"Would it kill you to tell us the truth? Whatâs the point of trying to hide it?" Ah Mei suddenly asked bluntly.
At first, Shen Jingbin only thought of Ah Mei as one of those commonly seen gossipy girls, but now it was clear that Ah Mei was trying to feel her out.
Shen Jingbin was the type of person who responded in kind. If the other party were a pleasant and agreeable girl, then she too would be as warm as the morning sun. However, if the other party spoke in an unpleasant manner, expecting any politeness on her part would be a bit of a stretch.
Shen Jingbinâs face turned cold as she rebuffed Ah Mei, "What does my relationship with him have to do with you?"
"I-I was just curious. Thatâs all."
"Just because youâre curious doesnât mean that I have to give you an answer."
"..." Ah Meiâs face screwed up in displeasure, and she continued to wordlessly glare at Shen Jingbin.
"Hey, whatâre you doing?" Jiang Weiwei asked as she walked over with a small platter of fruits in her hand and proceeded to seat herself beside Shen Jingbin. She then turned to Ah Mei and said haughtily, "Whoâre you again? I seem to have forgotten you."
Ah Meiâs chest heaved for several moments before she replied. "Iâm Ah Mei."
Jiang Weiwei wore a look of disdain on her face. "Ah Mei? Never heard of you. Whose girlfriend are you?"
Ah Mei silently averted her gaze.
"Hey hey hey, Jiang Weiwei, why are you holed up here? ... Hm? Pretty lady, whereâd Chengning run off to? Why isnât he with you?" A young man wearing a white shirt walked over. He swept a glance at Ah Mei before he turned his attention to Jiang Weiwei and Shen Jingbin.
Jiang Weiwei gestured at Ah Mei with her chin and asked, "Is she your girlfriend?"
The man shot another glance at Ah Mei. "She looks really familiar, let me think about it... I think sheâs Ah Haoâs girlfriend. Hey girl, youâre with Ah Hao, right?"
Ah Mei nodded.
Jiang Weiwei tsked and curled her lips.
Ah Mei really couldnât stand being sneered at by Jiang Weiwei, but at the same time, she didnât dare rebuke her either. Jiang Weiwei was an infamous shrew amongst this circle of friends, but she still got along pretty well with the guys.
The only reason she could even be here was that sheâd tagged along with her boyfriend of over a year. Everyone in this room was all wealthy and respectable Young Masters whom she couldnât afford to provoke. Itâs not every day that she would manage to come across a new face at an event. At first, sheâd just wanted to get to know Shen Jingbin, but she never expected her to act so coldly. During this year with her boyfriend, although she was the lowest on the social ladder in their group, sheâd still managed to make quite a reputation for herself to outsiders because of her association with them. That being said, she was now faced with some nobody who was acting cold towards her, so she obviously wouldnât be happy. Little did she know that this woman actually had Jiang Weiwei as her backer!
After he wrapped up his call, Zhao Chengning spotted someone sitting in his former seat. Not only that, but there were also a few other people surrounding Shen Jingbin too!
He furrowed his brows. These bastards, theyâd all rushed up to surround her in the time it took him to take a call!
"Whatâre you talking about?" He asked as he walked up to Jiang Weiwei. Zhao Chengning signalled for her to give up her seat with his eyes. Jiang Weiwei unwillingly moved to the side to make space for him, and Zhao Chengning plopped right down on her former spot. He then casually leaned into the chairâs backrest in a very sensual manner.
Jiang Weiwei was very unhappy about being given the shaft, so she gave a tsundere-like snort and turned the other cheek. Zhao Chengning was left feeling helpless, and he could only turn to look at Shen Jingbin. That was when he spotted the unfamiliar face of a woman sitting beside her.
Zhao Chengningâs brows knitted together once again as he swept a glance at Ah Mei. Keeping his gaze locked on her, he said, "Letâs change seats."
Without giving Shen Jingbin a chance to react, he stood up and walked over to her other side. Shen Jingbin had no choice but to shift her seat and make space for him.
Once he sat down, Zhao Chengning narrowed his eyes at Ah Mei and asked, "Youâre Ah Haoâs girlfriend?"
Ah Mei looked as if she was overwhelmed by the attention she was getting. "Second Young Master, you-you remember me?!"
"A little," Zhao Chengning only had the slightest bit of recollection when it came to her. The purpose of asking her that question had been to figure out her identity. And, from her reaction, heâd been right on the money. He looked over to where Shen Jingchen and Xuya were facing a red-faced Ah Hao who was downing alcohol and said, "Ah Haoâs over there, so arenât you going to keep him company?"
A strange blush surfaced on her cheeks. She looked up at Zhao Chengning with a mixture of joy and anger in her eyes and said, "Heâs busy drinking with other people; he doesnât have the time to bother about me."
She was suddenly interrupted by Jiang Weiwei, "How quaint. So instead of caring for your boyfriend, youâre over here acting like youâre in heat. Havenât you ever thought about your status?"
The moment she said that Shen Jingbinâs opinion of Jiang Weiwei went up by a few notches.
Weiwei, youâre a true man.
The youth wearing a white shirt had been sitting on the sofa diagonally across from them. His personality was similar to Xuya, and he was often the one who helped mediate when things got out of hand. He looked at Jiang Weiwei, then he turned to Zhao Chengning before turning his attention to Shen Jingbin and finally stopping at Ah Mei. He and Ah Hao were pretty close, and so, on account of her being his boyfriend, he couldnât just sit by and watch her get bullied. In an attempt to smooth things over, he said, "Jiang Weiwei, your tongueâs just as sharp as ever. Sheâs just a girl, canât you be a little kinder to her?... Ah Mei, right? Why donât you go look after Ah Hao and make sure he doesnât drink so much; heâll end up drinking himself stupid if he keeps this up."
In truth, Ah Mei had a horrible temper. She must have blown a fuse in her head after being ridiculed by Jiang Weiwei, because she continued to sit there like a brick, causing the atmosphere to grow heavy with tension.