Chapter 10: Step Aside, It’s Time for Me to Show Off
Night had fallen.
The Yunding Hotel was brightly lit, standing as a symbol of luxury.
At the very top of the building was the famous Starry Sky restaurant, renowned across the country. Its interior design was unique, the food exquisite, and reservations were extremely limited. People usually had to wait two months for a spot.
This was where Shi Jingyan had confessed to Lin Yueyue. He had gone to great lengths to obtain a Yunding SVIP Platinum Card, which allowed him to book a secluded table just a week in advance.
Tonight marked their one-year anniversary as a couple. Since Lin Yueyue loved the Starry Sky restaurant, they had made it a tradition to dine there every year on this day.
Shi Jingyan wasn’t particularly excited about it. It was difficult to get a reservation, but for the sake of his reputation, he agreed.
Wanting to show off her boyfriend’s status, Lin Yueyue invited her three high school dormmates to join them.
Shi Jingyan, however, found these three chatty women extremely annoying. They were loud, obnoxious, and completely lacking in class.
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, he carelessly threw the car keys to the overly enthusiastic hotel valet. The three women immediately gasped in amazement, overwhelmed by Yunding’s luxury, looking every bit like clueless country bumpkins.
Yet, the people around them paid no attention.
Instead, all eyes were drawn to a woman stepping out of a taxi.
Even though she wore simple, casual clothing, her breathtaking beauty and elegant posture made her stand out like a movie star walking the red carpet. A radiant pearl in the night.
The group instantly recognized her.
It was Shen Xi, who had recently undergone a striking transformation, exuding a unique and captivating aura.
Lin Yueyue, worried that Shi Jingyan would once again be mesmerized by Shen Xi, subtly elbowed her dormmates, signaling them to act.
The three women quickly caught on and activated their mockery mode. They didn’t know much about the Gu family, only that Shen Xi had supposedly married some rich old man.
Shi Jingyan frowned slightly but stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Shen Xi.
“How did you know I’d be here? Were you waiting for me?”
Shen Xi rolled her eyes.
She wondered if punching this narcissist right now would lead to an early bad ending for her. Taking a deep breath, she held back her frustration.
“Listen, classmate, let me make this clear. I was not waiting for you. I am now Mrs. Gu.”
“I love my husband very much. He’s waiting for me inside.”
Once again, she was forced to declare her supposed love for a man she barely knew. Her fingers curled into a fist as she struggled to suppress her discomfort.
Shi Jingyan noticed the subtle movement and assumed she was just acting embarrassed, unable to admit she had been waiting for him.
“Really? Your husband is inside? Then why don’t we meet him?”
He turned to Lin Yueyue, expecting her to agree.
One of Lin Yueyue’s dormmates quickly chimed in, pretending to smooth things over.
“Let’s not disturb their little date inside. We should head up to Starry Sky first.”
Another one smirked and added, “Oh, come on, Yueyue, we’re all old classmates. We’ve met your boyfriend before, but none of us have seen Shen Xi’s husband. We’re curious.”
A third one giggled, covering her mouth. “Maybe her husband has trouble walking. He is pretty old, after all.”
The three women snickered, while Lin Yueyue struggled to contain her laughter.
Shi Jingyan found their mocking attitude distasteful, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel oddly pleased.
Sure, I might not be as rich as the Gu family, but at least I’m young and handsome.
Shen Xi, on the other hand, felt the urge to just give up and embrace villainy.
But no, she couldn’t let the plot lead her down the same old path. She had worked too hard for that.
With a fake, sweet smile, she nodded.
“Oh, you’re absolutely right. If you ever meet my husband, please take good care of him. He’s so frail these days. I even worry about him falling when he walks.”
If my sugar daddy gets injured, who’s going to give me two hundred million? Wait… it’s 190 million now.
Having said her words, Shen Xi ignored them and pulled out her phone, dialing Gu Hanling.
“We should head inside. Our reservation time is coming up,” Shi Jingyan said, assuming Shen Xi was pretending to be on the phone to cover her embarrassment. He led the group into the lobby, heading for the exclusive elevator to the rooftop.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is unavailable..."
