TNSFC – Chapter 11

Que Yining mingled in the crowd like a fish in water, selectively approaching certain people to gradually figure out the situation.

In her previous life, she had moved in very wide circles. The Changsheng Group she took over initially started with real estate, and by the time it was in her hands, it had already ventured into the film and television industry, civil aviation, and more. She then expanded its territory to include the gaming industry.

The person she was currently chatting with happened to be the founder of a game company that held nearly forty percent of the mobile game market share. She had seen him while looking up news and remembered his face.

The other party had initially been exchanging polite pleasantries, but after she offered some of her views, they began to converse seriously.

However, this banquet wasn’t the right time to discuss ideas in depth. After a brief chat, Que Yining exchanged contact information with him. Seeing others approach to greet him, she tactfully excused herself.

Que Yining pondered the development of this world. This book was definitely set in a fictional reality, because although it was currently 2023, the market and technological development were not more advanced than in 2019 when she died; in fact, they were even somewhat behind. She could foresee that her future prospects for development were excellent.

As Que Yining was deep in thought, someone suddenly tapped her shoulder, causing her to pull away in slight surprise.

“Ningning, what are you doing here? How did you get in?”

The middle-aged man in front of her wore a well-fitted suit and looked refined and scholarly. He asked with a hint of confusion.

“Big Brother,” Que Yining put on the appropriate expression of a child caught by a parent, her eyes darting around as her mind quickly processed her memories. She laughed dryly and continued, “A friend brought me in.”

This man was Que Linyang. His original name was Lin Yang; he was the first child adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Que. They hadn’t even changed his given name, merely adding their surname. He was already ten when adopted, and sixteen when the original owner was born. He took great care of the original owner and was deeply trusted by her. It would be more accurate to say he was like a half-father to her than a brother.

He was also a semi-heir to the Que family, always working alongside Father Que and managing the family business.

The Que family had adopted three children, each of whom contributed to the family. The original owner was the most carefree one; even if she did nothing, she could easily get whatever she wanted.

Que Yining thought that it was probably this kind of upbringing that had molded the original owner into someone rather brainless, and also made her even more obsessed with the person she yearned for but couldn’t have.

“Why did your friend bring you here? This isn’t like those giggly, casual parties you usually go to. It’s very boring.”

Que Linyang looked like a parent afraid their mischievous child would cause trouble, his expression helpless.

“I know, I know. Today’s guests are all important people. I wanted to see if there’s anyone I can get to know, to build some connections.”

Que Linyang was puzzled. “Why would you want to build connections with them? Our family doesn’t need you to enter into any marriage alliances. Just go and have fun.”

A strange feeling crossed Que Yining’s mind. Although her memories predisposed her to believe this man was very good to the original owner, Que Yining just felt something was off. It wasn’t that she was inherently suspicious of human nature, but when profit was at stake, all relationships had to be carefully re-evaluated.

“I also want to contribute to the family. Maybe I’ll have to manage the company in the future, so I want to learn a bit first.”

Que Yining feigned a naive fantasy, but in reality, her beautiful eyes were fixed on Que Linyang’s face, watching his reaction.

Que Linyang was stunned for a moment, then he patted Que Yining’s head and said, “It seems our Ningning has grown up. If Dad knew you were really thinking this way, he’d be overjoyed.”

His face showed affection, and if Que Yining hadn’t been accustomed to seeing all sorts of hypocritical faces pretending to be sincere, she might not have noticed that fleeting oddity in Que Linyang’s expression.

But Que Yining wasn’t entirely sure. In any case, she didn’t feel any sense of dependence or admiration for the man before her, so she kept a smile on her face and took half a step back.

Que Yining said, “Big Brother, I’m going to the restroom first.”

Que Yining didn’t want Que Linyang to then offer to introduce her to people. She had experienced such charades in her childhood, back when she was an ignorant fool, oblivious to the truth, genuinely believing in the sincerity of those so-called uncles and striving in the wrong direction.

Que Linyang couldn’t very well stop her, so he could only watch Que Yining’s figure disappear through the crowd.

After glancing around, Que Linyang, as expected, spotted Young Master Fu’s figure in the crowd. He felt slightly relieved. It seemed nothing had changed; she was indeed still here for that one purpose.

Que Yining didn’t know what Que Linyang had imagined, and she touched up her makeup in the restroom.

