Chapter 857: Kill Two Birds with One Stone
“Do you think otherwise? Do you think they’d want a woman who has slept with me?”
Han Zhongteng’s sarcasm was like a slap on Liang Xinyi’s face. Gritting her teeth in humiliation, she clenched her fists and lowered her head as her face burned with shame and embarra.s.sment.
With her feet firmly rooted on the ground, Liang Xinyi tried her best to muster up her courage for a reb.u.t.tal. Eventually, she only managed this statement, “It’s precisely because of this error I’ve made that I don’t want to be looked down upon any further. Think about it, if I was chosen to be a first-cla.s.s socialite, wouldn’t that benefit your social standing?”
In Yun Xi’s plotting, the college entrance examination was one way forward. However, because Liang Xinyi could still be of use to them in the future, they decided that they would definitely pave the way for her to achieve the status of a first-cla.s.s socialite.
That being said, her degree of success depended on her own abilities. How far she would be able to go and how high she would be able to climb all depended on her.
Liang Xinyi had once suffered a setback, but from then on, she had learned that she needed to act more cautiously. Apart from that, she had decided she needed to be more outstanding and more exceptional than Yun Xi, as it was only by achieving this would she be able to get what she wanted.
The upcoming socialite ball was her only gateway.
The socialite ball in Jingdu was organized every three years, and every eligible aristocratic family was ent.i.tled to only one invitation. As for the four rich families and the three n.o.ble families, every branch was ent.i.tled to an invitation.
Han Zhongteng was the eldest son of Master Han’s second wife. Unlike the first wife of Master Han who had a daughter, Han Wanling, the second wife had no daughter. Naturally, this resulted in a vacancy for Liang Xinyi to partic.i.p.ate in the ball if he wanted to facilitate it for her.
The Jingdu socialite ball was commonly acknowledged, in elite circles, as the easiest platform for young ladies to achieve overnight success. This ball was considered by some to enable one to increase one’s social status to the extent of becoming a phoenix.
The moment the judges ranked a lady with the t.i.tle of a first-cla.s.s socialite, her social status in Jingdu would instantly take a turn for the better, granting her extraordinary treatment.
Not only would she be qualified to mingle in Jingdu’s elite circles, but she would also have a chance to choose a partner from all the available bachelors, young masters, and gentlemen from aristocratic families.
As a first-cla.s.s socialite, wealthy families on the lookout for a potential daughter-in-law would value more than just the candidate’s family background and social standing. They would a.s.sess the candidate’s appearance, conduct, and upbringing, and thereafter use these qualities to determine her charm and value.
In this way, Liang Xinyi, who came from a humble family background, could use the t.i.tle of first-cla.s.s socialite to move up to a higher social status and subsequently enable her to mingle in the upper-cla.s.s circles, thereby changing her fortunes for the better. She was capable of ensuring her innocence by being privy to countless means that would prevent anyone from digging up any dirt on her.
With her lips curled into a sneer, Yun Xi listened to Liang Xinyi.
Yun Xi had to acknowledge that Liang Xinyi’s plan was a good one. For Liang Xinyi, the socialite ball was indeed a great choice as it would offer her a rare opportunity to change her fate.
But that was provided she was not in the situation she had put herself into at present. Liang Xinyi seemed to have forgotten the fact that she did not have the qualifications to attend this ball, especially due to her relations.h.i.+p with Han Zhongteng.
Even if lightning struck twice, it was unlikely that she would be able to earn the t.i.tle of first-cla.s.s socialite due to this scandal between her and Han Zhongteng. This scandal had basically eliminated all her chances of obtaining first-cla.s.s socialite status.
That being said, it didn’t matter if Liang Xinyi had no chance of getting the t.i.tle of first-cla.s.s socialite. In the event someone ameliorated the situation and gave her a new ident.i.ty, it could be a case of killing two birds with one stone.
For instance, increasing Chen Lixue’s social status and letting her become Liang Xinyi’s stepmother would a.s.sociate Liang Xinyi with Yun Yuanfeng, thereafter changing Liang Xinyi’s social standing.
Once Liang Xinyi was deemed to be of value to be made use of, Yun Yuanfeng could remove Liang Xiuqin, that blockhead, from the picture immediately. Not only that, but when Chen Lixue’s status had risen, Yun Xi would be able to put the recording of Yun Yuanfeng having an rendezvous with her at the hotel to use. By having this dirt on Yun Yuanfeng, Liang Xinyi would be able to use the recording to her advantage.
With such a good opportunity presenting itself right in front of her, it would be a pity if Liang Xinyi did not take full advantage of it.
“I can help you, but I have a condition,” Han Zhongteng replied indifferently. He then lifted his head and looked at Liang Xinyi, his evil eyes gleaming with l.u.s.t.
Liang Xinyi understood exactly what Han Zhongteng meant by his condition, and yet she earnestly wished it would not be that condition.
She raised her head to look at Han Zhongteng and hesitantly asked, “What…what do you want?”
Despite seeing right through her thoughts, Han Zhongteng spoke insolently of his condition, not forgetting to carry a hint of sarcasm, “What else can you offer me if it’s not the top and bottom mouths of yours?”
“…” Liang Xinyi had held on to the belief that every cloud has a silver lining, but upon hearing his words that glimmer of hope in Liang Xinyi’s eyes vanished.
Apart from this condition that Han Zhongteng had just stated, Liang Xinyi acknowledged that she did not possess anything else of value that she could offer. Indeed, reality is harsh.
Having been born into the penniless Liang family, Liang Xinyi was born with nothing. She was nothing like Yun Xi, who had been born as the eldest daughter of the Yun family and had been given the privilege of becoming the Jiang family’s future daughter-in-law.
As for her? Her dad was a good-for-nothing, and her mom was incapable as she couldn’t even handle the situation with Yun Yuanfeng to her advantage. Thus, Liang Xinyi had come to the conclusion that she could only rely on herself to get what she wanted.