The most beautiful space

72 Xie's eldest daughter-in-law

The tall and slender Xie Chengjing wore a dark purple suit, while Su Tong, with skin as white as snow, wore a flowing purple dress. When they walked in together, it was clear that no one could see the two of them, yet they seemed to be separated from everyone else by an insurmountable chasm, as if they were two people from another world, whom no one else could reach, no matter how hard they tried.

Su Tong lowered her eyes, her long, butterfly-like eyelashes fluttering slightly. She heard Xie Chengjing's calm voice in her ear, "Just follow me."

She tightened her grip on Xie Chengjing's arm slightly, indicating that she understood. However, when she tried to loosen her grip again, she couldn't let go at all. The two of them walked closer and closer together from the entrance to a more crowded area.

Xie Mingyuan subconsciously and gently pulled away from Jiang Wenjun's arm, but could only stare blankly at the two of them, completely unable to think of what to do next. He seemed to have instantly reverted from the elegant young master he had been just moments before to the dejected man he was in the lounge. Fortunately, the impact of Xie Chengjing and Su Tong appearing together was so great that quite a few people were stunned in the same way, which prevented his abnormality from being too noticeable.

Jiang Wenjun looked at her freed hand, then at Xie Mingyuan's stiff back. Following Xie Mingyuan's gaze, she saw her future uncle arm in arm with a woman so beautiful she seemed unreal. A woman's intuition made her instantly understand something, and hostility arose accordingly. She thought to herself that rumors were indeed not entirely true. Everyone said that the second young master of the Xie family was cold and aloof from women, but now it seems that he was nothing more than that.

Many others shared her sentiments. Men and women gathered in small groups, each sighing with amazement. One meticulously dressed woman covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise, "My God, am I seeing things? Young Master Xie actually brings a female companion to a banquet!"

The man beside her responded with a mixture of amazement and sourness: "Don't you see what that woman looks like? No wonder Second Young Master Xie can turn steel into silk. Even the most hard-hearted man can't resist such a stunning beauty."

Xie Chengjing, the cold and aloof second young master of the Xie family, is known to everyone in the military and political circles of the capital. Due to his tall stature and strong aura, he is the center of attention wherever he goes, and everyone's eyes will involuntarily be drawn to him.

But today, anyone with eyes could see that Xie Chengjing was different. He wasn't just dressed in his usual cold military uniform; instead, he wore a purple suit that shimmered brilliantly under the lights, exuding a captivating handsomeness. This was the first time anyone who saw Xie Chengjing would immediately notice his striking appearance. But the most obvious change was that Xie Chengjing, who used to be aloof and unapproachable, now completely embraced a woman in his world. This strong, sharp man stood beside such a serene beauty without any awkwardness, while still keeping everyone else at arm's length.

These astonishing changes, however, suddenly seemed perfectly natural and required no explanation, given Su Tong's flawless beauty standing beside him.

Under everyone's gaze, the woman was neither reserved nor fearful, nor did she fawn or smile obsequiously. She wore a simple, elegant purple, vintage-style, courtly dress with embroidered shoulder coverings, which delicately outlined her slender waist, so thin it could be encircled by a single hand. The skin on her exposed shoulders, neck, and arms was as smooth as snow, and her small face was exquisitely beautiful, a masterpiece of God's finest craftsmanship. She had no painted eyebrows or lips, no elaborate makeup; she simply stood quietly beside Xie Chengjing, her eyes lowered. Her dark hair was pulled back and secured into a simple updo with an elegant, vintage-style amethyst flower hair ornament. A matching vintage-style amethyst choker adorned her swan-like, slender, and white neck. Quiet and beautiful to the extreme, she seemed like a flower fairy who had been led to the mortal world by Xie Chengjing from an exquisitely beautiful, deep purple flower.

Not overly dazzling, yet exquisitely beautiful; seemingly silent and still, yet captivating in every way. Once your gaze falls upon her, you can't bear to look away, as if she would vanish from the light if you looked away even slightly. You just want to keep watching her, and you can't help but fantasize about what it would be like if she could raise her eyes and look at you.

Jiang Wenjun was the first to react. She had an exceptionally prestigious family background and, while not stunningly beautiful, considered herself a first-rate, pleasing beauty. Having excelled since childhood, and now at the prime of her youth at 21, even if her feelings for Xie Mingyuan weren't that deep, she couldn't bear to see her fiancé staring at someone else like that. With a gentle, refined smile, she stepped forward and took Xie Mingyuan's hand again, lightly punching his arm and playfully scolding him, "Mingyuan, why didn't you greet your second uncle?"

Xie Mingyuan then smiled as if waking from a dream, shifting his gaze from Su Tong. He exchanged a glance with his uncle, whom he had always both respected and feared, just like two ordinary men. However, he couldn't see any unnaturalness or guilt in Xie Chengjing's calm eyes. Yes, he and Su Tong had never had any entanglement; it was just his one-sided love. He felt a slight bitterness in his heart, but he didn't want to show his immaturity in front of Xie Chengjing anymore, so he simply called out, "Second Uncle."

Then Jiang Wenjun turned to Xie Chengjing, smiling politely as a junior greets an elder, "Hello, Second Uncle, I am Wenjun. May I ask who this lady next to you is?" As she spoke, she glanced slightly at Su Tong, a rather happy smile on her face.

Xie Chengjing gave Jiang Wenjun a cold look without saying a word. In just a moment, Jiang Wenjun felt as if a huge mountain was pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. Even the smile she had been accustomed to for so long on her face was hard to maintain. Suddenly, Xie Chengjing shifted his gaze away from her. If she hadn't been breathing rapidly because she had subconsciously held her breath, the huge sense of oppression she felt for that moment would have seemed like an illusion. Then, Xie Chengjing's cold voice rang out: "This is Su Tong."