Shen Xi called three times, but each attempt ended with the same automated response.
Already in a bad mood, she became even more irritated.
Is this man playing me?
Just as she was about to explode, a text message arrived from Gu Hanling.
[Was in a meeting. Use Elevator No.1, come up.]
Seeing the message, Shen Xi bit her lip slightly, silently complaining in her heart.
Damn it! You could’ve at least given me a heads-up if you were busy. Now I’ve been standing at the entrance like a fool for everyone to gawk at.
But despite her grumbling, her hands moved swiftly as she replied to the man.
[Alright, big brother, hope you haven’t been waiting too long.]
[Big brother?]
“Pfft~”
Shen Xi couldn’t help but chuckle, her lips curling into an involuntary smile. The natural charm in that moment was so captivating that a passerby, completely entranced, walked straight into the hotel’s glass door with a loud thud.
Feeling the stares around her, Shen Xi grew uncomfortable and quickly stepped inside.
She approached a front desk receptionist dressed in a tight-fitting business skirt and black stockings to ask for the location of Elevator No.1.
As she neared, she realized something was off. There was a large crowd gathered around the elevator, and security had set up barriers to keep people from getting too close.
What the hell? Do I need to line up just to go upstairs?
To make things worse, she spotted Shi Jingyan and his group, who had arrived earlier, also stuck at the elevator entrance.
“What do you mean we can’t go up? I made this reservation two months ago!”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
The noisy crowd was full of well-dressed individuals, clearly people of status, but none of them dared to cause a real scene.
A staff member politely explained, “Apologies, everyone. The Starry Sky restaurant is hosting a special guest tonight, so it will be temporarily closed for an unknown duration.”
“As compensation, all guests with reservations today will receive a refund worth ten times their original booking fee. Alternatively, you may wait, as the restaurant will extend its hours once it reopens.”
Hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances.
“Lucky me! That’s ten times the money back, and I still get to eat for free later,” someone whispered, clearly delighted.
However, not everyone was pleased. Many had rearranged their schedules specifically for this dinner.
“I don’t need the money. I just want to go up now,” a hot-tempered middle-aged man snapped, preparing to force his way in.
One of his companions quickly stopped him and whispered, “Calm down. I heard the guest today is someone even more powerful than the owner of Yunding Hotel.”
Standing at the edge of the commotion, Shen Xi watched the scene unfold and suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘Wait a minute… I’ve seen this before. Isn’t this the part where the male lead shows off and catches Gu Hanling’s attention for the first time? That’s what gives him the opportunity to level up in status later…’
As expected, Shi Jingyan made his move. Under the admiring gazes of the four women beside him, he confidently stepped forward and handed over a gold card.
Lin Yueyue, with her sharp intuition, quickly noticed Shen Xi standing not far away. Smirking smugly, she shot her a triumphant glance.
The Yunding Hotel staff at the elevator took the gold card, swiftly verified it, then respectfully returned it with both hands.
“My apologies, sir. Please wait a moment. I’ll contact Manager Liu right away.”
Before long, a slightly overweight middle-aged man with graying hair emerged from Elevator No.1.
“Oh! President Shi! I didn’t expect to see you here. My apologies for not welcoming you properly!”
Although Manager Liu shook Shi Jingyan’s hand with professional politeness, his eyes were scanning the crowd as if searching for someone.
Shi Jingyan responded confidently, “You’re too kind, Manager Liu. I brought a few friends today to dine at Starry Sky.”
The surrounding guests were all shocked.
This young man must have serious connections! That card he used just now looked like Yunding’s exclusive limited-edition gold card…
Meanwhile, Shen Xi, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly felt that something was… off.
Then, just as she was about to piece it together, Manager Liu’s gaze landed on her.
His eyes widened in an instant, his face lighting up with joy. Without hesitation, he completely ignored Shi Jingyan and rushed toward Shen Xi.
The crowd instinctively stepped aside, making way for him. Everyone was curious, who on earth was this woman that could make Yunding’s Manager Liu react with such urgency and enthusiasm?
Oh sh*t.
I remember now.
I WASN’T EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS SCENE!
Did I just steal the male lead’s big moment to show off?! I’m so dead!