Chapter 173: Chapter 173 Attending the Banquet
Tang Yuxiu squinted slightly, "I’ve said it before, she isn’t anyone important, and has nothing to do with me."
"Really?" Nie Rong felt a burst of joy in her heart.
"Hmm." Tang Yuxiu replied with a hint of impatience.
Hearing it directly from Tang Yuxiu, she subconsciously believed it.
Gu Yan isn’t as outstanding as she is in every aspect, looking so ordinary, how could she have anything to do with Tang Yuxiu?
Hmm, maybe it really was just a fling.
But she didn’t expect Gu Yan to be so capable, clearing things up with Tang Yuxiu and soon getting involved with the Young Master of the Qin Family.
Who knew she had such skills.
Even she almost got fooled, thinking Gu Yan was just a simple girl.
Truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Nie Rong sneered at Gu Yan in her heart, looking down on her even more.
A woman who relies on men to climb up, as a wealthy family’s daughter, she despised the most.
Gu Yan got along well with Qin Junnan, while Tang Yuxiu and Nie Rong barely talked.
Nie Rong didn’t mind Tang Yuxiu’s cold attitude today, as long as she confirmed from his mouth that Gu Yan wasn’t anyone important, she was content.
She would never let Tang Yuxiu know that she only mentioned it after seeing Gu Yan with Qin Junnan, and then went to greet Qin Junnan.
She just wanted to see how Tang Yuxiu would react upon seeing this scene.
The result was obvious; Tang Yuxiu didn’t even glance at Gu Yan, and his answer made her very satisfied.
She seemed to foresee the position of the Tang Family’s Young Mistress getting closer to her.
After Gu Yan and Qin Junnan finished their meal, Qin Junnan sent Gu Yan to the nearest bus stop in the Lixin Villa District.
Watching Qin Junnan walk away, she then leisurely walked back.
Just as she reached the villa entrance, a strong car light suddenly flashed from behind, followed by a sudden brake.
Tang Yuxiu got out of the car, slamming the door loudly as if venting some anger.
Seeing her standing at the door, he sneered sarcastically, "Back so soon? Didn’t spend more time with Qin Junnan?"
Gu Yan unlocked the door with a key, and said lightly, "Those words should be for Young Master Tang."
You’re back so early, didn’t you spend more time with Miss Nie?
Gu Yan’s entire being was sour with jealousy, as she stomps into the house, carelessly kicking off her shoes, not bothering to put them away properly.
Behind her, Tang Yuxiu, with a gloomy face, felt uneasy seeing the scattered shoes on the floor, changed his own shoes, and his OCD compelled him to place her shoes neatly on the shoe rack. Shouting at Gu Yan who was heading upstairs, "What the hell are you throwing a tantrum about!"
He hadn’t even lost his temper seeing her eat with Qin Junnan, yet she had the nerve to give him attitude first!
"Where would I dare to throw a tantrum at you, Young Master Tang? You’re mistaken." Gu Yan went upstairs without turning back.
Tang Yuxiu, angry, quickly followed her upstairs, and just as he reached the bedroom door, it slammed in his face nearly hitting his nose.
Young Master Tang’s face grew even darker as he gritted his teeth across the door, "Gu Yan, you actually dare to lock me out!"
A mock imitated voice from inside the bedroom replied, "Oh my, sorry Young Master Tang, it wasn’t intentional, just a slip of the hand. Your grace is generous, don’t hold it against me, please open the door yourself. This little woman is going to take a bath and change her clothes."
After saying that, the sound of the door closing was heard inside the room, and the woman really went into the bathroom.
Young Master Tang, with a sullen face, opened the door and went in. The sound of running water from the bathroom, mixed faintly with Gu Yan’s humming, made him want to smash the door down.
Inside the bathroom, just imagining Tang Yuxiu’s bad expression made Gu Yan feel content and forget about the night’s unhappiness.
Oh, right, she remembered something else.
Through the sound of water and the bathroom door, her voice came out, "Young Master Tang, do you know why I’m dining with my senior today?"
Tang Yuxiu was sitting on the bed, how would he know, why would he need to know!
"Tomorrow is your promotion banquet, and he asked me to be his date."
What? Date?
Young Master Tang felt a deep displeasure rising in his heart.
Gu Yan continued inside, "I agreed, so don’t be surprised when you see me tomorrow."
Even though her presence or absence might not make much of a difference to Tang Yuxiu, she felt it was better to let him know in advance, lest they run into each other and it would be sudden and unprepared.
It’s always good to be prepared.
She actually agreed!
Young Master Tang gritted his teeth, did she even regard him, her benefactor, at all! How dare she casually agree to be another man’s date at his banquet!
Outrageous!
"Gu Yan, have you forgotten your status!" Tang Yuxiu shouted at the bathroom door.
Inside it was silent for a moment, then her voice came again, "Just your mistress, right? Don’t worry, I couldn’t forget this status even if I wanted to."
