A Miao placed herself in front of Zhou Xiao. “This is my friend. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t show up in front of us.”
“What gives you the right to dictate that?” Xia Mei sneered. “This is my home! Do you trust that I’ll go and get someone to throw her out?”
“Very well. Go ahead and do it!” A Miao looked in the direction of the second floor. “Ruin Xia Wan’s banquet and let’s see who’ll be the disgraced one in the end!”
Xia Mei’s expression changed. Truly, she had no courage to do so. She clenched her teeth. “Hey! You’d better be honest! If I catch you stealing things, I’ll send you to the police station!” After threatening Zhou Xiao, she shot A Miao a glare before turning around to leave.
Downstairs, Xia Wan appeared in the crowd with people surrounding her. Xia Yongqiang was currently introducing her to everyone. A Miao quietly brought Zhou Xiao to a corner of the hall. They sat down and began enjoying the light refreshments. Zhou Xiao saw how A Miao was focusing her attention on the dance floor and pondered over it before finally speaking.
“A Miao, you don’t have to accompany me. You’re also one of the hosts today. Go and speak to your guests!”
“This family has nothing to do with me.” A Miao’s mouth twitched.
“I’ll excuse myself for just a short while. Be careful.” She really must go over but it was not to entertain the guests.
Zhou Xiao nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay here and won’t go anywhere!”
Seeing that Zhou Xiao did not seem afraid, A Miao left with a peaceful mind. She slowly made her way near Xia Yongqiang.
“Mr. Shen, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. I’m very glad that you’re able to attend my birthday banquet!” Xia Wan revealed a clean smile at Shen Xinglan. Inside, she quietly sighed over how good looking he was.
Bai Youran and the other young masters were no match for him at all. She was determined to marry Shen Xinglan!
“You’re welcome.” Shen Xinglan was still wearing a neutral expression. Seeing that his expression did not change, Xia Wan felt somewhat clueless.
The starlet next to Shen Xinglan smiled at her. “Happy birthday, Ms. Xia!”
“Thank you!” Xia Wan returned a courteous smile all while carefully observing the woman. Besides her pair of beautiful eyes, there was no part of her that could rival Xia Wan.
This boosted her confidence a little. Just as she was about to invite Shen Xinglan for a dance, everything before her eyes suddenly darkened.
“Ah!”
“What happened?”
“A blackout?”
Chaos immediately erupted inside the hall. The sound of women’s screeches and chinaware falling to the ground resounded here and there.
Xia Haixin quickly turned on his phone to placate everyone. “I’m very sorry! We have neglected it. Please be patient. The servants have already gone to fix the fuse wire!” He stood atop a chair and shouted. Xia Yongqiang darkened his face, sitting aside. It was a great embarrassment to have a blackout on such an important occasion.
The guests gradually calmed down. The men all turned on their lights on their phones.
“Grandfather, did you see Mr. Shen?” Xia Wan noticed that Shen Xinglan had disappeared.
Xia Yongqiang said in a displeased tone, “Where do I find him in such darkness? Once the light comes on again, you must find an opportunity to talk to him.”
Behind him, A Miao was slowly creeping over. She was so close to coming into contact with Xia Yongqiang.
“What are you doing? Let me go!” The sound of Zhou Xiao’s voice drifted from the corner of the hall. Even though it was so noisy inside the hall, A Miao still heard her friend’s voice because she had been keeping her eye on the corner all along. She whipped her head around.
Under the dim light, she saw Xia Mei clasping her hand over Zhou Xiao’s mouth and dragged her out…