Chapter 130: For Our Encounter Still Unknown

The waitresses came quickly.

Xiang Wan just picked up two pieces when two waitresses appeared.

“Miss, please excuse me.”

They cleaned quickly with smiles on their faces and replaced a fresh set before they left.

Everything was restored and everyone looked away but Tan Yunchun’s face was pale.

Xiang Wan sat closer to her and held her hands from under the table.

“Mom, it’s alright now!”

She spoke without a sound, only her mouth was moving, assuring and smiling at her mom, Tan Yunchun.

“Wanwan…” Tan Yunchun still had not gotten over the incident and was tense. After looking at Xiang Wan for a while, she pursed her lips and smiled awkwardly. “Is mom useless? I’m always making you feel chagrined.”

“What are you talking about? What’s there to feel chagrined with?”

Xiang Wan laughed softly, squeezed her hand and even tickled her palm.

“It’s only a bowl…”

“It’s Feifei’s birthday. Breaking a bowl is inauspicious.”

“Who says it’s not auspicious? Peace all year round ¹ ! Mom, you’re too nervous. You need to relax and calm down.”

Tan Yunchun nodded her head and heaved a sigh. She did not say anything more and her eyes were almost fixated on the performances on the stage numbly.

Xiang Wan could understand her.

When her mom was young, she was also a beautiful and proud woman.

Which woman didn’t have a dream? Which woman didn’t want to live a good, dignified life?

Ever since Tan Yunchun worked for her youngest sister, there were some changes in their relationship, at least it had changed in her, for half of it had become an employment relationship. In addition, youngest aunt had always been domineering; when she got denied or put down many times, she started to lose confidence in herself.

Or, youngest aunt or Xing Feifei could have said something to her before this event…

For instance, she had to pay attention to her manners and her tone when dealing with people.

Xiang Wan suddenly felt enlightened as she thought of this.

Right! In terms of logic, things do happen for a reason.

Be it intentionally or not, her mom might have suffered a “blow” emotionally. Hence, she would be overly concerned about this birthday party…

As Xiang Wan thought of that, she looked at Xing Feifei.

On the stage, the Emcee had completed warming up the audience. He was calling the birthday girl up to the stage.

This was a birthday celebration as well as Xing Feifei’s coming of age ceremony.

She walked up the stage slowly as the screen showed the photos of her growing up, her achievements and awards. Then her parents came on stage and gave her their present. Next, she bowed to them and gave her thanks to everyone who came to her birthday celebration. A huge multi-layer birthday cake was slowly pushed to the center on the stage…

It had a beautiful and gorgeous effect.

The young lady in the middle of the stage was really like a princess.

The coming of age ceremony ended and it was time for the highlight of the celebration.

Music performance.

Nowadays, many people arrange for various entertainment programs for their wedding or birthday celebrations. Different kinds of performances started to emerge one after another. For the Xing Family in Jin City, they invited several celebrities to perform that night.

The young ladies were most excited when the Emcee announced Ye Lun’s name amongst the celebrities who would be appearing on stage.

“Ah!”

“Ye Lun!”

“Ye Lun’s coming? Ahhhhhhhh!”

The atmosphere of the birthday celebration instantly fired up.

Many young ladies were gasping and screaming but not deafening or irritating to the ear.

Fang Yuanyuan who was beside Xiang Wan got excited as well. She pulled her hand and started to talk in excitement.

“Sis, Ye Lun, it’s Ye Lun!”

Xiang Wan rolled her eyes at her but did not reply.

Rich businessmen inviting celebrities to perform in their family function was a show of their wealth and status, similar to the olden days where rich or influential families invite opera troupes to perform at a joyous occasion to entertain their guests.

By appearing at such events, it was similar to a commercial performance where their remuneration was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The celebrities earn different amounts according to their popularity and status as well. But no matter the level of their popularity or if they were new or veteran celebrities, the amount of money they make was so much greater than those theatrical troupes that specialized in providing entertainment for wedding banquets and functions.

Money was indeed a good thing.

Using money to “invite” people was way easier for people to invite people.

Before Ye Lun was shooting “The Grey List”, he was only a C-List celebrity. However, due to the publicity efforts of the production team of “The Grey List”, he had the signs of becoming an A-List celebrity. If the drama of “The Grey List” became a hit, he would shoot to fame as well and would definitely become an A-List celebrity.

