The music in the ballroom softened into a slow instrumental melody as waiters moved quietly between the guests with trays of champagne. Crystal chandeliers shimmered overhead, casting warm light across the crowd.
Fan Xiao Ying stood beside Gu Jing Yu near the center of the room, trying her best not to feel like an outsider wearing borrowed elegance.
People kept staring.
Some tried to hide it behind polite smiles. Others did not bother at all.
She could almost hear their thoughts.
That's the diner girl.
How did she marry him?
Is she pregnant already?
Gold digger.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her champagne glass.
Jing Yu noticed.
"Relax," he murmured.
"I am relaxed."
"You're crushing the glass."
She looked down.
Right.
Maybe she wasn't relaxed.
Across the ballroom, Lin Fang stood with a small group of socialites. They whispered quietly while glancing in Xiao Ying's direction.
One of the women held up her phone.
Lin Fang leaned closer to look at the screen.
Then she smiled slowly.
Very slowly.
A few minutes later
The large digital screens around the ballroom suddenly flickered.
At first no one noticed.
Then whispers began spreading through the crowd.
"What is that?"
"Wait… is that her?"
"Look at the screen."
Xiao Ying turned.
Her heart stopped.
On the massive display screen above the ballroom stage appeared a photograph.
A photograph of her.
Wearing her old diner uniform.
Serving coffee.
Another image followed.
Then another.
Pictures from the small diner.
Images of her apartment building.
Her old life.
Below the photos appeared a headline:
"Gu Family Heir Marries A Diner Waitress: A Gold Digger."
The ballroom erupted in murmurs.
Xiao Ying felt the room spin.
Her chest tightened painfully.
People stared openly now.
Some amused.
Some curious.
Some cruel.
She heard a woman whisper behind her.
"She trapped him for money."
Another voice laughed softly.
"Classic."
Xiao Ying's hands began shaking.
She hadn't expected this.
She hadn't prepared herself for humiliation in front of hundreds of strangers.
Beside her, Jing Yu's expression turned cold.
Very cold.
His eyes moved slowly across the room.
Until they landed on Lin Fang.
The woman stood calmly beside the screen controller near the stage.
Holding a remote.
Their eyes met.
Lin Fang lifted her champagne glass slightly in a mock toast.
Jing Yu's jaw tightened.
Xiao Ying finally spoke.
Her voice was quiet.
"I should leave."
"No."
She looked up at him.
"This is your world," she said softly. "Not mine."
"You're not leaving."
"But everyone is staring."
"They always stare."
She laughed bitterly.
"That's easy for you to say."
Jing Yu turned fully toward her.
"Look at me."
She hesitated.
Then slowly raised her eyes.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
The question caught her completely off guard.
"I… what?"
"Answer the question."
She studied his face carefully.
He looked calm.
But beneath that calm was something powerful.
Controlled anger.
"Yes," she said quietly.
"Good."
He took her hand.
Then he began walking toward the stage.
The crowd parted instinctively.
Whispers followed them like shadows.
"Where are they going?"
"Is he going to explain?"
"Is he angry?"
Lin Fang watched them approach with mild curiosity.
She clearly hadn't expected this reaction.
Jing Yu stepped onto the stage.
The entire ballroom fell silent.
He took the microphone calmly.
His voice filled the room.
"I see everyone is enjoying tonight's entertainment."
A few awkward laughs echoed.
Jing Yu continued.
"Since the story is already being discussed so enthusiastically, I suppose I should clarify a few things."
He looked down at Xiao Ying standing beside him.
Then he did something that shocked everyone.
He pulled her gently closer.
And wrapped an arm around her waist.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
Xiao Ying froze.
His touch felt warm.
Steady.
Protective.
Jing Yu looked back at the audience.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"My wife used to work in a diner."
The crowd listened carefully.
"And yes, she lived a simple life."
His voice hardened slightly.
"But what exactly is shameful about honest work?"
No one answered.
"Fan Xiao Ying supported her family through hard work," he continued. "Something many people in this room have never experienced."
Several guests looked uncomfortable.
Lin Fang's smile faded slightly.
Jing Yu continued speaking.
"My wife did not trap me."
He paused.
Then said clearly:
"I pursued her."
Xiao Ying's eyes widened.
The room erupted in whispers again.
He went on.
"And if anyone believes marrying her was a mistake…"
His gaze moved slowly across the ballroom.
"I suggest you reconsider."
The threat in his voice was unmistakable.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Jing Yu lowered the microphone.
Then he turned toward Xiao Ying.
For a brief moment they simply looked at each other.
Something unspoken passed between them.
Then he took her hand again.
And led her off the stage.
Back near the balcony
Xiao Ying's heart was still racing.
"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly.
"Yes I did."
"You just told everyone you chased a diner waitress."
"That's not a problem."
"It is in your world."
Jing Yu shrugged slightly.
"My world adjusts."
She stared at him.
"You're unbelievable."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Still counts."
She tried to stay annoyed.
But something warm spread through her chest.
He had defended her.
Publicly.
In front of everyone.
She didn't know why that mattered so much.
But it did.
Across the ballroom
Lin Fang crushed her champagne glass in her hand.
The stem snapped with a quiet crack.
A drop of blood slid down her finger.
She barely noticed.
"That was unexpected," the man beside her said.
Lin Fang wiped the blood away with a napkin.
Her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Ying.
"This isn't over."
Later that night
The gala slowly began winding down.
Guests started leaving in small groups.
Xiao Ying stood beside Jing Yu near the exit.
"I think I survived," she said.
"You did."
"Barely."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"You handled it well."
She looked at him suspiciously.
"That's two compliments today."
"Don't get used to it."
They stepped outside into the cool Beijing night.
The paparazzi had returned.
Cameras flashed again.
But this time Jing Yu held Xiao Ying's hand firmly.
Not for show.
Not just for appearance.
But because he wanted to.
She noticed.
And her heart skipped slightly.
Across the street
The mysterious observer watched the couple enter their car.
He made another phone call.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"The humiliation failed."
A pause.
Then he listened carefully.
"I understand."
His eyes followed the departing car.
"Then we move to the next phase."
He hung up slowly.
A dark smile spread across his face.
"This marriage is going to become very… interesting."
Inside the car
Xiao Ying leaned back against the seat.
"I need noodles," she said suddenly.
Jing Yu looked at her.
"What?"
"When I'm stressed I eat noodles."
He stared for a moment.
Then shook his head.
"You're unbelievable."
"You married me."
"Contractually."
"Still counts."
For the first time that night, Jing Yu laughed quietly.
And Xiao Ying realized something dangerous.
She liked hearing that sound.
Much more than she should.
High above Beijing
The city lights glittered endlessly.
And somewhere among those lights, new enemies were already preparing their next move.
But inside the car, for a brief peaceful moment, neither Xiao Ying nor Jing Yu noticed the storm that was slowly building around them.