The world is truly full of wonders… Jiang Luoluo blinked, his mind reeling.
“Why would you like him?” Fu Tingchuan asked, frowning. “He’s short and so high maintenance—what do you see in him?”
“I don’t like him!” Jiang Luoluo hastily quickly drew a line between himself and Bai Tang. “Only a dog would like him!”
Fu Tingchuan squeezed Jiang Luoluo’s chubby cheeks between his fingers, smiling contentedly.
In the Bais’ dressing room, three maids surrounded Bai Tang, eagerly showing him piles of new clothes.
“Master, how about this outfit? It’s from the Second Young Master Li!”
Bai Tang sat on the sofa, glancing at his handsome reflection in the mirror before sparing a quick look at the clothes. “That flashy newcomer? I don’t like anything he sends.”
“Wouldn’t you look so out of place in all those white and pink diamonds? People would laugh and say you’re walking around like a mobile diamond mine!”
Another maid was folding Bai Tang’s discarded jacket. “Master, you especially spent a lot of money to bring this outfit back from abroad. I thought you were waiting for today to suppress that little swindler. Why did you suddenly change?”
“Fu Tingchuan said it looks tacky.”
Bai Tang smoothed down his hair. “True, if I wear the same clothes as that hick, it’d be hard to show off my refined taste.”
The maid flattered him. “Our master is always special to Mr. Fu. Don’t let his cold face fool you—he doesn’t care about much, but even something like our master’s clothes can catch his attention…”
Bai Tang smiled, glancing at the outfit. “Put it away. I won’t wear it anymore.”
“Young master, shall we pin this brooch on you? It’s the birthday gift from the Fu family when you turned eighteen.”
His well-cared-for fingertips rested on the golden rose as Bai Tang spoke slowly, “Let’s leave it on.”
“When our young master appears later, he’ll undoubtedly steal everyone’s attention away from that ugly country bumpkin!”
Bai Tang’s smiling eyes suddenly turned icy. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and an image of the person in Fu Tingchuan’s arm vaguely appeared out of nowhere.
Last night at the bar, it had been just a fleeting glimpse. Today, he’d finally seen the real deal.
Elegant features like a delicate doll, Bai Tang thought. It was as if each detail of that face had been sculpted by God himself. The pale, fragile-looking face leaning against Fu Tingchuan’s chest—he truly looked like a little young master who had been raised in the palm of a hand pampered and spoiled.
Worry suddenly surfaced in Bai Tang’s mind. He furrowed his brow and asked, “Do you people think Jiang Luoluo is ugly?”
Several maids exchanged glances. “If Mr. Fu has taken an interest in him, he must be easy on the eyes… But a fake is still a fake. With our young master here, his superficial looks don’t stand a chance!”
“That’s right!” someone chimed in agreement. “On his first time at our banquet, he’ll probably be so nervous he’ll make a fool of himself! Just wait and see, sir.”
The maid adjusting Bai Tang’s suit collar whispered, “Young master, Mr. Fu has always had eyes for you… Over the years, so many young ladies from prestigious families have tried to get close to Fu Tingchuan, but he’s turned them all away. We all know he’s been waiting for you… Even when you left without a word for all these years, he didn’t get involved in any scandals. He’s been supportive of our Bai family in his work all this time, and it’s all because of you, isn’t it?
“Young master, look around our social circle now. Who’s more popular? Who’s more accomplished? No one can match the president. He cares about you, and his position is unmatched—why not just marry into the Fu family?”
Bai Tang’s fingers, which had been playing with that golden rose, paused. “I know.”
“But he’s too—”
He’s too serious, his personality is boring, and he doesn’t know how to flirt… I always want to wait a little longer, just in case there’s someone better out there…
The maid wanted to say more, but seeing Bai Tang’s expression, she swallowed her words.
Bai Tang straightened the golden rose pinned to his collar and slipped his arm through his cuffs. “The real show is about to begin.”
With that, he strode out into the hall.
“Isn’t Tangtang wearing the dress I got her today?” Li Hongfang leaned against the railing, rubbed his buzzed head, and looked at the young maid in front of him.
“Sister, you didn’t tell Tangtang that I had a luxury Italian store custom-made these clothes for him, did you? The original design had 1,888 small diamonds, but I specifically asked them to double that—” He held up a hand to emphasize his point. “No, I asked them to make it five times as many!”
“With over 9,000 diamonds on him, standing in the hall would surely blind everyone with brilliance!”
Li Hongfang shook his head. “Does Tangtang not like it? Does he think it’s not fancy enough? Next time, I’ll have them add ten times as many diamonds!”
The maid’s lips twitched. No wonder their young master looked down on this Second Li-gongzi. From a distance, he appeared to be a handsome young scion of high society, with a charismatic air. But a nouveau riche brat was still a nouveau riche brat; even dressed in imperial robes, he’d never look like a crown prince.
Internally rolling his eyes at Li Hongfang’s vulgarity, the maid let out a soft sigh.
“It’s not that Young Master Li’s clothes are bad. They’re beautiful and very expensive, our young master really likes them. He was going to wear them…”
Li Hongfang leaned away from the railing, his expression concerned. “And then? What happened?”
“An uninvited guest came to the banquet. He was showing off in front of our young master, ruining his mood…” The maid sighed again. “Our young master is still upset…”
“Is that so?”
Li Hongfang couldn’t stand seeing Bai Tang upset. This precious young master of the Bai family was always kind and humble, good-looking, well-educated, and from a respected background. He was like a prince from a fairy tale, and Li Hongfang would have loved to protect him.
Does somebody have the nerve to upset him?
Li Hongfang licked his teeth, his fingers cracking the Cartier mechanical ring as he clenched them. “Where is this guy? What’s his name?”
***
In the Bai Manor gardens, Jiang Luoluo held a small porcelain bowl, feeding koi fish with his fingers from the bowl.
The banquet wasn’t due to start for some time yet. The old man of the Bai family mentioned he had a few commercial matters to discuss with Fu Tingchuan and invited him to the study.
Fu Tingchuan wanted Jiang Luoluo to go with him, but Jiang Luoluo refused.
That old man looked all stiff and stuffy, and his voice was hoarse and weak. Jiang Luoluo didn’t want to go over there. Besides, his System had been crashing a lot lately, and he wanted to find out what was going on.
In the pond, the koi fish swam over, their tails moving like silk, their plump bodies swaying back and forth. They circled Jiang Luoluo’s fingers like little pugs.
Jiang Luoluo took a handful of fish food and tossed it in. In a splash, the biggest koi fish swept their tails and charged clumsily towards the food.
He heard footsteps behind him, but Jiang Luoluo didn’t turn around, picking up a few more pieces of fish food and throwing them into the crowd of fish heads. In an upbeat voice, he said, “Back so soon?”
As he spoke, he turned around—
“Jiang Luoluo is feeding koi, Bai Tang is serving looks, and Fu Tingchuan is out here collecting beauties like limited edition collectibles… Meanwhile, I’m here bringing you all the drama for free. If you think I deserve a treat for my hard work, why not toss a coin (or a Ko-fi) my way? 😆☕”
