Chapter 27

Upon hearing this, Su Jia Nian’s hand clenched tightly, trembling. He finally swung his hand and strode towards the hall door.

“Jia Nian, let me explain!” Luo Wei chased after him, lifting her skirt. But he walked too fast, and with her high heels on, she couldn’t catch up. She could only call after him from behind. As the crowd jostled, his figure quickly disappeared through the door. She leaned against the wall, took out her phone, and tried to call him. As soon as the phone rang once, it was snatched away. Looking up, it was the girl who had been reading her diary. She turned the phone off and glared at Luo Wei. The remaining girls surrounded her, cornering her against the wall. Xi Yan appeared among them, looking down at Luo Wei: “Luo Wei, listen carefully. None of us want to make things hard for you. But you need to know your place. You don’t belong in this circle, and you’re not on the same level as Jia Nian. That Xiao Ying, the one you grew up with in the alley, he’s the one who’s right for you. Go pursue your true love, and stop being a ‘green tea bitch,’ understand?”

Luo Wei finally understood that not every peaceful approach brings good results. Since Xi Yan wanted to make her uncomfortable, she decided they could all feel uncomfortable together. She turned around to face Xi Yan, saying calmly, “Actually, relationships are between two people. I think you should respect Su Jia Nian’s choice. No matter how much you like him, if he doesn’t like you, what’s the point?”

Xi Yan’s face quickly turned bright red: “Who says I like him? If I liked him, I would have done something about it long ago!”

“I just think it’s a little surprising. A beautiful and outstanding person like Miss Xi could actually have someone she can’t win over.”

“Are you talking about me, or talking about yourself?” Xi Yan, originally furious, quickly shifted her tone, sneering, “By the way, the ‘Xiao Ying’ you like, he’s a man with messy relationships and no sense of responsibility, right? Miss Lo, you seem so pure, but maybe you were just played by him and then discarded?”

The girl who had read the diary continued, “Girls from poor families have a very unique taste, they can’t appreciate high-class men like Su Jia Nian, but instead go for those lowly playboys. Su Jia Nian is a pianist, it’s like playing the piano to a cow.”

“Shh.” Xi Yan put a finger to her lips. “My dad is here.”

Sure enough, Mr. Xi walked over toward them, and the girls quickly lined up obediently. Mr. Xi, a dignified and successful man, barely acknowledged Xi Yan’s presence when she called out “Dad.” He turned to Luo Wei, nodding and bowing: “You must be Miss Lo?”

“Yes.”

“Dad, why are you talking to her like that?” Xi Yan’s displeasure was evident on her face. Mr. Xi ignored her and pointed to where a group of men in suits were seated: “King wants to see you.”

“King wants to see her?” Xi Yan furrowed her brow. “Does King know her?”

The other girls were stunned. Seizing the opportunity, Luo Wei snatched her phone back, quickly walking toward the door. But before she could exit, Mr. Xi had the bodyguards block her. He pointed to He Yingze’s seat again. Reluctantly, Luo Wei had no choice but to walk toward He Yingze. His staff were standing next to him, originally pouring him wine, but he waved them off to make space for her. Just as she stepped forward, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her onto his lap. She was so startled that her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She tried to jump off him, but he held her waist tightly, not letting her move.

“Let me think, where should we start our conversation?” He handed her a champagne glass. “Drink this first.”

Who could understand her feelings right now? Just hearing his voice, knowing he had read the diary, made her feel like she was on the brink of collapse. Her face was burning with shame, and she dared not look at him, turning her head away: “Why drink? I don’t owe you anything.”

“I’m toasting you.” He gazed at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, his posture aggressively open. His attendant handed him another glass of champagne, and he clinked glasses with her, drinking it down. Luo Wei noticed that he had clinked her glass with his, implying that he lowered himself in the gesture. From the way the surrounding people were nervously looking down, it was clear that He Yingze wasn’t someone who often made toasts. She anxiously drank the champagne. There was a flicker of joy in his eyes: “You’re good with alcohol, Luo Wei. I’ll have to take a new look at you.” His arm around her waist tightened, pulling her even closer.

It was unbearable. If she kept getting this nervous, she might faint right on the spot. She really wanted to pour herself another glass of wine and finish it. At that moment, Xi Yan timidly approached, linking arms with the girl who had read the diary earlier. The girl, no longer acting aggressively, now looked like a refined young lady: “Mr. He, please believe me, I didn’t mean to disturb you, but there’s something I have to clarify to avoid any misunderstandings. Luo Wei has been dating our senior, Su Jiayan, but she betrayed him and got entangled with another man.”

Was she really going to repeat what she had just said and done? Luo Wei was at a loss for words. Lu Xiren responded with a playful “Hmm”: “And what’s the name of the man she’s involved with?”

“She calls him Xiaoying.”

Lu Xiren smiled broadly, his eyes squinting with amusement: “Do you two know what King’s full name is?”

“Yes.”

