Chapter 176: Chapter 176: Mr. Jing... Where Are You Going?
In the banquet hall, shadows moved around, and Shi Su finally felt alive again after eating that piece of cake.
She had been up early in the morning to do her makeup, attend the expo, walk the runway, take the stage, give speeches, take photos, and sign autographs. In the afternoon, she changed her makeup again, and during this time, she only gnawed on an apple. She was both sleepy and hungry and had only managed to sleep for half an hour in the makeup room, but she had a nightmare, which made her legs feel a bit weak. The feeling of fullness now finally made her comfortable.
Just as she was about to walk away from the dessert table, she didn’t notice that there was a step on the level tiles, and she stumbled, almost losing her balance, when suddenly an arm appeared out of nowhere to steady her.
"Thank you," Shi Su instinctively straightened her dress while turning her head to look at the person who had just helped her.
As soon as she met those familiar eyes and face, Shi Su quickly withdrew her hand, and the gratitude in her eyes quickly turned cold.
Seeing Shi Su’s immediate change in expression, Yi Cheng not only didn’t withdraw his hand but instead extended it to her, making a gentlemanly gesture of invitation: "Miss Shi Su, may I have the honor of a dance?"
Shi Su looked at his outstretched hand and then at Yi Cheng’s confident expression, unsure if she could say no. First, she hesitated, then looked around, seeing Shi Yunyin standing not far away, already witnessing the scene.
There are many cameras in this banquet hall, and many media people in the crowd. This moment would definitely be captured. It’s just an invitation to dance, and Yunyin couldn’t come forward to express anything. Shi Su, of course, couldn’t refuse directly. After all, Yi Cheng was being very polite now, and she indeed had no male companion present. Refusing would seem impolite and graceless.
She didn’t speak for a while or make any move, just looked at Yi Cheng indifferently, not considering his behavior in such a public place as gentlemanly.
Yi Cheng just kept looking into her eyes, his gentle smile unchanged, patiently extending his hand to invite her to dance.
Until Shi Su reluctantly placed her hand in his, Yi Cheng’s smile widened as he led her into the center of the dance floor among the swaying crowd.
Shi Yunyin stood not far away, her hand clenched into a fist as she watched Yi Cheng lead Shi Su with the tenderness of holding a treasure, her nails digging hard into her palm.
It’s just a dance, and once it’s over, she can walk away quickly.
Shi Su raised her hand lightly on Yi Cheng’s shoulder, appearing to embrace as they danced. He wasn’t overly intimate, maintaining a gentlemanly and proper posture. Shi Su wanted to keep as much distance from him as possible.
There were too many people nearby, and Shi Su wasn’t paying attention to anything else. She didn’t see the surprising scene happening on the other side of the crowd.
The president of the Yu Jing Group, who rarely appeared at such banquets, was not only present in the banquet hall today, but he arrived quietly. Many people hadn’t realized, and only a few informed high-ranking individuals came forward to greet him.
Unexpectedly, after Mr. Jing exchanged a few words with the Tilans executives, for some reason, he glanced in the direction of the dance floor.
The daughter of Tilans’ advertising director, standing by her father, was admiring Jing Jihan. She couldn’t find a chance to approach him but, emboldened by his gaze towards the dance floor, bravely invited Jing Jihan to dance.
Everyone expected Jing Jihan to refuse, as it was well known that Mr. Jing wasn’t fond of women. His appearance at such an event was already unusual; it seemed impossible for him to dance with anyone.
But to everyone’s shock, Jing Jihan’s calm gaze fell on the director’s daughter’s face, and he raised his hand without haste, making a "please" gesture.
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Or did the director’s daughter have something different about her that moved him?
The director’s daughter, excited yet shy, placed her hand on Jing Jihan’s, gracefully leading him toward the dancing crowd, nervously turning red with excitement over his perfect posture...
No one expected that in her lifetime, she could get the chance to dance with Jing Jihan, something many women could only dream of.
But just as they entered the dance floor, she found herself unwittingly being pushed back to a certain direction within less than two minutes.
She looked up, noticing that Jing Jihan’s eyes had never stayed on her face.
"Mr. Jing... where are you going?"
"Mr. Jing, can’t we go there? Ah... I twisted my foot... Mr. Jing..."
Jing Jihan finally gave her a cold glance, which inexplicably sent a shiver down the director’s daughter’s spine, silencing her protest.
On the other side—
As they danced beautifully among the crowd, Shi Su had not spoken a word, while Yi Cheng kept looking at her face: "Shi Su, can we talk after the banquet?"
Shi Su turned her gaze to him, devoid of extraneous emotion: "Mr. Yi, your fiancée is standing four meters away watching this direction. Is it appropriate to talk to me?"
Yi Cheng’s hand tightened against her waist, whispering in her ear: "I don’t want to keep making mistakes. I can explain everything that happened these past few years."
As he spoke, his grip on her hand tightened, attempting to draw her closer.
With media cameras around, Shi Su felt impatient yet couldn’t externally resist; if their interaction was merely a courteous dance, it might only spark idle chatter. Still, if her body language was too telling, it could dominate gossip headlines for days.
Her manner and tone remained icy: "Mr. Yi, please respect yourself."
Yi Cheng admitted he hadn’t seen her in years and couldn’t control himself momentarily with her standing before him so closely.
He loosened his grip slightly yet didn’t release her from his arms, still holding her waist, watching the coldness and impatience in her eyes: "Susu, give me some time."
Before Shi Su could reply, she suddenly felt a shadow approaching her from behind. Before she realized, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her entirely from Yi Cheng’s embrace.
Simultaneously, a woman was thrust towards Yi Cheng.
Shi Su looked bewildered at Jing Jihan’s face, then turned to the equally confused director’s daughter pushed into Yi Cheng’s arms—