Thus, Xiang Wan was somewhat perplexed to see him appearing in a private function of a wealthy businessman. Generally speaking, popular artists were concerned about their image and would not recklessly appear in private functions like this. This was because it was kind of degrading!

“How much do you think it will cost to invite Ye Lun?”

Obviously, Fang Yuanyuan had thought of the same thing as she secretly gave a light tug at Xiang Wan’s sleeve and made a gesture showing a “five”.

“Do you think it would be this much?”

Did she mean 50,000 yuan or 500,000 yuan?

Xiang Wan raised an eyebrow. “Poverty has limited my imagination. I’m unable to guess the figure.”

“Heh!” Fang Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up. “In this world, the people who are full die because they are full, while the hungry die because they are hungry!”

Xiang Wan was unable to comment further on her casual remark.

It was totally the truth. Such was the cruelty of the world.

On their table, apart from her mom, eldest aunt and uncle-in-law, Xiang Wan knew no one else.

The other people did not know them as well, so they never communicated with each other. They watched the performances with a smile on their faces. For Xiang Wan, she was sitting in a position where she had to turn her head to watch the performance, which was uncomfortable for her neck. If she did not watch the performance and focused on eating, it was rather awkward as well.

This birthday celebration was kinda torturing for her!

After singing and dancing, the second performance was sand-painting.

The sand painting artist skillfully sketched out the face of a young girl, which was similar to the huge portrait that was on the advertising panel at the entrance of the hotel. Next, the sand screen changed to her youngest aunt holding Feifei when she was a baby, then a small Feifei crawling on the ground to learn how to walk. Next, the sand screen showed Feifei carrying her school bag in kindergarten and so on…

It was warm and touching.

The guests marveled at the skill of the sand painting artist.

Xiang Wan watched the performance and her thoughts drifted away as well.

She also thought of her old photos when her mom carried her as baby, the photos of her learning how to crawl, how to walk, as well as the photo she carried her school bag attending kindergarten…

After the performance of the sand painting ended, everyone gave a round of applause.

The Emcee thanked the sand painting artist, and suddenly, he seemed very excited that his tone went higher by a few pitches.

“Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our VIP tonight—Ye Lun!”

Wah! Ahhh! Wahhh!

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—

Applause and the excited screams and gasps filled the room.

The special lightings appeared on Ye Lun, and a clear, magnified live image of Ye Lun appeared on the screen.

Xiang Wan turned and saw he was right at the entrance of the banquet hall, walking on the red carpet.

Maybe because it was a birthday celebration, he specially wore a red suit which meant joy and auspicious in a happy occasion.

Well, if it were someone else wearing all red walking in a red carpet, it could get either too embarrassing or that person could look like part of the carpet instead. However for Ye Lun, he was able to carry it charmingly well…

He was tall, young and had an unrestrained, slightly evil look. He was flamboyant.

The disposition of Ye Lun was different from that of any man at this banquet.

Maybe, this was the aura of a celebrity.

“Ye Lun!”

“Ye Lun!”

“Ye Lun!”

“Ahhhhhhh, Ye Lun!”

Excited, agitated screams rang through the eardrum.

If this wasn’t a banquet, maybe people would have thought this was Ye Lun’s mini concert.

Everyone was screaming while Xing Feifei was abnormally shy. She was gently shaking her slim waist and her pretty gown, forming a sweet smile with her rosy pink lips. She was standing on the stage nervously as if she was waiting for her groom to hold her hand…

“Gosh, he’s too handsome!” Fang Yuanyuan lifted her mobile phone and couldn’t stop snapping pictures at him. Then she passed the phone to Xiang Wan and made a “V” sign at her. “Quick, help me take this shot and make sure Ye Lun is in the background…”

“… Crazy.”

Although Xiang Wan was displeased, she still did it for her.

She lifted the phone and aimed at Fang Yuanyuan as well as Ye Lun was who walking on the red carpet.

There were numerous people taking photos, so Xiang Wan was not bothered by it. However, Ye Lun suddenly turned around, facing her directly and showed a half-smile for an instant.

Xiang Wan’s hand shook.

The picture was ruined.

Fang Yuanyuan saw that she looked weird and came to look at the photo.

“Geez, this is so blurry. Quick, retake another one!”

