What manner of nobody was she?

Tonight, He Suosuo was dressed in a princess gown as well, in a pale lavender shade and this year’s latest style. On its own, it looked quite luxurious.

But standing beside Wen Shuang, it was clearly not enough to compete.

When she had first seen Wen Shuang arrive on Ji Shen’s arm, her heart had been seething with rage.

She had never imagined that Ji Shen would actually be willing to bring Wen Shuang out in public!

Wasn’t that the same as indirectly admitting her status?

The moment Wen Shuang saw that it was He Suosuo, she smiled. “I thought it was some dog from who knows where, gone loose without a leash and barking at random. So it’s Miss He.”

He Suosuo’s face twisted with anger. “Wen Shuang, how dare you call me a dog? You’d better watch yourself, or I’ll teach you a proper lesson right here, you shameless little upstart!”

Wen Shuang brushed back a strand of hair, looking for all the world like a true princess. “Tonight is Old Madam Ji’s birthday banquet. If you make a scene here, I’m afraid that by tomorrow—no, by tonight—you’ll be the laughingstock of the entire imperial city.”

“Stop going on and on about Old Madam Ji. Do you think she knows who you are? What are you, exactly? Someone as noble as Old Madam Ji would never look twice at a country bumpkin like you.”

He Suosuo glanced at Wen Shuang sideways, deliberately raising her voice. “You must have clung to Brother Shen’s leg and begged shamelessly for him to bring you here. Look at him now—he’s even embarrassed by you and doesn’t want to deal with you, so he just dumped you here. Wen Shuang, if I were you, I’d already be running away with my tail between my legs. Why are you still standing here, humiliating yourself?”

“Since you’ve already said all that, why don’t you hurry up and leave with your tail between your legs too? What are you still doing here?”

A bright voice sounded from behind them.

Chen Manli walked over in a fitted white dress and cut He Suosuo down without mercy.

Wen Shuang called out to her in delight.

She hadn’t expected Chen Manli to attend Old Madam Ji’s birthday banquet tonight as well.

He Suosuo narrowed her eyes. “Chen Manli, what does this have to do with you? I’m lecturing Wen Shuang, not you. Get out of the way.”

“Wen Shuang is my friend. I won’t allow anyone to speak badly of her!”

Chen Manli stood in front of Wen Shuang. “Miss He, I advise you to conduct yourself with a little dignity. Everyone in the imperial city knows you’ve been circling Officer Ji since you were little, but all these years later, has he ever even looked at you once? That should tell you exactly what he thinks of you. And yet you still refuse to give up. He already has a girlfriend, and you still insist on provoking her. What else is that if not disgraceful?”

Chen Manli looked gentle enough on the surface, but she was sharp-tongued and merciless.

He Suosuo’s face went red and white with fury. “You don’t understand anything. Brother Shen definitely has feelings for me. We grew up together!”

Chen Manli covered her mouth and laughed. “Childhood sweethearts are people who grew up playing together, innocent and close from childhood. What you’ve got is the sort nobody wants even if you throw yourself at them. Miss He, you went abroad for your studies at least, didn’t you? Surely you can’t even be ignorant of a phrase like that!”

“Chen Manli, don’t go too far!” He Suosuo rushed forward to teach her a lesson, but her friend beside her pulled her back and told her not to act impulsively.

The Chen family had risen very quickly in recent years.

The He family was nothing to underestimate either.

Unlike those people who went abroad just to buy a diploma, Chen Manli was a genuine top student. She had earned her place at the University of Cambridge in England entirely on her own ability, unlike those spoiled heirs who couldn’t even manage to study properly and merely bought themselves a foreign degree to pad out their resumes and add a layer of gold when they returned home.

He Suosuo left, gritting her teeth.

Wen Shuang looped an affectionate arm through Chen Manli’s. “Manli, it was lucky you arrived in time. I saw He Suosuo being so thoroughly put in her place she couldn’t even get another word out!”

