeed change their faces faster than the weather.
Su Banxia stood aside, listening to Shang Lu and Qi Jiashu discussing business, feeling indignant inside. She wondered who was the troublemaker planning to do something bad, as she had been waiting for a long time and they still hadn’t shown up. “Big brother.” At this moment, Shang Jingyao appeared with his companion Mu Ruxue.
Leave a Reply