After Transmigrating, I Lived with the Charismatic/Beloved Female Lead - Chapter 15
Chapter 15
“Yueyue, are you sure you don’t want to wear a long evening gown?” Wei Ling looked at her daughter, confirming again.
“No need! Long gowns are too much trouble…” Wei Yue declined.
Her knee had been badly scraped a week ago. Although the wound was scabbing over, short dresses were definitely out of the question, and a long gown was too cumbersome. This banquet was clearly not going to be peaceful, so it was best to wear something easy to move in.
Ultimately, Wei Yue chose a deep grey suit.
She looked at her reflection, dressed formally, and found a certain familiarity.
Although both were named “Wei Yue,” their looks were only loosely similar.
The original owner’s face was vibrant and sweet, while hers was more reserved. The only similarity might be their eyes.
However, with the makeup for the banquet—the slightly sharp eyebrows and extended eyeliner the sweetness was somewhat muted. Paired with the dark suit, it made her appear more composed, bearing a 50% resemblance to her true self.
Perhaps the system chose her after considering her appearance as well.
“Alright, alright, my Yueyue looks beautiful no matter what she wears.” Although Wei Ling was surprised that her daughter chose a suit for a banquet for the first time, as a devoted mother, she respected Wei Yue’s decision and smiled as she started combing her hair.
Since it was a joint birthday celebration for Lu Yuanqiu and Lan Shangui, the two families alternated hosting. Last year, since Lu Yuanqiu was unconscious, the Lan family hosted alone. This year, it was the Lu family’s turn.
Riding in the car to the outskirts of K City, when she saw the brightly lit villa complex, Wei Yue felt the power of the female lead’s family intuitively for the first time.
“So, is this entire area the Lu family’s villas?” she asked Wei Ling, sitting beside her, at the same time expressing her awe.
Wei Ling, thinking her daughter was feeling jealous again, immediately explained, “The Lu family is involved in real estate and has been trading for generations. By now, the family’s foundation is extremely solid. Most influential families in K City can’t even compare.”
Wei Yue, of course, was oblivious to Wei Ling’s “misunderstanding.” She was still immersed in the shock of the “wealthy.”
Although the Wei family was a well-known name in K City, they clearly didn’t have such an exaggerated real estate portfolio. Furthermore, Lu Yuanqiu herself was quite low-key, giving Wei Yue no real concept of the Lu family as K City’s foremost influential family.
After the chauffeur drove the car through the villa complex gate, specialized staff guided them to the parking lot. Even after she and Wei Ling got out of the car, staff escorted them to the main villa where the banquet was being held.
“Is this Miss Wei Yue?”
When registering arrivals, the reception staff proactively asked when they saw Wei Yue’s name.
“Mm? Yes.”
“Miss Lu instructed that if it is you, we are not to handle the gift. However, you can still entrust Mr. Lan’s gift to us.”
Eh?
Wei Yue then noticed that every registered guest handed their gift to the reception staff for unified placement.
But if Lu Yuanqiu said this… did she want me to give the gift to her personally?
Wei Yue felt a strange sensation, but her body was honest enough to only hand over Lan Shangui’s gift.
The gift for Lan Shangui was a pair of expensive men’s leather shoes. Since the male lead didn’t like her anyway, she decided to send something with minimal thought.
As for Lu Yuanqiu’s gift, Wei Yue had pondered for a long time.
She initially thought of jewelry, but then realized the other person wouldn’t lack such things. Moreover, Lu Yuanqiu rarely wore jewelry, so it wouldn’t be very useful.
After much deliberation, she finally decided on a new model women’s watch from the N+ brand.
Because…
Wei Yue lowered her gaze, recalling the image from military training when Lu Yuanqiu, sitting beside her, raised her hand to tuck a strand of long hair behind her ear.
That curved, fair wrist looked perfect for some kind of ornamentation. And besides jewelry, a watch was perhaps the most suitable choice.
After registration, Wei Ling led Wei Yue into the villa. As they walked, she teased, “Is your relationship with Yuanqiu already this good? She specially instructed them.”
“Ah, mm, because we’re roommates…” Wei Yue hadn’t expected Wei Ling to say this. For some reason, she was subconsciously nervous for a moment and replied stammeringly, “Yes, it must be.”
Yes, it must be because they spent every day together during military training this week. Lu Yuanqiu was just being courteous to her out of “roommate sentiment,” right?
Wei Yue thought this, calming her thoughts.
Walking past the main villa doors, what greeted Wei Yue was the warm yellow light. Illuminated by this soft glow, the grand hall was a blend of solemn Chinese and elegant Western design, appearing majestic, stylish, and fully showcasing the host’s wealth.
A group of people had already gathered in the hall, chatting in small groups. Judging by their makeup and attire, every one of them was formally dressed for the banquet.
“Ah, the Wei family is here.”
The moment they stepped into the hall, someone with sharp eyes noticed Wei Ling and Wei Yue and walked up to socialize.
“Madam Wei, long time no see.” An elegantly dressed woman stepped forward, smiling and greeting Wei Ling. Then, she looked at Wei Yue with a hint of surprise. “Oh my, is this Wei Yue? You look so beautiful even in a suit!”
Wei Yue: “…Mm-hmm, thank you, Auntie.”
Facing such enthusiastic praise from an elder, she felt a little awkward. She could only force a smile and quickly found an excuse to slip away.
Reminder to the host, OOC level has risen to 40%.
The system’s voice sounded. Wei Yue sighed, looking at her system panel. The once ample 152 hours had now become 24 hours.