“I’ve disliked her for ages. She’s been unbearable since childhood. No wonder Officer Ji doesn’t like her.” Chen Manli rolled her eyes. “She can’t stand that you’re with Ji Shen, so she won’t let you off.”

Wen Shuang arched a brow. “If she provokes me tonight, I won’t be afraid of her either. Worst case, I’ll just fight it out properly!”

“Exactly! That’s the spirit! No wonder you’re a friend I Chen Manli picked.”

The two of them had not seen each other in a long time and stood close together, talking for quite a while.

Wen Shuang also asked how things were going with her little boyfriend.

Chen Manli sighed. “You probably won’t believe this, but this is the first time I’ve left the house all month. My parents locked me at home before, cut off all my phone contacts, and wouldn’t let me see him. Then I went on a hunger strike and refused to eat, and it got so bad I ended up in the hospital. They had no choice but to give me nutritional fluids.”

Wen Shuang frowned and said that, in the end, such things were too damaging to the body.

No wonder Chen Manli had grown noticeably thinner, no longer as youthful and full of life as when she first learned to dance.

“Maybe a lifetime of loving someone means fighting for only one chance like this,” she said, and there was a faint trace of sadness on her face. “After this, there may never be another.”

Wen Shuang hoped she would win.

“Shuangshuang, to be honest, I rather envy you. For Officer Ji to acknowledge you so openly, to personally bring you to Old Madam Ji’s birthday banquet—it means he truly values you, and he’s determined to walk this road with you.”

Wen Shuang felt warmth spread through her chest.

“Manli, you’ll be happy one day too!”

The two sisters chatted for a long time before Chen Manli was called back by her mother. Madam Chen now watched her twenty-four hours a day, terrified she might slip out to meet that young boyfriend again.

The Chen family would absolutely never allow Manli to be with someone like that.

“Manli, who was that girl you were talking to just now?” Madam Chen asked. “She’s very pretty. I’ve never seen her before.”

Chen Manli said she was Ji Shen’s girlfriend.

Madam Chen asked which family Wen Shuang came from.

“The Wen family.”

“What Wen family? Never heard of them.”

Seeing that Wen Shuang was not a wealthy young lady, Madam Chen’s gaze cooled at once.

From what she knew of Madam Ji, Wen Shuang was absolutely not the daughter-in-law she would favor.

The Qin family arrived not long after.

Xia Ranran came in gracefully on Qin You’s arm. She had spent the entire day carefully preparing, even hiring a top-tier celebrity styling team, all in order to outshine every other young lady there.

And the moment she entered, she saw a massive princess gown.

It was a dress she had set her sights on a month ago, but the brand and designer had never approved her request.

She walked closer, wanting to see who it was, and when she turned her head, Wen Shuang’s luxurious and stunning beauty struck her full in the face.

Wen Shuang!

It was Wen Shuang again, that wretched woman!

Qin You’s gaze was fixed on Wen Shuang.

Ever since they broke up, Wen Shuang had only become more and more breathtaking, impossible to look away from.

Wen Shuang sensed the gaze from afar and merely lifted a brow before turning away.

At that moment, He Suosuo came over arm in arm with Madam Ji. As the foremost lady of the imperial city’s social circles, Madam Ji had always shone like the moon among stars.

A circle of wealthy matrons surrounded her.

Madam Qin hurried over too.

One of the ladies, upon seeing Wen Shuang, asked, “Madam Ji, I saw Ah Shen bring a woman tonight. Is she his girlfriend?”

He Suosuo’s expression stiffened.

Madam Ji took He Suosuo’s hand and said, “That’s just some woman Ah Shen is casually fooling around with outside. He’s young and doesn’t know any better, bringing along every stray cat and dog he finds. The one I like is someone like Suosuo.”

The ladies listened.

In an instant, they understood that Wen Shuang was not being recognized, and their expressions toward her took on a hint of mockery.