MFLL 02

Chapter 02

But the other woman had already let go of her and was silently walking toward the sofa.

Before Xia An even had the chance to get a clear look at her face, all that remained in her eyes was a retreating back and a lingering, faint fragrance.

Capable, sharp, yet elegant.

She, too, seemed entirely incompatible with the atmosphere here…

This was the first time Xia An had ever seen a woman dress so formally for a nightclub. She didn’t look like she was here to have fun; she looked like she was going to work.

Xia An wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

“Oh my god,” Sheng Ruqi couldn’t help but let out an exaggerated, teasing gasp the moment she saw Ye Jin. “My great beauty Ye, you could have at least changed your clothes before coming here. Do you think you’re here to hold a business meeting?”

“I just finished up work, there was no time.” Ye Jin didn’t care that she didn’t fit the vibe of the place. She had always disliked these boisterous environments. If it weren’t for Sheng Ruqi’s birthday today, she wouldn’t have come at all. “Happy birthday.”

“You’re the only one who arrived late tonight, so you must face some punishment.”

This was exactly what Ye Jin had expected. She knew Sheng Ruqi’s personality all too well.

“It’s my birthday today! I’m the biggest boss in the house tonight, are you really not going to give me this little bit of face?”

“It is her birthday today, President Ye, just give in to her,” Shen Weimin, who was sitting nearby, chimed in with a smile to smooth things over. Then she turned to Sheng Ruqi and said, “Ruqi, don’t push it too far.”

“What kind of outrageous thing could I possibly make her do?”

“Director Sheng, have you done few unprincipled things in the past?”

“…”

Ye Jin quietly took a seat on the sofa, letting the others banter back and forth around her.

“Please enjoy,” Xia An said as she set down the alcohol. Her gaze casually swept over the room. By intuition, the dozen or so people sitting there all looked like seasoned party-goers.

Except for her.

Xia An’s gaze paused for a brief moment as she finally got a clear look at the other woman’s face. To describe her simply as ‘beautiful’ seemed far too shallow.

Perhaps it was her aura that was more captivating—cold, detached, and composed. At first glance, she was stunning yet aloof, much like the stars in the night sky: brilliant, but entirely out of reach.

Xia An couldn’t guess her age, but the woman possessed a unique, mature charm. It was often said that an eighteen-year-old woman is beautiful because eighteen is a beautiful age, but a twenty-eight-year-old woman is beautiful because she is beautiful. The person in front of her suddenly gave Xia An a concrete understanding of that saying.

Ye Jin lifted her eyes. When her gaze met Xia An’s, Xia An lowered her eyes just in time, realizing she had lost herself in thought.

“Hey, beautiful, help me pour a drink.” A man sitting nearby called out to Xia An. Having grown tired of the wildly passionate types, the sudden appearance of someone so fresh and refined felt like a breath of fresh air.

“Of course,” Xia An replied with a smile.

“Since you’re so late, it’s not unfair to punish you with a drink, right?” Sheng Ruqi began plotting how to tease Ye Jin again. She lived to see the usually unearthly, aloof “Ice Queen Ye” break character—it was one of Miss Sheng’s few hobbies.

Since it was her birthday today, knowing Sheng Ruqi’s stubborn nature, if Ye Jin didn’t humor her, there would be no end to it tonight.

Ye Jin gave in. “One glass.”

“Deal, just one glass!” Sheng Ruqi agreed readily.

Xia An continued pouring the drinks. As she poured the glass right next to Ye Jin, she couldn’t help but glance at her out of the corner of her eye.

What a captivating woman.

As their eyes inadvertently met, Ye Jin also took a casual appraisal of the girl in front of her. She had delicate features and wore only light makeup, looking like a college student who had just stepped off a campus.

Xia An was still pouring the drink.

The strong amber liquid slowly filled the glass…

Ye Jin shifted her gaze from the glass to the girl’s face. Staring into her eyes, she spoke in a measured, unhurried tone, “That’s enough.”

“My apologies,” Xia An lowered her head and murmured softly, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Xia An quickly pulled the bottle back and moved on to pour the next glass. While she was pouring, the man beside her brushed his hand against hers. Since there were no further inappropriate movements, she simply endured it. To be honest, working in a place like this meant it was hard to avoid getting slightly hit on or groped.

Ye Jin caught sight of this scene, her brow furrowing slightly. Afterward, she smoothly picked up the glass from the table and turned to raise it toward Sheng Ruqi.

“Hold on.” How could Sheng Ruqi let Ye Jin off so easily? “The penalty drink must be drunk, but you can’t drink it just like that.”

Ye Jin was a bit exhausted today, and it showed in her voice. “What else do you want?”

“Aside from me, pick the woman you think is the most beautiful in this room…” Sheng Ruqi thought out loud as she spoke. “And drink a cross-armed ‘nuptial’ toast (Jiaobei Jiu) with her. That’s not asking too much, right?”

Only Sheng Ruqi dared to play such jokes with Ye Jin. The two were childhood friends who later started a business together. The company they currently co-managed, JM, had already risen to become one of the top three comprehensive film and television corporations in the country. Even though their personalities were poles apart, their deep bond was undeniable.

But even so, Sheng Ruqi knew her boundaries and didn’t dare to push the joke too far with Ye Jin.

Ye Jin had never liked participating in such boring antics. She threw a cold glare at Sheng Ruqi, silently signaling that the other woman was being incredibly tedious.

Sheng Ruqi had long prepared for this reaction, determined to be tedious tonight. “You already agreed just now. You’re not trying to back out, are you?”

“President Ye, you can’t back out now,” the others at the table began to echo.

If this were anyone else, it might not be anything special, but seeing the habitually proud Ye Jin do it made it highly entertaining.

At this moment, no one was more excited than Shen Weimin. She thought to herself that Sheng Ruqi was delivering a magnificent assist tonight; she had harbored a secret crush on Ye Jin for more than just a day or two. Shen Weimin looked around at the other women present, excluding Sheng Ruqi—how could any of their looks compare to hers?

Thinking this, Shen Weimin couldn’t suppress the smile on her face. She discreetly adjusted her outfit, waiting for Ye Jin’s invitation.

“Here.” Sheng Ruqi handed a glass to Ye Jin. She was genuinely curious: what kind of woman could actually catch Ye Jin’s eye? As her best friend, she had spent years worrying herself to death over Ye Jin’s love life.

After a moment of silence, Ye Jin ultimately accepted the glass from Sheng Ruqi. Considering it was her birthday, she would let her run wild just this once so as not to spoil the fun.

The other women at the table were actually quite eager to share this drink with Ye Jin and indulge in a bit of ambiguity. After all, a mature and breathtakingly beautiful woman like President Ye possessed a charm that could easily make members of the same sex skip a beat.

As the party-goers continued their game, Xia An remained an outsider. Having finished pouring the drinks, she felt out of place and prepared to quietly take her leave.