Elena Shen couldn't sit still any longer. If she let her imaginative best friend keep talking, she might just conjure up a child for her out of nowhere.
Setting down her glass, Elena stood up and walked toward the bedroom.
"I've got class later. Stop daydreaming already. I'm grabbing my laptop, let's head back to school."
"What's the rush?" Annie Gu followed close behind. "We've still got over forty minutes."
When it came to the marriage between Elena and Ethan Jiang, Annie was more fired up than anyone, acting like she'd been injected with chicken blood.
She followed her all the way into the bedroom, still reminding Elena:
"You really should think about the idea of marrying Ethan. He's way more dependable than Adrian."
"But even if you missed your chance last night, it's not the end. My brother said Ethan is the type who never gives up once he's made up his mind. Since he's proposed marriage once, he'll definitely bring it up again."
Elena: "..."
Annie was seriously invested in this match—so much so that, even on the ride back to Huaihai University, she kept explaining the advantages of marrying Ethan.
Elena's ears were about to grow calluses from it.
As they passed through the university gates, Elena seized the chance to change the topic.
"What about your own arranged marriage with the Cheng family?"
Annie paused, then sighed in frustration. "I didn't deal with it—I just let it cool off. I don't agree to it anyway. Even if I were to marry for business, I'd want someone decent. Evan Cheng may look polished on the surface, but underneath he's just another womanizing playboy. I'm not interested."
"What does your brother think?"
Annie replied, "My dad's the one who agreed to the marriage. Winston knows enough about Evan to disapprove. He said he'd talk to our dad and convince him to reject the proposal."
After saying that, Annie's eyes sparkled with mischief.
Elena knew that looked all too well. After years of friendship, she could tell exactly what Annie was about to bring up—and promptly shut her down:
"Come to the lab with me. You can help out."
"… Me?" Annie pointed at herself. "You want me in the lab?"
Elena nodded. "Yes, this afternoon. I'll brief you on the project's progress. We're short on time, so you'd better catch up now."
Whatever Annie wanted to say was drowned out as Elena spent the next twenty minutes explaining her research project in detail, all the way into the lecture hall.
—
Elena had never really been drunk before.
She didn't know that the 'blackout' memories from a drunken night were coming back to pieces.
Over the next couple of days, random flashbacks started popping into her head.
And the more she remembered, the more she dreaded seeing Ethan.
Fortunately, he was tied up with the merger between E.R. Group and Tiancheng's headquarters and hadn't been to the apartment in days.
A week passed in a blink.
The weekend marked the birthday banquet for Annie and Winston Gu. Starting early Saturday morning, Annie kept spamming Elena with messages, worried she'd forget.
It was always funny how the Gu siblings shared the same birthday—even though Winston was seven years older.
Every year, the Gu family throws an extravagant party.
Winston's friends would all show up, and the Gu family's status in Huaihai meant most of the city's elite—whether for business or reputation—would attend.
When Elena arrived at the Gu family's banquet villa that weekend, the venue was already bustling with well-dressed guests.
Just as she stepped into the hall, Annie, dressed like a princess in a pearl-studded gown, came beaming over.
"You're finally here, my little goddess."
Elena handed her the beautifully wrapped gift box, her smile radiant. "Happy birthday, my lady."
Annie graciously took both boxes, then glanced at the slightly darker-wrapped one underneath, restraining her curiosity.
"That one's for my brother, right?"
Elena nodded with a smile.
Annie hooked her arm through Elena's and led her further inside, teasing, "Since you gave them both to me, maybe I'll just keep them both."
Elena's gaze swept the grand hall filled with Huaihai's elites. By the cake display near the front, Winston was surrounded by a few close friends.
Returning her attention to Annie, she said lazily, "Sure. If your brother agrees."
Annie declared, "He has no say—it's from my best friend!"
At the dessert table, Annie handed Elena a cupcake and pulled her aside to chat.
But before they'd said much, Annie's cheerful face suddenly turned frosty. She stiffened, stabbing her dessert with a spoon.
