"Go ahead, grab me some pastries too," Li Yexing said.
With his approval, the silver-haired beauty in her white dress stepped lightly in heels toward the buffet, drawing eyes. Refined older gentlemen stayed composed, but young heirs gaped, pretending nonchalance while stealing glances.
At the table, Lilith's cold, detached demeanor held. She pulled a tissue from her purse, folded it elegantly, and ignored the plates and cutlery. Grabbing a turkey leg, she tore into it with a savage bite, bone and all, her lips glistening with oil as the bone crunched like it was screaming.
The heirs were stunned. Even the older gents frowned, wondering what kind of uncouth girl this was.
Li Yexing, watching from the back, stifled a laugh.
Lilith devoured two turkey legs, munched some fruit, and grabbed a plate of brownies before turning back, snagging a glass of wine. The legless turkey sat forlornly on its tray.
Ignoring the stares, she returned to Li Yexing, handing him the wine. When he reached for the brownie plate, she shook her head, delicately picking one up and holding it to his mouth.
"Ah—"
He opened his mouth, and she fed him, letting him playfully lick her fingers clean.
'These pastries are pale… no, her fingers are sweet.'
The brownies were fancy, but to Li Yexing, they tasted like the eight-yuan chocolate cake from his old neighborhood bakery. Just good.
He downed the wine like cheap liquor, grimacing. 'Tastes like crap. Poor me.'
Eyes focused on them. Their hillbilly antics shocked the elites, especially the young nobles, who looked ready to write "stunned" on their faces. Raised in high society with strict etiquette, they'd never seen such wildness.
'Like the mutts our parents warned us about.'
Li Yexing didn't care. If he was going all-in, why bother with pretense? 'This is me. Got a problem? Fight me.'
His Roples-bred thug aura flared. He wrapped an arm around Lilith's waist, pulled a tissue from her purse, and gently wiped her mouth, looking like a bandit king with his bride. The young heirs were horrified, unable to accept this goddess with such an unrefined man.
They exchanged glances, and a blond, cool-looking guy stepped forward.
Li Yexing had been watching their antics with his peripheral vision. The handsome, clean-cut blond, about his age, approached with a polished smile, extending a hand. "Hello, I'm Charlie Atwood, from England."
"Li Yexing, from China," Li Yexing replied, giving a half-hearted handshake with a fake smile.
Atwood, pleased with the response, thought this guy wasn't so bad.
Truthfully, Charlie Atwood didn't want to take the lead. Lilith was stunning, almost unreal, but he wasn't desperate enough to hit on her. To someone destined to lead the Atwood family, even the prettiest women were mere ornaments. He didn't want to cross this prickly Asian guy, but his brainless posse thought otherwise.
In their circle, his family held the most sway, making him their de facto leader. Just now, his indignant, dim-witted buddies egged him on to play "knight saving the princess from the dragon."
'Idiots.'
But Charlie Atwood had pride. He couldn't refuse his followers without looking weak, so here he was.
Relieved that Li Yexing seemed approachable, he relaxed. "Nice to meet you, Li. I've always wanted to visit China. It sounds amazing, and these past years…"
After some small talk, Atwood got to his point. "Li, your companion is stunning. May I ask which family she's from?"
Lilith leaned close, whispering, "His eyes are gross…"
"Mr. Atwood…" Li Yexing grinned, switching to Chinese. "Your mom's dead."
"What?" Atwood blinked, doubting his ears.
"Your mom's dead," Li Yexing repeated.
Atwood froze.
"Oh, in China, that's encouragement," Li Yexing lied, grinning. "Means: don't heed rumors or slander."
"Is… that so? Haha…" Atwood forced an awkward smile.
Seeing that strained grin, Li Yexing knew he'd overplayed. 'This guy probably knows Chinese.'
He laughed along, feigning camaraderie.
"Come, Lilith, meet Mr. Atwood," Li Yexing said, pulling her forward. "This is my wife, Lilith E. Spencer."
"Spencer? As in Umbrella's…?" Atwood said, surprised.
"Yup, that Spencer. Her family's a distant branch. Old Spencer was her uncle," Li Yexing bullshitted, banking on Spencer being long dead.
"Spencer's descendant? My respects…" Atwood's deference was genuine, his British nobility showing.
"You're from China, but married to Miss Spencer…" Atwood wasn't suspicious—Li Yexing had no reason to lie—just curious.
"Moved to Europe as a teen," Li Yexing said, finally telling a truth.
Atwood nodded, assuming a romantic tale. "Your meeting with Miss Spencer must be quite the story."
"Yeah," Li Yexing nodded. "We met through a dating site."
"Dating… site?" Atwood gaped.
"Yup, matched with Lilith online."
Li Yexing was enjoying this. Teasing this polite, well-mannered blond was fun—his baffled face was pure entertainment.
"Really…" Atwood stared at Lilith, unable to picture this ethereal girl on a dating site. He gave an awkward smile. "You're quite the character, Li."
"I think so too," Li Yexing said proudly.
Atwood's fake smile hid his cursing. 'What's with this guy? So crude! Why'd he insult me? Is he nuts?' If not for the exclusive guest list, he'd think Li Yexing was some stray mutt.
Continuing the small talk, Atwood sensed Li Yexing enjoyed tripping him up, watching his reactions.
'What a twisted hobby!'