People in their circle usually introduce each other as "This is so-and-so from so-and-so's family" or "This is so-and-so who holds such-and-such a position." But when introducing Su Tong, they simply said "This is Su Tong," indicating that she was a woman with no background whatsoever. Jiang Wenjun had guessed that was true; if such a stunningly beautiful woman were from any family in the capital, her fame would have spread throughout the city long ago. However, after confirming that Su Tong's background was ordinary, Jiang Wenjun's previous resentment at being completely inferior to Su Tong in appearance subsided somewhat. Comparisons between people are always so simple yet complex. I am indeed completely inferior to you in this aspect, but thinking that you are completely inferior to me in terms of family background, and may even just be a plaything temporarily kept by my side because you are too beautiful, makes me feel much better.

But when Su Tong, whose name was called, looked up and met her gaze, a soft yet slightly cool voice, like a clear spring, rang out as she greeted her, "Hello, Wen Jun, I am Su Tong, Xie Mingyuan's former colleague."

She then turned to Xie Mingyuan and said softly, "Xie Mingyuan, congratulations on your engagement. I wish you a long and happy life together."

For the first time, Jiang Wenjun, a woman herself, felt defeated. Her eyes, though calm and beautiful like the sea at night, seemingly indifferent and devoid of any emotion, seemed to carry a captivating shimmer in their movement. In their quiet beauty, they were always silently alluring.

Xie Mingyuan looked at Su Tong, who seemed unchanged and always so calm and beautiful, and could hardly say a word. He was now Jiang Wenjun's fiancé, and as long as he continued to live in this world, he would inevitably become Jiang Wenjun's husband. He was being held by his fiancée, while Su Tong was standing opposite him, holding his uncle's hand. How could he not feel ironic and sad?

It's often said that what you can't have is the best. Regardless of how much of Xie Mingyuan's current feelings stem from never having had Su Tong, he is indeed heartbroken over their tragic ending. However, being a scion of a prestigious family who has been tested since childhood, he manages to put on a smile, as if convincing himself, saying, "Thank you for your blessing. Of course, we will be very happy." Ironically, even though he knows perfectly well that Su Tong's personality wouldn't accept such a relationship, he is actually considering the kind of life Xie Mingxin described in the lounge—maintaining a marital relationship with Jiang Wenjun on the surface while actually being with Su Tong.

Jiang Wenjun was well aware of Xie Mingyuan's emotional fluctuations, and replied to Su Tong with a girlish demeanor, "Thank you for your kind words. Mingyuan and I will definitely be very happy."

Although her smile remained polite and proper throughout, women always have a keen intuition, and Su Tong could clearly see the subtle hostility in her. However, since she already knew from Xie Chengjing that Jiang Wenjun was only 21 years old and hadn't even graduated from university yet, she couldn't help but look at her with the eyes of someone looking at a child, just like she was looking at Deng Yue, unable to muster any anger or other emotions.

The two protagonists of the engagement ball, standing alongside Xie Chengjing and Su Tong, a striking couple, basically became the center of attention. As the four were talking, a strong male voice rang out: "Wow, what a beautiful woman!"

It was Xie Mingxin, dressed to the nines of a prince today. His eyes lit up when he saw Su Tong, but he immediately fell silent after being glanced at by Xie Chengjing. He also stopped walking towards Su Tong. It was true that the Xie brothers, Xie Mingyuan and Xie Mingxin, shared a common trait: they were afraid of Xie Chengjing. As he slowed down, he walked alongside a rather imposing middle-aged woman in a dark midi skirt.

Su Tong glanced at him indifferently. Xie Mingxin stared at her intently, but mainly just admiring the beauty. His eyes sparkled uncontrollably. Because of Xie Chengjing, he dared not approach Su Tong at all. Instead, he engaged in a silent exchange with Xie Mingyuan, whose mind was in turmoil. He praised Xie Mingyuan for his good taste, saying that the woman he cared about was such a stunning beauty. No wonder he didn't like Jiang Wenjun, who was quite good in every way.

The middle-aged woman's gaze was fixed on Su Tong without any emotion. She looked her up and down as if judging merchandise, but she didn't reveal any emotion at all.

Jiang Wenjun, with a slight smile and a slight bow, politely called out, "Mother."

Xie Mingyuan, however, called out without any emotion, "Mother."

The middle-aged woman nodded slightly and glanced at Xie Chengjing without making a sound. Only then did Xie Chengjing introduce Su Tong seriously: "Su Tong, this is my elder sister-in-law, Ms. Hu Jingfang. Sister-in-law, this is my friend, Su Tong."

Su Tong thought to herself, "This woman is the eldest daughter-in-law of a prominent family like the Xie family, and she might even be the future First Lady of our dynasty. She truly has an extraordinary presence." However, she was more concerned about the fact that this was Xie Chengjing's sister-in-law. She felt a little nervous, but her expression remained calm. She didn't dare to be negligent and gave a polite smile and a slight nod. Then, she extended her right hand and said, "Madam Xie, hello. I apologize for disturbing your eldest son's engagement ball. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Author's Note: Thank you so much, Guiqin, for the two landmines! Everyone's been so enthusiastic about double or triple updates. If I could write that much, I really would too, but alas, I just can't seem to type it all! I wish I could transform into a typewriter, so that my thoughts about the plot could just turn into words! (166 Reading Network)