Shen Qi gritted her teeth.
He dared to threaten her!
But damn it, he really had grabbed her by the weak spot!
Even though she had only known Liu Yi for a few days, it felt like she had found a soulmate for life—someone she could trust, someone she could turn her back to without fear.
Shen Qi bit her lip, her eyes flickering with intense emotion.
He Yining chuckled lightly and said, "Did I look handsome playing ball today?"
Shen Qi paused, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic.
How was she supposed to answer that?
Handsome or not?
If she said handsome, what if he asked if someone else was handsome? How would she respond then?
If she said not handsome...
She probably wouldn't end up well, would she?
Shen Qi carefully considered her words and replied, "Very handsome. Your form was excellent, your accuracy was high. It's clear you've played for years and have plenty of experience."
He Yining raised an eyebrow. That answer was so formulaic!
But it didn't matter. As long as Xiao Qi thought he was handsome, that was enough!
The second dance finally ended.
Shen Qi took a step back, ready to leave.
He Yining didn't stop her this time, letting her walk off the dance floor.
Shen Qi returned to her seat but didn't see Liu Yi.
Huh? Where did she go?
Getting food?
Shen Qi sat down, puzzled, and continued eating while waiting for Liu Yi to come back.
At that moment, Liu Yi was being stopped by Wen Yibo.
"Hey, this is a formal banquet. Can you dress a little more appropriately?" Wen Yibo flashed a charming smile at Liu Yi. "Or do you not own any formal wear?"
Liu Yi tossed her short hair. "Yeah, I don't. I'm so poor, how could I afford clothes like the ones you're wearing?"
"How many years have you had that T-shirt?" Wen Yibo felt like he was at a loss for words for the first time.
"Oh, this one? Five years," Liu Yi replied matter-of-factly.
Five... five years...
"What brand is it?" Wen Yibo asked casually, really just making small talk.
"No idea. Some brand I don't recognize," Liu Yi answered just as casually.
Some... unrecognizable brand?
If she didn't recognize the brand, how did she get past the first round of the competition?
"How much did it cost?" Wen Yibo felt he had incredible patience to ask such a vulgar question.
Liu Yi's answer was equally shocking: "Let me think... Oh, right, 29 yuan, with free shipping!"
2... 29... yuan... free... shipping?
Wen Yibo couldn't hold it in anymore and spat out the cocktail in his mouth.
He stared at Liu Yi in horror.
Was this person some kind of oddball?
Wearing a 29-yuan, free-shipping T-shirt that was five years old to a formal banquet?
Wen Yibo felt his worldview was being shattered.
"Is your family very poor?" Wen Yibo couldn't think of any other explanation.
"No," Liu Yi said, looking at Wen Yibo like he was overreacting. "My mom runs her own company, my dad likes dabbling in real estate. I'm their only child, so I wouldn't say I'm poor, right?"
Wen Yibo felt like he was witnessing a miracle.
A rich second-generation wearing a 29-yuan, free-shipping, five-year-old T-shirt?
"If there's nothing else, please move aside." Liu Yi had finished getting her food and was ready to leave. "Tonight, I'm just here to protect Xiao Qi. I won't steal your spotlight. Even if you dress better than me, I'm still cooler than you!"
With that, Liu Yi turned and walked away with the food Shen Qi liked, looking effortlessly cool.
Wen Yibo's heart shattered.
He wasn't worried about Liu Yi stealing the girls!
He was here to pick up women!
First battle: failure!
Wen Yibo watched Liu Yi's retreating figure, unwilling to give up.
He was supposed to be the invincible Casanova, unbeatable in love. How could he fall to this tomboy?
No way. He couldn't admit defeat!
Wen Yibo silently resolved to make Liu Yi kneel before him and sing "Conquest."
Liu Yi returned to her seat with the food and saw Shen Qi already there. She smiled and said, "Here, all your favorites. Two dances in a row must have worn you out, right?"
Shen Qi took the food with a grin. "Thanks."
"So, what did your husband say to you?" Liu Yi sat across from Shen Qi, unable to contain her curiosity.
Shen Qi blushed. "Don't say that. We don't even know if we'll make it. He..."
She paused, not wanting Liu Yi to know that He Yining's threat involved her, so she changed the subject. "Nothing important. Just some stuff I can ignore."
Liu Yi knew Shen Qi didn't want to talk about it, so she dropped it. "Let's eat quickly and then leave. I'm not interested in this kind of event. I'd rather go back to the hotel and hit the punching bag."