Elena followed her line of sight.
In the center of the hall, a young man in a sharp suit was making his way toward them—but before he could get far, Winston called him back.
Elena recognized him with a glance. Even though she hadn't been socializing much in recent years, she grew up in this circle—she knew who everyone was.
That was Evan Cheng—the man Annie nearly married.
Rumor had it, he was quite capable.
Since taking over his family's company, he has made impressive progress. While the Cheng family's background wasn't quite as powerful as the Gu's, it wasn't far off either. Evan had risen above all his cousins and uncles to become the clear heir to the Cheng Group.
That was why, when he proposed a marriage alliance, Annie's father was tempted to agree.
But Winston Gu was the ultimate overprotective brother.
Once Annie clearly refused the idea, Evan never got a chance to speak to her alone during the entire party.
Later, as the banquet neared its end, Winston called Annie over. Elena, feeling dizzy from the noise and champagne, set her glass down and slipped out the side door for some fresh air in the garden behind the hall.
Just two minutes under the crabapple trellis, a mocking voice sounded behind her.
"Well, well. If it isn't Miss Shen. Long time no see."
Elena turned to see Mason Meng step out of the side door, followed by two tag-along girls from lesser families.
All three of them had the same arrogant posture and self-important expressions—especially Mason.
The two had been at odds since childhood.
The Meng family sat comfortably in the upper-middle tier of Huaihai's elite. Ten years ago, when Elena's parents were alive, Mason wouldn't have dared raise her voice around her.
But after the Shen family's downfall and the plunge in their company's shares, the Meng family pounced and climbed several rungs on the social ladder.
Ever since then, Mason has taken great pleasure in stepping on Elena whenever she could.
But before she had a chance to succeed, Elena was taken in by the Jiang family. Madam Jiang personally raised her like a daughter and brought her to every important event, reintroducing her to the social scene just like Elena's own mother once had.
Because of the Jiang family's power and the long-standing engagement between their two families, Mason had to hold back her animosity.
But now, with rumors swirling that Adrian Jiang had rejected the marriage and Elena was soon to be discarded, Mason could hardly resist.
The recent viral video of Adrian and Grace Su only added fuel to the fire.
So when Elena stepped out alone, Mason followed.
"Didn't see you around these past couple of years. I thought the Shen family's precious daughter was too ashamed to show her face."
"What's the occasion today? Decided to come out of hiding?"
Before Elena could respond, one of the girls behind Mason scoffed, "She's only here because of Annie Gu. Without that friendship, how would a girl with no parents even belong in this circle?"
No parents.
Elena's eyes narrowed.
Mason sneered and piled on, "I used to think you at least had the Jiang family as backup. But look what happened? It doesn't matter how much Chairperson Jiang and his wife like you—Adrian won't marry you. He's all over the news with that actress now. And your so-called brother? He's always overseas and never even comes home."
"If I were you, I'd have left the circle the day my parents died—AH!"
Mason's scream echoed with the crisp slap Elena delivered across her cheek.
Shaking out her stinging hand, Elena watched Mason's face swell with a clear red print.
Mason's face twisted in disbelief. "You slapped me?"
Elena's palm burned, but she didn't flinch.
"Yeah. I did. You talk about my parents like that again, and you'll get worse. What—weren't your parents the ones who raised you?"
Mason was livid.
One of the girls behind her finally snapped out of shock and rushed to support her. She turned angrily toward Elena to demand justice.
Elena glanced at her with a chill in her eyes.
"Right. I almost forgot you. Don't worry, I've got something for you too."
Before the girl could react, Elena slapped her cleanly across the face with her other hand.
The scream was even louder than Mason's.
If it weren't for the noise of the piano and guests inside, people would've come running by now.
Mason thought Adrian's absence from the party confirmed the end of his ties with Elena.
Back in the day, Adrian always brought Elena to every gathering—protecting her like a beloved sister.
Now that the engagement was effectively off, and he hadn't shown up all night, Mason let loose.
But just as she raised her hand to slap back, a cold voice rang out from behind—