She had triggered very few missions this week. Even with the boost from Lu Yuanqiu’s Child of Fortune status, after 7 days, her life value was running low. Tonight’s banquet required her not only to find clues for the Main Mission but also to find a way to trigger some side missions.
Thinking this, Wei Yue began to look around, trying to spot Lu Yuanqiu.
“Well, well, this outfit is quite rare for you.”
She hadn’t found Lu Yuanqiu, but another familiar voice sounded in Wei Yue’s ear.
She turned around and saw Xu Mengning, wearing a light blue long dress, arms crossed, raising an eyebrow at her.
“It’s nice to change my style sometimes,” Wei Yue knew Xu Mengning had strong opinions about “herself.” The fact that she came over to talk must be for some reason.
“Hmph, you look much more presentable like this,” Xu Mengning didn’t mince words with Wei Yue. She walked up beside Wei Yue, picked up a drink from a nearby table, and asked, “Whose gift is that you’re holding?”
Wei Yue was holding a small, exquisite, dark blue gift box, clearly meant for someone.
“Why do you ask?” Wei Yue glanced at her.
This time, Xu Mengning surprisingly didn’t engage in a verbal spat. Instead, she pointed to a spot and said, “If you want to give a gift to Lan Shangui alone, like before, look, he’s over there.”
Wei Yue subconsciously followed the direction of her finger. Lan Shangui, wearing a black suit and looking tall and upright, was surrounded by a crowd.
For the sake of her OOC level, she should pretend to approach him, but…
Wei Yue looked at the gift box in her hand again, recalling what the receptionist had told her about Lu Yuanqiu’s personal instruction. That inexplicable feeling surged up again.
“Tch, why are there so many people? I’m not going over there right now!” After much thought, Wei Yue decided not to rely on interacting with Lan Shangui to lower her OOC level. Instead, she feigned a jealous tone.
“Can’t be helped. He is one of the main hosts of this banquet, after all.” Xu Mengning shrugged, took a sip of her water, and said casually, “Look over there. Yuanqiu also has a lot of people around her.”
Lu Yuanqiu!
Wei Yue captured the name and looked in the direction Xu Mengning indicated, with a sense of urgency that even she didn’t realize. However, she only saw a few strangers chatting together.
“Are you lying to me?” Wei Yue turned back, narrowing her eyes to question her.
“Huh?” Xu Mengning also looked genuinely surprised. “Why would I lie to you? She was just there!”
Her expectation was dashed, and Wei Yue felt a little disappointed, but Xu Mengning had no reason to trick her about something like this. After all, most people thought her relationship with Lu Yuanqiu was “average” or even poor.
“Are you looking for me?”
Suddenly, a soft female voice came from behind her, accompanied by the familiar faint scent she had smelled before.
Wei Yue turned around. The first thing she saw was Lu Yuanqiu’s eyes. Her naturally beautiful amber eyes, perhaps enhanced by light makeup, were even clearer and brighter under the light.
She was wearing a white, long evening gown. The intricate patterns on the dress looked incredibly rich and expensive. This outfit accentuated her slender waist and attractive curves while highlighting her gentle and elegant, noble temperament.
Lu Yuanqiu’s long hair was lightly curled at the ends, with a few strands falling forward. The contrast of black and white was remarkably sharp at this moment.
Wei Yue looked at the person in front of her, her heart seeming to stop for a second. Her pupils contracted slightly, as if she were engraving the image into her memory.
“Hey, Yuanqiu, weren’t you just talking to those people? How did you get here?” Xu Mengning asked, leaning in when her friend suddenly appeared.
Lu Yuanqiu smiled at her and said, “They were talking about some very boring topics. I’ve been wanting to leave for a while. Seeing you two, I found an excuse to slip away.”
After saying that, she looked at Wei Yue.
Noticing the gaze, Wei Yue subconsciously straightened her back, adjusting her posture with a hint of nervousness.
“Why are you still holding a gift box?” Lu Yuanqiu asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.
Wei Yue froze: “…Hmm?”
Why is Lu Yuanqiu asking her? Didn’t she tell the receptionist not to take her gift…
Could it be that she didn’t want her gift… right?
Though if it were the original owner, it wouldn’t be surprising for Lu Yuanqiu to do that.
“It’s probably the same as before, a gift for Lan Shangui, right?” Xu Mengning, looking like she enjoyed the spectacle, spoke to Lu Yuanqiu on her own.
“…Wait a minute, I didn’t say that!” Wei Yue quickly denied, feeling the temperature on her earlobes rising again.
She took a deep breath and looked at Lu Yuanqiu, saying, “Didn’t you… tell the receptionist not to accept the gift I brought for you!”
“Huh? A gift for her?” Xu Mengning’s eyes widened in disbelief. The next moment, she processed Wei Yue’s words and looked at Lu Yuanqiu. “You told them yourself?”
Hearing Wei Yue’s words, the smile on Lu Yuanqiu’s face deepened a bit. Now, Wei Yue finally saw the cunning in her eyes. “So it really was for me… I thought you wouldn’t be willing to do that.”
What… she deliberately said that!
Did she want me to volunteer to give the gift to her personally…
A surge of anger from being played surged up in Wei Yue’s heart. However, at this moment, upon confirming that Lu Yuanqiu was coming to receive the gift, she could distinctly feel another, more intense emotion bubbling up.
And this emotion abruptly peaked when Lu Yuanqiu reached out and took the gift box, her fair, cool fingertips touching Wei Yue’s fingers.
“Please don’t be angry. I was just a little unsure.”
“If it’s a gift from you, I certainly have to receive it personally.”
She saw Lu Yuanqiu’s red lips parting. The faint fragrance now seemed suddenly intense, placing her in a field of flowers.