Gu Qianqian, wearing a white dress, came out of a stall. When she saw Que Yining, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

This person really knew how to put on an act. Even though they had a verbal dispute just the day before yesterday, and Que Yining had even injured Wang Ruiyuan, Gu Qianqian could still smile at her now as if nothing had happened.

It was currently winter, and the temperature outside was a few degrees below zero. Gu Qianqian was wearing a winter dress, but her legs were bare, making herself look slender and frail. Que Yining looked at her and thought it would be perfectly normal if she developed chronic cold legs someday.

“I didn’t even know when Yining Jiejie became so close with my older sister. No wonder you slandered me for my sister’s sake that night, embarrassing me along with her. So that’s how it is.”

Gu Qianqian said in a soft, delicate voice, her expression a little hurt.

Que Yining closed her lipstick and looked at her through the mirror.

“Did you graduate from the Lu Su Academy of Drama?”

Gu Qianqian shook her head. “Jiejie, I studied music.”

Que Yining said with a gratified expression, “So you’re still planning to enter the entertainment industry, huh? That’s good, it won’t be a waste of your talent then.”

Que Yining walked over to her and stopped, saying with a beaming smile, “Having a mother who’s a mistress isn’t your fault, but coming out and flaunting that bald chicken tail of yours is your mistake. A wild chicken is a wild chicken; it’s a far cry from a phoenix, understand, little sister?”

Still trying to act pitiful and wronged in front of her? Que Yining had a hundred ways to mock her until she shut down.

Que Yining wasn’t afraid of this type of ‘little white lotus’ who used self-deprecation to cultivate an image of being wronged and weak. Whatever they said, she could just affirm it as them being self-aware.

Besides, Que Yining wasn’t even scolding her; she was just speaking the truth. Gu Qianqian’s petty and unrefined demeanor truly couldn’t compare to Gu Shanxue; she simply wasn’t presentable.

Ignoring Gu Qianqian’s resentful and venomous expression, Que Yining left the restroom. She didn’t head back into the crowd but stood by the refreshment table, picking out small desserts to eat while waiting for the banquet to officially begin.

At eleven o’clock, the main host made his appearance.

Elder Chen appeared, holding a child in his arms, and greeted the guests.

It began with polite opening remarks, thanking everyone for accepting the invitation to the banquet. After some pleasantries, the little protagonist’s Zhuazhou ceremony officially began.

Many items were scattered on a long table. The little baby crawled around in the empty space in the middle, looking at this and that, but just didn’t reach out to grab anything.

Elder Chen coaxed from the side, asking his ‘good baby’ to pick one, his face full of a loving smile.

The surrounding guests all watched the baby move around. Some were even anxiously hoping their gift would be chosen.

Que Yining watched from the edge of the crowd. She hadn’t placed any items for the ceremony, so she was just watching the excitement. Thus, her gaze wasn’t focused on the child, but on Gu Shanxue.

Because of this, she had a clear view of Gu Qianqian standing behind Gu Shanxue, who was holding a wine glass. She almost immediately understood what Gu Qianqian might do, cursed inwardly ‘stupid and malicious,’ and quickly walked towards Gu Shanxue.

Gu Shanxue only felt herself being bumped hard. Her right hand became unsteady, and the wine glass slipped from her grasp.

There was a guest right in front of her. If she spilled wine on someone and broke the glass at this crucial moment of Elder Chen’s granddaughter’s Zhuazhou ceremony, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing face.

Gu Shanxue, quick-witted and nimble-handed, tried to catch it, but someone was faster than her.

The moment the wine glass slipped, Que Yining had already moved in front of Gu Shanxue. As a result, the wine spilled all over Que Yining, and she caught the glass.

She handed the wine glass back to Gu Shanxue. To avoid being overheard, she spoke softly near Gu Shanxue’s ear, exhaling lightly as she said jokingly, “Good thing my chest is big. Otherwise, this glass would have fallen without any cushioning, and Miss Gu would have been in trouble.”

Que Yining was wearing a light purple sweater today, which made her already impressive assets appear even fuller visually.

Because of Que Yining’s words, Gu Shanxue’s gaze inevitably fell there, and she found herself subconsciously thinking, It really does seem quite large.

She immediately dispelled the thought from her mind. How could someone be so frivolously direct, yet not come across as vulgarly flaunting or cheap?