“Don’t expect too much!” Xiang Wan thought of that sudden smile earlier and lifted the mobile phone reluctantly to take another picture.

“Ahh, it’s still not good. Sigh! Oh well.”

Fang Yuanyuan did not want to force her again. She lifted her phone, made a pose, and continued to take pictures of herself with Ye Lun in the background. “We don’t get much chance to be in such close proximity with Ye Lun, you know?” she muttered.

“Didn’t you like Yu Ning? Changed your taste again?” Xiang Wan retorted.

Yu Ning was the first male leading character in “The Grey List”. Fang Yuanyuan had previously expressed fervently to Xiang Wan before that he was her favorite actor.

“The last time you were talking about going to look at Yu Ning during the shooting of ‘The Grey List’. In just a few days time, you went crazy after seeing Ye Lun. Fang Yuanyuan, your love can’t stand the test of time…”

“What has this got to do with love? Ye Lun’s here so I take some photos. If Yu Ning’s here, I’ll definitely ask to take a photo with him, as well as a kiss, a hug, and to lift me up high hahah…”

Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. “I don’t understand what you’re thinking.”

“Heheh, now you know what generation gap means? This is the world of us young girls…”

“You can scram!”

At the stage, Ye Lun said a few congratulatory words and had a photo taken with Xing Feifei with grace. The arrangement was for him to chat with Xing Feifei and his “mission” would be completed. Celebrities appearing in such occasions were basically to accentuate the host of the banquet. Of course, by just appearing for a few minutes, the amount of money rolling in for the celebrity was substantial as well.

Ye Lun was cooperative and professional.

However, if one were to pay more attention, one could feel that there was no sincerity at all.

Xing Feifei was very satisfied, and her eyes were filled with happiness.

“Brother Ye Lun, I really like the dramas you acted in. I’ve watched each and every of the dramas you starred. Currently, I’m really excited and look forward to the completion of ‘The Grey List’…”

Ye Lun laughed dashingly. “Thank you!”

It was about time and Ye Lun’s mission was about to be completed.

The Emcee was preparing to go back on stage to prepare for the next activity.

But Xing Feifei’s 18 year old maiden heart was mesmerized by Ye Lun. Her glistening eyes stared at Ye Lun’s face. How could she bear to just end the interaction with him like this?

“Brother Ye Lun, please sing a song with me, alright?” she requested expectantly.

The young lady’s voice through the microphone was crisp and soft. It was difficult to reject a young lady’s request like this.

The guests were happy to see that as well so they clapped their hands to show their support.

Ye Lun hesitated for a moment, his eyes swept past his manager who was off stage. “I’ve a slight cold these two days and my throat feels unwell. How about next time?”

He rejected her request subtly.

This was an obvious indication that he did not want to sing.

Although it was natural for celebrities to get paid to appear in private functions or commercial business functions, everything that a celebrity would do had already been mutually agreed upon prior to the event.

There was a price tag to every item that the celebrity was supposed to perform in the event.

If his remuneration did not include singing, how would he be willing to sing?

However, Miss Xing Feifei did not seem to understand about this at all.

She was used to being a princess who got her way in everything she did. Furthermore, it was her 18th birthday celebration. She had been bathed in countless praises that night and did not give a thought about others’ feelings. She leaned on Ye Lun and pouted.

“Just sing, just sing, just one song, please?” She said coquettishly, “Everyone loves you, and wants to hear you sing!”

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As she said so, she even clapped her hands.

So embarrassing!

Ye Lun furrowed his eyebrows.

Seeing that he did not say a word, she turned to the band. “Play the ‘Lovers’ Heart’, I want to sing this song with Brother Ye Lun!”

By this time, Ye Lun’s expression did not look good.

Most guests could feel the awkwardness in the atmosphere.

Only Xing Feifei did not know that and continued to act sweetly as though she was close to Ye Lun…

Xiang Wan and Fang Yuanyuan exchanged glances and felt speechless at Feifei’s behavior.

Ye Lun’s manager wanted to come up the stage to help him get out of the situation.

Yet no one expected that Ye Lun, whose sleeves were dragged by Xing Feifei, would suddenly agree to the request.

“Fine, I’ll sing with the birthday girl tonight and wish her happy birthday. I also want to thank everyone here today for your love for me. But I don’t know how to sing ‘Lovers’ Heart’. Let’s change it to ‘Blue and White Porcelain’, music please!”

