The Rebirth of the Socialite's Glory (GL) - Chapter 17

Ye Qiu was abruptly thrown onto the bed. Before she could react, Feng Hua had stepped onto the bed, placed her foot on Ye Qiu’s stomach, leaned down, and stared at her coldly. “Why did you do that?”

The first thing Feng Hua thought of was that Ye Qiu had some scheme, and the evidence was that her reputation was almost completely ruined by Ye Qiu.

If her reputation as a lesbian reached Feng Heng’s ears, there would be no need for Ye Qiu to be recognized as family; Feng Heng would probably directly give up on the plan for Feng Hua to become the heir and instead have Feng Hua find a surrogate to give birth to a grandson to inherit the Feng family.

Furthermore, even though the number of people supporting homosexuality worldwide has increased in recent years and various countries have removed it from the list of mental illnesses, heterosexuality is still the mainstream. Homosexuals still haven’t obtained the right to marry, the right to be respected, or even the right to be openly visible. Given her status, if she were to be perceived by the world as a lesbian, she would endure unimaginable pressure.

Most importantly, she herself was not a lesbian. She would not take the blame for such an undeserved calamity!

Ye Qiu’s intentions were truly too sinister, and Feng Hua couldn’t figure out why Ye Qiu would do this—ruin her reputation, making it hard for her to even find a boyfriend in the future… What was Ye Qiu’s objective?

Did Ye Qiu know her true identity, and was she harboring hatred towards her?

Feng Hua’s gaze shifted, and the sharpness in it made Ye Qiu’s body feel cold.

Ye Qiu said with eyes full of bitterness, “I didn’t mean to…”

“I don’t believe you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Feng Hua suddenly felt a little regretful. She pursed her lips and removed her foot from Ye Qiu’s stomach. “Let’s part ways here. You must have realized that I don’t like you. Rather than both of us resenting each other, it’s better to separate sooner. It’s good for both of us.”

Ye Qiu’s body stiffened from the moment Feng Hua spoke the first word. After Feng Hua finished, she blinked, feeling a strong, sour urge to cry.

Even a heart forged of iron could not withstand a sharp needle named Feng Hua.

Ye Qiu packed her belongings, and as she left, pulling her suitcase, Feng Hua genuinely saw a hint of desolation. It was only then, looking at the suddenly much emptier bedroom, that Feng Hua realized how deep an imprint Ye Qiu had left here.

Feng Hua took a deep breath, driving Ye Qiu out of her mind.

She and Ye Qiu would never be friends. To Ye Qiu, she was the person who had stolen everything from her, and to her, Ye Qiu was nothing more than an enemy and a rival.

She could choose not to hate Ye Qiu, and she wouldn’t try to kill her, but she also had no intention of getting along well with Ye Qiu and holding hands as good friends.

Feng Hua bought a plane ticket back to Country E and packed her luggage, just waiting for the banquet to pass. Then she would return to Country E to complete her graduation procedures and then go back home.

On the eve of the banquet, Feng Hua received an evening gown, a gift from the banquet organizers. Since Feng Hua hadn’t ordered a new gown in advance, she did not refuse the kind gesture.

Despite wearing a beautiful gown, Feng Hua had to take a taxi because she had no intention of living long-term in Country M and didn’t want to spend money buying a car here.

The doorman saw Feng Hua stepping out of a taxi. If they hadn’t recognized the face that had become incredibly popular online and active in the public eye for the entire previous year, they genuinely wouldn’t have dared to let her in. This banquet was exclusive; anyone without an invitation would be turned away, even the President.

Stepping out of the car, she immediately felt the chill of the early spring evening breeze. Feng Hua adjusted her shawl and walked into the lobby with graceful, steady steps. A waiter guided Feng Hua, and a new waiter replaced his original post.

The waiter left after guiding her in, and Feng Hua first found a place to sit down.

Although the banquet was nominally held for the three winners, in reality, the top three were merely newcomers. At most, they were there to play a minor role in this gathering of big shots. The opportunity to collaborate with these CEOs would depend on luck.

Logically, Feng Heng was also qualified to attend this banquet, but Ye Qiu knew Feng Heng wouldn’t come; he disliked attending all non-formal banquets.

Ye Qiu and the third-place winner, Amos, arrived shortly after. Ye Qiu surveyed the lobby, where people were already mingling and toasting, and instantly spotted Feng Hua sitting in the corner.

As Ye Qiu saw Feng Hua, Feng Hua also noticed Ye Qiu’s presence through Ye Qiu’s gaze, which was always a bit more intense than normal.

Feng Hua merely glanced at Ye Qiu, then stood up, casually picked up a glass of wine, and walked toward the inner circles. Ye Qiu also quickly withdrew her gaze and sat down in the same corner where Feng Hua had been. Given her current net worth, shamelessly forcing herself into the crowd wouldn’t gain her any advantage. Didn’t Amos, who was rushing to get close, look like his smile was already strained?

Amos and Ye Qiu were either without a background or had insufficient family background, but Feng Hua was different. As the next family head of the Feng family, it was perfectly fine for her to speak with these big shots and exchange friendly greetings. Thus, under Amos’s astonished gaze, Feng Hua was chatting and laughing with a group of big shots. People frequently gave Feng Hua compliments, deeming her to possess the style of her father.

