Chapter Seventy-Nine: Birds of a Feather

“Darling, do I look good in this dress? You…”

A woman in a sexy strapless dress came out of the dressing room, only to see Lin Yan staring at a tall, thin girl.

“What happened?” The woman walked over, pressed her body against Lin Yan, took his arm, and stared at Sheng Jiaoyang warily.

Sheng Jiaoyang’s gaze shifted from the woman’s face to Lin Yan. “I heard from the pretty girl that you’re getting engaged. Is it to her?” She asked in Mandarin, and the Italian woman clearly didn’t understand what she was saying.

“Yes.” Lin Yan stared intently at her, trying to find more similarities in her.

"Oh." Sheng Jiaoyang pursed her lips, her emotions reaching a breaking point. With a sigh, she felt completely relieved. A smile played on her lips as she softly said, "I wish you all your dreams come true."

How could she not recognize this woman? Julianne Goodris, the woman who had been most persistently pursuing Lin Yan in recent years. The Goodris family was powerful and influential, and Julianne was a favorite within the family. With the Goodris family's support, Lin Yan would likely stand out among the many heirs.

Wasn't this exactly what she wanted? Although Lin Yan had never shown any interest in competing for the inheritance, Sheng Jiaoyang knew that as long as Aunt Lin lacked a legitimate status, Lin Yan, as a filial son, would definitely fight for it. Marrying Julianne and binding himself to the Goodris family was his first step.

After she broke free from the emotional shackles and deception, she finally understood why he had feelings for her but didn't accept her—simply because she couldn't give him what he wanted.

Sheng Jiaoyang lowered her eyes and chuckled softly.

Lin Yan's expression froze. He had only seen the girl in front of him twice, yet she gave him a very special feeling, as if they were very familiar, but there was a layer of frosted glass between them.

"What are you talking about?" Julianne frowned.

"I said congratulations on your engagement, and I wish you happiness," Sheng Jiaoyang said to Julianne in Italian.

Julianne smiled broadly, and her gaze relaxed.

A strange light flickered in Lin Yan's eyes, and his gaze towards Sheng Jiaoyang held an ambiguous meaning. Everyone's tone and pronunciation are different, but this girl in front of him, apart from her appearance and voice, was very similar in everything else—her expression, her mannerisms, the unique ending tone when speaking Italian, even the way she smiled was almost identical.

So many things were the same, but the person was different.

Nana was able to accept this person so quickly, probably because this person looked so much like Jiaoyang.

"Are you having a meeting?" a voice came from the side.

Sheng Jiaoyang turned around and greeted her with a smile, "Beautiful lady, you look so good in this dress!"

"Really?" Lin Na twirled around, lifting her skirt.

"Lina, so you're here too!" Julian said.

Lin Na nodded politely in response, adding a compliment, "Julian, you're getting more and more beautiful."

Julian smiled happily, "Shall we have dinner together tonight?"

"We have plans tonight, so I won't disturb your time together," Lin Na declined.

Julian smiled and turned to Lin Yan, "Darling, does this dress look good on me?"

Lin Yan looked away and nodded slightly, "It looks great."

Lin Na didn't even change out of her dress; she swiped her card and pulled Sheng Jiaoyang away, really not wanting to see the two of them being so affectionate.

As night fell, Lin Na and Sheng Jiaoyang walked hand in hand into Rita's villa. This villa, decorated inside and out in a very girlish style, was a coming-of-age gift from Rita's father.

As soon as they entered, the two felt a familiar scent—that wild, restless, energetic music pounding in their ears.

Linna and Sheng Jiaoyang exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of amusement in each other's eyes.

Rita's tastes remained unchanged.

A group of people were gathered around the bar, and from there came a shout even more deafening than the music.

Walking over, they saw two people at the back…

arm wrestling!

One was a tall, muscular young man, and the other was the elegantly dressed Rita.

"This guy's testing his strength again. I wonder what the point is?" Linna whispered in Sheng Jiaoyang's ear.

Sheng Jiaoyang smiled; perhaps Rita's greatest pride was her superhuman strength.

A large hand hooked around a slender one, but the owner of the large hand had veins bulging on his face, while the owner of the small hand remained remarkably calm. The contrast was so stark it was almost unbearable to watch.

Everyone around was cheering for the young man named Jesse, but he seemed to be losing his nerve. His muscular arm was slowly bent to one side by a small hand, finally slamming onto the bar with a "thud."

The onlookers all wore expressions of "Ouch, that hurts!"

"Come on, let's have a penalty drink!" Rita poured a glass of vodka and shoved it into Jesse's hand.

Jesse drank it with a wry smile, burped, and muttered, "You're such a weirdo!"

Rita stood up, hands on her hips, and shouted with particular swagger, "Who else?!"

"No more playing! Let's go dancing!" "Let's play cards!" "Let's chat!"

The surrounding people scattered like birds.

Rita saw Linna and Sheng Jiaoyang. She glanced at Sheng Jiaoyang, but seeing he was unfamiliar, she ignored him and turned to Linna, saying, "You're here! Come on, let's have a drink!"

Well, this strong Rita, besides liking to compete in strength, also likes to drink…

“Your friend is coming too.” Rita didn’t forget to shove a glass of wine into Sheng Jiaoyang’s hand.

“Don’t make us drink such strong liquor right away. We don’t have your capacity for alcohol.” Linna said helplessly.

“What’s there to be afraid of? If you get drunk, just stay here and sleep. I can even find you someone to warm your bed.” Rita raised her chin.

“Please, it’s summer now. Why would I need someone to warm my bed?” Linna was really exasperated with this guy.

Rita raised her glass. “Stop talking nonsense! You’re not Jiaoyang. You have no reason to refuse!”

Sheng Jiaoyang chuckled, raised his wine glass when Rita looked over, tilted his head back slightly, and drank the wine in one gulp.

“Great!” Rita’s eyes lit up.

Before Linna could stop him, she saw Sheng Jiaoyang drink the wine. Only then did she remember that if it weren’t for her health, Little Sun might have become the second Rita, the alcoholic Rita.

“Come on, friend, let’s have another drink!” Rita picked up the bottle and was about to pour Sheng Jiaoyang a drink.

Sheng Jiaoyang covered the rim of his glass with one hand and said under Rita's disapproving gaze, "Drinking only one kind of wine is quite boring."

Rita's eyes brightened even more, her gaze towards Sheng Jiaoyang filled with affection.

Lin Na sighed, thinking, "This is a pure alcoholic meeting another discerning drinker—they've found common ground!"