Shine on Me

I didn’t mention a word to Lin Yusen about attending the banquet.

Surprising him with my sudden appearance would be much more fun.

The birthday celebration was held at a private club by the Huangpu River. Originally, my uncle had planned to leave Nanjing in the afternoon and head straight there, but because he had to bring troublesome me along, we had to set off much earlier and arrived in Shanghai shortly after two.

Aunt Huang was already waiting for us in the hotel lobby.

Mom owned some properties in Shanghai, and this Aunt Huang had always handled miscellaneous affairs for her. This time, she also arranged makeup artists and stylists for me.

One reason I used to dislike attending such events was precisely this—it was particularly troublesome. Spending half a day getting dolled up from head to toe was exhausting. But if I wanted to appear before Mr. Lin at the banquet, I had to dress up properly. Mr. Lin always looked so polished—I couldn’t afford to fall short.

I wondered what Mr. Lin would look like at such an event… but he was always impeccably dressed in daily life, so formal occasions would only demand even more attention to detail.

Among all the male creatures I knew, he was probably the most meticulous about his appearance. ==

As the makeup artist carefully applied foundation, I checked the time and saw it was about right, so I texted Lin Yusen: “Have you landed yet? What time are you heading to the banquet tonight?”

No reply.

“Hey, where are you? Still on the plane?”

After a few minutes with no response, I couldn’t resist checking his flight status.

Sure enough, it was delayed—estimated to land a little after five.

Would he even have enough time to dress up properly today? ==

Between makeup and hairstyling, time flew by. At 5:30, Lin Yusen finally called.

“I just landed—the flight was delayed.”

“Oh Aren’t you attending the banquet? Will you make it in time?”

“I’ll go straight from the airport. Should be fine. Are you in Suzhou yet?”

It would take about an hour to get from Pudong Airport to the banquet venue, so we’d probably arrive around the same time? While calculating the timing, I casually brushed him off: “Nope, still in the car.”

“What time will you get there? Do you have a lot of stuff? Should I ask Senior Fang to pick you up?”

You’re way too comfortable bossing Senior Fang around!

Worried that continuing the conversation might give me away, I hurriedly wrapped it up. “No need, I don’t have much. I’m almost there, so I’ll hang up now. Eat well at the banquet, bye-bye!”

I quickly ended the call.

The stylist stood nearby, holding the few cocktail dresses I’d hastily bought yesterday. Smiling, she suggested, “These are all lovely. How about this long yellow gown? The color is exquisite—fresh and bright without being too overpowering.”

I liked that one best too. After changing into it, I hesitated while looking at my reflection in the mirror. Would yellow be too eye-catching? I was supposed to surprise Mr. Lin, after all—I couldn’t risk being spotted the moment I walked in.

After much deliberation, I reluctantly gave it up. “Let’s go with the black one instead.”

Ugh My indecisiveness must be rubbing off from Mr. Lin. Isn’t this just like his signature style—changing ties multiple times before settling on one?

Once dressed again, the stylist made slight adjustments to my hairstyle to match the outfit. Then, Uncle and I set off.

There was a pre-dinner cocktail reception at seven, with the main banquet starting at eight. Traffic was smooth, and we arrived shortly after seven, thinking we’d be early. But when we reached the entrance, the line of cars was already backed up, unable to move forward.My uncle sighed, "Shengyuan has really made a fortune these past few years—look at all these people."

After being stuck in traffic for nearly ten minutes, we finally moved smoothly. As soon as we stepped out of the car at the lobby entrance, a middle-aged man hurried over with a beaming smile to greet my uncle.

"Old Jiang."

My uncle seemed very familiar with him, immediately teasing, "Oh my, even our esteemed President Zhang is personally playing the role of a greeter today?"

President Zhang patted his shoulder and joked, "It's the old man's grand occasion—of course, it's an honor for a small fry like me to greet guests. Besides, when someone as important as President Jiang arrives, how could I not serve you properly? And this is...?"

My uncle introduced me, "My niece, Nie Xiguang. Xiguang, you can call him Uncle Zhang."

I withdrew my gaze, which had been unconsciously scanning the crowd, and gave him a polite smile. "Uncle Zhang."

President Zhang studied me thoughtfully. "This is President Nie's daughter?"

My uncle chuckled, and President Zhang immediately dropped the topic, gesturing for us to follow him inside.

The pre-dinner cocktail party outside the banquet hall was already in full swing.

My uncle led me through a continuous stream of small talk, inevitably introducing me over and over again. Most interactions only required a nod and a smile, but a few overly enthusiastic aunties grabbed my hands directly, showering me with compliments from head to toe.

