Chapter 5 What’s the Relationship?

Looking at myself in the mirror, my lips slightly parted, they looked ready to be kissed. Especially my face, lightly made up but still full of natural beauty, stood out among the well-dressed socialites and influencers in heavy makeup. It was like I was a princess who had accidentally wandered into the world—a blend of purity and nobility.

I couldn't help but think of countless times after school when Aunt Lin would bring me new dresses to try on. I'd always try to refuse, telling her not to spend so much money on me, but at the same time, I couldn't wait to slip the dress on.

That day, I was trying on a pink dress, a knitted, campus-style one that felt incredibly high-quality. Glancing at the embroidered logo inside the collar, I quickly estimated the price of the brand and felt a bit guilty. "Aunt, please don't buy me any more clothes. I already have enough. I wear school uniforms every day, and I can't possibly wear all these clothes..."

Aunt Lin smiled, her eyes filled with tenderness and a hint of pride. "Oh, if you can't wear it all this weekend, we have the summer break! And if you can't finish it by summer, we'll just wear two outfits a day! You look so beautiful in this, Li Li! Come on, turn around so I can see!"

I twirled in front of the mirror, but it felt like the whole world was spinning around me instead.

She came over, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as she looked at the girl in the mirror. "This weekend, we'll go shopping together in this outfit!"

Now, at twenty, I stood in front of a full-length mirror, glancing at Lin Xi, who was always on the sidelines praising me. "Alright, tonight, it's this one."

The huge dance floor of the club, usually reserved for dancing, was now set with soft, elegant lighting, and a band played a waltz in the corner.

The young people were eager to dance, swirling about. Shen Jin really knew how to make a grand gesture.

I followed the young master, Shen, greeting guests around the room, but my mind kept returning to one thing.

I had been glancing toward the largest private booth in the center of the bar, a semi-enclosed design facing the dance floor. It stood higher than the other booths and had dark red velvet sofas and black marble tables that exuded understated luxury.

A familiar figure was sitting there.

Actually, Shen Ji Bai didn't need to be here tonight. This wasn't a business event, and there were no clients to entertain. Why hadn't he just turned down Shen Jin's invitation?

After all, if he had declined, he wouldn't be sitting in the most prominent booth with his bodyguards and assistants, bored out of his mind, glued to his phone, barely lifting his eyelids.

It seemed like such a waste of a prime seat!

"Why are you spacing out, Li Li?" Shen Jin's voice broke through my thoughts. "That guy just asked me for your WeChat, should I give it to him?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of it. "Who are you talking about?"

I had met so many people that night that I honestly couldn't keep track of who was who.

There was a cultural difference between China and the U.S. Shen Jin had been in the country for years, navigating various social circles with his father, while I had been living in rural America, where trips to Europe for exhibitions or skiing were the norm. I wasn't used to this kind of high-intensity socializing and certainly wasn't prepared to remember everyone's name.

I asked Shen Jin if I could take a break in the private booth. He looked at me disdainfully. "You're so timid. Go ahead, I've got a surprise for you later."

In my shimmering nude pink gown, I walked into the booth with the best view.

The moment Shen Ji Bai looked at me, I saw a fleeting moment of surprise in his eyes.

For a second, I wondered if I had made a mistake with my outfit. But after confirming everything was in place, I sat down beside him on the couch, taking a sip of red wine while watching the dancers on the floor.

This booth was the most comfortable, and the drinks were the best.

As all the guests gathered, the MC on stage suddenly began his extravagant opening speech to warm up the crowd. His opening words were simple and official—just thanking everyone for coming.

Then, he unexpectedly introduced me.

"Everybody, let's welcome the star of the night—Miss Jiang Li, returning to us!"

As the last syllable stretched out, the lights suddenly dimmed, and all eyes turned to the MC. The LED screen behind him flashed with my photo, and a spotlight immediately searched for my figure.

Oh my god, this is going to kill me, Shen Jin.

The MC continued speaking, but I couldn't pay attention anymore. I just wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere.

In a panic, I grabbed a cushion and tried to cover my head, but it wasn't enough. I moved closer to Shen Ji Bai, burying my body behind him on the sofa.

I tapped his back. "Sit up straighter!"

He complied, leaning forward slightly, allowing me to crouch behind him, my upper body hidden behind the sofa, while I kept repeating in my head, "They can't see me, they can't see me..."

Then, the screen began showing photos of me and Shen Jin from the past.

The PowerPoint was very well-made—each photo had a caption with the location and event, arranged chronologically, from middle school to now. It was like watching a movie of my life unfold.

I couldn't help but feel touched. Shen Jin had gone through everyone's phones and collected every photo of me over the years, meticulously organizing them into a timeline. It was no small feat.

But then, everything took an unexpected turn.

I had clearly underestimated Shen Jin. He had never done anything nice for me before, so there was no way he was going to let me off tonight!

As the music changed from sentimental to comedic, the photos on the screen also went from beautiful to, well, something much worse… We had a habit of storing embarrassing photos on our phones, turning them into memes to share in our group chats—messy hair, awkward poses, bad angles, and some unflattering moments. Every single one of those embarrassing photos appeared on the big screen.

This was the worst!

In front of such a large crowd, I had to rely on my strong inner strength to survive this. If it were a girl with a heavier idol baggage, she would have run off in shame.

Trying to save whatever dignity I had left, I quickly darted to sit on Shen Ji Bai's lap, covering his eyes with my hand in a panic.

"Brother... Brother, don't look, don't look! It's disgusting!"

Just as I did that, the spotlight found me, and the instant image was projected onto the stage.

The entire bar gasped.

On the big screen, I was sitting on a well-dressed man's lap in my delicate pink dress, my arm just having come off his shoulder. He looked completely unfazed, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he glanced at me.

His gaze, slightly lowered, was perfectly aligned with my collarbone and the curves of my body…

I jumped up, quickly moving two meters away.

Shen Jin, you really live up to your name, "Shen Jin," you're a freak!

He grabbed the microphone from the MC and called me to the stage.

"Brother, I—I... I'm going to kill him!" I panicked and ran off the stage, heading straight for Shen Ji Bai.

The dance floor was lively, and I ended up sharing champagne, cutting cake, dancing... I couldn't even remember the names of people I had just added on WeChat. But compared to the humiliating moment of sitting on Shen Ji Bai's lap, this slight embarrassment felt like nothing.

Shen Jin really had made a name for himself in the domestic scene these years. His social skills were incredible.

That night, I met several friends from the rich second-generation circle through him. Although most of it was just surface-level small talk, we exchanged contact information, complimenting each other endlessly.

Clearly, many people were more interested in my relationship with Shen Ji Bai than anything else.

The sudden appearance of the CEO of Shen Group at such an event and allowing a woman to sit on his lap had become more of a topic than the party itself.

Those who got this scoop would have an endless supply of gossip for the next week of afternoon tea.

One girl smiled at me, raising her glass. "I heard Mr. Shen doesn't have a girlfriend, so you two… are you dating?"

Ah! What a misunderstanding!

I quickly waved my hands. "No, no, no... You misunderstood! He's only here because he's Shen Jin's cousin... It has nothing to do with me!"

"Ah, I see..." Although she was half-suspicious, she courteously dropped the topic.

I thanked her.

As the night went on, I don't know what was wrong with me, but I kept glancing toward Shen Ji Bai.

A few tall, beautiful girls were heading toward his booth, holding up glasses, but all of them were politely stopped by his bodyguards.

It turns out, having bodyguards can also be a way to keep the girls at bay.