Once back in her room Su Li felt refreshed when she recalled the superb acting on her part in the study. She had made a firm resolve that even though she had to complete her given task without exceeding the bounds of her constraints she wouldn"t let Yu Jian or Yu Yan have the last laugh at her expense. Since she had to take into account the non - compete agreement as well as Yu Yan"s physical well - being, she would just annoy and provoke the other two with her honeyed words all the while maintaining a facade of virtuousness. She will suffocate the duo with her pretense and not give them a single opportunity to get a handle on her or any of her affairs.Thereupon, Su Li started getting bejeweled in luxuriant clothes and exquisite adornments. She wore a richly decorated evening gown made from luxurious silk tailored to her fit. The body of the gown was colored a deep blood red whereas in contrast the hem and the sleeves were ivory white and as thin as a vale of tears. Inky black tresses swirled about her face coming up to the middle of her back. Admiring her silhouette in the mirror she slipped on a set of dazzling diamonds studded in white gold earrings. She didn"t want to dress up the nines so left the matching necklace and other accessories as it is without adorning them. She could hear faint music, light laughter and indistinct voices from downstairs so it could be inferred that the guests has started arriving and that the party would be in full swing in a few minutes."Miss, Master requests you to come downstairs." A maid informed her. A while later she wore her white colored high - heels and sauntered to the top of stairs.
It felt a bit surreal to Su Li because it was at this moment it really struck her that this was her reality for the time being, she had to start her task from this moment on-wards and complete it diligently. She knew there was no leeway for any kind of mistakes henceforth or it would spell trouble for her. Fortifying herself with a deep breath her eyes roamed around at all the people present all the while absorbed in her thoughts. At the same time she had already accorded attention of everyone in attendance. (After all she was the star of the show tonight.) Though there was amazement and appreciation in most of the eyes turned towards her. n.o.body expressed their inner-most thoughts - whether approbation or jealousy. (Su Li had always found those descriptions of murmurs of awe or jealousy whenever a character appeared in dramas or novels in such situations to be extremely exaggerated just to high-light the lime light on the main character.In today"s fast paced society which put an extreme emphasis on pretty and beautiful faces, what kind of beauty or temperament hadn"t been seen and minutely scrutinized by the people.)
She knew no one would even make a peep right now and silence had descended in the ballroom with an antic.i.p.atory feel to it. Since this moment was a rite of pa.s.sage for her from a sheltered Young Miss to the adult world and from here on ahead all her expressions, actions etc would come under the microscopic lens of these giants of business and political world. Even a slight misstep could lead to a metaphorical bloodbath to her standing and reputation in this circle which had devoured and spat out innumerable second or third generation heirs without any mercy. Coming down the stairs she had a faintly discernible smile on her face.
Reaching the ground floor she stood still for a second and then correctly took two steps forward, followed by the traditional statement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you do me an honor." Then in accordance with tradition she gave a slow but deep curtsy to everyone present but kept her head up and tried to maintain eye contact with as many people as possible. At this point, Yu Jian came forward towards her followed by Yu Yan to say some auspicious words to her. Then suddenly he turned towards all the guests present and said, " Thank you everyone for attending my eldest"s ceremony. It also gives me an opportunity to introduce my second daughter to everyone. She is Yu Yan. Please show her the way in the future."all the while standing with each girl on his either side.
Yu Yan was resplendent in an off shoulder white dress trimmed with lace. Her flaxen hair touched her shoulders and she looked every inch the pampered young miss of an affluent family but unfortunately Yu Jian and Yu Yan had forgotten that none of the people present were ignorant to the treacherous black-waters and misdeeds that happened behind closed doors in high society families. Therefore, everyone could postulate and arrive at the right conclusions about the background and ident.i.ty of this new girl whom they had not heard a single word about in all these past years.
Due to this everyone"s evaluation of Yu Yan dropped. Earlier when they saw an unnamed and unknown girl standing with Yu Jian they had a fleeting thought that she might he a favoued distant relative of the family who was new to the scene. hence no one gave it much thought also her shy and humble att.i.tude had gained their faviour4able impression but now it looked extremely obnoxious. Moreover with the patriarch of the family introducing her on the day of the coming of age ceremony of the legitimate heir it had an undertone of trying to suppress the s.h.i.+ning moment of his first-born in order to drive forth the existence of the illegitimate child.The inequitable treatment could not have been more clearer. This demeanor was frowned upon by the guests, especially by the matriarchs and it was akin to a fish bone stuck in their throats. After all more than half of them had personally witnessed or gone through such situations due to their husband"s or to her family member"s momentary lapse in thinking or frivolous att.i.tude. Sometimes the mistress would also bring the child to the doors of the main residence shamelessly in order to gain entry into the house and try to lord it over other people. They despised and abhorred such schemes and white lotus acts but the ladies didn"t let their heartfelt emotions leak onto their faces. Even though they had the heart to help the legitimate child but before any steps could be taken Miss Yu Yue had to prove whether she was worth them lifting their fingers to squash the unsightly bug. After all there were no free lunches in the world. For the moment everybody present decided to be bystanders and watch the performance