The melodious serenade echoed throughout the gala as young men and women began to invite their desired dance partners. Before long, the dance floor was filled with couples dancing together, embracing one another and moving to the rhythm of the serenade.
In a corner, a blue-haired girl wore a blue-winged gown, her face adorned with exquisite makeup. She repeatedly scanned her surroundings. A woman beside her, seemingly sensing her anxiety, said, "Little Sevia, this is your first time attending a family gala, isn't it? It's normal to be nervous. Once you get used to the steps, you'll be just like them."
"That's not what I meant," Tang Xin said.
"Are you shy?" the woman smiled.
Tang Xin nodded gently.
"It's just ballroom dancing. The young men in the family are all gentlemen; they won't do anything out of line. If you really don't want to, just refuse them boldly."
As she spoke, the woman also received an invitation. With a smile in her eyes, she took the young man's hand and followed him to the dance floor.
The girls around her received invitations one after another. Those gorgeously dressed, flamboyant girls had been chatting with Tang Xin just a moment ago; they had talked about common, relaxed topics—games, jokes on the curtain—making Tang Xin feel that they weren't so distant after all.
Now, each of them seemed to have become a different person: graceful and dignified, confident and beautiful, their dresses fluttering in dances that were sometimes powerful and sometimes gentle. She suddenly felt like an ugly duckling that had flown into a flock of swans, even though, with the enhancement of her gown, she was actually the most outstanding and dazzling jewel in this gala.
The girl's inexperienced appearance naturally caught the attention of several cynical youths on the other side.
"Look at that one, Sevia. I remember she's that woman's daughter, right? She's been quite famous lately—what was it, the Starry Daughter?"
"The woman who died of a disease because of her indiscretion? I heard the Winter family lost a lot of face because of that. That guy Ayin Winter is still being mocked for it, ha ha ha."
"She's not bad-looking, though. No wonder Ayin Winter was so obsessed with that woman."
One of them thought of something and said to the others, "Want to have some fun with her?"
The others became interested and nodded repeatedly.
"Young Master Wen, what are you planning now?"
"Just watch me. You guys just get ready to take photos."
With that, the youth patted his chest, drained his drink in one gulp, carelessly wiped his face, and stepped forward toward Tang Xin. Noticing someone approaching, Tang Xin was slightly stunned.
"Look at this beautiful lady. Sevia, would you care to dance with me?"
The youth intentionally spoke very loudly, momentarily drowning out the melody of the serenade. This drew the attention of many people, and countless gazes converged on them. Tang Xin suddenly became the center of attention.
"I remember that girl. Sevia? Has she grown this much already? Since she never received the family's etiquette education growing up, she probably doesn't know anything about manners."
"I heard her mother..."
"Hmph, don't mention that. The Winter family will never acknowledge that woman's name."
"A woman with no discretion... how good could the daughter she raised be? She certainly has no upbringing..."
The whispers of the people around her reached Tang Xin's ears. She looked up and saw that the youth was full of ill intent, as if he had already cornered her. He lowered his voice.
"With so many people watching, you wouldn't want to reject me, would you, Miss Tang Xin?"
"Or are you just like that woman—completely devoid of any sense of shame?"
Tang Xin said nothing. Shadows fell across her face, hiding her expression in the light.
It was always like this. It was always like this.
No one noticed that the girl's hands were tightly clenched, her fingernails almost sinking into her pale flesh.
She didn't understand. She really didn't understand why people always directed inexplicable malice toward her. Whether it was because of that woman, because of the so-called Starry Daughter, or for no reason at all—simply because she was weak and easy to bully.
Past experiences played repeatedly before her eyes: the bullying in the band, the rumors spread by her roommates at the academy, the poisonous curses people left on the curtain, and everything she was experiencing now.
Why? Why was every harm she suffered dismissed by others as a joke?
Why did she have to submissively endure this baseless malice?
And why was it always her who had to go through this?
"Hurry up. My patience is limited," the youth said, spreading his hands with an air of indifference.
Seeing the girl's shoulders trembling and her face darkened, he winked at his companions and gave a disrespectful whistle.
However, he found his companions looking at him in shock. He turned his head, his eyes widening.
The previously silent blue-haired girl had swung her hand high toward him.
Slap—! A crisp sound echoed throughout the gala.
The surrounding people looked on in astonishment at the expressionless blonde girl who had appeared out of nowhere, and the youth who now had a red handprint on his face, clutching his swollen cheek.
"You hit me?" The youth looked at Xu Xiaoyou in disbelief.
"What, you want another?" Xu Xiaoyou raised her brow and made a move to lift her hand again. The youth was so frightened that he repeatedly retreated, accidentally falling to the ground.
"Is the etiquette that the Winter family members receive since childhood something that allows them to turn a blind eye while their own kin bullies a girl over baseless rumors?"
"Is this the gentlemanly etiquette you're so proud of?"
"Every one of you thinks so highly of yourselves, but in my eyes, you're no different from the thugs in the back alleys who whistle at passing girls."
Xu Xiaoyou held Tang Xin's hand and scanned the surroundings with a calm gaze. Her voice echoed in the spacious gala. The young disciples who had been watching the spectacle with amusement suddenly felt a burning heat on their faces, as if they were the ones who had been slapped.
"He... he's not a member of our Winter family! Our family will never acknowledge his name!" someone in the corner stammered.
Xu Xiaoyou's lips curled slightly in a half-smile.
"Is that so? Since you don't even acknowledge his name, then there should be no objection if I discipline a stray dog for the Winter family, right?"
No one spoke for a long time. The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Seeing the Winter family's reputation being stripped bare by the girl, a middle-aged man with some seniority and prestige in the family could no longer sit still. Just as he was about to stand up, the voice of the noblewoman beside him drifted over leisurely.
"Let the juniors resolve the affairs of juniors. If the elders step in after the young ones are beaten, do you think you haven't lost enough face already?"
Hearing the woman's words, the man's face darkened. His throat moved as if he wanted to speak, but he heard the woman's stern, slow voice.
"Sit down."
"Understood, Lady Theresa," the man sat down obediently.
The noblewoman named Theresa looked with appreciation at the blonde girl below. She hadn't forgotten this girl who spoke so eloquently. The girl's ballroom dancing was quite good, and she acted with calm and decisiveness. Theresa was finding herself liking her more and more.
Tang Xin was in a daze. The gazes of everyone around were focused on them. Beside her was the girl she knew so well, holding her hand and radiating a reassuring presence.
After a long while, Tang Xin finally said, "Thank you."
"It's great that I didn't hear you say 'sorry' to me," Xu Xiaoyou sighed.
Tang Xin thought seriously for a moment and said, "Even if I were given the choice again, I would still want to hit him, whether you came or not."
"I don't want to endure it anymore. From now on, whoever provokes me, I'll bite back."
"If I've caused you trouble, then you deserve it. You've surely done plenty of bad things behind my back anyway."
Xu Xiaoyou nodded and raised the girl's hand high for everyone to see, while looking down at the incredibly pathetic youth on the ground.
"Sorry, I'm refusing on her behalf. Because she already had an appointment with me from the very beginning."
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