Music started to fill the banquet hall.

Ye Lun’s singing was pleasant to the ear.

He sang the song ‘Blue and White Porcelain’ with great charm.

…

The portrait of the charming maiden is glazed, and hidden.

Your bright smile is like a bud waiting to blossom.

Your beauty is gone with the wind.

To a place I cannot reach.

Waiting for you, be it the blue and white sky or rain.

Smoke dances toward the sky across the distant river.

The base of the vase inscribed with Han calligraphy, imitating the grace of the former dynasty.

Let it serve to foreshadow, for our encounter still unknown.

…

Xiang Wan suddenly felt she had ran out of patience.

“I’m going to the ladies.”

She said to her mom as well as Fang Yuanyuan and left the banquet hall quietly.

The guests were attracted to Ye Lun’s singing performance. No one noticed she left the banquet hall.

The weather outside was dark and gloomy. Seems like it was going to rain again.

Nonetheless, the air was much fresher than the air inside the banquet hall.

Xiang Wan strolled slowly to the restroom and was not in a hurry to get into the cubicle. She stood before a sink, ran her fingers through her hair, then washed her hands slowly, as though she wanted to wash off a layer of skin off her hands…

The water flowed endlessly through the open tap. The water felt warm to the hands which was rather comfortable. Xiang Wan lowered her head when she washed her hands in a daze. Not sure how long she washed her hands, when she recovered her senses, she looked at the mirror and got a scare.

In the mirror, there was a woman smiling at her.

She was standing behind her with a straight face.

Xiang Wan was stunned and quickly turned around, giving her a smile.

“Hello, Eldest sister-in-law!”

She knew that this woman was Liao Qiao. She was from the Xing Family in the Capital.

Therefore, she followed the form of address that Xing Feifei used.

“Hello!” The corners of Lian Qiao’s mouth turned upward. “But please don’t call me Eldest sister-in-law? I feel like I’m instantly older by ten years when you call me that…”

Xiang Wan was slightly shocked by her words.

She did not expect her to be such a humorous person.

Facing her witty smile, Xiang Wan began to feel bashful instead. “Sister-in-law, you look so young. How are you old?”

“Then I’m a old witch!” Lian Qiao laughed as she walked over. “Do you know why I was watching you earlier?” she asked casually.

Xiang Wan smiled. “I don’t know.”

Lian Qiao also smiled. “You used a total of three minutes and ten seconds to wash your hands. I was curious how long you were going to do so…”

Xiang Wan: “…”

Being curious about such little things.

And even showing a stranger kindness.

It seemed like this woman has a happy marriage and is well-protected by her husband, Xiang Wan thought.

She chuckled. “Sister-in-law really counted the time?! Cool… Well, I was thinking about something earlier and got distracted.”

Lian Qiao looked at her and did not say a word.

Xiang Wan said, “Sister-in-law, I’ll make a move first.”

She was about to leave when Lian Qiao stopped her. “Wait for me? We can go out together.”

Xiang Wan thought she shouldn’t reject this small request.

She stood beside and waited. Looking at Lian Qiao’s delicate pair of fair hands and the happiness in her eyes, Xiang Wan suddenly felt that “the kinder one is, the more beautiful one is”.

As she looked at this woman, she knew she liked this kind woman.

If she was a man, she would definitely try a lot of tactics to get to know this woman…

“Let’s go!” She smiled at Xiang Wan. Of course, Lian Qiao would not know what she was thinking.

The two of them left the restroom together and walked toward the hall.

Hearing the lively atmosphere at the banquet, Xiang Wan could not help dither if she should enter the banquet room.

Lian Qiao saw that from the corner of her eyes and blinked at her. “I don’t like such occasions, either…”

Ah? For a moment, Xiang Wan did not react and looked at her blankly.

“So, I’m preparing to leave when I go back in,” continued Lian Qiao, “I’ve done all I need to. If I continue to stay, I’ll be bored to death.”

What a forthright woman!

Xiang Wan looked at her, the corners of her mouth moving upward. “I envy you!”

Envy her that she could do what she wanted.

On such an occasion, not everyone could leave as gracefully as her.

“You can too.” Lian Qiao winked, “Why don’t you leave with me?”

“Me?” Xiang Wan thought for a moment and laughed. “I can’t leave now.”