The girl responded quickly. Xi Yan hesitated for a moment, her face turning pale. She tugged at the girl’s sleeve and whispered “Sorry for the interruption,” before turning to leave. But Chang Feng called out to her: “Wait a minute, Miss Xi, I may need to speak with your father. Can you ask him to come over?”

Xi Yan murmured something in the girl’s ear, and the girl immediately turned to apologize, her face full of remorse: “Mr. He, I’m sorry! I got this all wrong, and it has nothing to do with Uncle Xi or Miss Xi…”

“Miss Xi, please go get your father,” Lu Xiren said with a wide grin.

The two girls were clearly flustered and began pleading with them. But He Yingze ignored them and placed Luo Wei down from his lap: “Come with me.”

Walking from the grand hall to the corridor felt like stepping from a crowded castle into a quiet, secluded pond at night. The surroundings suddenly became eerily silent. He Yingze walked ahead, his loud leather shoes echoing through the hallway, while her small heels clacked faintly, forming the only rhythmical sounds. She had told herself countless times not to guess what he was thinking. The more she guessed, the longer he lingered in her mind, and the harder it became to stop her wild thoughts. If this continued, she might end up exhausting herself. Finally, as they passed a painting, He Yingze stopped. An English-style wall lamp illuminated the red-and-white roses in the painting. He reached out to trace a petal and said, “Luo Wei, stay away from Su Jiayan from now on.”

“…Why?”

“I told you before, don’t make me repeat myself.”

This wasn’t the first time he’d warned her like this. Even though Su Jiayan had grown up with them and they knew each other well, and even though anyone who met him would think he was polite and had great character, she firmly said: “He is my friend and also your friend. If you don’t explain why, I can’t just cut ties with him.”

“You can be friends with him, but his upbringing and education are problematic, and he’s gone too far with art. He’s not suitable as a long-term partner.”

She understood what he meant. Su Jiayan’s background wasn’t as the media portrayed it—a “wealthy and elegant artistic family.” In fact, his family had been poor when he was young, and his mother was very domineering. No matter how well he performed, she always criticized him harshly, leaving him with little self-esteem and confidence. Xiao La Jiao had once said that there were strange uncles in Su’s parents’ bedroom, and Su’s father had beaten Su Jiayan many times, calling him an “illegitimate child” born from another man. Yet, after these things happened, their family became gradually wealthier. Luo Wei didn’t dare to inquire how they made their money; she only knew that heroes don’t ask about their origins, and that Su Jiayan was still her friend. This kind of family environment had cultivated Su Jiayan’s highly sensitive personality, but also helped him develop his extraordinary artistic talent. Looking back now, when he was a child, he seemed quiet and gave off a gentle, silent prince impression, but in reality, it was because he was timid and insecure. When his emotions fluctuated, his expressions could be quite intimidating. But none of these pasts made Luo Wei dislike Su Jiayan; on the contrary, she sympathized with him. She shook her head firmly: “Jiayan is a great person. I don’t see anything unsuitable about him.”

“Men are like chameleons. Before they achieve their goals, they hide their true nature very well.”

She didn’t understand why He Yingze kept criticizing Su Jiayan. Was it possible… was he jealous? Could she think that he had fallen for her? Could she expect something happy to happen if she told him that she had liked him all along? What a joke. The last time she gathered the courage to call him late at night, the person who answered was a woman.

She tightened her grip on her bag and said to him, “Thank you.”

Author’s note:

Xiao La Jiao: “The popularity poll for Mirror of Roses has concluded. Welcome everyone to check out the surprising results.”

Luo Wei 3102 (21.3%) Xie Xinqi - Princess Syndrome 1312 (9%) He Yingze - King 4138 (28.5%) Xie Xiuchen - Brother Complex Love 3207 (22.1%) Xiao La Jiao - Cutest Courier Girl 910 (6.3%) Lu Xiren - French Poet Style Playboy 532 (3.7%) Su Jiayan - Dark Piano Master 850 (5.8%) Chang Feng - Loyal Dog 481 (3.3%)

Luo Wei: “What’s the surprise about the results?”

Xiao La Jiao: “She thought the winner would be Nissan... but it was actually Xiaoying.” (Note: Nissan is the Japanese pronunciation of “older brother.”)

Xie Xiuchen: “Thanks, dear mother, for raising me so highly.”

Luo Wei: “Why would there be any doubts about Xiaoying winning first place? Xiaoying is really handsome.”

Xiao La Jiao: “This is just the result that Flash expected. Brother complex is really something else.”

Luo Wei: “Xiao La Jiao is amazing—she got the highest popularity among side characters. Xiaoying is also great, the quietest one, yet with the highest popularity.”

He Yingze: “Heh.”

Luo Wei: “Eh, where did Xiaoying go?”

Chang Feng: “Sixth brother probably doesn’t care much about these meaningless poll results...”

Xie Xinqi: “...”

Xiao Lajiao: “Today, Miss is so quiet.”

Xie Xiuchen: “She’s probably been hit hard. She really thought she would take first place.”