"Oh, so this is the daughter of the Cheng family! I’m seeing you for the first time—so beautiful! Why don’t you come out more often?"

I kept smiling, maintaining a reserved demeanor.

My uncle answered for me, "She was busy with studies before and only recently started working."

"Where did she study? Did she go abroad?"

"Just in China—she got in on her own merits." My uncle mentioned my university, and the auntie praised me again before asking how long I’d be staying in Shanghai, insisting that her recently returned-from-abroad son show me around.

My uncle laughed it off. "She’s leaving first thing tomorrow. Let’s catch up later—we should go greet the hosts first."

With that, he quickly whisked me away, muttering as we walked, "Her son is a notorious playboy." He mentioned a name and warned me sternly, "If you ever meet someone by that name, stay far away."

Then, indignantly, he added, "How dare she bring up her son? Doesn’t she worry about ruining other people’s daughters? I’ll have to be extra cautious doing business with her in the future—who knows if her products are subpar or counterfeit."

I suppressed a laugh and reassured him, "At least we’ve seen her true colors now."

My uncle nodded emphatically in agreement.

Next, he took me to greet the Sheng family. The Shengs seemed to have a large extended family—aside from Sheng Bokai, whom I’d heard my father mention before, there were also Sheng Zhongkai, Sheng Shukai, and others. I just followed my uncle’s lead in addressing them.

Sheng Bokai was a slightly plump, jovial middle-aged man. "Old Nie isn’t being fair—he’s met my son many times but kept his own daughter hidden away."

My uncle chuckled. "Xiguang was studying in Nanjing and isn’t much for socializing."

"Not many young people nowadays can stay so focused," his wife remarked with a smile. "Our son, Xingjie, is around your age and also very quiet. I’ll introduce you youngsters later."

... Sheng Xingjie?

Wasn’t that Rongrong’s boss?As I listened to their back-and-forth pleasantries, my mind gradually began to wander. My eyes unconsciously searched the crowd—why hadn’t Lin Yusen arrived yet? Could he be stuck in traffic?

Just as I was looking around, there was suddenly some commotion at the entrance. My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately turned to look. Sure enough, it was Lin Yusen.

Perhaps due to the long flight, he looked slightly fatigued, completely different from his usual energetic self, yet exuding a uniquely weary handsomeness. He was stopped by enthusiastic guests at the entrance, engaged in conversation. His profile faced me, a polite smile on his face.

I watched him from afar.

Sometimes, I often felt that Mr. Lin seemed different when he was with me compared to when he was alone. His posture was too upright, giving off an air of being both gentle and yet somewhat unapproachable.

Hmm… I couldn’t quite put it into words.

Take now, for example. If I were seeing him for the first time at this banquet, even if my gaze was immediately drawn to him, I probably wouldn’t have the courage to approach him.

So…

No wonder he had stayed single for so long!

I couldn’t help but want to laugh again.

“Xiguang, what are you looking at?”

Hearing my uncle’s question, I turned my head, only to see Sheng Bokai and his wife also staring at Lin Yusen with complicated expressions. Sensing my gaze, they turned back with a smile, greeted me, and then went off to attend to other guests.

I tugged at my uncle’s sleeve.

“Uncle, I’m looking at him,” I said, pointing at Lin Yusen. “Do you know him?”

My uncle glanced over and, surprisingly, recognized him. “I’ve met him once. He’s Old Mr. Sheng’s grandson.”

The world is so small—but that’s great!

“Then can you introduce me to him?”

My uncle was startled and looked at me in shock. “Wh-what do you want to do?”

I said with utmost seriousness, “Nothing much. He’s just really handsome, and I want him to be my boyfriend.”

I nodded and added, “Don’t you remember? Mom told me to find one. I think he’s perfect—such a great first impression.”

My uncle looked utterly bewildered.

I struggled to hold back my laughter, staring at him with complete sincerity.

My uncle glanced around and lowered his voice. “Your mom told you to find someone, but you can’t just pick someone off the street!”

I argued, “How is this ‘off the street’? Look, we already know his background, he’s good-looking, and he seems like a really decent person.”

I was almost unable to contain my laughter as I dragged my stunned uncle toward Lin Yusen. My uncle wore an expression of “Where am I? What am I doing?” and didn’t even think to resist. Just then, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit appeared, supported by a young man.

My uncle quickly pulled me back, heaving a sigh of relief. “Later, later. Old Mr. Sheng is here.”