As a matter of fact, leaving after eating was not a big deal. But her mom begged to differ and it would be a heinous crime if she did that. She would be disrespectful to her youngest aunt, unfriendly to Xing Feifei, did not think much of her birthday, and more…

Xiang Wan did not want to hear all these.

Lian Qiao did not persuade anymore as if she could see through her thoughts. She moved her mouth where the direction of the restroom was.

“Didn’t you want to go to the ladies? Why didn’t you enter?”

“Uh… Right.” Xiang Wan smiled knowingly, “I forgot!”

“Go then, I’ll go in first. Bye!”

“Bye!”

She was really an understanding woman.

She could tell that Xiang Wan did not want to return to the banquet hall and gave her a good reason to do so.

Xiang Wan looked at her back view for a moment and walked back to the ladies.

She did not want to go back, so she took her time inside the cubicle like when she was washing her hands. In this quiet environment, she could hear no voice and could enjoy the peace and quiet…

Bang!

Suddenly, she heard a loud sound.

It sounded like a bomb and rushed to the ear without warning.

Thud! The power at the female restroom was cut and everything went dark. Immediately after, there were thick smoke and fire that arose…

Just what was happening? Did the restroom explode and that there was a fire?

The critical moment, Xiang Wan quickly wiped herself and wore her pants…

There was a similar question in the internet like this as well. If one was inside the toilet and a disaster happened, would one choose to run first or wipe first. She had unconditionally chosen the latter option. Even if it was a critical situation, she didn’t want to let those who retrieve corpses see her die so pitifully that she did not even wipe herself!

She dashed out and wanted to run toward the entrance out of reflex.

However, it was too late…

For the fire started at the entrance of the female restroom.

Xiang Wan held her nose and quickly went back deeper into the restroom, thinking of ways to save herself.

Panic, anxiety, fear.

Her heart was pounding in fear. Her brain was in a mess. Her scalp felt numb and crisp, and she almost fell unconscious.

The human potential was really infinite. In the face of danger, humans would instinctively overcome fear to look for ways to survive.

The female restroom at the hotel was large.

Besides the outer area, there was also the inner area.

Just now when she was in the outer room, the outer room was on fire, she quickly found her way into the inner room, and then found a narrow glass window on the wall.

The window was very high from the ground, so she could only touch the window if she jumped.

Moreover, the window was tightly shut. She had nothing on her to break the window.

As Xiang Wan lifted her head to look at the window, the smoke behind her was getting thicker and thicker.

Being inside a dark area, the red flames were particularly savage…

No! Even if she couldn’t get out, she would need to survive till help comes along.

As she thought of that, Xiang Wan quickly took off her coat, went inside the nearest cubicle, flushed, and stuffed her coat in the water. When it got fully wet, she would use it to cover her nose.

This was a super five-star hotel after all.

The restroom was very clean.

She comforted herself in this way. Her heart that was beating wildly was also mocking her.

It’s such a critical time now and you’re still thinking about this?

Bang!

Suddenly, the window vibrated with a sound.

Xiang Wan thought the window was about to shatter in pieces. She hurriedly squat down and held her head…

However, the next moment, she heard a woman’s voice from outside the window. “Hello! Anyone in here? Is there anyone in here?”

Lian Qiao?

There was a distance from female restroom to the banquet room.

Lian Qiao who parted ways with her earlier was the one who was nearest to her.

But how did a young woman like her actually have the guts to save people at the moment when the fire broke out?

Xiang Wan had doubts about this, but she had developed trust during the short interaction with Lian Qiao earlier. She did not hesitate to call out for help.

“I’m here. Sister-in-law, I’m in here!”

“Back off further, I’m going to break the glass!”

Lian Qiao’s voice sounded a little pressing. Xiang Wan quickly hid inside a cubicle.

She shouted, “Done!”

Crash! Another loud sound was heard.

The glass shattered everywhere, making it look like a mess.

Lian Qiao was holding the fire extinguisher on her hand. She appeared at the window, and she was smiling. The light reflection from the fire made her eyes look dazzling.

At that instant, Xiang Wan thought she had met a fairy from the heavens.

“I’m here to save you! Don’t be afraid! I’m a soldier of the Red Thorn Special Combat Squad of The People’s Liberation Army. I can get you out of here safely!”

…