Beauty Snake - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: They Say A Woman’s Heart Is A Needle At The Bottom Of The Sea, So Why Am I Like A Stranded Fish Anyone Can Scoop Up?

Hearing Xie Yin’s words, Ji Yunfei didn’t hesitate much and nodded. “I’m going. Of course I’m going.” After a moment, a thought occurred to her, and her face filled with doubt. “But for a charity gala, shouldn’t it be enough for the leadership level to attend? Why bring designers along?”

Xie Yin smiled. “Besides being a well-known luxury mogul, Qin Xiang has deep expertise in jewelry collecting and curation.” She paused, glanced around to ensure no one was listening, and lowered her voice: “At this gala, besides auctioning some common collection pieces, she will also display the ‘Heart of Leaf’—a piece famous for its mystery and exquisite craftsmanship—for designers to study.”

“Heart of Leaf… as in the posthumous masterpiece of the famous Western designer Mocales?!” Ji Yunfei’s eyes widened in disbelief. Qin Xiang was doing more than just charity; calling her a living Bodhisattva for designers wouldn’t even be enough!

Over the years, so many people had racked their brains just to catch a glimpse of the “Heart of Leaf.” And now Qin Xiang was planning to display it publicly? She couldn’t keep up with the logic of these big shots!

“In short, this is a great learning opportunity. Make the most of it.” Xie Yin rubbed Ji Yunfei’s head, her lips curling upward slightly to reveal sharp little canine teeth.

“Understood! I won’t come back until I’ve learned something! I guarantee President Xie will be satisfied!” Ji Yunfei nodded slightly and patted her chest with confidence.

“What are you talking about? You have to come back even if you don’t learn anything. Are you planning to stay at Qin Xiang’s place?” Xie Yin pinched Ji Yunfei’s cheeks and pulled them outward gently, narrowing her eyes. “No way.”

“Why are you jealous of everything…” After finally escaping Xie Yin’s “tyrannical” hands, Ji Yunfei rubbed her ruthlessly treated face and muttered under her breath.

“Hmm?”

“Hehe, nothing, nothing! I didn’t say anything. I was just saying I’m happy you care about me so much…” Seeing that Xie Yin might have caught her mumbling, Ji Yunfei instantly changed her expression, playing dumb to get away with it.

Xie Yin found her antics hilarious and didn’t press further. She took Ji Yunfei’s left hand. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to that new dessert shop in the south of the city. The reviews online are great, and most importantly, it’s pet-friendly. Hehei will have special pet desserts to eat, too.”

“My good Yinyin really knows how to comfort the fragile heart of an injured patient~”

“President Xie, Miss Ji, long time no see.” Behind them came Qin Xiang’s habitually cold voice—like meltwater from accumulated snow, cool and clear.

The two turned around simultaneously to see the speaker slowly walking toward them, gently swirling a wine glass.

Perhaps because today was her home turf, Qin Xiang’s styling and makeup were a bit more dramatic than usual. Her sharply upturned eyeliner, fire-bright lip color, and red-and-black fishtail dress made her look like a Datura flower—vibrant on the surface, but secretly toxic, alluring and dangerous. She radiated the aura of a high-ranking authority.

“Long time no see.” Xie Yin nodded, requested a glass from a passing waiter, raised it to Qin Xiang, and finished it in one go. “Thanks to President Qin, we get to feast our eyes today. This glass is to you.”

“Think nothing of it; it’s just contributing to the cause of charity.” Seeing Xie Yin drain her glass, Qin Xiang refilled hers and returned the toast. Then, she licked her lips slightly and turned her gaze toward Ji Yunfei. “Miss Ji, Qingqing really wants to chat with you. She’s in the second private booth upstairs. Is it convenient?”

Ji Yunfei’s heart jumped. She had a feeling that going there wouldn’t lead to anything good. She grinned awkwardly. “Um…” Her hand didn’t stop moving as she tugged at Xie Yin’s sleeve, casting a desperate SOS look her way.

“I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go!”

Unexpectedly, Xie Yin only nodded slightly to her with a faint smile. “Since the second Miss Qin is looking for you, go ahead. I’ll take the others to browse around.”

Great. Now she was completely out of options. She could only force a smile. “Okay, I’ll go now.” Then, she shot a hateful glare at Xie Yin, who was smiling like a big-tailed wolf, and turned to head toward the second floor.

“Alright, everyone have a look around. I’ll go attend to other guests.” Qin Xiang took a sip of wine and bypassed the group. “See you at the auction,” she said, before disappearing into the crowd.

Once Qin Xiang was out of sight, Xie Yin turned to her designers. “Alright, go ahead and look—”

But before she could finish, she was interrupted by a sudden accident.

A brown-haired male waiter walking past Xie Yin somehow slipped, and the wine glasses on his tray shattered on the floor.

Crash— Clatter—

In an instant, the brownish-yellow liquid mixed with glass shards flowed across the floor, reflecting the harsh lights of the hall.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Are you okay?” The waiter, seeing the trouble he had caused, immediately bowed his head low, not daring to look Xie Yin in the eye, his voice trembling with panic.

