1164 The Betrothed Heiress

She pursed her lips and said, “I’m leaving.”

Zhong Li watched the graceful figure disappear before he whistled and looked away.

At that moment, his eyes met Huo Yunque’s. He smiled and said, “Miss Song seems to be much prettier than that time at Huo Manor. She’s become more of a woman.”

These words were very impolite.

!!
Huo Yunque smiled without changing his expression. “Thank you. She would be very happy if she heard someone praise her for her beauty.”

Zhong Li’s original intention was to infuriate him. He wanted to see a different expression on Huo Yunque’s face than usual, but it was obvious that Huo Yunque did not comply with him.

He was calm and composed, with a cold temperament.

Standing in the crowd, he was the most eye-catching presence.

Zhong Li smiled smugly. “It doesn’t appear as though you like Miss Song all that much”

Huo Yunque said calmly, “If you say so.”

Zhong Li: “…”

He almost couldn’t maintain his smile. Huo Yunque’s arrogant expression provoked him.

“I wonder if Miss Song knows. With her personality, if she knew that she wasn’t as liked by you as she imagined, she would definitely be very sad, right?” He put his hands in his pockets, looked into the distance, and saw Zhongli Xue slowly walking over in a white dress. The crowd automatically opened up a path for her. Both men and women were surprised when they saw her.

He suddenly asked, “Isn’t our Xue beautiful? What a shame…” Zhong Li pretended to sigh, “Originally, Xue should have been your fiancée.”

Hearing this, Huo Yunque let out a short laugh.

The crystal chandelier above the hotel was luxurious, and the light shone on his eyes like melted gold.

He looked at Zhong Li gently. “Mr. Zhong Li, Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to say these words now?”

“Oh! Sorry-”

Zhong Li spread his hands and shrugged without any sincerity, “I didn’t mean any harm, I simply felt it was a pity. After all, compared to Huo Ningxi, I actually like you more.”

“Is that so?”

Huo Yunque’s gaze fell on a certain spot. “Mr. Zhong Li is quite interesting. I’ll take what you said today as a joke. In the past, the two families did joke about this…” His smile became more and more harmless, and his temperament was elegant and refined. “My father was referring to the true daughter of the Zhong Li family, not this-”

Huo Yunque shook his head and did not say anything else.

Zhong Li’s expression completely darkened.

“Huo, Yun, Que!” He enunciated each syllable clearly.

Huo Yunque was no longer interested. He brushed away the dust that did not exist on his clothes and nodded elegantly. “I’m sorry, I should go find my little wife. I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, he walked away with an elegant posture and a noble temperament. It was as if he was strolling in a garden, without the slightest hint of impatience.

Zhong Li slowly tightened his hands, and his eyes were completely dark.

“Brother…”

Zhongli Xue had arrived at some point in time and she was standing timidly beside Zhong Li, calling out to him softly.

Her eyes chased after the figure in front of her, and a hint of sadness quickly flashed across her eyes.

Zhong Li retracted his gaze and lowered his head.

His voice was cold and indifferent. “Why are you here? You should be by Huo Ningxi’s side at this time. Today is your engagement ceremony,” he reminded her lightly.

Zhongli Xue curled up her fingers, and her beautiful manicured fingernails left a crescent mark on her palm.

Something flashed past her eyes. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she just nodded obediently.

“I know. I just saw you here, that’s why…” she couldn’t help but want to come over to take a look. Zhongli Xue smiled and said, “Since you’re busy, brother, I’ll go and look for Ningxi.”

Zhong Li replied coldly, “Yes. By the way…”

He thought of something and called out to Zhongli Xue.

Zhongli Xue, who had already turned away, quickly turned back around. Her eyes quickly lit up.

“Perform well. Don’t mess up today’s banquet,” he ordered.

Zhongli Xue’s heart seemed to be suddenly gripped by something. It pulled hard, and the light in her eyes quickly extinguished.

She nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

…

Huo Ningxi sent away a few guests who had come to inquire about his current relationship with Huo Yunque and pinched the space between his eyebrows in frustration.

“Ningxi!” The girl’s voice was full of joy.

Huo Ningxi looked over, and under the bright crystal chandelier, a slender Zhongli Xue in a white dress walked towards him.

Huo Ningxi reached out his hand, and a smile quickly appeared in his eyes as he asked gently, “Where did you go just now? I was looking for you.”

His gentle look made Zhongli Xue blush slightly. She lowered her head shyly and put her small hand into his big hand. “I went to talk to my brother.”

“Why are you still so shy? I haven’t seen brother yet. Let’s go and greet him together later.” Huo Ningxi let Zhongli Xue hold his arm as they weaved their way through the guests and chatted with them with a smile on their faces.

Zhongli Xue’s smile froze for a moment before she quickly agreed.

“Sure!”

The two walked together and heard the guests’ descriptions of them.

A perfect match, a perfect match, a perfect match…

Every time they heard these words, Huo Ningxi and Zhongli Xue would look at each other and smile in tacit understanding. The air seemed to be filled with romance.

…

“Here’s to the Best Actress and Best Actor!”

Tang Xinrou took two cocktails from a passing waiter’s tray and stuffed one into Song Yaoyao’s hand as she stared unblinkingly at the couple not far away.

In the banquet hall, everyone’s gaze would pause for a few seconds when they passed by the couple.

Then, they would sincerely exclaim, “They really match.”

Song Yaoyao couldn’t help but laugh.

Tang Xinrou ridiculed, “These two have such good acting skills, why don’t they just enter the entertainment industry? They’re so skilled!”

“How do you know that they’re not truly in love?” Song Yaoyao asked back.

“Intuition, alright? After all, I have experience being in a relationship.” Tang Xinrou rolled her eyes at her. “Don’t say that you haven’t noticed that they don’t have the aura that a couple should have.”

They looked like a temporary couple formed by force. It seemed harmonious, but in reality, their interaction in the eyes of a professional actress like Tang Xinrou, seemed stiff and awkward.

Compared to her, Huo Tian was clearly much more direct.

She said angrily, “Brother Ningxi, are you blind? Why would you take a fancy to such a pretentious person? The moment I saw her, my head hurt from the disgust. Could there really be a person in this world who is as pure as the snow lotus of the Tianshan Mountains?”

After she finished speaking, she took a quick glance at Song Yaoyao.

She was as beautiful as ever.

The incident from before had left quite a mark on Huo Tian’s heart, and she could still remember it clearly now. How could someone with such a despairing gaze change just like that? Furthermore, how could Zhongli Xue compare to the person beside her?

Even though she was domineering, Huo Tian had to admit that she was really outstanding.

“Pfff!”

Tang Xinrou laughed out loud. “Why don’t you just call her a fake who’s simple and crude?”

Huo Tian snorted. “That’s not enough. She’s worse than that.” Otherwise, how would she be able to seduce Huo Ningxi?