I'm sorry, but your fiancé loves me.

On the day of the banquet, Yun Muqian began preparations at three o'clock in the afternoon.

She sat in front of the dressing table, and the stylist she had hired was sweeping a thin layer of eyeshadow onto the outer corner of her eyes. The tip of the brush lightly swept across, bringing out a delicate shimmer that made her beautiful face bright and radiant.

Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears. A pearl hair clip was tucked behind her ear. Her dress was a black velvet gown with a halter neck design, exposing a large expanse of her back, extending from her shoulder blades all the way to her waist.

She twirled in front of the full-length mirror, when her phone suddenly rang. It was a message from Qin Qihan:

Should I come pick you up?

She replied: "No need, I'll go myself."

There was a two-second silence on Qin Qihan's end, then another message popped up: 【Why aren't you coming with me?】

Why?

Of course, it's because we want to save the surprise for last.

All she had to do was sit quietly in the audience before he spoke, remaining a beautiful, quiet, and detached observer.

She didn't want to enter the venue with Qin Qihan beforehand. If people saw her walking into the banquet hall arm in arm with him, the focus of the evening would shift to "who is that woman next to Qin Qihan?"

She doesn't want that.

She wanted everyone's attention to be focused on the scene between Qin Qihan and Zhou Xue.

This surprise will have to be saved for last.

She was putting on her earrings when Shen Xubai called. His voice was gentle and deep as he answered, "I'm downstairs. Are you done?"

"Okay, get down."

Shen Xubai is mature and steady, and knows how to advance and retreat. Ever since he learned that she was going to attend the banquet tonight, he has been insisting on accompanying her. Yun Muqian agreed without much hesitation, after all, he is a potential romantic interest.

Moreover, her going with others would dispel Zhou Xue's doubts.

She went downstairs with her handbag. Shen Xubai's silver-gray Bentley was parked on the side of the road. When he saw her come out, he got out of the driver's seat and went around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

Today he wore a well-tailored dark blue suit, with his tie neatly tied, giving him a dignified and composed appearance.

"You look beautiful tonight."

When the car stopped at the entrance of the banquet hall, the area was already filled with luxury cars of all kinds. A red carpet was laid out under the porch, and a few guests stood scattered on both sides smoking, their elegant attire and graceful figures swaying in the warm light.

Shen Xubai handed the car keys to the valet, then walked to her side and slightly bent his arm. Yun Muqian looked at his outstretched arm, smiled, and reached out to take it.

The moment the two of them stepped into the banquet hall, she felt their gazes.

The moment she stepped across the threshold, the groups of people chatting around her gradually quieted down; she was too dazzling.

After entering, she released his arm, took a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray, and took a sip.

Her gaze swept across the room discreetly—several elders from prominent families were gathered in a booth on the left, but Qin's parents were not there, probably because they hadn't arrived yet.

In the center of the crowd on the right, surrounded by a group of young women in evening gowns, she spotted Zhou Xue at a glance.

Zhou Xue wore a white lace dress tonight, her hair was styled in a high bun, and she wore a set of diamond jewelry. She looked elegant and refined.

She was talking to the person next to her, smiling gently, and looked without a trace of anxiety or unease, as if this banquet was really the occasion for her to announce her wedding date.

Yun Muqian glanced at her from afar, then brought the wine glass to her lips and took another sip.

Zhou Xue is really good at pretending.

She thought to herself, "I wonder if you'll still be able to keep up the act later."

Just then, a small commotion arose at the entrance of the banquet hall. A waiter quickly made his way through the crowd to the organizers and whispered a few words to them. The news then spread like ripples on water—

Qin Qihan is almost here.

Yun Muqian overheard two women beside her speaking in hushed tones: "Why did Young Master Qin come alone? Wasn't he supposed to announce the wedding date tonight?"

"I don't know. I think I heard he went to pick someone up first, but they weren't there, so he came over by himself."

Who are you picking up?

Who knows...

She lowered her eyes, turned the glass around, and watched the wine slowly slide down the glass.

Qin Qihan went to pick her up first.

She didn't wait for him and left with Shen Xubai. He probably only realized she wasn't there when he got to her house, and then he turned around and rushed back this way.

She could almost picture him sitting in the car, gripping the steering wheel, his face tense but unable to lash out, wanting to send her a message to question her, but his finger hovered over the screen for a long time before finally not typing a single word.

Yun Muqian placed the wine glass on the tray beside her and took two steps back without making a sound, retreating to a seat behind a pillar. This seat was near the side door of the banquet hall, with a half-closed screen behind it.

She deliberately avoided Qin Qihan, not wanting him to find her.

She'll stay here tonight and wait for the show to begin.

But before she could shift her weight completely to her back foot, she caught a glimpse of a white figure coming straight towards her from the crowd.

The white lace dress came closer and clearer in her field of vision, finally stopping three steps in front of her.

Zhou Xue.

Yun Muqian's smile remained unchanged. She turned slightly to face Zhou Xue and nodded politely, "Miss Zhou."

Zhou Xue stood in front of her; only when she got close could one see that her makeup was meticulously applied, with her lipstick applied fully and evenly, making her look gentle and beautiful.

Zhou Xue spoke, her voice steady, even carrying a hint of a smile, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect you to be here today too."

"yes."

Zhou Xue's gaze lingered on her face for a second, then subtly slid to Shen Xubai beside her. Shen Xubai stepped forward at the opportune moment, giving Zhou Xue a slight nod with composure.

Zhou Xue recognized him, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "President Shen is here too. Did you two come together?"

"Yes," Shen Xubai answered naturally, his tone calm. "I was just picking up Qianqian, so I came along."

"Qianqian." Zhou Xue repeated the name softly on her tongue, her gaze returning to Yun Muqian's face. "President Shen and Miss Yun... are they together?"

"Mmm," she replied, "We just happened to come together today."

This proves that Zhou Xue's guesses were all overthinking; her boyfriend wanted to leave her on his own, not because of another woman.

"It's great," Zhou Xue said, her tone much more natural than before. "President Shen is a very nice person, much better than my brother."

Yun Muqian smiled but didn't reply.

Zhou Xue raised her champagne glass to her and Shen Xubai, said a few more words, and then turned and left.

Suddenly, Yun Muqian's peripheral vision caught sight of the banquet hall entrance, where Qin Qihan was standing under the porch, his black suit silhouette appearing cold and hard under the lights.

As Zhou Xue walked over, her steps quickened slightly, the hem of her white dress swaying lightly at her ankles, and her diamond earrings sparkling in the light with each step.

She stopped in front of Qin Qihan, looked up, revealed a gentle smile, and reached out to naturally take his arm.

Qin Qihan stood there without moving. Just as Zhou Xue's fingers were about to touch his forearm, he took a half step to the side, subtly avoiding her touch.

Zhou Xue's hand hovered in the air for a second.

That second was so short that the people next to her could hardly notice it, but Yun Muqian, looking across half the banquet hall, clearly saw Zhou Xue's fingertips curl slightly for that instant.

"You've come," Zhou Xue said to him, her voice still gentle, without a trace of displeasure at being ignored.

Qin Qihan put down his wine glass and remained silent.

His gaze passed over Zhou Xue's shoulder, subtly sweeping across the depths of the banquet hall. A split second before his gaze swept over her, Yun Muqian turned her back to him.

He couldn't find the person he was looking for, and a hint of frustration flashed in his eyes.

But the real excitement is about to begin tonight.