Chapter 4 Prince Xie

"Could it be?" Qiao Yitang hesitated a little. "He's calm and doesn't smile much; shouldn't male models be more articulate?"Thinking of the dozen or so male models Song Zhi had called over just now, Qiao Yitang couldn't help but feel goosebumps all over. As soon as they arrived, they all loudly greeted "Hello, sister," fawning and oily, and Qiao Yitang had to chase them away with great difficulty.Yannis had a different vibe from those men. Although he wore similar clothes, Qiao Yitang felt that Yannis's outfit was several thousand dollars more expensive than theirs. He was taller than all the male models—about 1.9 meters, and his height seemed to make the clothes look more refined. But Song Zhi wasn't wrong when she said Yannis could be a top celebrity in the entertainment industry. Not only his face, but his physique was exceptional too—broad shoulders, a slim waist, and a tall, pleasing figure.Yet, Qiao Yitang felt an odd sense of pressure around him. He wasn't as approachable as the usual male models. She muttered, "If he were a male model, his business probably wouldn't be that great. Nowadays, rich women prefer obedient and lively little puppies. A man like him sitting next to a rich woman would probably make the temperature drop a few degrees…"Song Zhi leaned closer and asked, "What are you mumbling? The music's so loud, I can't hear anything." Qiao Yitang snapped back to reality. "Nothing. I'm tired. Let's go."Song Zhi clearly hadn't had enough fun. She thought Qiao Yitang was still upset over He Jingchuan. Seeing her friend hurt by that scumbag, Song Zhi was angry. When she was angry, she couldn't help but curse. "Talking about you staying at a hotel in the UK makes me mad. He Jingchuan had a house but didn't let you stay there. Every time, you had to stay in a hotel alone, and he and Shen Keyan were so shameless!"Shen Keyan was a classmate He Jingchuan met while studying abroad. Later, Qiao Yitang found out that they were already together while in the UK. He Jingchuan didn't let her stay at his place because he was hiding a mistress. But at that time, Qiao Yitang didn't know any of this and thought He Jingchuan chose a five-star hotel so she'd be comfortable. Now, when Song Zhi brought it up again, every word felt like a reproach for Qiao Yitang's naivety back then. Her heart soured once again. Maybe back then, visiting the UK was already a burden to He Jingchuan."Song Zhi, I'm really tired. Let's go back." Song Zhi still wanted to continue cursing, but seeing Qiao Yitang's grim expression, she decided not to say anything more. "Alright. Yitang, I know you're hurting after the breakup, but this is actually a good thing. Better short pain than long pain.""I heard the heir of the Xie family is back from abroad, and they're throwing a welcome party for him in a few days. It's said that all the elites will be there." Song Zhi grabbed Qiao Yitang's hand. "There will definitely be a lot of handsome men and beautiful women at the party. I'll try to get two invitations for us. You can pick someone even better-looking, richer, and a thousand times better than He Jingchuan!" Song Zhi genuinely wanted Qiao Yitang to get over it quickly. Qiao Yitang's beauty was second to none in the capital. Without He Jingchuan, there would be a line of people chasing her—what was He Jingchuan even worth? Originally, Song Zhi hadn't intended to please the Xie family, but in order to cheer Qiao Yitang up, she would do whatever it took to get an invitation.Qiao Yitang wasn't interested in the heir of the Xie family, so she didn't really care about the matter. She and Song Zhi didn't stay long at the bar and left soon.In the private room, Xie Chengyan came back after being gone for over half an hour. Gu Shizhou looked at him in confusion. "I thought you sneaked off. Were you afraid we'd force more alcohol on you?" "No." Xie Chengyan strode to his previous seat. "I felt stuffy inside and needed some fresh air."Gu Shizhou didn't quite believe him, glancing at Xie Chengyan thoughtfully, but seeing others in the room, he didn't ask further. "Here, have a drink." Xie Chengyan took the glass and sipped it lightly. He didn't talk much and mostly listened to others.After a while, Xie Chengyan suddenly brought up, "I heard He Jingchuan is getting married." The room fell silent for a moment. Someone spoke up, "Yeah, on the 8th of next month. I've received the invitation."The He family was also quite well-known in the capital, and the He Corporation's business had been growing rapidly these years. Everyone in the room knew He Jingchuan. But these people's businesses were even bigger, so they spoke of He Jingchuan casually."The bride-to-be is Qiao Yitang from the Qiao family. Though the Qiao family has fallen, when Qiao Yitang's parents were still around, He Jingchuan was still considered to have climbed high to be with her." "Yeah, now that the He family has risen, they look down on Qiao Yitang." "Before they even got married, he was keeping a mistress. That's basically an open secret." "Qiao Yitang has no backing, so who can tolerate such humiliation?" "If you ask me, Qiao Yitang was just too blinded by love. Everyone knew she followed He Jingchuan around since school…"The others spoke with some disdain for He Jingchuan. They were a few years older than him and not from the same circle. Some looked down on the He family's business and even more on He Jingchuan. What they were saying was just gossip from the circle. It didn't take long before the topic shifted.Gu Shizhou leaned in and asked, "Chengyan, when did you meet He Jingchuan?" "A few times when I was in the UK." "Interested in the He family?" Xie Chengyan nodded along with him. "I heard the He family just launched a few new projects. I'm a bit interested in the He family and He Jingchuan's affairs." Gu Shizhou understood. "Alright, I'll let you know if anything happens with the He family." Gu Shizhou thought Xie Chengyan might be interested in acquiring some of He's assets but didn't think much deeper.Not long after Qiao Yitang returned to her hotel, her phone rang. The screen showed that it was a call from Fang Zhiqiu. She guessed that Fang Zhiqiu was probably calling about finding a job for her cousin, Jiang Qingan, so she didn't pick up. But Fang Zhiqiu was persistent. After one missed call, she called again, then again. Qiao Yitang had no choice but to pick up.As soon as she answered, Fang Zhiqiu's loud voice made her ears hurt. "Why aren't you picking up? Are you trying to kill me with worry? I thought something happened to you!" Qiao Yitang patiently replied, "I was in the shower and didn't hear it. What's up?"Unexpectedly, Fang Zhiqiu didn't bring up Jiang Qingan's job search at all. "You haven't been home for a long time. Come home for dinner tomorrow." Qiao Yitang replied, "I've been busy with work. I'll come when I have time. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."Her indifference made Fang Zhiqiu a bit annoyed, and she shouted, "Don't hang up. I have something to say." "Yesterday, the maid was cleaning the storage room and found an old photo of your parents. When do you have time to come…" Before she could finish, Qiao Yitang quickly interrupted, "I'll come home tomorrow!"