"Miss Su." Although Ji Xiuyan did not agree with his mother's actions, his good upbringing still allowed him to maintain a smile as he stepped forward to greet Su He.
"Mr. Ji." Su He's fingers tightened slightly on her handbag as she nodded in response.
"Xiuyan, Mother will go out to greet some friends first. You help Mother look after Miss Su." Having successfully arranged for the two to meet, Madam Ji created an opportunity for them to be alone.
Witnessing such an obvious attempt to set them up was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Both Su He and Ji Xiuyan saw the awkwardness in each other's eyes. Yet Madam Ji did not seem to notice. Before leaving, she even urged Ji Xiuyan to take the initiative.
Ji Xiuyan felt a sense of exasperation, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
After Madam Ji left, both of them breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.
"Miss Su, my mother is just very enthusiastic. Please don't mind if she offended you in any way." Ji Xiuyan was a gentleman, and his words were very artful.
In short, he was indirectly rejecting Madam Ji's proposal, indicating he had no romantic interest in her.
Coincidentally, Su He was also not interested in him.
Su He pointed to the corridor beside them. "Then I won't disturb Mr. Ji from admiring the flowers."
Su He's reaction surprised Ji Xiuyan somewhat.
Su He did not have a good reputation in this social circle. Firstly, she had not received a higher education and behaved rudely. Secondly, she was rumored to be extremely infatuated, unable to resist any attractive man she saw. Thirdly, she was avaricious, willing to do anything for money. She had demanded five million yuan in compensation after divorcing Lu Jingyang.
Such an ill-bred and vulgar woman was not someone anyone would like.
However, after interacting with her, Su He's impression of her was unexpectedly good, completely different from the rumors. Moreover, with his professional discernment, he couldn't detect any trace of pretense in her demeanor, as if such elegant conversation was innate.
It was truly inexplicable.
Indeed, rumors could not be trusted.
Unaware of his thoughts, Su He just wanted to find an excuse to leave as soon as possible. She nodded slightly at Ji Xiuyan, lifted the hem of her skirt, and walked carefully on the stone-paved path, occasionally glancing around.
"The exit is over there." Ji Xiuyan found her behavior rather charming and kindly pointed out the way.
"Thank you." Su He looked at him with a hint of surprise.
Su He's goose-yellow evening gown was quite noticeable in the crowd. Although she was not tall, her figure was well-proportioned, and combined with her good posture, her overall temperament was elevated, making her no less impressive than those so-called socialites.
Ji Xiuyan leaned against the doorframe, deep in thought.
Lu Yanbei came downstairs and, not seeing Su He, took out his phone to call her.
However, the ringtone rang for a long time without anyone answering.
Lu Yanbei frowned, called twice more, and still no one picked up.
Had she left early?
Considering Su He's usual habits, Lu Yanbei couldn't help but ponder.
At that moment, a waiter walked past Lu Yanbei with a phone he had found in the corridor, seemingly on his way to turn it in at the front desk.
Lu Yanbei's sharp eyes caught the distinctive phone case and he called out, "Where did this phone come from?"
Dressed in an elegant suit, Lu Yanbei was a dazzling presence wherever he stood, clearly indicating he was of considerable wealth.
The waiter immediately and respectfully handed over the phone. "I found it in the corridor near the entrance to the banquet hall."
Lu Yanbei took the phone and examined it carefully. It was indeed Su He's.
Although Su He was occasionally absent-minded, she always kept her phone with her and would not have lost it for no reason.
Lu Yanbei quickly sensed that something was amiss.
"Get your hotel manager over here." Lu Yanbei glanced at the surveillance cameras in the corridor as he gave the order and walked towards the surveillance room.
The server acknowledged, and ran off to find the person.
Gu Yuheng and the others, not understanding what was happening, exchanged glances before rushing to follow.
"Yan Ge, what happened?" Gu Yuheng asked curiously.
Lu Yanbei's face was stern, and he didn't answer, but anyone with eyes could see he was suppressing his anger.
He Shufan tugged at Gu Yuheng's arm and whispered, "Don't you see Yan Ge's bad mood? Say less."
"Could it be related to Sister-in-law?" Gu Yuheng slowed down, whispering to the other two brothers.
"We'll know if we go and see," Lei Ting glanced at him and decided to keep some distance.
In the second-floor restroom, Su He had just finished using the toilet and was about to leave when she discovered the door wouldn't open.
The stall door opened inwards. The lock inside had been turned, and normally it would open without needing to be pushed. But now, not only wouldn't it open, there wasn't even a crack, as if something was blocking it.
Su He tried several more times, but there was still no movement.
"Is anyone there?" she tried to call out to someone outside for help. However, the restroom was eerily silent, with no response. Helpless, she began to search her handbag for her phone, intending to find someone to come and help.
But after searching several times, she couldn't find her phone.
"It was here just now... how could it be missing?" Su He stopped what she was doing and tried to recall.
Could it have fallen out when she was bumped into earlier?
Su He became frantic.
At the restroom entrance, a girl in a long green dress placed a "Under Maintenance" sign on the door. When someone approached, she turned them away, giving Su He no chance to ask for help.
"Hah, let's see who can help her now!" The girl said with her hands on her hips, her expression haughty.
"Isn't this a bit much? What if someone finds out..." another girl in a black slip dress asked nervously.
"What are you afraid of! There are no cameras here!" The girl in the green dress clapped her hands, her expression smug. "Hmph! She dared to bully An'an, so this is a lesson for her!"
It turned out these two were Su An'an's best friends. When Su An'an had run out crying earlier, they had blamed Su He and decided to get revenge for their good sister.
So, after a brief discussion, they had deliberately bumped into Su He while she was going to the restroom, causing her handbag to fall. They then secretly took her phone and used a mop to block the stall door. They had also stationed someone at the entrance to prevent anyone from getting close. This way, no matter how loudly Su He cried for help, no one would hear her.
This kind of prank was clearly not their first time; their methods were quite practiced.
Of course, this was far from enough.
The girl in the green dress beckoned to her friends, and they worked together to lift a metal bucket inside.
"What's in this? It smells so bad!" a girl with dyed blonde hair said, pinching her nose.
"Heh heh, I specifically asked someone to get this from the kitchen," the girl in the green dress said proudly. "We'll pour it in from above later! That b**** Su He just wait to be embarrassed!"
"Oh my god, this smell is disgusting!"
"Ah, absolutely don't get any on my clothes!"
While no one was around, they set up a ladder and climbed up.
Just as they were about to carry out their plan, Su He suddenly kicked out, sending the stall door flying. The person on the ladder lost their balance and involuntarily fell backward.
And the putrid water they were carrying, by some cruel twist of fate, spilled out and splashed all over those around them.
"Ah~~" followed by a series of hysterical screams.