Xiao Yanyan had already experienced the embarrassment of an empty cup, her face frozen into a smile. She sat in her seat, not daring to move, until it was time to cut the cake.
Everyone stood up, raising their glasses in celebration. A video camera was recording the banquet live, and the Yan family had also hired a professional photographer for commemorative photos.
The Zhao and Yan families already had a marriage engagement, so the Zhao family members were seated very close to the front. They were even invited to take photos with the birthday star, and almost all the attention was focused on them.
At this moment, Xiao Yanyan's dress suddenly slipped off. No matter how quickly she reacted, she couldn't hold it. With a startled cry, she drew everyone's attention to herself.
The atmosphere at the banquet became incredibly awkward. Zhao Yuming swiftly took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her. He shot a fierce glare at Jun Jiuli before picking her up and heading out.
"What is this woman trying to pull? She's really going all out to grab attention."
"It's utterly disgusting. How can someone be like this? It's a disgrace to women. She doesn't even consider the occasion and puts on her show. She's ruined a perfectly good banquet." kuAiδugg
"She finally managed to get in, probably trying to secure more resources. Haven't you seen how many business cards she's holding? Young Master Zhao's face is green."
"This Zhao Yuming has quite poor taste, doesn't he? Perhaps being surrounded by so many beauties has led to aesthetic fatigue, causing him to fall for such a young girl."
The crowd was murmuring amongst themselves, and several people had even taken photos.
Father Yan's face was extremely displeased. Today was his good day, and this was the kind of scene unfolding? What kind of disreputable woman had been brought in.
Father Zhao and Mother Zhao repeatedly apologized. Mother Zhao made a mental note of Xiao Yanyan's actions. She was already causing trouble before even entering the family, and the Zhao family was thoroughly embarrassed.
"Zhao Xinming, are you intentionally trying to make our family lose face? Couldn't you have picked out a properly fitting outfit for her?" Father Zhao questioned Jun Jiuli furiously.
"Are you crazy? How is this Xin Xin's fault? It was that woman who was shameless."
"How can you be so unreasonable? That girl is clearly a good person, how could she do something so shameless? Our daughter was corrupted by you."
Mother Zhao was so angered by Father Zhao that her chest heaved. She felt immense grievance for her daughter, and Jun Jiuli quickly tried to soothe her.
"Dad, she insisted on picking that dress herself. I reminded her many times that it didn't fit, but she refused to change. What else could I do, rip it off her? I never expected the dress to fall off like that."
Mother Zhao patted her hand, "Xin Xin, don't be sad or blame yourself. Your father is just confused in his old age. No matter how ill-fitting a dress is, it wouldn't expose like that. It's clear that Yan girl did it herself, trying to get attention and going crazy for views."
"What kind of woman has the eldest son found? He's trying to anger me to death. He even dared to glare at Xin Xin for some unknown woman. Has that woman practiced some secret technique or cast a spell on your son to have him so infatuated after just one meeting?"
Shui Wa: "As expected of the villain leader, her thinking is clear, her reactions are quick, and she can grasp the key points. But it really was the host's doing, haha~"
"Alright, you shut up. Why are you thinking of that girl so badly? If your son hadn't brought her today, she wouldn't have been so humiliated. And you're still blaming others."
"Why are you protecting her so much? Have you been charmed by her too?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? How old am I?"
"Good that you know."
With that, Mother Zhao changed her expression to a smile and led Jun Jiuli out of the private room. They couldn't let people make jokes out of this situation. Madame Zhao had to deal with the mess Zhao Yuming had created with the wealthy ladies.
Father Zhao stomped his feet in anger but could do nothing about Mother Zhao. While he should have disliked Xiao Yanyan for what happened today, as he felt ashamed when outsiders brought it up, he couldn't bring himself to dislike her. Instead, he shifted all the blame onto his daughter. His daughter, whom he usually doted on, now felt incredibly annoying.
Shui Wa: "This move is like killing a thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred of your own. Not worth it, not worth it."
Jun Jiuli: "This will be useful eventually."
Meanwhile, Yan Yuheng felt an unexplainable pang in his heart as he watched the girl being humiliated. He even wished he could kill every man in the banquet hall who had seen her body.
Although the key parts were covered, the thought of it made him incredibly agitated. He abandoned the chaotic banquet and, without a second thought, followed behind Zhao Yuming and the others.
Xiao Yanyan sobbed uncontrollably in Zhao Yuming's embrace.
"I'm so embarrassed. Will what happened today spread? How will I ever get married now, sob sob sob~"
"It's okay, don't worry. I'll handle everything. You're my girlfriend, Zhao Yuming's girlfriend, and no one will dare to leak any information."
"Sob, but I'm not. I'm not your girlfriend. We're faking it. I should have known better than to come; I'm so embarrassed."
"We can make it real too. You can marry me."
Xiao Yanyan raised her tear-blurred eyes and looked at Zhao Yuming earnestly.
"Really? You won't look down on me?"
"How could I? You're my treasure, and I love you. If I had accompanied you personally today, this wouldn't have happened."
"I insisted on choosing that dress myself. It's not your sister's fault. She clearly warned me, but I was foolish, sob sob sob."
Zhao Yuming made a mental note of Jun Jiuli's actions as he softly comforted the woman in his arms.
Xiao Yanyan was already only wearing her underwear. With every slight movement and shift, the suit jacket that was barely clinging to her slipped further. The temperature in the entire car rose, and Zhao Yuming suddenly found it difficult to control himself.
His eyes turned red as he leaned close to Xiao Yanyan's ear and whispered, "Yanyan, is it okay? I will take responsibility for you. I'll announce tomorrow that you're my fiancée, and I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."
Shui Wa: "Unfortunately, she doesn't want you to take responsibility."
Xiao Yanyan, blushing, moved even closer to Zhao Yuming. This was her signal of consent. Zhao Yuming pounced on her like a hungry wolf, and the entire car began to shake.
Outside, Yan Yuheng saw this scene and began to punch the wall repeatedly. His hands were bleeding, but he didn't stop. His heart was in immense pain.
This was the first time in his twenty-three years that he had felt true affection, only to have Zhao Yuming snatch the prize before him.
Zhao Yuming was only five years older than him, yet there was an insurmountable gap between them. He felt inferior in Zhao Yuming's presence and dared not compete.