QTMWSFC Chapter 21

Xia Qingmeng told him to stop staring, and Xu Xinghe obediently looked away. Feeling the burning gaze disappear, Xia Qingmeng breathed a small sigh of relief.

She wasn’t sure if she was just being overly sensitive, but his stare made her terribly shy.

The banquet was about to begin. The host had already entered the venue.

Xu Xinghe took her hand and found a seat where they could rest.

The speeches on stage were all formal pleasantries. Xu Xinghe found them long-winded and utterly uninteresting. But his expression remained as cold as ever, giving the impression that he was listening attentively, whether seriously or just for a show.

On the other hand, Xia Qingmeng listened seriously. Perhaps because she was used to reading so many hate comments online that even these empty words sounded pleasant to her ears.

The last to take the stage was naturally the star of the evening—Yin Xinya. She wore a high-end white gown, looking ethereal and otherworldly. A gentle smile graced her face, making her appear like an innocent and kindhearted fairy.

As the female lead of the story, she received thunderous applause from everyone present.

Amid the roaring applause, Xia Qingmeng instinctively glanced at Xu Xinghe and unexpectedly met his gaze.

After clapping a few perfunctory times, Xu Xinghe directly took one of Xia Qingmeng’s hands and began playing with it in his own.

Xia Qingmeng was aware of Yin Xinya. She had come across many black materials about herself before, one of which said that she resembled Yin Xinya and that Xu Xinghe was only using her as a stand-in.

But Xia Qingmeng never saw any resemblance between herself and Yin Xinya. Besides, Xu Xinghe never admitted to it, so she didn’t take it too seriously.

Especially just now she instinctively looked at Xu Xinghe and found that he wasn’t paying any attention to Yin Xinya at all. That made her think the rumor was probably not true.

After a brief speech, Yin Xinya played a piano piece to liven up the evening.

Her piano skills were average, but the atmosphere she created was pleasant. She maintained a humble demeanor and said all the beautiful things, leaving no room for people to find fault.

Insiders didn’t bother to nitpick her piano skills, and ordinary people couldn’t tell the difference anyway. Besides, who would dare criticize the star of the event? Naturally, the banquet atmosphere reached its climax.

People chatted, networked, ate, and danced.

On the dance floor, all kinds of people moved to the music. Their feet danced, but beneath them business deals were being struck.

“Do you want to dance?” Xu Xinghe leaned lazily on a sofa in the corner and asked Xia Qingmeng, who was sitting beside him.

Xia Qingmeng shook her head. She was actually quite a homebody. If it weren’t for Xu Xinghe, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to come to the banquet at all.

Xu Xinghe didn’t feel like dancing either, so the two of them leaned lazily against each other, watching the people on the dance floor.

But some people were just blind and came to disturb their peace.

Xia Qingmeng was sharp-eyed. She spotted the person before they got close. She smiled at Xu Xinghe and said, “Xu Xinghe, I feel like dancing.”

Xu Xinghe had noticed it earlier than she did. Xia Qingmeng’s move was exactly what he wanted. A slight smile curved his lips as he took her hand, and the two of them headed toward the dance floor.

Watching the pair waltz gracefully on the floor, Yin Xinya’s fingers gripping her wine glass turned white at the knuckles. Still, she managed to maintain a proper smile.

Awkward.

Yin Xinya thought that if she pretended to pass by, Xu Xinghe would naturally come over and talk to her. She had even rehearsed what she would say in her head.

But instead…

He was going to dance with his female companion?!

Yin Xinya quickly adjusted her mindset. She believed that Brother Xinghe was just trying to stimulate her. She should act magnanimous and not let him throw her off balance.

When the music ended, Xu Xinghe led Xia Qingmeng by the hand towards another hall in the opposite direction from Yin Xinya without looking back.

Yin Xinya watched their retreating figures and began to feel a bit anxious.

What was going on?

Why hasn’t Brother Xinghe come to find her?

Was he playing hard to get?

No way. Whoever made the first move lost!

Having just returned to China and being the center of attention today, Yin Xinya couldn’t bring herself to initiate a conversation with Xu Xinghe. In the end, she gritted her teeth and chose not to follow.

