Su Qi took half a step back. "Today is a joyous occasion. You should go and celebrate properly with your sister."
"Xiao Su, don't be like this."
Xu Lincuan put on a hurt expression, a hint of tears seeming to glint in his eyes.
What would it take for him to enter Su Qi's heart?
Why was it that even though Su Qi had divorced Huo Tingyun, he felt they were drifting further and further apart?
It felt like they weren't even friends anymore.
"You don't know that I fell in love with you at first sight at Shencheng University. At that moment, my heart beat only for you. I will never marry anyone else in this life. I will wait, until there is no Huo Tingyun left in your heart, until you are willing to accept me."
Su Qi suddenly looked up. She knew Xu Lincuan's feelings for her, but she hadn't expected him to voice the deep emotions she had buried within her heart.
"How do you know..."
"If you didn't love Huo Tingyun, how could you have stayed by his side for so long? How could you care about him so much? Even the way you look at Huo Tingyun is different from how you look at others. You can deceive anyone, but you can't deceive me. He might not understand your feelings, but I do..."
Xu Lincuan clenched his fist, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palm.
He was also a normal person.
He had his own selfish desires.
"Xiao Su, Huo Tingyun doesn't love you! I'm willing to accept you and the child in your belly. Can you..."
Xu Lincuan's emotions became agitated. He took a step forward, grabbed Su Qi's wrist, and then forcefully pulled her into his embrace.
Su Qi's mind went blank. Before she could react, she was already being pulled into Xu Lincuan's arms.
"No! I can't! Lincuan, I've always considered you a friend, but you don't know, there are so many things you don't know. It's impossible for us..."
The Xu family and the Su family had a long-standing feud. Even without that enmity, she had always considered Xu Lincuan a friend. There was simply no possibility between them!
Su Qi pushed Xu Lincuan away with all her might. "Lincuan, I'm truly sorry, I don't love you. As you said, I already have someone I love—"
At the corner of the corridor, a man paused as he lit a cigarette, burning his finger. He seemed completely oblivious, his face ashen and expressionless. Only after her words fell did the man blink twice, then release the lighter. The skin on his fingertip had already turned black from the burn. As if feeling no pain, he tossed the cigarette and lighter into the trash can, then turned and left the place.
Guests began to arrive one after another. In the dazzling banquet hall, crystal chandeliers refracted countless hues of light. Elegantly dressed guests mingled, the air filled with the clinking of glasses.
Su Qi stood upstairs, her hand on the banister, indifferently observing everything below.
When her adoptive mother, Li Cuiping, died under mysterious circumstances and was buried in the cold earth, Xu Ruyun was there, dressed in a luxurious and beautiful evening gown, holding a glass of sparkling champagne as she moved among the guests.
The one who should have died was living a life of triumph.
Su Qi bit her lower lip tightly, her fingernails digging into the wooden banister, snapping her nail. Blood quickly seeped out, but she seemed to feel no pain.
The main door opened, and a man arrived fashionably late. He was dressed in a casual suit, not particularly formal, and the material of the suit wasn't even considered official. Yet, on him, it looked like the most expensive attire in the entire banquet hall.
There are people who wear priceless clothes and still look like they're wearing rags, and then there are those who, even in rags, appear as if they're wearing an expensive French haute couture gown. The latter was Huo Tingyun; he possessed an innate ability to carry off any clothing.
The moment the man entered the hall, he instantly became the center of attention.
Xu Linyun was dressed exceptionally exquisitely that evening, wearing a small wedding dress and a diamond-encrusted tiara, her hair styled up. Her skin was fair, her makeup impeccable, and as a sought-after celebrity, she instantly became the focal point of the entire event. All the media reporters and cameras were trained on this perfect couple.
After so long, this day had finally arrived.
Today, she was going to announce her pregnancy!
Xu Linyun stood up, her eyes slightly moist, and went to link her arm with Huo Tingyun's. "Tingyun, you have no idea how happy I am. I've waited for this day for so long. Today, our long-distance relationship finally comes to an end, and we will achieve our happily ever after."
If she could, she truly wished she hadn't entered the entertainment industry, and hadn't broken up with Huo Tingyun.
She wouldn't have been taken advantage of by Su Qi.
But fortunately, everything was back on track now.
She was pregnant, with Huo Tingyun's child.
Xu Linyun flashed a happy smile, but then her gaze caught sight of a familiar figure upstairs.
Her expression changed.
Su Qi?!
What was she doing here?!
Their eyes met.
Su Qi looked down from above, like a sculpture of a goddess of vengeance, her heart filled with chilling coldness.
The moment Xu Linyun saw Su Qi, the color drained from her exquisitely made-up face.
Despite the makeup and the vibrant lipstick, her expression betrayed her nervousness.
"Tingyun, let's hurry and have the engagement ceremony!"
Xu Linyun had a bad feeling. What good could come of Su Qi's presence at a time like this!
Xu Linyun quickly stepped forward and grabbed the microphone. "Thank you to all our guests, media reporters, friends, and family for attending my and Tingyun's engagement banquet."
She then gestured with her eyes, urging the emcee to proceed with the engagement ceremony quickly.
Su Qi stood upstairs, motionless. She picked up a glass of ice-cold juice and slowly savored it, feeling the hustle and bustle below as if it had nothing to do with her. She watched Xu Linyun and Huo Tingyun exchange rings, watched all the flashes and cameras focus on the perfect couple.
The year she had wasted had been turned into a joke by these two!
Su Qi took a step and slowly walked downstairs.
She took out a microphone that had been prepared long ago. "Mr. Huo, on such a wonderful day, you're getting engaged. Aren't you going to notify me, your original wife?!"
Instantly, everyone's heads snapped around to look.
Su Qi was wearing a very form-fitting evening gown today. Although not a flashy style, it was simple and plain, just an ordinary little black dress that clearly accentuated her round pregnant belly and figure.
The first thing everyone noticed was the woman's beauty, the second was her pregnant belly, and the third was her words.
What?!
Original wife?!
Mr. Huo was married before?!
Was this some kind of joke?!
The engagement was being broadcast live.
All the camera lenses were focused on Su Qi's face.
Even though she was pregnant and had gained a little weight, her skin appeared even more fair and flawless, as if it could be broken by a touch.