There were simply too many people ahead.
Wen Zhi and Lian Qiao weren't short, but surrounded by a crowd of tall men, their view was completely blocked.
Just as Lian Qiao was about to squeeze forward, a tall, slim man in a well-tailored suit suddenly stepped in front of her, cutting off her line of sight.
He smiled politely.
"Miss Lian."
At the sound of his voice, both Wen Zhi and Lian Qiao turned to look at him.
The man's gaze shifted from Lian Qiao—
—and landed squarely on Wen Zhi's face.
The moment he saw her, his eyes lit up with unmistakable amazement.
Lian Qiao: …Seriously? Of all moments, he had to show up now?!
She glanced reluctantly toward the bustling crowd again. It really was impossible to push through at this point.
Forget it—business came first.
She decisively abandoned the idea of seeing the mysterious tycoon and grabbed Wen Zhi's hand, smiling brightly.
"Darling, come here! Let me introduce you," she said cheerfully.
"This is Jiang Xian, Director of Marketing Division Six at Mingguang Group! Our family's company has been working with him these past few months. We met a few times overseas and got along pretty well, so I thought I'd introduce you two!"
Then she turned to Jiang Xian, pride practically glowing on her face.
"Director Jiang, this is the best friend I told you about—Wen Zhi. She's beautiful, capable, has an amazing personality… honestly, she's perfect in every way. See? I wasn't exaggerating, was I?"
Before meeting Wen Zhi, Jiang Xian had actually doubted Lian Qiao's words.
She'd once said:
I have a friend who's insanely beautiful. Honestly, if you lined her up with celebrities, even top actresses would pale in comparison.
He'd thought it was an exaggeration.
But now—
Seeing Wen Zhi in person, he realized Lian Qiao hadn't exaggerated at all.
They were merely exchanging a calm glance, yet his heartbeat inexplicably sped up.
She's… dangerously beautiful.
He smiled warmly and extended his hand.
"Miss Wen, it's a pleasure. I've heard Miss Lian mention you several times."
Wen Zhi lifted her hand and shook his briefly.
"Mr. Jiang. Nice to meet you."
Lian Qiao beamed and pulled Wen Zhi toward a table.
"Let's not stand around—sit down and chat for a bit."
Wen Zhi shot her a suspicious look.
Why did this girl look way too smug for someone simply introducing friends?
Something was off.
Meanwhile, at the very center of the crowd—
High-society elites swarmed around the rarely seen president of Mingguang Group, desperate to curry favor.
Mo Tingyan had come tonight simply to find Jiang Nanzhong and kill some time.
Instead, being surrounded like this only irritated him further.
His eyes were calm and distant, carrying a natural chill—
a single glance was enough to make people hesitate before approaching.
With Jiang Nanzhong accompanying him, they headed toward their private VIP lounge.
Two tall, striking men moved through the crowd—
one icy and aloof, eyes forward;
the other smiling gently, greeting people with ease.
They looked like fire and ice.
Thanks to his height, Jiang Nanzhong spotted a familiar figure through a gap in the crowd.
He squinted, looked again—and a smile crept onto his lips.
Leaning closer, he said softly,
"Big brother, check your five o'clock direction. Doesn't that look like your little wife?"
Wen Zhi?
Impossible.
Mo Tingyan turned his head.
The next second—
his body stiffened.
It really was her.
So the "event" she mentioned… was this banquet.
The woman beside her? He could ignore that.
But the man sitting across from her—
staring far too openly, with desire written all over his face?
A cold smile tugged at Mo Tingyan's lips, making his expression even more unreadable.
After only two seconds, he withdrew his gaze and said in a low voice,
"Check that man."
Jiang Nanzhong raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing.
"Big brother, there are so many men here. Which one do you want me to check?"
Mo Tingyan shot him a lethal look.
Jiang Nanzhong coughed awkwardly.
"Alright, alright, don't glare. I'll have someone look into it right away."
He glanced over again, shaking his head inwardly.
Which idiot has a death wish long enough to flirt with my sister-in-law?
At the table—
Jiang Xian tried hard to keep his gaze polite as he chatted casually with the two women, but his eyes kept drifting back to Wen Zhi.
Lian Qiao shot him a subtle look.
Jiang Xian cleared his throat slightly.
"Miss Wen, I heard from Miss Lian that you're a flight attendant with Jiang Hang Airlines?"
Wen Zhi glanced at Lian Qiao.
This girl… why does she tell people everything?
She replied calmly,
"Yes."
Lian Qiao hooked her arm around Wen Zhi proudly.
"Not just any flight attendant—she's the most beautiful flight attendant at Jiang Hang."
Wen Zhi: "..."
Jiang Xian smiled.
"That's true. Miss Wen is exceptionally beautiful."
Lian Qiao waved her hand.
"Alright, Director Jiang, enough compliments. Let's talk about something practical—tell us about yourself."
"Sure."
This time, Jiang Xian looked directly at Wen Zhi—open and earnest.
"I'm twenty-five years old. I work in the marketing department at Mingguang Group. The salary is decent—when commissions are good, I can earn around 800,000 a year."
"I own a 120-square-meter apartment in downtown Jiang City. There's about 600,000 left on the mortgage, which I expect to pay off within two years. I also own a car—no loan. It's a—"
Wen Zhi instantly recognized the pattern.
Standard blind date script.
She quickly interrupted,
"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang. Could I speak with Qiao privately for a moment?"
Jiang Xian stopped immediately and nodded politely.
"Of course."
Wen Zhi stood, inclined her head, and dragged Lian Qiao to a quiet corner.
Arms crossed, she stared her down.
"Explain. Now."
Lian Qiao grinned shamelessly.
"You told me before that your stepmother and dad were trying to marry you off to some old man, right?"
"Mo Tingjue is trash and totally unreliable. I couldn't just sit back and watch you become some old creep's dessert."
"So after thinking it over, I decided to marry you off first—and secretly found you a pretty good candidate!"
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"I vetted Jiang Xian carefully. Clean family background, hardworking, ambitious. And he even said that if he gets married, he's willing to put his spouse's name on the house."
"Think about it—he's young, already a high-level executive at Mingguang Group. That's a prime investment stock, okay?"
Wen Zhi looked at her best friend—who clearly believed she'd planned everything perfectly—and felt a deep sense of helplessness.
"Qiao… we've made a huge misunderstanding."
She paused, then said softly but firmly,
"There's something I meant to tell you later."
"I'm actually… already married."