I Turned Out To Be The Paranoid Villain’s White Moonlight - Chapter 11

Tonight’s banquet was being hosted by the Lu family to celebrate Old Master Lu’s sixty-sixth birthday.

The Lu and Yu families had been acquainted for generations and could be considered old family friends. Since it was Old Master Lu’s birthday, Yu Wanqiao was naturally invited. The Zhao, Wang, and Pei families were also attending, along with several other long-established wealthy clans and financial dynasties.

Because Old Master Lu preferred peace and quiet and disliked overly noisy places, the banquet was held at Liao’an Residence in the outskirts of the city, a hotel that combined fine dining with health and wellness services.

By the time Zhan Yao and Yu Wanqiao arrived, many guests were already there.

The attendants at the entrance opened the car doors for them, checked their invitation, then respectfully welcomed them inside.

Just as they had agreed beforehand, Zhan Yao gently linked her arm through Yu Wanqiao’s.

The gown Yu Wanqiao had chosen for her truly was perfect. It had already looked beautiful inside the car, but now, beneath the dazzling lights around them, the silver threads hidden in the skirt echoed the diamonds along the neckline. Combined with her fair complexion and delicate features, she looked so breathtakingly beautiful that she hardly seemed real.

In an instant, many admiring gazes turned in her direction.

Zhan Yao paid them no attention. All her focus was currently on Yu Wanqiao. The moment Yu Wanqiao looked over, Zhan Yao raised an eyebrow at her smugly.

Her expression seemed to say: See? With me walking beside you, don’t you look impressive?

The moment Yu Wanqiao understood her meaning, the corners of her lips rose slightly.

“Thank you,” she whispered, leaning close to Zhan Yao’s ear.

It tickled a little.

Zhan Yao glanced at her. They were standing so close that, to everyone else, they looked like an inseparable couple.

She had always thought she was the one who knew how to act, but judging from this, Yu Wanqiao was not bad at it either.

Though she was still not as good as Zhan Yao.

“You’re welcome.” Zhan Yao smiled at her, her almond-shaped eyes curving, then lifted her head again and continued forward like a proud and beautiful little peacock.

“…”

Before long, they met Old Master Lu.

Although he was already sixty-six, proper care had kept him from looking old. His suit was crisp and immaculate, while the gold-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose gave him an elegant, scholarly air.

“Uncle Lu, I wish you a happy birthday.” Yu Wanqiao presented the gift she had brought.

It was a strand of redwood agarwood prayer beads, exactly sixty-six in number. They had been carved by a century-old master from Tibet and were the final work he completed before his death. The grain was deep, the patterns intricate, and the beads felt warm and smooth in the hand while giving off a rich fragrance.

They could not be purchased on the market at all. Yu Wanqiao had asked several people and gone through many channels before finally locating them.

Old Master Lu had always loved antiques and collectible objects and knew a great deal about them. The moment he saw the prayer beads, he beamed with delight.

“You’ve spent far too much, Little Yu.”

“Take these away and store them carefully,” he instructed, handing the gift to an attendant.

Then he looked back, his gaze instinctively falling on Zhan Yao.

“And this young lady is?”

“My fiancée, Zhan Yao,” Yu Wanqiao said softly.

“Uncle Lu.” Zhan Yao also smiled sweetly. “Happy birthday. May you enjoy wealth, health, and endless blessings in the years to come.”

The young woman’s voice was sweet, and she looked obedient and adorable. She was the sort of person one liked immediately.

Old Master Lu had never met her before, but judging by her appearance and bearing, he instinctively assumed she was the daughter of some wealthy family.

The Lu and Yu families had been close since childhood, and Yu Wanqiao had practically grown up under his watch. That child had always been deeply reserved. No matter what happened, she never showed it on her face and relied on no one. Over the years, she had built up the business on her own and achieved remarkable success, which was truly admirable.

He had never expected that the next time they met, she would already have a fiancée.

“Good, good.” Old Master Lu had an excellent impression of Zhan Yao. “You must be tired. It’s quite a drive from the city center. Little Yu, take your fiancée to rest. Sit at my table.”

“You must drink a few glasses with me tonight!”

Yu Wanqiao naturally agreed.

Old Master Lu smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries before going to welcome the other guests.

Yu Wanqiao turned and led Zhan Yao to the table, where they took their seats.

The current development of Chuansheng Group could not be underestimated. As the Yu family’s only daughter, it was merely a matter of time before Yu Wanqiao inherited all of Chuansheng’s businesses.

