Everyone kept their eyes zoomed in the young woman in deep hues of blue. Her dress was dazzling in a discreet manner, like the twilight skies whose stars could only be seen by wandering souls. Every small movement would result in the unraveling of a different shade of the night. The ball gown hugged her waist and flowed like a curved waterfall. Only a small group of avid fans of YRQ were able to distinguish the style of folds.
Not many people were focused on her stunning dress. They were all centered upon the interaction she shared with Fan Jielan. Everyone always had to accommodate to the Madam, not the other way around. It was as clear as day that Fan Jielan saw Zhao Lifei in a favorable light.
"I know this might not be much, but happy birthday, Madam Yang." Zhao Lifei took the discrete black box out of her silver clutch with sprinkles of gold flakes. The box was rectangular-shaped whose white ribbon had the embroidery of Sun Trading.
Fan Jielan was an avid collector of priceless artifacts. Her house was decorated with vases that adored the flowers from the Palace of Versailles and there were a few hand-picked white porcelain and jade decorations from the Tang dynasty.
Without missing a beat, she could tell which company the gift came from. It was an unwritten rule that the presents must go to the gift table where they were being regulated by the staff and bodyguards.
The people snickered amongst themselves. Zhao Lifei was going to be embarrassed yet again.
"See, this is why Yang Qianlu prefers Su Meixiu more than Zhao Lifei. At the very least, she’s able to figure out the general rule."
"I told you there will be a show tonight. There always is one."
"Hey, where’s the alcohol? You think we can make her drink herself stupid like two years ago?"
"Of course, but we would have to wait for Zheng Tianyi to show up first."
"Such a small box. What a stingy gift. It’s probably something stupid like a necklace. Madam Yang has enough of those."
Yang Feng’s eyes did not miss a single person that dared to bad-mouth his wife. His chilly, piercing stare made everyone uncomfortably shift in their shoes. All he had to do was lift a finger and every company here could fall like a domino chain.
"My, this is..." Fan Jielan felt the wind knocked out of her stomach. Her hands were trembling and she had to force her fingers to remain still. No, even so, she could not bring herself to leave an oil smudge on the breathtaking hairpin. It was easily the most gorgeous thing her eyes had ever laid upon. She was going to treasure it for the rest of her life. It was a beauty to behold and whoever had the opportunity to lay their eyes on it should be honored.
"H-how did you get your hands on this?" She raised her head and clasped the box shut, fearing the exposure to the air would dirty the hairpin.
"I have my ways." Zhao Lifei mused.
The chestnut hue of her eyes became dark like bitter chocolate when Yang Qianlu entered the scene with a lithe woman beside him.
"There you are." Yang Qianlu said when he saw his wife. "And son, you came. That’s always a pleasant sight to see." He didn’t bother to acknowledge Zhao Lifei.
Zhao Lifei’s smile remained unfazed. She felt Yang Feng’s hands brushing against her fingertips. She folded her arms.
Yang Feng kept his eyes on Su Meixiu, daring her to open her mouth. She cast her eyes to the ground and couldn’t bring herself to look at him without permission.
Zhao Lifei was not afraid of losing Yang Feng. She was confident in herself that she would not lose to the likes of Su Meixiu. That was why she did not bother to cling onto him for dear life. She didn’t have to.
Su Meixiu knew she shouldn’t have come here. She didn’t want to be here. Her grandfather and father pressured her into coming. She shuffled her feet and awkwardly played with the sleeves of her gown. She didn’t know why her family was so adamant in having her here. Even today, she wondered whether she truly liked the President because of who he was or if it was because he was different than the rest. She bit her bottom lip, her fingers digging into her palms. For the past week, she was in turmoil about her feelings.
"It seems you’ve received a gift. How thoughtful." Yang Qianlu took the box from Fan Jielan’s desperate hands. "I’ll have one of the waiters place it on the table like the rest of the gifts."
Fan Jielan didn’t like to be belittled like this. It was her birthday and here he was, taking control of everything. "I’ll hold onto it."
"Don’t be stubborn. Su Meixiu also prepared a gift for you. It’s waiting at the table like how it should be." His taunting words created an insufferable atmosphere. He deliberately ignored the arctic expression on his son’s face. Icicles dangled from the walls, the wind of the north circulated in the room, and everyone was beginning to freeze to death.
Yang Feng’s indifferent face scared the people more. They wanted him to lash out or lose his control, but seeing his stealthily concealed emotions, no one knew how to react.
Fan Jielan’s expression hardened. She dropped her voice to a whisper, "Is this your birthday or mine?"
"What? It’s yours of course—"
"Then what are you doing?"
"Pardon?" Yang Qianlu was baffled by the woman in front of him. What happened to his quiet wife? She never talked back like this.
"And what is she doing here? I never invited her." Fan Jielan kept her voice on the low. She didn’t want to embarrass anyone.
Yang Qianlu stepped closer to his wife, warningly grabbed her wrist, and in an equally low voice, said, "I extended the invitation to her. The Sus have worked alongside my family for centuries. Even as we speak, Elder Su is in cahoots with the Patriarch. It’s a polite and respectful thing to have her here."
No one else heard their exchange of conversation. They only saw mouths moving.
Fan Jielan’s eyes undoubtedly went to Zhao Lifei’s unreadable face.
Zhao Lifei’s smile widened in a friendly manner when she caught Fan Jielan’s dismayed eyes. It was her way of telling the Madam that all was right. She did not mind Su Meixiu’s presence. It’s not like the woman would dare to wreak havoc when Yang Feng was present.
Fan Jielan was perplexed when a surge of confidence filled her defeated soul. Maybe it stemmed from the fact that neither of them was the family’s first choice. She regained the determination to talk back to her husband. "Since you’re so in love with unsaid rules, Su Meixiu’s gifts will be opened at the same time I open everyone else’s. She does not deserve any special treatment." She placed a hand onto his and pried it off of her.
"You always seem to forget you don’t own me. Even after all these years of marriage, you’re still commanding me to do this and that." Fan Jielan seized the black box from her husband’s hands. She turned to Zhao Lifei and grabbed the young woman’s hands again, "Thank you for this lovely gift. It suits my dress perfectly. Would you do me the honor of placing it into my hair?"
Zhao Lifei’s shoulders lifted like her eyes. "Of course." She stood on her tippy-toes and slipped the hairpin into the sides of the elegant updo. The strings of pearls and various jewels dangling off the side of the head added the finishing touch to Fan Jielan’s appearances.
"Sweet child, I believe we have a lot to talk about." Fan Jielan said, stroking the top of Zhao Lifei’s hands. Her eyes landed on the ring for the briefest second before she flashed her a smile and walked off with her grumbling husband.