A wine glass had flown out when she was startled by the sudden event. Xie Yin frowned, her aura turning cold for a moment. She wanted to speak, but on second thought, the waiter hadn’t done it on purpose. Pressing the matter now would only make her look aggressive.

Furthermore, if A-Fei were here, she probably wouldn’t want her to make a scene over it.

She lowered her eyes and checked herself, finding that besides a few splashes of wine on her trouser legs, there was nothing else. She sighed softly. “It’s fine. Just clean up the floor quickly. Be more careful next time.”

Hearing this, the waiter looked up, and his originally dark, lifeless eyes suddenly sparked with light. “Yes, yes, I’ll do it right away! I am truly sorry!” With that, he hurried to push a cleaning cart over from the corner and began cleaning vigorously.

“Sorry you had to see that. Now that it’s resolved, let’s move on.” With the farce over, Xie Yin looked at the designers and smiled apologetically.

The designers were momentarily dazed by Xie Yin’s smile.

Was the usually cold-faced, swift-and-decisive “femme fatale” really capable of such a gentle smile? That cold, glamorous face looked incredibly natural when smiling—she was stunning…

By the time they snapped out of it, Xie Yin had returned to her usual unapproachable demeanor. Their briefly fluttering hearts sank back down as they hurriedly said, “Okay… okay… President Xie, let’s go.”

While the hall drama was unfolding, Ji Yunfei wasn’t having an easy time either. As she reached the second floor, she felt a mountain of pressure, and her footsteps slowed down as her heart raced.

But no matter how much she dragged her feet, she was only stalling. She had to face it eventually.

Knock, knock, knock— Having mentally prepared herself in front of the booth, she took a deep breath and knocked gently.

“Come in—” Unlike Qin Qing’s breezy, simple voice when she was with Chi Chang, the voice behind the door had a mysterious texture—a mix of maturity and innocence. The end of the tone curled slightly like a tiny hook, leaving a lingering charm. The timbre was as clear as a spring, yet carried a hint of laziness.

Creak— The heavy door was pushed open. Ji Yunfei immediately saw the curly-haired woman leaning lazily on the sofa.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Please, sit.” Seeing it was Ji Yunfei, Qin Qing’s red lips curled slightly. Once Ji Yunfei sat opposite her, she poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. “You’re very nervous.”

It was a statement, not a question.

“Is it that obvious…?” Seeing her emotions seen through at a glance, Ji Yunfei pouted and made a mental note to hone her acting skills when she had time.

They say a woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea, so why did it become a stranded fish in her case that anyone could scoop up?

“It’s just the two of us here. You can relax. It’s just a casual chat.” Qin Qing lowered her eyes, fiddled with the wine glass in her hand, and then drained it in one go. She raised the empty glass to Ji Yunfei and chuckled. “Have a drink to bolster your courage.”

Ji Yunfei picked up the glass containing a pale pink liquid and sniffed it; it had a faint peach scent.

“A-Chang mentioned to me that your alcohol tolerance is poor, so I swapped it for a fruit wine with low alcohol content. You can drink it safely.”

That Chi Chang, why does she tell everyone everything? Has she already leaked all my secrets? This, this, this…

No matter how much inner drama she had, Ji Yunfei couldn’t show it on her face. She pursed her lips and likewise drained the fruit wine. The sweetness of the peach mixed with a faint wine aroma exploded in her mouth. It wasn’t bitter or strong; it felt like drinking peach juice.

Putting down the glass, Ji Yunfei licked the corner of her mouth to catch the remaining liquid and looked at Qin Qing. “That was thoughtful of you, second Miss Qin.” Perhaps the alcohol really did help her courage, as the unease in her heart had vanished.

“A-Chang really liked that necklace from last time. She was smiling very happily, but…” As she spoke, Qin Qing picked up the bottle again to refill their empty glasses. She raised her glass for a sip. “As she smiled, tears appeared in her eyes.”

“You’re a designer, so you understand these things better than anyone. Can you tell me why? Why did she cry…?”

Ji Yunfei’s ears twitched. This time she could tell—Qin Qing was trying to fish for information. She thought of the other woman’s WeChat profile picture and looked at the sincere eyes in front of her, finally deciding to give a little nudge.

“Chi Chang once kept a long-haired calico cat. It looked very similar to the one in your profile picture, Miss Qin…” she paused, secretly gauging Qin Qing’s reaction. Seeing that the woman had lowered her head without a response, she raised an eyebrow and continued. “When she found that cat, she was going through a very low point in her life. Fortunately, its appearance helped her pull herself together.”

“So, to her, that cat was her spiritual pillar. If the cat was there, she was there. If the cat was gone… she would collapse.”

The person across from her still didn’t look up, only continuously pouring alcohol into her mouth, glass after glass.

Seeing this, Ji Yunfei was a bit surprised but had no reason to stop her, so she continued: “Unfortunately, that cat just vanished into thin air on an ordinary workday.”

“After that, Chi Chang became a different person. On one hand, she worked desperately hard and soon became a director; on the other hand, she began lingering among the flowers, indulging in alcohol, and acting like a social butterfly.”

“I couldn’t talk her out of it, so I just let her be…”

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