Li Chuntao sat in the back seat of the car, lazily looking at the scenery as Su Ling drove them towards the rented mansion where the celebration banquet was to be held. Tonight was the official start of her pretense as her deceased sister, she couldn"t wait to see the expressions of those who"d hurt her sister before. Beside her, Shen Zichen sat with crossed arms on his chest, his eyes closed as he tried to take advantage of the short drive to relax. Another s.h.i.+ft of long working hours was done and he had practically just changed his clothes after work and met Chuntao in her penthouse.
The limo they were in was a bit ostentatious for his liking. He would have preferred to drive himself to their destination and it could do wonders for him and Li Chuntao if they decided to leave the banquet early which had been his plan from the very beginning.
Although the idea of partying all night was rather tempting, Shen Zichen would rather pa.s.s. As in a hard pa.s.s, because he would rather go home and sleep through the night.
Unfortunately, Li Chuntao had pointed out how tired and sleepless he was for doing thirty-six hours of a s.h.i.+ft and she wouldn"t allow him to drive and get themselves into a dangerous situation just in case he dozed off while driving, which Shen Zichen found ridiculous.
No matter how tired he was, he had never been involved in any car accident, but he couldn"t blame her, could he? Li Chuntao had lost her family for the same reason.
Thinking about it, Shen Zichen was slightly amused that Li Chuntao agreed to attend this frivolous event when he knew how much she disliked attending one. It was always Li Xiuying who represented the Li family to such events ever since she reached the legal age and was accustomed to it.
After months of filming "To You With Love", the film crew decided to delay the celebration to give "Li Xiuying" enough time to recover. When the whole crew heard the news that their sponsor had miraculously survived the horrendous accident, they erupted in joy and had sent their get well soon gifts to Lady Li.
The celebration banquet was set at 8 PM and Li Chuntao had barely finished filing her leave of absence from work overseas when Shen Zichen popped in to pick her up that late afternoon. After his long s.h.i.+ft at work, it was obvious that the man was exhausted. Sitting next to her on the backseat, Li Chuntao took a side glance at his face and saw him dozing off.
Was she being too presumptuous to ask him to be with her tonight knowing his schedule was packed? But if he truly didn"t want to, Shen Zichen could always decline her request.
Li Chuntao looked away, feeling bad for subjecting Shen Zichen to this facade. However, she couldn"t help but use him to irk Mu Jianyu whom she had no doubt would show up later.
Just the mere thought of it was enough to improve her mood, her lips curling into a slight smile. How could Mu Jianyu let his "beloved wife" show herself in public with Shen Zichen by her side? He wouldn"t allow it.
After sitting there in silence with Shen Zichen, her phone buzzed indicating she received a new message. Li Chuntao casually took out her phone and saw that it was a message from her Auntie Yue.
"Are you sure you"re attending tonight? Lin Meirong is already here."
Li Chuntao stared at the message for about five seconds before lifting her head indifferently. Ah, yes, the other woman would be there. How could she forget about that? The show was about to begin and they couldn"t start without Lin Meirong.
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As part of the filming crew, Lin Meirong naturally had to attend the banquet hosted by the producer and the director that night. The minute she finished filming her tv drama, she hurriedly took a bath, changed, fixed her hair with her face with a makeup look that"s appropriate for the event.
As Gu Changge, she had never been to extravagant parties like this before, but ever since she moved to the city and changed her ident.i.ty as Lin Meirong, she"d didn"t waste any opportunity to flaunt herself in public.
Her charm was enough to seduce men and allow them to do her bidding, pampering her with gifts and expensive dresses, which she couldn"t afford with her own money.
She arrived just in time to see the director with Lan Jinyao and the male lead on stage, congratulating and thanking everyone for their hard work. Lin Meirong looked around and didn"t see Li Xiuying and released a sigh of relief when she realized that she wouldn"t have to face the woman anytime soon.
After the speech was given, the dinner began shortly.
Lin Meirong looked around for her manager and found her conversing with the other actresses. They gave her a warm welcome as she joined them at the table.
"Miss Lin, that"s a nice dress. Where did you buy it?" One of her fellow actresses asked seeing the sequined red dress that she was wearing that night.
Lin Meirong smiled bashfully and tucked a stray lock behind her ear before answering. Scanning the ballroom, she was indeed the brightest star around them if only Lan Jinyao wasn"t there to steal the limelight.
"Lan Jinyao, you are such an eyesore…" she grumbled to herself.
"Thank you for your compliment. I didn"t buy it. It was a gift from a friend."
Initially, she was planning to buy a good evening dress from Flair Apparel but she was so unlucky to meet the Shen princess that day and wasn"t able to get one for herself. Fortunately, she still kept those dresses she had received from her previous lovers.
Although her dress couldn"t be compared with Flair Apparel"s, this red sequined dress was one of her best dresses. It wrapped her body like a second skin and highlighted her a.s.sets.
"Ohh, then maybe it had cost them a fortune just to purchase it. You"re really lucky, Miss Lin. I don"t think I would ever have a friend that"s as generous as yours." The same actress smiled back at her, hiding the sarcasm in her face behind the wine gla.s.s on her lips.
Who hadn"t heard about Lin Meirong"s previous affairs with different men? Her name alone had been linked to various businessmen whether they were single or married, Lin Meirong wouldn"t care. Where else could she get this dress when she didn"t have enough money to buy on her own?
A series of gasps and murmurs suddenly erupted when everyone"s attention caught the arrival of "Li Xiuying" and Shen Zichen. The producer and the director hurriedly went and welcomed the two. Li Xiuying"s attendance was expected but her sudden arrival with Young Master Shen in tow caught them off guard.
Shouldn"t it be Mu Jianyu accompanying her today and not Shen Zichen? However, this question was put aside because who wouldn"t have wanted Young Master Shen"s presence at their party? While the Shen family wasn"t in the show business industry, their influence on the Tang and Ye family couldn"t be ignored.
People flocked around them, greeting the two excitedly as they fought to curry their favor.