Elena Shen wasn't particularly interested in the items up for auction. After accompanying Annie Gu to bid on two collectibles, she left the hall and headed to the charity banquet in the main lobby of the Yujin Hotel.
By the time they arrived, the banquet was already teeming with elites and socialites. The entire venue sparkled with soft light and elegant murmurs as small groups clustered together, toasting and exchanging pleasantries.
Elena knew full well that Annie had invited her tonight to serve as a buffer against Evan Cheng's unwanted attention. So after exchanging a few perfunctory greetings with those who approached them, Elena followed Annie and a few acquaintances—including Mason Meng—into the lounge area on the left side of the hall.
As the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, Mason held a semi-host role at the event and couldn't linger in the lounge as long as the others. Another friend, Xiangwan Ji, also left shortly after her brother Silas Ji arrived, giving Elena and Annie a quick nod before heading over to him.
Elena had always disliked the superficial flattery of high-society banquets. Rather than maintain a professional smile and entertain wave after wave of insincere conversations, she much preferred the quiet refuge of the lounge.
She stuck close to Annie the entire evening. Evan Cheng tried several times to approach, but seeing that Elena was glued to Annie's side, he frowned and, in the end, never came over.
Midway through the event, a group of trending celebrities and entertainment investors arrived straight from the auction house.
Among them was Grace Su.
Neither Elena nor Annie had any interest in the entertainment industry. While they lounged comfortably on the sofa chatting about the auction, they paid no mind to the new arrivals in the main hall.
Grace, however, noticed them immediately. As she entered on the arm of one of the main investors, Mr. Zhang, her gaze fell directly on the corner lounge where Elena and Annie sat talking beneath the soft light near the window.
Their identities were too prominent to ignore. Even without going out of their way to socialize, they naturally attracted others eager to flatter them.
Grace's gaze lingered on that spot, and though she forced a smile, a storm of envy and resentment surged beneath her composed façade.
She had worked tirelessly to become Mr. Zhang's companion tonight—one of her last remaining links to the industry. Yet, even here, she was still considered an outsider. Mr. Zhang soon left her behind to mingle with powerful investors and old-money heirs.
Grace drifted around the room with a glass of champagne before slipping into a secluded corner to make a call.
The line was picked up quickly.
"Is it ready?" Her voice was low, sharp.
On the other end, her agent, Bai Yi, let out a weary sigh, full of warning and frustration.
"Grace, don't act on impulse. Do you know how hard I had to work to get you into this charity banquet? Everyone here is way above us—investors, directors, even the socialites. If you cause trouble tonight, we're finished."
"You need to wake up. This dream of becoming a wealthy heiress—let it go. Focus on building ties with the right people, or not even I can help you salvage your image."
Despite Bai Yi's efforts, Grace's voice was flat, unyielding.
"I know exactly what I'm doing. I just need you to help me one last time."
She hung up and turned back to gaze across the banquet hall. Through the clinking of glasses and soft hum of conversation, her eyes found Elena Shen once more.
After the recent scandal with Jasper Zhong went public, Grace had racked her brain trying to understand what caused Adrian Jiang's attitude toward her to change so drastically.
She had once assumed it was because of the night at Shengye, when she brought director Lucas Zheng to Adrian's attention, offending him in the process.
But later, she recalled a detail she'd missed.
Adrian had seen Elena that very same night—after which he began ignoring her.
Since then, the endorsement deals Grace had secured all evaporated, one after another, under the weight of negative headlines. Even the dramas that hadn't begun filming were dropped. She was on the brink of being forced out of the industry.
She had come to tonight's banquet hoping to find a new benefactor. With Adrian out of the picture, she needed another hand to pull her from the quicksand.
But seeing Elena here, calm and radiant, all those practical plans were swept away by a flood of venomous jealousy.
Why did Elena get to live unbothered and carefree while she was being dragged through hell by the media?
Why did Elena's mere appearance unravel everything she had clawed and bled to build for two years?
Grace Su was not content.
She refused to accept her fall from grace—one night, and she had plummeted from paradise into a pit.
Finding a new sponsor was necessary.
But more than anything, she wanted to drag Elena Shen down with her.
She had already gone mad with bitterness. And a madwoman always does what a madwoman must.
Thirty minutes later, Grace returned from the terrace. As she passed the dessert table, she "accidentally" bumped into a server holding a tray of drinks.
She apologized quickly and steadied the glasses with exaggerated care.
Once the waiter moved on, she turned toward Mr. Zhang's table—only to hear someone near the door say: "Second Young Master Jiang is here."
She turned. And to her surprise, there he was—Adrian Jiang, walking in from the rain.
In the lounge, Mason Meng returned, heels clicking softly across the marble floor. She plopped down on the sofa across from Elena and Annie, rubbing her sore ankles and grumbling about never attending another charity banquet again.
A server arrived with drinks—two flutes of champagne placed in front of Annie and Mason, and a glass of fresh juice handed to Elena.
Mason looked at the juice and smiled knowingly.
Resting her cheek on her hand, her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Ahem. My brother said President Jiang made a special call to remind the banquet staff not to serve Mrs. Jiang any alcohol tonight. He's really afraid you'll get tipsy."