Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The day of the banquet arrived.

I threw on a little dress and went.

The moment I walked in, I spotted Xie Zhaozhao in the crowd, surrounded like the moon among stars.

She was wearing a pink, puffy formal gown.

Like a princess. Pretty, adorable, dazzling.

Standing around her were several devastatingly handsome men, each impressive in his own way.

Lu Xu, Xiao Xingzhou, Pei Ting, and the others.

Xiao Xingzhou was saying something, and Xie Zhaozhao gave a shy little smile, clearly amused.

When they saw me come in, every gaze in the room swept toward me.

Their expressions varied.

Without changing my expression, I walked up to Xie Zhaozhao and handed over my gift.

A silver bracelet I’d bought on the way here.

It had cost me a fortune-two hundred yuan.

Xie Zhaozhao glanced at the shabby gift box, then accepted it with a sweet smile.

Pei Ting, however, frowned. “Shen Zhiyi, what are you doing here?”

Before I could speak, Xie Zhaozhao said softly, “I invited Sister Zhiyi.”

Xie Zhaozhao took my hand. “I’m really happy Sister Zhiyi could come.”

Her smile was so sweet, as if she truly welcomed my arrival.

I didn’t pull my hand away either. I only said calmly, “Happy birthday.”

Lu Xu was holding a glass of champagne, gauze still taped to his temple, his smile especially bright. “Sister Zhiyi, you’re actually dressed like a proper person today.”

I glanced at Lu Xu.

The dress I had on today was something I’d grabbed at random. It had been washed so many times it was starting to fade.

I answered politely, “Thank you for the compliment. I can’t compare to Young Master Lu, though. You look like a proper dog dressed up as a person.”

I looked at the gauze on Lu Xu’s head. “Still haven’t recovered, Young Master Lu? Remember to take more cephalosporin. Might help treat that brain of yours.”

Lu Xu’s smile grew even brighter.

Pei Ting frowned hard when he heard that, like some little model citizen of morality. “How did you become like this? Every word out of your mouth is so vulgar.”

I smiled. “Doctor Pei really does live up to his profession. You even want to treat other people’s personalities.”

“If you love meddling so much, why not change careers and work for the neighborhood committee?”

Xiao Xingzhou, for once, spoke up. “Sharp-tongued.”

I kept smiling. “Oh? Mr. Xiao isn’t watching from the sidelines today? You’re joining the show yourself?”

“Well? Was it entertaining? Shouldn’t you pay me an appearance fee?”

Xie Zhaozhao’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly smiled and smoothed things over. “All right, today is my birthday. For my sake, everyone should try to be happy.”

Like we were the closest of sisters, Xie Zhaozhao linked her arm with mine. “Sister Zhiyi, you haven’t been back here in so long. Let me show you around properly today.”

I pulled my hand back. “No thanks. There’s nothing to see. I lived here for more than ten years. I’m sick of it.”

I no longer cared what they did after that. I picked up some pastries and walked to a corner.

First, I had to fill my stomach.

After all, in my current situation, I didn’t exactly have the luxury of eating delicious little desserts like these anymore.

So I ate. A lot.

After I finished, I rubbed my stomach and headed skillfully toward the back garden.