Capítulo 12: The Young Miss of the Qi family
"My name is Qi Jianyi. Ring a bell?" She spoke in a lazy manner.
Hearing the uncommon name left Xu Mei stunned. Qi Jianyi? Who in their right mind would not know her? The eldest daughter of the Qi family, the wealthiest among them.
"Who?" Xia Ning urged for an explanation. She wasn't part of their circle, so she had no way of knowing who the woman before her was. However, she believed that Qi Jianyi must be someone important to have caused everyone in the room to fall silent.
Someone behind Xia Ning whispered to her in an audible voice, "She's the young miss of the Qi family. Young master He's cousin."
Xia Ning stiffened but quickly regained her composure. The woman before her was not someone she could afford to offend. Fortunately, she had no enmity with Qi Jianyi.
"Mi-Miss Qi, what are you doing here?" Xu Mei asked, her voice stammering. She was caught off guard by Qi Jianyi's presence and felt a pang of embarrassment at being seen by her.
Qi Jianyi frowned, pursed her lips, and replied with a hint of annoyance, "It's my cousin's birthday party. Why wouldn't I be here?"
Xu Mei composed herself and smiled sheepishly, trying to appear elegant in front of Qi Jianyi. However, with her hair gripped by Qi Jianyi, she didn't look as composed as she had hoped.
"No, no, I don't mean it like that. I just…" Xu Mei stuttered, she found it hard to talk to Qi Jianyi.
"You just?" Qi Jianyi lifted her eyebrows, sceptical with Xu Mei's hesitant attitude.
"Now, are you done being childish and embarrassing yourselves?" She asked once again, sternly. She fixed her eyes on both women, expecting their replies.
"You've ruined Zejin's birthday. Now, how are you going to fix it?"
Listening to the blunt question, both Xu Mei and Xia Ning felt ashamed upon realising the eyes of the other guests on them. They had been so focused on each other and preoccupied with settling their grudges that they forgot the significance of the main occasion.
Qi Jianyi softened her grip and released their hair, finding it awkward to continue holding it. She waited for their response, hoping they would quickly apologise so she could return home.
"Please forgive me for my behaviour, Young Master He. I wasn't in my right mind." Xia Ning apologised promptly as soon as Qi Jianyi released her hair. She bowed slightly to He Zejin in a modest manner, acknowledging that she was indeed at fault.
He Zejin waved his hand, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation. His only wish was for them to leave his party so that he could enjoy the rest of it in peace.
"Don't bother. Just leave." He stated and glanced at Xu Mei with a cold smile. He never expected the Young Miss of the Xu family to embarrass herself to such an extent. It was one thing for Xia Ning, who had no reputation to uphold in their circle.
He Zejin pulled Qi Jianyi with him and walked back to their table. Despite maintaining his composure, embarrassment gnawed at him. How ironic that the young master would end up looking so shabby after trying to play the hero.
With just a glance, Qi Jianyi understood the meaning behind He Zejin's rigid expression. She quickly covered her face with her fist, trying to stifle the uncontrollable laughter bubbling up inside her.
"Please don't laugh, cousin," He Zejin said, almost pleading. The last thing he needed right now was to be laughed at by her.
Qi Jianyi nodded to show she understood, but despite her best efforts, a smile slowly crept across her face. Respecting He Zejin's request, Qi Jianyi quickly averted her gaze and hastened her pace to the table.
At the table, He Zeqing looked at his younger brother with a hint of pity. Part of him was secretly relieved that he hadn't tried to rescue his brother. Otherwise, he might have found himself in the same predicament as He Zejin.
He was surprised by Qi Jianyi's quick action in dissolving the argument and felt that his one million hadn't gone to waste. At least it wasn't him who got hit. However, He Zeqing couldn't help but regard the two women with a bad impression. After all, they had laid hands on his brother.
He Zejin glared at He Zeqing with clear disapproval. His brother's ranking in his heart had completely plummeted. What a useless brother, not even attempting to save him.
"Stinky brother, you're so useless," he said without hesitation.
Others might fear He Zeqing, but as his younger brother, He Zejin had never been intimidated. Being the youngest, with their parents as his protectors, he always had the upper hand.
He Zeqing judged his little brother's dishevelled appearance and shook his head in disappointment. Truly embarrassing for a man. He couldn't even handle two women.
"You should take a look at yourself before talking to me. So embarrassing for the He family. Tsk," He Zeqing scoffed, clicking his tongue in disdain. He refused to look at his brother any longer, not wanting to taint his eyes with such a pitiful sight.
The more He Zejin heard He Zeqing's words, the deeper the pout on his face became. Did his brother really think he wanted to look like this? So scruffy, with a ruined image and so many people watching him?
He Zejin turned around and faced Qi Jianyi, clearly hoping for some comforting words from her. Unfortunately, her words and vocabulary were not much different from He Zeqing's.
Qi Jianyi nodded with a hint of pity, echoing He Zeqing's remarks. "Zejin, I think my cousin is right. You should change first."
Without waiting for his response, Qi Jianyi grabbed her handbag and was ready to leave. She had exhausted all her energy for the day and decided it was time to head home. After all, they didn't really need her there.
"Jinlu, Jinli, I'm going back now. You can ask your cousin for a ride home later," Qi Jianyi said, not waiting for their replies.
She turned to leave but was stopped by He Zejin. "Cousin, I haven't cut the cake yet. How can you leave now?" he asked pitifully.
"I have something else to do," she lied, though she had no real plans. She simply wanted to go.
"Be good and enjoy your birthday," she said, giving He Zejin a gentle pat on the shoulder before quickly walking past him, not wanting to be stopped again.
Unbeknownst to Qi Jianyi, her actions caught the attention of many people, likely due to her relatively low profile. She had always been the mysterious young miss, rarely attending events, and the only time she did, she made a significant impact.
Even the usually aloof Young Master Song, Song Chengfeng, was observing her closely. From the moment she stood up from the table to help He Zejin until she left the room, his eyes were fixed on her.
"What are you staring at?"
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