As expected of a party held by wealthy people, even the venue decorations were very elaborate.
Wearing a custom-made dress suit, Chen Shuo held a glass of red wine, chatting some perfunctory polite remarks with others at the party under the identity of an employee of Su Xiyan's company.
From time to time, several well-dressed women would walk over towards Chen Shuo. However, Chen Shuo managed to brush them off.
It was unclear whether Chen Shuo was born with some talent in social situations, but despite it being his first time attending such an occasion, his overall performance was quite graceful and at ease. Even Su Xiyan, who had high standards for herself and those around her, cast an approving glance at Chen Shuo.
After exchanging greetings with several people she had met before, Su Xiyan casually took a glass of wine from the tray held by a waiter.
Holding an elegant champagne flute, Su Xiyan was dressed in a simple dark blue gown, standing quietly amidst the crowd like a glittering, translucent blue sapphire.
With just a sweep of her gaze, she locked onto Chen Shuo's location.
Su Xiyan was no silly woman. From their interactions over the past few days, the intimate status between them had clearly reached several new levels compared to before.
If her guess was correct, they were just short of that last critical opportunity to break through the final layer of pretense between them.
Holding a tall stemmed glass, Su Xiyan looked to be having a peaceful time on the surface, but a storm was actually brewing in her heart.
She imagined what life would be like after officially starting a relationship with Chen Shuo.
What Su Xiyan cared about the most was that she had previously asked Chen Shuo if he had any plans for the future after reversing his bloodline and becoming a true human.
At that time, Chen Shuo's answer did not include Su Xiyan's existence going forward.
This was something that had always bothered Su Xiyan.
After the developments over the past few days, Su Xiyan now even looked forward somewhat to seeing Chen Shuo's confession. She wondered what that would look like?
If Chen Shuo continued to be an obtuse blockhead without making any progress, Su Xiyan did not mind taking the initiative to attack.
She was no ordinary shy girl after all.
It was just a confession, no big deal!
It probably wouldn't be harder than tearing a vampire apart with her bare hands!
Just as her thoughts were wandering, Su Xiyan's fantasies were interrupted by a man's voice, bringing her back to her senses.
A pretentiously dressed man had walked over next to Su Xiyan. "Beautiful miss, may I have the pleasure of a dance with you?"
Su Xiyan had been completely immersed in her own fantasies about the future and was abruptly pulled out from them. Her anger flared up in an instant.
Her clear eyes seemed to contain blades, extremely cold: "No, you may not."
The man suffered a setback, feeling as if the sky itself had collapsed around him as he reeled in shock.
A girl as beautiful as her needed only to stand in place to be a captivating sight.
Who knows how much mental preparation he had needed to work up the courage to ask Su Xiyan for a dance?
Yet all he got in return was Su Xiyan's bone-chilling rejection in three words—No, you may not.
After one man was refused, unbelievely there were still others fearless enough to try their luck.
Even if they were cooperative partners of her company, Su Xiyan could not be bothered to consider such things now and rejected them all with icy stares.
As she turned down those annoying men, Su Xiyan also kept glancing over at Chen Shuo not too far away.
That guy had not left the bar counter since he arrived, still holding a drink.
At the bar counter were two very long tables laid with elegant tablecloths and candle stands.
What attracted Chen Shuo the most was the variety of delicious looking tidbits placed on the tables.
Each type was only represented by a little bit—who knows how much one would have to eat to fill up? Fortunately Chen Shuo did not have much interest in these cold Western desserts. Westerners just liked flashy things; with so many sweet desserts, a nice hot bowl of Yangzhou fried rice was much more hearty and practical!
After surveying the selection but failing to find anything to his taste, disappointment showed on Chen Shuo's face.
He had intended to fill his stomach a bit before coming, but Su Xiyan said eating too much would prevent his specially tailored formalwear from achieving the optimal fit and effect.
To appease Chen Shuo, Su Xiyan had even claimed that gourmet cuisine prepared by Michelin star chefs would be served at the gala event for him to sample later.
Yet upon arriving at the venue, Chen Shuo discovered that the so-called gourmet food was limited to tasteless desserts like this. The supposed Michelin star chefs were just some silly foreigners wearing tall hats.
Chen Shuo touched his grumbling stomach and could not help but complain inwardly—this Su Xiyan really was a sly vixen! She had tricked him again!
Watching the changes in Chen Shuo's expression from across the dancing area filled with people coming and going, Su Xiyan seemed to guess what he was thinking and smiled lightly.
At this time, the formal dance began.
As the music started, many people found dance partners and stepped out onto the floor, swaying gracefully to the melody.
After rejecting invites from many males, Su Xiyan walked toward Chen Shuo under their astonished stares. Her exquisitely made-up face was even more breathtakingly beautiful now. Su Xiyan gave Chen Shuo a faint smile and extended her slender jade-white hand. "Dear sir, may I have the pleasure of a dance with you?"
When the music began, the lighting across the venue also dimmed, switching to a dream-like ambience suitable for dancing.
Beneath the intermingled bright and muted lighting, Su Xiyan's flawless visage seemed even more mesmerizing.
When such a gorgeous girl approaches you with an invitation like this, what man could refuse?
At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to say Chen Shuo's heart skipped a beat or two.
So this was how beautiful Su Xiyan actually was? He realized now that he had never truly observed her carefully before, only knowing of her ruthless methods and deep calculations.
A compelling soul is one in a million; stunning looks are one in a hundred thousand.
Chen Shuo accepted Su Xiyan's hand. "Then I shall reluctantly accompany you for a dance!"
Under the shocked gazes of her pursuers nearby, the two held hands and stepped out onto the dance floor.
Their synchronized motions made Su Xiyan and Chen Shuo the most eye-catching couple there.
At this moment, it was as if all the other people around them had vanished. The only two left in the whole world were Chen Shuo and Su Xiyan.
Just like during dance practices, Su Xiyan slowly moved to the lazy beat and softly rested her head on Chen Shuo's shoulder.
Although Chen Shuo appeared very boyishly handsome and radiated the sunny, innocent aura unique to boys his age, after putting on exquisite formal attire, Su Xiyan discovered that his shoulders were actually quite sturdy and reliable.
With just her forehead touching his shoulder, she could feel the solid, grounded sense of security emanating from him.
Su Xiyan was capable of tearing vampires apart bare-handed and striding calmly through bloody storms without batting an eye.
Yet right now, leaning on Chen Shuo's shoulder and listening to his strong, steady heartbeat, warm currents flowed through Su Xiyan's own heart.
After quite some time had passed, Su Xiyan's lazy cat-like voice sounded. "Chen Shuo..."