Shen Qi nodded. There were plenty of others at the banquet who felt the same way.
Not everyone was desperate to curry favor with the wealthy.
Cui Yuelan, of course, wasn't one of them.
When Cui Yuelan saw He Yining, she was about to rush over happily, but he had already pulled Shen Qi onto the dance floor.
Seeing this, Cui Yuelan's face turned ashen.
Shen Qi!
That shameless bitch!
She was cozying up to Liu Yi and still tangled up with He Yining?
Fine! She'd expose Shen Qi's true colors today!
Let's see how she pretends in front of He Yining!
As soon as Shen Qi left the dance floor, Cui Yuelan charged over and grabbed He Yining, wanting to continue dancing.
But He Yining just glanced at her and walked away.
Cui Yuelan stomped her foot in frustration and followed him off the dance floor.
"Yining, why are you ignoring me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Cui Yuelan plopped down across from him, unhappy. "The one who betrayed you is Shen Qi. The one who's two-timing is Shen Qi. It has nothing to do with me! And I found something else—Shen Qi and that Liu Yi definitely have something shady going on. Today, when they came out of the bathroom together, Shen Qi's lips were all swollen! They're always going into the same room and staying in there for a long time..."
At first, He Yining listened patiently, but as she went on, he frowned.
When had Cui Yuelan become so gossipy?
She used to be so sweet, obedient, and sensible.
She never talked behind people's backs.
Especially about things that weren't true.
If he hadn't been involved in some of it himself, he might have believed her!
For one thing, Liu Yi was a woman. What was wrong with her sharing a room with Shen Qi?
And what happened in the bathroom this afternoon? That was his doing...
He Yining cut her off. "Yuelan, as a noble, you shouldn't gossip behind people's backs."
Cui Yuelan grew even angrier. "Yining, don't you believe me? Shen Qi has been lying to you all along! I'm the only one who's sincere with you! Yining, I like you! Shen Qi is so shameless. Why don't you divorce her? I'll marry you! I'll bear your children!"
He Yining's face darkened.
Before she could finish, his voice turned cold. "Yuelan! I'll pretend I didn't hear any of this today. I don't want to hear it again. You're my sister. You were before, you are now, and you always will be!"
With that, he stood up and strode away.
Cui Yuelan watched him leave, clenching her fists, her face twisted. "He Yining, how dare you... No, I won't give up! Mom and Dad support me. I won't let this go!"
The banquet reached its peak. As the host, Wen Yibo was about to announce the final grand prize.
"Today, achieving results on the court is something to be proud of. Because among you, there are people who made us willingly admit defeat." Wen Yibo stood on stage, smiling. "Since that's never happened before, I'm giving out a special prize as a reward for victory."
Everyone in the room looked at him with eager anticipation.
Wen Yibo was undoubtedly dazzling tonight.
Even if no one knew his true identity yet, a young, handsome, wealthy man hosting such a lavish party and offering a prize was enough to grab attention.
Wen Yibo clearly enjoyed the spotlight.
After building up the suspense, he finally announced, "The prize is bonus points for the second round of the competition—five points. And six people have earned this reward."
The crowd's eyes widened.
What? Attending a banquet could earn bonus points?
God, let more of this good fortune come!
Wen Yibo continued, "Maybe you didn't notice, or maybe you did but didn't care. But what I want to say is, in any competition, everyone has a reason to fight, and everyone has a responsibility to contribute. This competition only needs five players on the court, but it requires team support. I want to ask, while those five were sweating and running, what were the rest of you doing?"
The room fell silent.
Liu Yi glanced at Wen Yibo in rare surprise.
She hadn't expected this playboy to have such insight.
Shen Qi smiled faintly, as if she already knew what Wen Yibo was about to say.
Sure enough, Wen Yibo went on, "Yes, you were just watching and cheering, celebrating the victory, but none of you went to hug the teammates who won it for you. But one person did. She volunteered to serve the basketball players the whole time, handing out water and towels. Her name is Shen Qi—a very ordinary yet extraordinary girl. From the first game to the last, she stood at the front, holding towels and water, waiting."
The crowd lowered their heads in shame.
Wen Yibo's words made them feel guilty.
"Indeed, those five were chosen by you to play basketball. But you forgot, they had no obligation to fight for your results. Their hard work benefited everyone. What I'm saying is, that's unfair to them. And the world is always fair." Wen Yibo's voice was calm, but it struck a chord in everyone's hearts.