The Bao Family turned their gaze in that direction.
It was Hao Keke who arrived fashionably late.
Hao Keke was dressed beautifully tonight. The couture gown she wore was an off-season rental that she had gone to great lengths to obtain. She had made a deal with the studio to wear it for only two hours before returning it immediately.
Thus, these two hours were very important to her.
She remembered that Su Ruanruan had bought a dress for a few thousand yuan on that day, and so her couture gown should completely outshine Su Ruanruan’s...
With this thought, Hao Keke smiled happily.
She was happy, but Mrs. Bao was not.
Mrs. Bao felt that the gown Hao Keke was wearing seemed extravagant; she had invited her as a pianist, not a guest. Why did this girl dress herself up ?
Mrs. Bao disdained her and deliberately made it difficult: "Miss Hao, won’t your outfit interfere with your piano playing?"
Hao Keke’s eyes were fixed on Bao Ziqi, her cheeks flushed red, "It’s no trouble at all!"
She curtsied, saying, "Uncle, Auntie, Teacher Ziqi, I will head inside first."
Before leaving, she also offered a friendly shallow smile towards Bao Jingyuan.
Bao Jingyuan was quite pleased.
Look, even a poor student knows to curry favor with her, unlike Su Ruanruan, who doesn’t know to bow her head.
After Hao Keke left, Mrs. Bao expressed her displeasure to her son: "I am a thousand times against keeping such a person around."
She spoke harshly, causing Bao Ziqi to be displeased.
Mrs. Bao then said: "Qionglin can’t come because of her leg injury; you’ll have to invite Ruanruan for the opening dance tonight!"
She complained a lot: "Who knows if Ruanruan can dance. She better not embarrass our Bao family."
Bao Mingyuan was also displeased: "How do you know the child won’t do well?"
Although he didn’t regard Su Ruanruan as one of his own, he did appreciate the girl somewhat.
Mrs. Bao was about to say more, but Bao Ziqi had already strode off.
Mrs. Bao was so angry that she followed to persuade her son.
At the entrance hall, only Bao Mingyuan was left standing.
Despite the Bao family’s event being at its zenith tonight, he felt endless loneliness when alone.
He shook his head and sighed with a wry smile.
Guided by Housekeeper Wang, Su Ruanruan made her way through the night.
She was dressed in white.
Youthful, beautiful, and noble.
Especially with her long black hair up, revealing her white neck, her temperament overshadowed everyone else.
The cigarette in Bao Mingyuan’s fingertips trembled and nearly burned him.
In a daze, he thought he saw his wife.
Not Meiyu, but Sun Weilian.
Weilian loved white in her lifetime. She was composed and graceful, kind, and intelligent.
In that instant, Bao Mingyuan, unable to control himself, called out involuntarily, "Weilian."
Housekeeper Wang was startled and reminded, "This is Miss Ruanruan."
Bao Mingyuan snapped back to reality.
Then he felt somewhat uncomfortable, "Ah, it’s Ruanruan! It’s dark; I mistook you for someone else."
His eyes deepened as he looked at Su Ruanruan again and spoke with a husky voice: "Your dress is beautiful! Your earrings match well too; they must be from Jingse, right?"
Su Ruanruan was moved: "Uncle?"
Bao Mingyuan smiled: "Only Jingse would pick clothes that her mother liked!"
He couldn’t help but gently touch Su Ruanruan’s hair, speaking tenderly: "You really resemble Jingse’s mother."
Su Ruanruan looked up: "Doesn’t Sister Jingse resemble her?"
Bao Mingyuan sighed: "Jingyan and Jingse take after me in temperament, and even though their appearance is somewhat similar, they don’t make people feel the resemblance. You resemble her the most in our home..."
Such a sentiment led him to completely abandon the thought of sending Su Ruanruan abroad.
Men are like that; when they have regrets in their own lives, they always seek to compensate elsewhere.
He felt guilty towards his late wife, so he unconsciously wanted to make up for this guilt in Su Ruanruan.
The gown Bao Jingyan sent had a deep intention...