Liu Xiaoxia, dressed in a pink gown prepared by Gao Ruolan, seemed exceptionally excited.
Upon seeing Lin Zhuyin, her eyes widened. "Oh my, Boss, you're too beautiful!"
Lin Zhuyin smiled. "You look beautiful too."
"Clap, clap, clap..."
Gao Ruolan applauded wholeheartedly when she saw Lin Zhuyin. No wonder Shen Liubai was still infatuated with her. With such looks and figure, it wasn't just men who would be captivated; even as a woman, Gao Ruolan found it hard to resist.
Lin Zhuyin's skin was fair and radiant, not from artificial treatments or whitening products, but naturally so.
"My taste is indeed excellent. Purple suits Boss Lin very well."
She walked over and linked arms with Lin Zhuyin. "Let's go, everyone is waiting for us."
Upon arriving at the banquet hall, Lin Zhuyin regretted it. Gao Ruolan had said there wouldn't be many people, but quite a crowd had actually gathered.
The men present were dressed casually, while the women were elaborately adorned, dazzling and vying for attention.
As the three of them entered, all eyes turned towards them. They recognized Gao Ruolan, and no matter how sexy or beautiful she was dressed, their gaze lingered on her for only a second.
Immediately after, all attention shifted to Lin Zhuyin and Liu Xiaoxia.
In comparison, Lin Zhuyin was a strikingly superior presence, and moreover, she was even more beautiful than Gao Ruolan.
Consequently, Lin Zhuyin became the center of attention.
Lin Zhuyin had attended numerous gatherings with Shen Liubai before and was accustomed to being noticed, yet she still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Especially when she saw Shen Liubai, she suddenly regretted staying to attend this party.
Then she thought, Gao Ruolan had paid for her time, so whatever happened later, she just needed to endure it.
After all, Gao Ruolan had paid a considerable sum.
When Shen Liubai saw Lin Zhuyin, his handsome brow furrowed slightly. He questioned Gao Ruolan with his eyes, and Gao Ruolan gave him a radiant smile.
This scene, however, appeared to Lin Zhuyin as two lovers gazing at each other tenderly, their affection undeterred by the crowd separating them.
"Liubai..."
Gao Ruolan smiled and ran towards Shen Liubai, affectionately linking her arm with his. Before Shen Liubai could react, she leaned close to his ear and whispered so only they could hear, "If you want to know if Lin Zhuyin likes you, cooperate with me properly."
Shen Liubai: "..."
Gao Ruolan was wearing a sky-blue halterneck dress today, while Shen Liubai had on a white T-shirt underneath a sky-blue casual suit. Standing together, they looked like a perfect match.
Lin Zhuyin watched the two of them, her heart aching intensely, and quickly averted her gaze.
"Hey... you two are quite quick. Already wearing matching couple's outfits."
"When are you planning the wedding?"
Listening to the crowd's teasing, Gao Ruolan smiled faintly. "Why the hurry? You'll all be invited when the time comes."
"Ruolan, who is that person over there? I've never seen them before."
The person speaking was Fang Tianyi, a childhood friend of Gao Ruolan. He was a ladies' man, and with his handsome face, he loved to flirt. Seeing a beautiful woman, he couldn't resist trying to charm her.
Hearing this, Gao Ruolan walked over and pulled Lin Zhuyin to the front of the crowd. "Everyone, allow me to introduce you. This is Lin Zhuyin, the owner of the flower shop that decorated our venue."
A man standing next to Shen Liubai clicked his tongue and said to Shen Liubai, "Lin Zhuyin. I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before."
Seeing Shen Liubai's somber and displeased expression, he suddenly realized, "Ah... isn't she your divorced ex-wife?"
Shen Liubai, watching Lin Zhuyin surrounded by a group of men, felt a surge of jealousy, his fists clenching.
Gao Ruolan, holding Lin Zhuyin's arm, introduced her around. Lin Zhuyin's face was becoming stiff from all the social interactions.
Finally, Gao Ruolan brought Lin Zhuyin over to Shen Liubai. "Boss Lin, let me introduce you. This is my blind date."
Lin Zhuyin saw Shen Liubai's very poor expression and thought he didn't want to see her.
It made sense. This was an event hosted by his current partner, and her presence as his ex-wife was indeed inappropriate.
"Hey, don't just look at each other. Shake hands."
Lin Zhuyin guiltily shifted her gaze. As she was wondering what would happen if she extended her hand and Shen Liubai refused to shake it, a slender, fair hand suddenly reached out to her.
"Hello, Boss Lin."
Shen Liubai acted as if he were meeting her for the first time, his expression and tone both unfamiliar. Lin Zhuyin felt a pang in her heart but still shook his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Shen."
Lin Zhuyin's hands were always somewhat cold; she had a constitution that made her extremities chilly year-round.
Shen Liubai's hands, on the other hand, were very warm, and his body was warm too. He often held Lin Zhuyin to warm her up. During their seven years of marriage, whenever he was home, he would heat water for Lin Zhuyin to soak her feet in.
If he wasn't home, he would video call her to watch her soak her feet. The happiness they shared then made the current pain even more intense.
"Alright, everyone has met each other. Let's start eating, drinking, and having fun!"
As soon as Gao Ruolan said this, the atmosphere instantly became lively.
During the years Lin Zhuyin was married to Shen Liubai, she rarely went out to play unless it was a necessary banquet.
Perhaps subconsciously, she knew that she and Shen Liubai would eventually part ways, so she dared not reveal her heart completely to him, loving him only in secret.
Liu Xiaoxia was a social butterfly and within moments had mingled with everyone else.
Lin Zhuyin, however, wasn't skilled at games and seemed a bit awkward and uneasy.
Seeing this, Gao Ruolan pulled her into the crowd. "Everyone, let's play Truth or Dare!"
This game never went out of style, and everyone readily agreed.
The rules were simple: spin an empty bottle. Whoever the mouth of the bottle pointed to was the lucky one, and the tail of the bottle was the questioner.
Lin Zhuyin was somewhat averse to this game; she didn't want to participate in either the dare or the truth.
However, due to Gao Ruolan's enthusiasm, she couldn't refuse.
Seeing that Shen Liubai wasn't participating, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Otherwise, sitting between them later would have been incredibly awkward.
After a few rounds of the game, Lin Zhuyin hadn't been chosen, which was quite fortunate.
"Liubai, Yuan Zhou, you two should play too. What's so interesting about just chatting?"
Hearing Gao Ruolan call Shen Liubai to play, Lin Zhuyin's heart suddenly tightened. She clenched her fists, growing increasingly restless.
Soon, footsteps approached from behind. Gao Ruolan pulled Shen Liubai to sit beside her. Now, Lin Zhuyin and Shen Liubai were on either side of Gao Ruolan.