Zhao Meihui's worry.

Arriving at the location of the banquet, Qi Mingxia smiled looking at the decorations. It looked very luxurious and tasteful; very Matriarch Zhao. Her grandmother always gave input into the decorations of her birthday banquet.

She once told Qi Mingxia that if she did not have to undertake responsibilities of the Eldest Zhao child, she would have become an event planner. She liked observing people, and incorporating their personalities into the event decorations.

Stepping out of the car, she nodded at Li Huang, who was holding the door open for her. Li Huang smiled and bowed in return.

The banquet was held in a hotel named Jade Vine Hotel. It was owned by Wang Corporation, which specialized in building premium hotels, resorts and malls.

Qi Mingxia's plan was to reach the hotel by 7:30; however, a traffic accident that had happened on the road to the hotel delayed them. 7:40, she noted the time.

Though the banquet would officially start at 8, quite a few people had arrived. Qi Mingxia could tell why.

Zhao Meihui, her grandmother, was after all not only the matriarch of the Wang family, but also the President of the Wang Corporation. The same Wang Corporation that owned Jade Vine Hotel.

After Wang Li, her maternal grandfather passed away, Zhao Meihui, his wife, took control of the entire Wang family and its businesses.

It was quite the feat. Being a Zhao, she was met with brutal opposition from others in the Wang family, especially from Wang Li's brothers, who were not ready to let go of the opportunity to control the entirety of the Wang businesses.

Zhao Meihui had squashed all opposition with an iron hand, and also cut down their power so that there wouldn't be a rebellion again.

Such fierceness and brutality from a woman had shocked everyone, but it also cemented her position among the most powerful people in China. Zhao Meihui was a woman respected and feared by all.

Being invited to her birthday banquet was an honor to the people who received those invitations.

As such, some even came earlier to get a chance to wish her when there wasn't much crowd and make an impression. Being favored by Wang Corporation would be a dream come true for many companies.

Qi Mingxia walked to the entrance. The people who were yet to go in could not help but turn around to take a second glance at her.

Such a beautiful woman. Her black eyes darker than the night made them hold their breaths for a second as she passed by them. Their eyes turned curious.

Who was she? Such grace and poise; she must belong to a noble and wealthy family. But which family's daughter was she? They did not have any previous impressions of her, which was odd considering she was very eye-catching.

Qi Mingxia did not even glance at those people. She walked straight ahead with her chin slightly raised. At the entrance, she spotted Zhao Meihui's private secretary, Secretary Liu.

He too saw her at the same time and a smile instantly appeared on his face. He had served as a private secretary to Zhao Meihui for ten years now. He knew everything and as such cared a lot for Qi Mingxia.

"Secretary Liu." Qi Mingxia greeted with a smile.

It was at this moment that Secretary Liu noticed Qi Mingxia's change in style. He was stunned and could not speak anything for a minute. He just kept staring at her.

Qi Mingxia's smile widened. "Do I look that pretty?"

Secretary Liu coughed. He wanted to drown himself for staring at her like that.

"My apologies, Miss Qi. You.. You indeed look very beautiful, and different as well. This is a great change in style." He said. He too had noticed that Qi Mingxia mostly wore black clothes.

It was like she was always mourning.

This was a welcome change. He had heard Zhao Meihui grumble a lot about this. She would be very happy that Qi Mingxia decided to opt for a change.

"Thank you, Secretary Liu. Can you take me to Grandmother, please?" Qi Mingxia asked politely. She too respected Secretary Liu a lot.

"Yes, of course." Secretary Liu replied politely. "This way, Miss Qi."

Secretary Liu guided Qi Mingxia to an elevator. Going inside, he pushed the button for the second floor. As they were going up, Secretary Liu took two more glances at her. Was she finally listening to her grandmother?

The elevator dinged and opened its doors to the second floor.

******

Zhao Meihui was sweating with anxiety. That brat! She was probably on her way here on a motorbike, wearing a biker jacket and muddy shoes.

She was absolutely speechless last year. Qi Mingxia had come earlier than the time, wished her and gave her the gift, and left. Though there weren't many people at that time, she was spotted by quite a few people, who wondered who this wild girl was, with muddy shoes and a helmet tucked under her arm.

They even asked her about it! Zhao Meihui's mood was spoiled for the entire evening.

"Aye! Why?! Why wouldn't she listen?" Zhao Meihui bit out, holding her head with her hands in worry. She arrived at the hotel earlier, and was resting on the sofa for now.

She was so worried she had sent Secretary Liu downstairs to give her a warning beforehand. Hearing a knock on the door, she looked up. It had to be Secretary Liu. Why did he come up?

"Madam, Miss Qi has arrived." Secretary Liu said, opening the door.

Zhao Meihui felt like she was seeing last year's events repeat itself.

"Brat! You've come wearing muddy shoes again, have you? I swear, I'll cut you off from my will and- who's that?"