Her voice carried a hint of self-mockery, and Tang Yuxiu instantly regretted saying such words again.
But he couldn’t help himself.
"Since you know, why would you agree to be someone else’s date!"
"The senior couldn’t find a partner, so he asked me for help. I’m just returning a favor."
Gu Yan’s explanation made Tang Yuxiu feel a bit better, but he couldn’t stop the anger from bubbling up inside.
"You’d better keep your distance from him. You should know your boundaries!"
"Okay." Gu Yan’s response from the bathroom was bland, her voice not loud, uncertain if it reached Tang Yuxiu’s ears.
Soon, she heard the bedroom door slam shut, her heart trembled slightly.
In the study, Tang Yuxiu leaned back in his office chair, after a while, he pulled open a drawer and took out a gilded invitation.
He opened it, and Gu Yan’s name was written on the invitation.
This was the invitation to his promotion banquet tomorrow. Originally, he wanted to find an opportunity to let You Shuyang give it to her.
Because in his heart, he inexplicably wanted Gu Yan to be present at that occasion, to witness him formally taking over the Tang Family.
But she became You Shuyang’s partner!
Thus, this invitation was useless!
She didn’t need the invitation to go, but with another man.
Whenever Tang Yuxiu thought about that scene, his chest ached slightly, feeling uncomfortable.
After Gu Yan came out of the bathroom, she lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Tang Yuxiu didn’t return to the room until very late.
In the end, she didn’t even know what time she fell asleep, and when she woke up, there was still no sign of Tang Yuxiu beside her.
She gently walked to the study door, wanting to push it open for a glance, but in the end, she restrained herself.
Forget it, it’s completely meaningless, isn’t it?
As Gu Yan turned to go downstairs, the study door opened, and Tang Yuxiu appeared with a slightly complicated expression.
He returned to the master bedroom to freshen up and change, standing at the top of the stairs listening to the sounds of Gu Yan busy in the kitchen, only emerging from the corner after she’d finished breakfast and left.
There was still a portion of his breakfast set on the dining table.
At the company, Gu Yan, like her colleagues in the department, was practicing piano; they were preparing for the evening’s banquet, while she prepared for her evaluation after the banquet.
In the afternoon, colleagues participating in the evening banquet’s music program still needed to practice piano, so after work, she went to the cake shop from the previous day to pick up a custom-made cake.
With the cake in hand, she breathed a sigh of relief and took the bus back to Lixin Villa directly.
There weren’t many people at this time, the bus was spacious, and she didn’t have to worry about the cake getting squashed.
Back at the villa, she placed the cake on the dining table, eager to see what it looked like inside.
Having promised Qin Junnan to attend the banquet that evening, Gu Yan returned to her bedroom, took another shower, and went to the wardrobe to pick out a dress.
She couldn’t afford an expensive evening gown, but Tang Yuxiu could. In the wardrobe were ten various styles of evening gowns, apart from her usual clothes. She planned to randomly pick one, to do justice to herself, her senior, and such an important grand banquet for Tang Yuxiu.
While she was selecting a dress, Qin Junnan’s call came in.
She answered, "Senior."
"Gu Yan, where are you now?"
"At home."
"Not working today?"
"Hmm." She responded lightly.
"Since that’s the case, I’ll come to pick you up. I’ve already prepared the clothes for the evening, come out to try them on, if they don’t fit, there’s still time for adjustments."
Gu Yan paused slightly, "Senior, I have an evening gown, there’s no need to trouble you to prepare one."
"How can I let you prepare it yourself? After all, I’m asking you for help, you must wear the one I prepared."
What he said seemed reasonable, and Gu Yan looked at the ten beautiful evening gowns before her, finding it hard to choose. She simply agreed with Qin Junnan, deciding not to choose and to wear what he had prepared.
"Alright then, Senior, where are you? I’ll come to find you."
Qin Junnan gave the name of a famous professional clothing design store, Gu Yan noted it down and after hanging up, she went downstairs, taking a look at the cake on the dining table before leaving, and wrote a note on a sticky note.
"Tang Yuxiu, congratulations on your promotion!"
She stuck the sticky note on the cake box and placed it on the coffee table in the living room, then left the house reassured.
Tang Yuxiu should come back very late today, by then she would probably be asleep, and besides, she didn’t know how to face Tang Yuxiu. Placing it in the living room, he could see it at a glance and receive her blessings without any awkwardness.
At the place Qin Junnan mentioned, he was already waiting at the door, greeted her with a warm smile, and took her to the second floor.
A professional designer attended to them.
"Bring the evening gown I’ve reserved for this lady to try on."
"Okay."
Qin Junnan had prepared a pink off-shoulder V-neck gown for Gu Yan, she couldn’t see the brand, but it felt very comfortable and intuitively seemed expensive.
"Go try it on."
"Alright." She nodded, taking the dress to the fitting room.
She quickly changed and came out, catching Qin Junnan’s eye.
It was a fitted gown, X-shaped with a three-dimensional cut, all handmade, with a high waistline.