Amos was too far away to hear the conversations between Feng Hua and the others. He only saw Feng Hua moving gracefully among a crowd of men. Those men would even occasionally pat Feng Hua’s shoulder as a sign of familiarity. This led him to believe that Feng Hua was essentially acting like a prostitute, using her beauty as a bargaining chip. He was both jealous and somewhat disdainful.

Halfway through the banquet, Feng Hua knew the main event was about to begin, so she quietly slipped away from the crowd to the restroom.

Inside a restroom stall, Feng Hua sat on the toilet and took out a packet of cigarettes from her bag.

Lighting a cigarette, Feng Hua only took one puff, then held the cigarette between her fingers, letting it burn slowly. Her face was shrouded in smoke, concealing all her expressions.

She had a habit of smoking in the restroom, not often, very restrained, and absolutely never in front of others. She didn’t like the taste of smoke, or rather, she couldn’t taste the smoke at all. She just felt that smoke helped her relieve stress better than alcohol.

When the smoke finally dissipated, Feng Hua left the stall and saw Ye Qiu standing by the sink.

Pretending not to see her, she washed and dried her hands, then left immediately.

Ye Qiu, standing behind Feng Hua, watched Feng Hua’s retreating figure, her eyes deep.

By the time Feng Hua returned, the main event was almost over. Looking at the naked woman being carried out, covered in filth and lingering food scraps, Feng Hua smoothed the hair behind her ear.

When the banquet ended, Feng Hua didn’t take a taxi back. Instead, she walked down the street, carrying her high heels, looking like a madwoman. In the middle of a cold night, dressed like that and walking barefoot on the street, what else could she be but crazy?

Feng Hua walked a little and then stopped, gazing at a distant tall tower. It was very beautiful but gave a sense of being unattainable.

In her previous life, whenever she was alone in a foreign land, stressed, wronged, or lonely, she liked to look at that tall tower, at the brilliant pearl at its peak. Although there was no logical reason, she felt healed and that her inner turmoil was soothed.

She liked to do strange things when no one was around, like her current behavior. Perhaps it was truly because she was too lonely, so she could only comfort herself with actions that seemed inexplicable to outsiders.

“Xiao Hua.”

Feng Hua turned around and saw Ye Qiu standing a few meters away, holding something that looked like fuzzy shoes.

A few minutes later, Feng Hua looked at Ye Qiu with complex emotions as Ye Qiu knelt at her feet, wiped them clean, and slipped her feet into the fuzzy, warm, and soft shoes.

“Why?” Feng Hua stepped on the shoes, which felt so soft as to be unreal.

“You’ll catch a cold this way,” Ye Qiu said softly, then turned and walked away.

This time, it was Feng Hua who watched Ye Qiu’s receding figure, her heart surging with emotion.

Feng Hua returned to Country E, quickly completed her graduation procedures, and obtained her degree certificate. On the eve of her departure, Anna, along with her friends and classmates in Country E, held a farewell party for her.

Everyone got drunk at the party, and Feng Hua didn’t hold back; she was now half-drunk and half-sober. Feeling Anna approaching, she tilted her head and watched her quietly.

Anna’s breath was like orchids. “Blanche, you’re seventeen this year, right?”

“Mhm.”

“Have I ever told you that you don’t look seventeen at all? I’d believe it even if you said you were twenty-seven, or even thirty-seven.”

Feng Hua continued to look at Anna placidly. “Teacher, you’re very good at joking, but it’s not funny at all. Do I really look that old in your eyes?”

“Yes, your eyes look too old…” Anna leaned her head on Feng Hua’s shoulder. “Blanche, you’re truly too perfect, but as your mentor, I wish you weren’t so perfect. This way, I feel so much pity for you. If you caused me some trouble for me to solve, perhaps I’d be happier, like how that mischievous little fellow, Cast, gave Teacher Morley toothpaste chocolate, and Teacher Morley chased him all over campus afterward…” Anna muffled her laughter against Feng Hua’s body, her ample chest rubbing against Feng Hua. “That’s what you should be doing at your age.”

Feng Hua rolled her eyes and settled Anna onto her lap. “Teacher, you’re overthinking.”

“My sweet Blanche, you’re only seventeen! You mustn’t forget that there are many meaningful things you can still do in life, before you’ve seen the chimney snow in the Arctic or visited Tahiti, the island closest to heaven…” Anna sighed and completely succumbed to sleep.

Feng Hua also sighed and helplessly lifted Anna into her arms.

The crowd began to cheer, “Yo yo yo yo yo~”

Feng Hua paused her steps and smiled exceptionally gently. “Guys, good night.”

She placed Anna on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Feng Hua sat by the bed, looking at Anna’s quiet sleeping face, reaching out to smooth her messy hair. Her fingertips lingered on Anna’s face, and she softly said, “Thank you, Teacher Anna.”

Thank you for nurturing me, thank you for your pure love, thank you for your counsel, thank you for your understanding and support.

Thank you for reminding me that I am only seventeen, and the road ahead is still long.