The day of the dance arrived in the blink of an eye.
The stylist applied light makeup to Ruan Tianxin. She chose a white, form-fitting, floor-length fishtail gown, and draped a white fox fur stole over her shoulders, making her appear beautiful and elegant.
"For the necklace, let's choose this sapphire; its color is very similar to your eyes, creating a nice echo," the stylist suggested, picking out a light blue gemstone necklace from the jewelry room.
Ruan Tianxin looked at the necklace in the stylist's hand with hesitation. "There are many sapphires. Let's choose another one."
"Why not?" the stylist asked, puzzled. "There are many sapphires in the jewelry room, but I feel this one is the most special and beautiful. It looks like a sapphire, but it's actually a very rare blue danburite. Its most unique feature is that it emits a dazzling blue fluorescence under ultraviolet light."
"If you wear this necklace, you're sure to attract a lot of attention."
For a celebrity, attention was paramount.
Ruan Tianxin knew its uniqueness. This necklace had been a gift from Shao Chen. He had said the same thing then: "I bought this because the gemstone's color is as beautiful as your eyes."
"Let's choose another one," Ruan Tianxin insisted. "If you like it, you can have this necklace."
If she was going to forget him, she should cut ties completely. There was no need to keep things he had given her.
The stylist was flattered and, knowing Ruan Tianxin's usual generosity, still hesitated. "This is too precious; I can't accept it. If you don't want to wear it, I'll choose another one for you."
With that, she re-entered the jewelry room to make a selection.
"Miss, James has arrived," a maid announced, knocking and entering, followed by James.
Upon entering and seeing Ruan Tianxin's appearance, James was momentarily mesmerized. "Tianxin, you are truly beautiful."
"Of course. This young lady has always been beautiful," Ruan Tianxin replied without humility, as the appreciation of beauty was every woman's nature.
"I'm very happy that you've allowed me to be your escort. I've prepared a gift for you; I hope you like it," James said, pulling a jewelry box from his trousers pocket.
He opened it, revealing a blue diamond necklace.
Ruan Tianxin was very discerning about diamonds; if she were to wear one, it had to be the most beautiful.
However, she knew that although James's salary from working at the hospital was high, he was far from being from a wealthy aristocratic family. His willingness to spend money on diamonds for her showed his sincerity.
If she refused to accept it, it might hurt his pride and make him think she considered his gift cheap.
"Thank you, I like it very much. Ilena, no need to search further. I'll wear this necklace today."
The stylist emerged and glanced at the blue diamond necklace James had helped Ruan Tianxin put on. Compared to the various rare gemstones in the jewelry room, this blue diamond appeared ordinary, not at all comparable to the blue danburite from earlier.
But Ruan Tianxin didn't mind, and the stylist couldn't persuade her further.
Seeing that Ruan Tianxin had accepted his gift, James was overjoyed. It meant she was willing to accept him.
The two departed the manor. To avoid putting pressure on James, Ruan Tianxin didn't take her own Rolls-Royce but rode in his Chevrolet.
An hour later.
The car arrived at a European-style manor. Many luxury cars were already parked at the entrance, making James's Chevrolet seem conspicuously out of place.
And the car carried members of the royal family and nobility from their country. James suddenly felt as though he had lowered Ruan Tianxin's status. He apologized, "I'm sorry; I should have chosen a more upscale car."
Although Ruan Tianxin was born into privilege, she was not an overly pampered person. Compared to ostentatious displays of wealth without substance, she preferred authenticity in people.
"It's alright. You know what I like," she said with a smile.
This was precisely what James loved most about her. Unlike many superficial women, although she was of high status and noble birth, she was also very approachable.
He thoughtfully unbuckled Ruan Tianxin's seatbelt and opened the car door for her.
As they stepped out, a cold wind blew. A strand of Ruan Tianxin's hair inadvertently got tangled with her necklace, tugging at her scalp and causing pain. She tried to smooth it, but it remained tangled. James noticed.
"Let me help you," he said, leaning down to carefully untangle her hair from the necklace. He apologized, "I'm sorry; I should have considered if the necklace might tangle in your hair."
"It's not your fault..." Ruan Tianxin looked up and realized they were very close, almost on the verge of a kiss.
James paused, his gaze fixed on the pink lips so close to his. He felt a stir of emotion and wanted to lean in and kiss her.
"Ahem~" Ruan Tianxin drew back slightly, avoiding his lips.
Seeing her resistance, James felt a bit awkward. "Excuse me, I was too hasty."
"Let's go inside," Ruan Tianxin said, walking towards the manor. As she looked up, her gaze met Shao Chen's, who was staring intently in their direction from not far away.
She was shocked, her mind instantly went blank, leaving only one question: How was he here?
"What's wrong?" James sensed Ruan Tianxin's unusual reaction and followed her gaze, spotting Shao Chen standing not far ahead. He couldn't help but frown.
Since their breakup, he had been keeping track of Ruan Tianxin. He naturally knew that Shao Chen was the boyfriend she had after their breakup, and the one she had dated for the longest.
Seeing that Ruan Tianxin had finally noticed him, Shao Chen began to walk towards them.
The female companion beside him was a rising star in the domestic entertainment industry named Feng Anna. Seeing Shao Chen heading towards Ruan Tianxin, she quickly followed.
In the entertainment industry, everyone knew that Ruan Tianxin was Shao Ye's longest-term ex-girlfriend. Furthermore, after their breakup, Shao Ye had not dated anyone else. Some gossiped that it was because Shao Ye couldn't forget Ruan Tianxin.
This was her rare opportunity to be Shao Ye's escort to such a high-class dance, and she absolutely couldn't let Ruan Tianxin ruin it.
"Oh, you've found a new boyfriend so quickly?" Shao Chen said with a rakish smile as he approached, appraising James with disdain and hostility in his eyes.
From his angle, their interaction had looked like they were kissing.
He was extremely displeased.
He hadn't originally planned to attend this dance. If his aunt hadn't been persistently calling to urge him, and if he wasn't in a bad mood and didn't want to be lectured about marriage by his grandfather at home, he might have come for a vacation, to clear his head.
Instead, his mind wasn't cleared, and fate had brought them together again – Ruan Tianxin.
This woman, really, after only seeing a potential match online for a short time (though it wasn't successful), she had already found a replacement. Was she that desperate for male attention?!
Ruan Tianxin glanced at the woman clinging intimately to Shao Chen's arm. "Doesn't Master Shao seem to have moved on quite quickly as well?"
"Of course. What woman does Shao Chen want that he can't have?" Shao Chen said, deliberately tightening his grip on Feng Anna's slender waist, his eyes conveying provocation, as if to prove he was doing better than her.