Old Master Yu’s health had been deteriorating with each passing day, and he had already begun gradually relinquishing authority. Even for a banquet like tonight’s, he had simply sent Yu Wanqiao to attend as Chuansheng’s representative.

In everyone’s eyes, Yu Wanqiao had almost become synonymous with the entire Chuansheng Group.

However, she was rumored to be mentally unstable, gloomy, eccentric, and extremely difficult to approach. Even those who wished to befriend her often backed away after hearing the stories about her.

Neither Yu Wanqiao nor Zhan Yao cared what anyone thought.

An attendant brought over drinks and desserts. The desserts at Liao’an Residence truly were exceptional. After only one bite, Zhan Yao’s eyes lit up, and she began analyzing the ingredients with the system inside her mind.

After analyzing it for a while, however, she still felt that something was not quite right.

At that moment, Yu Wanqiao leaned closer.

“You like it?”

Zhan Yao nodded. “Mm. It tastes good.”

“Should I poach a few pastry chefs and bring them home to cook for you?” Yu Wanqiao suddenly asked.

Zhan Yao blinked and instinctively looked at her.

That was right. Why had she not thought of that?

“You really do understand me,” she said.

She had been so focused on analyzing the ingredients and asking the servants to recreate the dessert that she had forgotten there was a much simpler, more convenient method.

She certainly had to thank Yu Wanqiao.

“Would you like to try some?” With that thought, Zhan Yao specially picked up a clean fork and cut off a piece of cake. “It’s very good.”

As she finished speaking, the cake was already held before Yu Wanqiao’s lips.

Yu Wanqiao nodded. “All right.”

Although she said that, she tilted her head slightly. Instead of biting the fresh piece Zhan Yao had offered, she lowered her eyes and ate the piece already on Zhan Yao’s original fork.

“It truly is quite good.” After chewing briefly, Yu Wanqiao smiled and offered her assessment in a soft voice.

“…”

She had eaten Zhan Yao’s piece.

Even Zhan Yao, whose acting skills deserved a perfect score, failed to react for a moment.

She had underestimated Yu Wanqiao. She had never expected the woman to take the act this far.

Had this not been a private banquet, what Yu Wanqiao had just done would probably have made the newspapers tomorrow, accompanied by headlines about their harmonious marriage and President Yu doting exclusively on her delicate young wife.

“As long as… you like it.”

Zhan Yao was unusually embarrassed. After a moment of silence, she lowered her eyes and quietly took another bite of cake.

The banquet soon reached its halfway point.

Zhan Yao had eaten enough and had also grown tired of listening to their conversations. Since there was still quite some time before the banquet ended, she became bored and informed Yu Wanqiao that she wanted to get up and walk around.

“Should I accompany you?” Yu Wanqiao asked.

“No.” Zhan Yao shook her head.

She was still feeling a little strange because of the cake incident and did not particularly want to be alone with Yu Wanqiao right now.

“I’ll just walk around by myself.”

With that, she quickly turned and left.

Since it was Old Master Lu’s birthday, the entire Liao’an Residence had been reserved by the Lu family. There were guests not only in the main hall but also throughout the other floors and even in the courtyard.

Aside from the long-established wealthy families who had originally been invited, there were also members of smaller affluent families who had entered through various connections. Their purpose was to build relationships. Even making contact with one random person here could benefit them enormously.

Of course, someone like Xu Yingxi did not even need to be considered. She was nowhere near the level of a true wealthy family.

Zhan Yao wandered around. Not only did the walk help her digest her food, but several of the architectural features also gave her inspiration. She planned to list them all once she returned home so she could continue remodeling the courtyard.

As she walked, she suddenly heard a woman’s voice behind her.

“Zhan Yao.”

Zhan Yao turned around and quickly examined the woman’s face, confirming that she had never met her before.

“You are?”

“My name is Lu Ningning,” the woman said, introducing herself with her chin raised arrogantly.

“Oh.” Zhan Yao nodded.

She already disliked the way a stranger had addressed her directly by name, and Lu Ningning’s attitude made her even more unpleasant.

“What do you want?”

Lu Ningning quickly replied, “I want you to leave President Yu. You aren’t worthy of her.”

Zhan Yao: “…………”

Thank you. Now she disliked her even more.

She had not expected to encounter someone like this. As expected of an old-fashioned melodramatic novel.

Rendered speechless, Zhan Yao immediately lost all interest in speaking with her. Afraid her intelligence might drop if they continued conversing, she turned and prepared to leave.