Rather than making the first move herself, Yin Xinya preferred to have someone come over and initiate conversation.

Xu Xinghe glanced briefly out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked away.

As expected, Yin Xinya was too proud. Her “female lead” pride wouldn’t allow her to actively approach a dog licker at such a glamorous moment today, even if that dog licker’s status was not low at all.

But Xu Xinghe didn’t really care what Yin Xinya thought. He didn’t bring Xia Qingmeng to the banquet without purpose. He wanted to clear her name.

They had been together for quite some time, but he had never introduced Xia Qingmeng to his friends. That was somewhat inexcusable.

“Xinghe.” A steady male voice with a low tone came from behind Xu Xinghe.

“Brother Hao.” Xu Xinghe saw the person coming, and his usually cold expression softened slightly. He clinked glasses with him.

The person was Long Hao. He was Xu Xinghe’s childhood friend and an unshakably close comrade. In the original plot, when everyone else turned against Xu Xinghe, Long Hao was the only one who supported him unconditionally from beginning to end, regardless of whether his actions were right or wrong.

Xia Qingmeng hadn’t met Long Hao before, but she still greeted him with a graceful smile.

Long Hao lowered his head slightly to look at Xia Qingmeng. She seemed very familiar. After a few seconds of thought, he suddenly realized. “Oh! I remember now. You are… you are Xia Qingmeng, who played Qin Shuangshuang in The Three Lives’ Promise, right? No wonder you looked so familiar. You’re even prettier in person than in photos. I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Although Xia Qingmeng wasn’t hugely famous, she was really beautiful. Qin Shuangshuang in The Three Lives’ Promise was her first role after debuting. In that role, she played an unparalleled beautiful senior sister. When the drama was at its peak of popularity, she had stunned countless passer-by.

The upper-class circle was small, and Long Hao had heard some rumors. Some said that Xia Qingmeng was just a stand-in girlfriend that Xu Xinghe had found to replace Yin Xinya.

Now looking closely, Long Hao felt the two didn’t resemble each other at all. Perhaps it was because actors could transform into a thousand faces that people got the illusion of the same face?

To be fair, he thought Xia Qingmeng was far better-looking than Yin Xinya. Their temperaments were also worlds apart. Xia Qingmeng was bright and striking, while Yin Xinya had that weak little white flower vibe.

Long Hao nodded almost imperceptibly. Sure enough, seeing is believing. That whole stand-in nonsense was just baseless talk when neither party had acknowledged it.

“Hey, you’ve looked long enough. Move your eyes somewhere else.” Xu Xinghe subtly stepped in front of Xia Qingmeng and said bluntly.

Long Hao teased him. “I’ve never seen you so stingy before. So it’s true, once you have a girlfriend, you forget your brothers, huh? But what made you willing to bring her out today? I thought you were going to keep her hidden forever.”

As he spoke, Long Hao’s eyes darted between the two of them, making Xia Qingmeng somewhat embarrassed. Her grip on Xu Xinghe’s arm tightened.

Xu Xinghe didn’t hide anything in the slightest. “There’ve been too many rumors lately. I don’t want to be associated with just anyone, and Qingmeng shouldn’t have to suffer unwarranted grievances.”

Just anyone?

Wow. Yin Xinya’s position in Xu Xinghe’s heart had been downgraded to ‘just anyone’?

Long Hao was sharp and immediately understood that Xu Xinghe was implying something. He played along without hiding it. “Haha, so that’s it. You used to take good care of Yin Xinya. I initially thought you liked her.”

It would be a lie to say Xia Qingmeng didn’t care. Hearing Long Hao say that, she couldn’t help feeling a little down, but she adjusted in just a second or two.

She should have trust in Xu Xinghe. She shouldn’t let her imagination run wild. Since Xu Xinghe said he wouldn’t let her suffer grievances, he meant it. He always kept his word.

“Care? That was just classmates helping each other out. Since when does helping someone out mean you like them? I’ve never liked her. Don’t go putting labels on me. Qingmeng won’t be happy to hear that.” With just a few sentences, Xu Xinghe completely distanced himself from Yin Xinya.

Yin Xinya could go be with whoever she wanted, preferably to be locked up with the male lead and not bother him. He didn’t like her at all.