Song Yiren laughed and said, "Ah Xian, I just knew you are the kindest to me." She thought to herself that this woman was still considering Ji Yunya at this point, truly too naive for her own good. She didn’t see the fleeting coldness at the corners of the young girl’s mouth opposite her. He An was the eldest young master of the He Group. As the only son, he had been spoiled by his family beyond reason. Ever since he was young, he’d been debauched and dissolute, insisting on taking to bed any woman he fancied. For his actions, Father He had cleaned up countless messes for him, once almost costing the entire corporation. The recent scandal involving Miss Lin had just settled, and he had been confined at home by his father for half a month, nearly going stir-crazy. Having finally pleaded with his mother to let him out for some fresh air, he entered this gathering of elegantly dressed women and immediately felt his heart stir again. Upon seeing Yun Ya for the first time, he was astounded by her beauty. Having dallied with numerous women, he had never seen one so beautiful, and he felt an itch in his heart. However, she was surrounded by several distinguished ladies, so he wasn’t foolish enough to rush up to her directly, thinking instead to approach her when the beauty was alone. Yan Ke pointed at He An: "Isn’t he coveting Sister Yun Ya’s beauty? It’s simply disgusting. How could they let someone like him in?" Yan Song’s gaze turned frosty as it landed on He An, and he ground his teeth in silence. Suddenly, He An felt a chill down his spine and couldn’t help but scan his surroundings, wondering... The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the n0velfire.net Song Yiren returned to Lady Song’s side, who turned her head and glared at her with implied reproach. Knowing full well that Zhuang Xiyue disliked the Yun Family, Yiren still insisted on being so close to Kang Jinxian. Lady Song didn’t know how many times she had talked to Song Yiren about this. Each time, Song Yiren would impatiently wave her off, not listening at all. Lady Song disapproved of Kang Jinxian, who presented herself as a pure and innocent flower, but whose eyes hid too much ambition and calculation. Yiren befriending her was definitely more harmful than beneficial. "Aunt Zhuang." Song Yiren greeted with a smile, and her eyes fell on Yun Ya beside her. Immediately she smiled and said, "Is this Sister Yun Ya? You are really beautiful." Knowing Zhuang Xiyue’s dislike for Kang Jinxian, she avoided bringing up Kang Jinxian in front of the two. Yun Ya pursed her lips and chuckled softly: "You are beautiful too." Song Yiren felt the comment was mocking. Anyone who self-proclaimed to be beautiful would feel ashamed in her presence. Despite her jealousy, she had to admit the fact. Song Yiren smiled and affectionately hooked Yun Ya’s arm, saying with a beaming smile, "I felt a closeness to Sister Yun Ya at first sight, as if we knew each other in a past life." The smile on Yun Ya’s lips deepened slightly as she watched Song Yiren’s approaching smiling face. Those eyes seemed to possess the power to see through people’s hearts. Song Yiren’s heart involuntarily trembled, and she forced herself not to show any flaw. Just a few days ago, she had been full of scorn, and now she was pretending to be best friends. Yiren wasn’t fooling anyone, her acting skills paled in comparison to Kang Jinxian’s. She simply couldn’t hide her impatience. She had just glimpsed the two of them huddled together, whispering something, most likely plotting against her. "Really, I feel the same way," Yun Ya said gently, giving Song Yiren an eerie sense of foreboding. Zhuang Xiyue also liked having Yun Ya mingle with the younger crowd, patting her hand and saying with a laugh, "Go have fun with Yiren. It must be hard for you to stick with us old ladies." At that moment, Lady Zhou, the birthday celebrant, made her appearance. Accompanied by her son, the man standing beside her cut a fine figure in a sharp suit, his eyes strikingly similar to Lady Zhou’s, handsome and with a gracious demeanor—a truly splendid young gentleman. Young Master Zhou, at twenty-four this year, was studying for his Master’s degree in Computer Science at Capital City University. Rumor had it that he was to succeed Secretary Zhou in the future, with limitless prospects ahead. Hearing that Young Master Zhou was not yet engaged, many matrons’ thoughts became active. At its core, such a banquet was sometimes just a covert matchmaking event. Lady Zhou had deliberately called her son back from Capital City with this in mind. Lady Zhou, from a Family of Scholars, was somewhat traditional and stiff in demeanor. She had a very specific vision for her daughter-in-law: morally virtuous and a standard lady of high breeding. In fact, she already had someone in mind—Secretary Liu’s second daughter. Today, she had seen Miss Liu and, upon seeing her son’s dignified presence, her heart filled with even more satisfaction. Yun Shu watched Young Master Zhou, a glint of light passing through her eyes as she took Kang Jinxian’s hand and approached him. Lady Zhou held a deep disdain for Yun Shu—for one, because of Zhuang Xiyue’s influence, and secondly, because the Yun Family had always been of ill repute. She didn’t believe a daughter raised by them could be decent, let alone an adopted one without blood ties. Thus, Kang Jinxian was never in her consideration.