The girl sitting furthest inside, dressed in a red evening gown, with waist-length hair cascading down her back, revealed a heavily made-up face. She smiled and nodded at Mrs. Jiang, "Mrs. Jiang, don't worry, Jiang Nuan is my high school classmate. I will make sure to humiliate her properly."
Mrs. Jiang nodded with satisfaction, "Good! We'll see how the two of you fare. I'll lead Mu Jiu Chen away. You may go."
The two girls smiled and nodded, then left together.
When Jiang Nuan and Mu Jiu Chen arrived, they encountered Mrs. Jiang heading towards them.
"Ninth Master, Madam Mu, you're here." Mrs. Jiang was wearing a white evening gown, her hair elegantly swept up. A precious crystal hairpin sparkled under the lights.
Her makeup was exquisite and refined. Jiang Nuan had to admit, she possessed a remarkable presence, an air of nobility that conveyed an innate sense of wealth and sophistication.
"Madam Mu, I was so disappointed you couldn't make it last time. I'm glad you're here today." Mrs. Jiang looked at Jiang Nuan kindly, her smile pleasant and perfectly measured.
This was the first time she had met Jiang Nuan face-to-face. She was truly beautiful, and her figure, in a man's words, could be deadly.
"My apologies, Madam. I had some matters to attend to last time, so I couldn't join you. This is a gift for you, Mrs. Jiang." Jiang Nuan handed over an exquisite gift box.
Mrs. Jiang was surprised that Jiang Nuan had brought her a gift.
"Madam Mu is too kind," Mrs. Jiang said, accepting the gift with a smile.
She opened the box to find an exquisite diamond bracelet, her eyes widening slightly. "Madam Mu, this is too precious."
Jiang Nuan smiled, "Mrs. Jiang, I chose this for you personally. As compensation for my absence last time, it couldn't be too small. If you like it, then I chose correctly."
Mrs. Jiang feigned delight, "I like it very much. Thank you, Madam Mu."
"You're too polite, Mrs. Jiang," Jiang Nuan said, smiling at Mu Jiu Chen. "Honey, why don't you go find your friends? I'll have a good chat with Mrs. Jiang."
Mu Jiu Chen's deep eyes lingered on her for a moment before he slowly nodded, "Mm! I'll come find you later."
Jiang Nuan: "Mm..."
Watching Mu Jiu Chen leave, Mrs. Jiang said enviously, "Ninth Master is so attached to you."
Jiang Nuan replied frankly, "He loves me dearly, that's why he's so clingy. He's afraid I'll get hurt."
Jiang Nuan was telling the truth; whenever Mu Jiu Chen couldn't see her, he would worry endlessly.
"Heh... your marital affection is truly enviable. At the last banquet, when two girls spoke ill of you, he publicly rebuked them in front of everyone. I was so envious."
In truth, she was furious. She had assumed Jiang Nuan was not favored, but she never expected Mu Jiu Chen to humiliate those two girls in front of so many people, thus elevating Jiang Nuan's status.
Jiang Nuan realized what had happened after she had left.
"Madam Mu, please wait a moment. I see a friend. I'll go call her over now, and we can all chat together." Mrs. Jiang said with a smile, her demeanor so amiable that one wouldn't suspect her of any ill intent.
Jiang Nuan: "Mrs. Jiang, please don't mind me."
After Mrs. Jiang left, Jiang Nuan surveyed the hall. She didn't recognize anyone.
Thinking that Mu Jiu Chen would be back soon, she decided to wander around. The bracelet she had given Mrs. Jiang contained a listening device and was quite valuable.
Jiang Nuan wore a black off-the-shoulder gown, its three-dimensional cut perfectly accentuating her figure. Her fair skin and flawless features were captivating.
Everywhere she walked, people couldn't help but steal glances.
"Jiang Nuan." A surprised voice called out.
Jiang Nuan turned her head to see a heavily made-up woman.
Jiang Nuan: "..." I don't know her!
Jiang Nuan remained silent, waiting for the woman to speak.
At that moment, Jiang Nuan noticed the girl in black beside her, the same girl who had helped the fake Mu Jiu Chen to the hotel a few days ago.
It was truly a case of finding what you weren't looking for.
Meeting this woman here meant that by following the trail, she could discover who had impersonated Mu Jiu Chen.
"Jiang Nuan, you don't recognize me?" Zhang Ying walked over with a smile, wearing a red dress that made her stand out in the crowd, exuding a garish allure.
Her tone was unfriendly, drawing curious glances from those around them.
Many young ladies and scions of prominent families watched the two of them with keen interest.
Jiang Nuan, sensing the woman's ill intent, her gaze grew colder.
"I apologize, Miss, but I truly don't recognize you." Indeed, the girl before her gave her no sense of familiarity.
Zhang Ying was not offended. She had undergone plastic surgery, so it wasn't surprising that Jiang Nuan didn't recognize her.
"This one, you recognize, don't you? My deskmate, Huo Xian. A few days ago, you saw what happened at the hotel, right?" Zhang Ying smiled at Jiang Nuan, knowing Jiang Nuan understood her implication.
Seeing Jiang Nuan remain silent, standing cold and alone in her black gown, looking like a solitary figure detached from the world.
A deep jealousy flickered in Zhang Ying's eyes. "Jiang Nuan, I can't believe you don't recognize me after only a few years. You've truly broken my heart."
Jiang Nuan's voice was cold, "I apologize, but I really don't know you. Is there something you need?"
"Oh! Nothing. I saw you from afar earlier and felt so excited. Now that I'm up close, it really is the beggar Jiang Nuan from our high school."
Zhang Ying's smile was sinister, and after speaking, she feigned surprise and chuckled.
"I'm sorry, Jiang Nuan, I didn't mean to."
Jiang Nuan gave a cold smile, "You meant to. When I was in high school, I was indeed very poor."
Her candid admission made Zhang Ying narrow her eyes.
Zhang Ying sneered, looking at the people around them, her smile deepening. "Yes, so poor you even stole other people's money. Ah, I'm so sorry. Saying something like this will only make you more embarrassed. I just said it in passing. Nuan Nuan, please don't be angry."
Jiang Nuan smiled serenely, watching Zhang Ying put on a dramatic performance.
She spoke unhurriedly, "Why would I be angry? You say I stole things back then, and that makes me remember who you are. But to come to a place like this with that surgically altered face and try to humiliate me, I truly admire your courage. A good-for-nothing, a spendthrift, a woman who only frames others, appearing here, I'm actually quite surprised."
Zhang Ying was instantly stunned. "Jiang Nuan, what are you talking about? Who are you calling a good-for-nothing?"
Zhang Ying's face darkened with a gloomy expression. As if sensing what Jiang Nuan was about to say, she became somewhat nervous.
Jiang Nuan hadn't recognized her at first, but upon hearing about the theft, she immediately knew who she was.
Zhang Ying, the rich second-generation in their class. She hadn't looked like this originally, but her voice was still somewhat similar.
Jiang Nuan smiled and answered her, "You, who could only score 9s in Physics and Chemistry, weren't you considered the class's good-for-nothing? As for the matter of stealing money, you framed me, and it was captured on surveillance footage. Bringing it up now in front of so many people to embarrass yourself, I truly admire your courage."
You want to embarrass me? Dream on!