Chapter 265: Dong Shaojie

Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Dong Shaojie

The man looked to be around thirty, with a distinguished, dashing air and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

"Jie, long time no see!" Yin Ruxue’s expression softened slightly as she saw the man and called out to him.

The man smiled, but his expression stiffened slightly when his gaze fell on Yin Ruxue’s hand resting on Jiang Fan’s arm.

He approached, a glass of red wine in hand, and offered a gentlemanly smile.

"Xue’Er, long time no see. And this is...?"

The man asked with feigned nonchalance, but Jiang Fan could tell. ’This guy’s had his eyes on me for a while.’

Yin Ruxue introduced them. "This is my husband, Jiang Fan."

"Jiang Fan, this is Dong Shaojie, the one I just mentioned who just got back from abroad—Jie."

"Husband? Xue’Er, when did you get married? How come I didn’t know?" Dong Shaojie frowned.

"We’re not married yet. We only just made our relationship official!"

"If you’re not married, then how can you call him your ’husband’?"

That single sentence was all it took. Jiang Fan finally understood why Yin Ruxue had insisted on bringing him to this banquet.

Jiang Fan took Yin Ruxue’s hand. "It’s only a matter of time for Xue’Er and me, so you needn’t concern yourself, Young Master Dong."

A muscle in Dong Shaojie’s jaw twitched, but he forced a faint smile.

"Xue’Er, you two have fun for now. I’m rather busy today and have to greet other guests. There will be activities later, so make sure you don’t leave early!"

"Alright, Jie!"

"Oh, and Xue’Er, your career is really taking off. You need to be careful about who you trust. Don’t let someone with ulterior motives take advantage of you."

Dong Shaojie added this with a casual, yet pointed, tone as he left.

Jiang Fan cursed inwardly. ’That wolf in sheep’s clothing... What does he mean, "someone with ulterior motives"? If you ask me, *he’s* the one with ulterior motives.’

"Yin Ruxue," Jiang Fan said with a laugh, "I’d bet anything that Dong Shaojie is interested in you. He came over talking in veiled barbs from the get-go. You’ve got quite the trail of admirers, don’t you!"

Yin Ruxue blushed. "Don’t worry. Just see this banquet through with me, and I’ll pay you every cent of the overtime I promised."

Jiang Fan chuckled and nodded. ’Even though Yin Ruxue wasn’t entirely upfront with me,’ he thought, ’I’ll forgive her for now, for the sake of that overtime pay.’

Yin Ruxue soon moved back into the main banquet hall, where guests were gathered in clusters, exchanging pleasantries. Jiang Fan followed beside her, his mind elsewhere.

But just then, Jiang Fan suddenly saw a familiar figure—Su Qingci!

The moment he saw Su Qingci, Jiang Fan was taken aback; he never expected she would show up at a place like this.

And tonight, Su Qingci was wearing a short red dress, her usually neat hair let down around her shoulders. She looked like a completely different person from the Su Qingci at the office.

This version of Su Qingci had a newfound feminine charm, and her beauty was in no way inferior to any of the socialites present. Even Jiang Fan found himself staring.

Just then, Su Qingci made her way over to Yin Ruxue.

"Qingci, I didn’t expect you’d be here!" Yin Ruxue said, surprised.

"Xue’Er, don’t even start. I had no choice but to come. This dress feels so awkward!"

"I never knew you were so stunning in an evening gown, Qingci! You could charm any man here looking like this. Why don’t you take this chance to land a rich husband? It would make your father happy."

"Oh, stop it. You know how much I can’t stand men. Just looking at them is annoying!" Su Qingci said, lowering her voice.

After she spoke, her gaze shifted to Jiang Fan.

"Oh, by the way, Xue’Er, I need to talk to Jiang Fan about something. Mind if I borrow him for a minute?"

"Me?" Jiang Fan said in surprise.

"What’s the matter? It’s not like I’m going to eat you," Su Qingci said.

"It’s fine, Qingci. If you need Jiang Fan for something, just tell him what to do."

"What do you mean, ’just tell him what to do’?" Jiang Fan retorted irritably.

But Su Qingci simply said coolly, "Jiang Fan, come with me."

Though very reluctant, Jiang Fan saw the look Yin Ruxue gave him and had no choice but to follow Su Qingci.

Su Qingci led the way out of the banquet hall and into the courtyard outside. She found a secluded corner and turned to face Jiang Fan.

"Alright, what is it?"

"Jiang Fan, could you please not look so sour? I didn’t ask you here to pick a fight."

There was a plaintive note in Su Qingci’s voice, but Jiang Fan paid it no mind.

Su Qingci sighed, then suddenly asked, "How did you end up coming here with Xue’Er? Are you two...?"

"That’s none of your business, is it?" Jiang Fan said.

"Fine, my mistake for prying! But you don’t have to be so hostile toward me, Jiang Fan. I thought I already explained what happened before. I don’t want things to be so tense between us. I didn’t bring you here for any other reason... I just wanted to properly apologize to you!"

Su Qingci’s voice was gentle, and her whole demeanor had softened considerably.

This caught Jiang Fan by surprise. To be honest, in all the time he had known Su Qingci at the company, he had never seen this side of her.

Jiang Fan sighed. Truthfully, he had a real weak spot when women acted like this toward him. His heart began to soften.

’Even though Su Qingci backstabbed Yin Ruxue before, my relationship with Yin Ruxue is in name only. There’s no need to keep holding it against Su Qingci.’

But just then, Jiang Fan’s gaze drifted back to the banquet hall. He saw someone appear in front of Yin Ruxue—it was none other than Su Qingci’s brother, Su Qingchu!

Su Qingchu seemed to say something to Yin Ruxue. She frowned, then followed him toward the second floor of the banquet hall.

Seeing this, Jiang Fan frowned. Suddenly, it all clicked, and he was filled with uncontrollable rage.

"Su Qingci, Su Qingci... I was wondering why you had such a sudden change of heart, why you were suddenly apologizing to me. Turns out you can’t change your ways at all. You’re just trying to be a wingwoman for your brother!"

Jiang Fan seized Su Qingci’s arm. ’One betrayal was hard enough to tolerate, but a second one?’

As far as Jiang Fan was concerned, Su Qingci didn’t treat Yin Ruxue like a real friend at all.

"Jiang Fan, what are you talking about? You’re hurting me!"

Su Qingci tried to pull away, but she couldn’t break free at all. Jiang Fan’s grip was simply too strong.

"Let go of me, Jiang Fan!"

"Hmph. Su Qingci, didn’t you want to be a wingwoman for your brother? Fine, I’ll play along!"

With that, Jiang Fan took a large step forward, trapping Su Qingci in a corner.

"Get away from me! Don’t come so close!"

"Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot. Our noble Miss Su hates men, doesn’t she? Gets all flustered whenever one gets too close."

He leaned in closer as he spoke, backing Su Qingci completely into the corner.

Su Qingci struggled to escape, but Jiang Fan’s strength was even greater than she had imagined. For a moment, she was completely unable to break free.