"Yes, Meng Jingwei is from the countryside, she definitely can't dance."
"Heh, even if she flies to a branch, she can't become a phoenix. In the end, she's just a country bumpkin. If she hadn't had the good fortune to save Master Qing and Madam Qing, she might be setting up a street stall somewhere now."
"Isn't that the truth."
"If she can't even dance ballroom, how can she dare to mingle in high society circles? She's so out of place."
"Look at how she can't stop eating. She truly looks like a refugee returning from a famine, so pathetic."
...
Some people gathered around, speaking with great harshness.
Meng Jingwei listened to their piercing words, completely unfazed.
If she were to live under others' gazes every day, the only one who would be tired would be herself.
Finally, dozens of gazes shot towards her. She remained composed, resting her elbows on the table, her small hand propping up her cheek, and her right hand holding a fork to pick up a piece of glutinous rice cake, chewing it slowly.
Blinking her big, watery eyes, she looked at Qing Sihui, "Seventh Uncle, is the set of jewelry from that Figg Jewelry expensive?"
Everyone was waiting to see Meng Jingwei in an embarrassing situation, but she was self-possessed, as if she had social superpowers.
"Pfft... truly greedy, her eyes only see money."
"Asking so shamelessly, isn't that putting Figg Jewelry in an awkward position?"
"This Figg Jewelry is a subsidiary of the Chu Corporation, managed by Miss Chu. Her offerings are naturally lavish."
"As expected of someone from the countryside, a country bumpkin."
...
Perhaps because Qing Muye was not present at the moment, and Qing Sihui had not been in the country for many years, many people were not very familiar with him.
They spoke particularly harshly to Meng Jingwei, as if finding ways to embarrass her.
Listening to the words of those beside her, Meng Jingwei belatedly realized that this was not bad luck at all. It was clearly Chu Xue's deliberate attempt to set her up.
Qing Sihui shook his head, "This... it's quite a challenge for me."
Qing Sihui was clearly telling Meng Jingwei that he did not know the value of the jewelry.
"If it's not valuable, I won't join the fun," Meng Jingwei said loudly.
"Miss Meng is new to Lancheng, so it's understandable that you're not familiar with Figg Jewelry. However, the two latest limited edition jewelry sets today each cost five million five hundred eighty thousand. Moreover, limited editions will only increase in value."
From the crowd, Chu Xue, who had changed into a white and gray gradient evening gown, walked out. She was as proud as a swan, looking at Meng Jingwei disdainfully, with provocation in her eyes.
When Meng Jingwei bid on the necklace upstairs, although her bid was high, where did that money come from?
Wasn't it the Qing family who paid the expenses?
No matter how elegantly she dressed, she would be easily seen through.
"Chu Xue, don't make things difficult for Jingwei. I'll dance this dance for her today."
Li Yun'er appeared from somewhere, her smiling beautiful eyes glanced at Meng Jingwei, and then she said to Chu Xue, "She's feeling a little unwell today."
Her words made everyone unable to help but praise Li Yun'er's generosity. Her "explanation" shielded Meng Jingwei from embarrassment, showing how good a person she was.
But in reality, it also made it clear to everyone that she, Meng Jingwei, simply couldn't dance!
"No one minds your deep sisterly bond, but the rules of the party are here. If you dance for her, it's equivalent to cheating, isn't it destroying the rules and creating unfairness?"
Chu Xue's old classmate Chen Qian, after the incident at the Qing family's old residence, had also been holding a grudge against Li Yun'er. Their years of friendship had naturally ended.
This was why Chen Qian was adding fuel to the fire here with sarcasm.
Little did she know, this was exactly the result Chu Xue and Li Yun'er wanted.
"Without rules, nothing can be done properly. If you dance for Meng Jingwei, the prize won't belong to her." Chen Qian kept fanning the flames, wanting to put her in a difficult position.
For a moment, Meng Jingwei became the target of public criticism.
After all, with the boost from the auction upstairs, she had become the shining highlight of the charity gala.
Some envied her luck, some were jealous of her beauty, and naturally, many more were waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
The spotlight operator's beam of light was always on Meng Jingwei, the powerful "focus," drawing everyone's attention.
Everyone beside her stood, only Meng Jingwei sat calmly. Under everyone's intense gaze, she slowly picked up her champagne, took a sip, and then looked up at Chu Xue, "Miss Chu, how many lucky star rewards are there tonight?"
"Only two." Chu Xue slightly raised her chin, with the arrogance of the eldest princess of the Chu Corporation.
"Oh~~"
Meng Jingwei nodded, then feigned "curiosity" and asked, "I didn't study much, I don't know what 'lucky star' means. Can someone explain it to me?"
This was a deliberately set trap. Chu Xue, being quite perceptive, didn't respond immediately.
But there were many people at the scene waiting to see a joke, so someone said, "Since it's a lucky star reward, it naturally rewards the two luckiest pairs of people today."
After that person finished speaking, Meng Jingwei deliberately tilted her head and glanced at the crowd, "Wow, which young lady is so knowledgeable!" She gave a thumbs-up and praised her.
Everyone listened to Meng Jingwei's words, somewhat confused, but the astute ones had already understood her intentions.
Then, Meng Jingwei slowly stood up, her cold eyes looking at Chu Xue, "Miss Chu, since you've set up 'lucky star' rewards, they are based on luck, and even those who go to the dance floor to dance must follow the wishes of the 'lucky ones'."
She said this, then looked at Chen Qian and shook her head, "Miss Chen, right? It's okay if you didn't study much and can't grasp the key points, but as a person, it's important to have self-awareness. Look, even though I didn't study much, I don't come out to show off, I just humbly 'seek guidance.' Moreover, the sponsor of the 'lucky star' today is Figg Jewelry, a subsidiary of the Chu Corporation, and the executive president of Figg Jewelry is Miss Chu Xue, the eldest princess of the Chu family. The right to explain the event should naturally belong to her."
"You boldly stand out and shout, and if people didn't know, they would think you are the eldest daughter of the Chu family."
"Besides, what's the point of Figg Jewelry sponsoring the jewelry? It's promotion! If your unreliable 'explanation' is heard by others, they might think that our Miss Chu can't afford to play. Isn't that bringing disrepute to the Chu Corporation?"
"Yes, not only disrepute, but also high-level disrepute!"
Meng Jingwei, with her silver tongue, argued with everyone, and then sighed, "Alas, Miss Chen, you've grown so old and still don't know how to grasp the key points of everything. If your Chinese teacher knew, they might not be able to rest in peace. Speaking of which, which school did you graduate from? Tsk tsk tsk... your college entrance exam must have been watered down a lot."
"You..."
Chen Qian just wanted to seize the opportunity to humiliate Meng Jingwei, but she never expected Meng Jingwei to speak so cunningly and sharply, hitting her with a critical blow that left her "utterly defeated."
She stammered, stomped her feet in anger, and finally retorted, "Meng Jingwei, you're saying all that nonsense, aren't you just afraid of dancing? To put it bluntly, you're just a wild girl from the countryside who can't dance, so you're making so many excuses."