Before she could, Lu Ningning reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked, her voice filled with pride.

She even deliberately paused for several seconds, waiting for Zhan Yao to ask.

Zhan Yao clicked her tongue and looked at her with the caring gaze one might give someone intellectually challenged.

“Why should I care?”

“?”

Lu Ningning was briefly stunned.

This was not right. Under normal circumstances, wasn’t Zhan Yao supposed to follow her lead and ask?

“You truly have no manners.” After a long silence, Lu Ningning finally squeezed out that sentence.

Seeing that Zhan Yao clearly had no intention of asking, she could only announce her identity herself.

“Old Master Lu, whose birthday is being celebrated tonight, is my second uncle,” Lu Ningning said, finally regaining her confidence. “We’re very close.”

Although he was such a distant second uncle that they could barely be considered related and she had never even met him before, he was still her second uncle.

Without that connection, she would never have obtained an invitation, even though she had only received it after pestering people endlessly and struggling for a long time.

“I see.” Zhan Yao casually responded without any reaction.

Had their relationship truly been close, she would have seen Lu Ningning in the inner hall earlier. Why would they only be meeting now?

“Are you frightened?” Seeing no expression on Zhan Yao’s face, Lu Ningning assumed she had been scared. “I am a proper young lady of the Lu family!”

“How exactly did you get close to President Yu? What methods did you use?” she demanded.

She truly could not accept Yu Wanqiao behaving so intimately with someone else.

“Otherwise, there’s no way she could possibly like you!”

Lu Ningning enjoyed going online and reading all kinds of financial news. Her family owned a small restaurant, which she would inevitably inherit in the future. Naturally, she had to learn as much as possible while she still could.

It was because of this hobby that she had accidentally learned about Yu Wanqiao and then discovered the connection between the Yu and Lu families.

She had been overjoyed and began fantasizing every day about meeting Yu Wanqiao someday.

Although there were many rumors about Yu Wanqiao, she preferred to believe they were all false. Yu Wanqiao herself must surely be beautiful and gentle.

When she finally saw her from a distance today, Yu Wanqiao was indeed exactly as she had imagined.

The only difference was that there was someone beside her.

“Maybe I’m simply too charming,” Zhan Yao suddenly said without the slightest trace of embarrassment.

“Wh…?” Lu Ningning froze. “Do you have no shame at all?”

“Perhaps not.” Zhan Yao nodded thoughtfully.

No one could surpass her when it came to infuriating people.

“But I do have a beautiful girlfriend you can never have.”

“…”

Lu Ningning suffered a second blow.

After several seconds of silence, she suddenly grew furious.

“Girlfriend? Do you really think she likes you?!”

“Perhaps she only sees you as a substitute.”

Unless absolutely necessary, Lu Ningning had not originally wanted to say this. After all, it was only a rumor she had accidentally heard.

Many years ago, one of her relatives had worked as a servant for the Yu family for several days and had apparently overheard something. The story that Yu Wanqiao had a white moonlight who had been missing for many years was told with such detail that it sounded real.

Rumor had it that Yu Wanqiao had even developed her psychological illness because of that white moonlight.

Of course, Lu Ningning did not truly believe it. She had never met anyone capable of remaining so devoted for so long that they drove themselves insane.

But Zhan Yao had irritated her far too much. Whether the story was true or false did not matter, as long as it upset her.

Sure enough, after hearing those words, Zhan Yao did not immediately insult her again.

Lu Ningning instinctively assumed she had been shaken and immediately became proud, pressing her advantage.

“I heard that her white moonlight was exceptionally beautiful. She could paint, play the piano, and knew everything. Someone like you could never compare to her.”

“You’re probably nothing more than a substitute. Perhaps President Yu only looked at you twice because you resemble her a little.” Lu Ningning clicked her tongue softly, wearing the expression of someone enjoying a spectacle. “Deep in President Yu’s heart, she’ll probably continue thinking about that white moonlight for ten years, twenty years, and many, many more…”

“Then she’s quite sentimental,” Zhan Yao slowly said with a nod.

Lu Ningning did not understand what she meant but instinctively agreed.

“Of course. You have no idea how our President Yu—”

Before she could finish, Zhan Yao interrupted her.

“I never expected Wanqiao to be so loyal and devoted.”

“Now I like her even more.”

“…”

Those two brief sentences nearly gave Lu Ningning a cerebral thrombosis.