157 Passing by Each Other

Bai Yixuan wore a white Chanel haute couture short dress and white high heels, having enlisted the most renowned makeup artists and stylists to craft her look. For tonight's charity gala, she was determined to outshine all others and dazzle the entire crowd.

"Brother Chen, do I look pretty today?" Bai Yixuan asked with a sweet smile as she looked at Lu Yichen, who was driving.

"Mm. Not bad," Lu Yichen replied. Women all looked the same in his eyes. Whenever a gala was mentioned, they would dress up in bizarre outfits, competing for attention as if entering a beauty pageant. Today, the time he spent merely accompanying little sister Bai Yixuan was enough for him to acquire two companies.

"I knew Brother Chen would like it. I love this kind of simple and elegant style the most. It's so much more youthful and adorable than all those cumbersome gowns, heehee. —Brother Chen, am I being shameless..." Bai Yixuan leaned closer to Lu Yichen and made a playful face.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" Lu Yichen said in a low voice. "...You know yourself that you're shameless... Heh, when will you ever grow up..."

"Oh..." Bai Yixuan pouted and sat up straight. In her heart, she both wished Lu Yichen would keep doting on her like a child and hoped that in his eyes, she was a grown-up young lady rather than a clueless little kid. "Brother Chen, you look exceptionally handsome today too! Your physique is just the most dashing in a suit!"

"Was I not handsome on regular days?"

"You're handsome on regular days too, it's just not quite like today!"

Yichen chuckled softly.

"Brother Chen, thank you so much for accompanying me to this gala. Otherwise, I would have been so bored alone. I was practically turning to mold at home."

"You, turning to mold?" Lu Yichen raised an eyebrow with a smile. "You little witch, turning everyone at home upside down, moving how many things back day after day, maxing out how many credit cards? Working out all day, then going to beauty spas—would someone like that ever turn to mold?"

"Brother Chen~~~~~" Bai Yixuan playfully grabbed Lu Yichen's arm, completely disregarding the fact that he was driving. "You're not allowed to make fun of me! If you're willing to accompany me, of course I wouldn't be like this... If you can keep me company, I wouldn't be bored doing nothing at all; conversely, no matter how much I do, I'll feel bored. Look at today, I am truly SO happy, hehe..." She hugged his arm and shook it a few times.

"I'm driving!" Lu Yichen reminded her with helpless resignation, thinking what a willful young miss she was. She cared nothing for the occasion, nor did she fear the dangers of driving.

"I trust Brother Chen's driving skills, heehee..." Bai Yixuan let go of Lu Yichen with a giggle. In the past few days, Lu Yichen had been coming home earlier and occasionally even stayed in to watch TV with her. He seemed much calmer than before, no longer staying out all night. This made her very happy.

"It's probably best not to trust my driving skills too much," Lu Yichen joked in response. Towards her lawless audacity, he held an attitude of almost indulgent leniency. It was as if he saw his own reflection from years ago within her.

***

The Orland Hotel. A garden-style luxury hotel situated right in the heart of the city, covering an area of over three hundred mu. Its majestic high-rise architecture curved gracefully against the urban skyline, and the top-floor banquet hall offered a panoramic view of the glittering city nightscape.

Tonight's charity gala was a grand gathering of the city's celebrities and the ultra-wealthy, as well as an unmissable annual event. Media outlets gathered in droves, as the night's proceedings bore heavily on the public image and prestige of every family and enterprise. To be reported by the media as lacking in charity was a thoroughly undesirable predicament.

Inside and outside the massive venue, stars gathered like constellations, rustling gowns brushed past one another, and couples walked arm-in-arm down the red carpet, smiling for the cameras before stepping into the hall, where ushers guided them to their designated seats.

"Welcome to the charity gala. Please sign here." The usherette held a tray with utmost politeness, resting upon it a sleek black fountain pen.

The black Maybach carrying Jun Yihan and Xia Yuwei slowly entered the gates of the Orland Hotel, greeted by babbling fountains and European-style angelic sculptures. Navigating the garden-lined driveways and pulling into the assigned parking lot, a valet promptly stepped forward to open the door for Xia Yuwei and invite her to step out. Meanwhile, Jun Yihan had already emerged from the driver's seat, walked around the front of the car to Xia Yuwei's side, and handed the car keys to the valet for parking.

Xia Yuwei looked up at her surroundings. It had been a very long time since she last set foot in such a luxurious place. She felt somewhat out of place.

Jun Yihan extended his hand toward Xia Yuwei.

Xia Yuwei placed her hand in his. Suddenly, she broke into a bright smile. "Don't I look just like Cinderella right now?"

Beneath the magic wand, the pumpkin transformed into a carriage, gray rags turned into a magnificent princess gown, barefoot soles slipped into glass slippers, and she danced hand-in-hand with the prince—yet the moment the clock struck midnight, everything would revert to its original form. The gorgeous carriage would become a pumpkin, and the stunning gown would turn back into dust and rags.

Still, Cinderella wasn't a bad choice after all. She was already used to it.

"You were always a princess, not Cinderella. —You are an angel fallen into the mortal realm," Jun Yihan told her softly, taking her hand as they walked toward the hotel lobby.

This man certainly knew how to say the right things... Xia Yuwei thought to herself. Towards this man she had known for barely a few days, she had always harbored a strange sense of comfort and familiarity, as if they had known each other from a long time ago. And it seemed he felt the exact same way about her.

"Where is there an angel as old as me..." Xia Yuwei lowered her head with a hint of bashfulness.

"Heh, twenty-eight is the prime of life. Don't call yourself old," he said.

A silver-gray sedan brushed past them.

That familiar silhouette—was she seeing things? It should have been impossible for her to be here today. Was he missing her so deeply that he was hallucinating?