Another girl in the room looked angry and stared at Manager Su.
"Enough. Don't bring that up again."
From her tone, it sounded like she would fight if he said one more word.
This girl was Zinni, the one who had been dragged into the woods.
Haiwen quickly stepped in.
"My brother deserves to be single. All he cares about is food. I'll introduce you to someone better."
Haiwen hadn't expected her brother to be so unreliable. Who takes someone into the woods on a first date?
Even though the farmhouse they went to wasn't just an ordinary one and had been decorated a bit, it was still in the countryside. There were bugs, and Zinni couldn't stand it. She barely ate anything before she left.
With Zinni and Haiwen both giving sharp looks, the guys finally shut up about it.
They changed the subject and asked about Sophia.
"Sophia, you and Amelia were in school together. Did you study the same thing?"
Lazlo was the first to ask.
Amelia smiled at Sophia and replied,
"We weren't in the same major, but funny enough, after graduation, our fields ended up being kind of similar."
Then she brought up a recent auction in Peng City.
Ordinary people might not know much about it, but in high society, it caused a stir.
After the discovery of the Zhaoguo Kingdom from the Yuan Zhao era, this was the first batch of confirmed artifacts to be revealed.
The most expensive piece at the auction sold for over a hundred million yuan.
Amelia didn't keep it a secret. She said directly,
"The owner of those items was Sophia."
People looked surprised but didn't stay shocked for long.
Two girls looked at the jewelry Sophia and Amelia were wearing.
"Are those pieces from the Yuan Zhao era too?"
Sophia nodded and showed them the bracelet on her wrist. It was made of white jade from Hetian. On her wrist, it made her skin look even smoother and fairer.
"So pretty!"
The two girls touched it gently and didn't want to let go.
"To be honest, when you both walked in earlier, we couldn't take our eyes off you. That jewelry matches your outfits perfectly today."
Girls often get closer by giving each other genuine compliments.
Zinni's words instantly made things feel more friendly between her, Sophia, and Amelia.
As they chatted, the lights suddenly shifted. The host of tonight's party finally appeared.
An elderly man with a cane stepped into the spotlight, helped by his children and grandchildren.
"Wait, is this a birthday party?" Amelia suddenly asked.
Zinni and Haiwen looked at her speechlessly.
"How did you even end up here?"
Amelia answered truthfully,
"My professor had something come up last minute and couldn't come. She asked me to bring the gift on her behalf."
They actually knew a little about this. Amelia was usually seen with Professor Zhou. If she came alone, she wouldn't normally talk to people much.
There had been talk that Professor Zhou was strict with her students.
She told them not to embarrass her when attending events. Because of this, her students kept a low profile and never caused trouble.
Even though Amelia had already graduated a few years ago, it was clear she still followed that rule.
Back then, they had invited Amelia to hang out only because she seemed like a nice, simple person, and they respected Professor Zhou.
On stage, the host started to give a speech.
Meanwhile, Sophia and Amelia quietly slipped away from the group.
They walked to the back, near the food tables, and Amelia secretly handed Sophia some snacks.
"Eat quickly. Once we're full, we can slip out."
Amelia winked at Sophia.
At events like this, she usually just came to deliver the gift and listen to the host's speech. After that, it was basically time to leave.
The two of them quietly took small bites while observing the people in the banquet hall.
To be honest, all the well-dressed men and women were quite nice to look at.
Once the host finished speaking and told everyone to enjoy the food and drinks, Sophia and Amelia had eaten enough and were getting ready to sneak out.
Right at that moment, Haiwen and Zinni found them with perfect timing.
"Don't leave yet. Let's add each other on WeChat, so we can stay in touch."
Haiwen and Zinni seemed to have coordinated it. The three men behind them also took out their phones to add Sophia and Amelia on WeChat.
After they all exchanged contacts, Sophia and Amelia quickly made their escape.
Haiwen, Zinni, and the others hadn't come just to enjoy the food. They had a purpose. Their real plans were just beginning—they weren't leaving anytime soon.
—
After escaping the banquet, they saw that someone at the door was handing out parting gifts to the guests.
Sophia and Amelia were each given a silk scarf. They didn't know what the men got.
They took a cab to the seaside. The night breeze was a bit chilly, so the scarves came in handy.
Sophia thought the new WeChat contacts would just collect dust in her contact list.
But right away, Haiwen and Zinni messaged her.
They asked if she had any more jewelry and suggested meeting up another day to take a look.
Sophia read the message out loud to Amelia.
Amelia wasn't surprised. "These rich girls can easily make people feel close to them if they want to. But getting into their circle is another story. If you don't have something they're interested in, most people can't break in."
Then she smiled and said, "People only care if you're useful to them."
Sophia paused, thinking about her words like she was being warned.
"Are you telling me not to take it too seriously?"
Amelia glanced at her, then poked her on the forehead. "You catch on quick."
"Just keep a proper distance."
"They're probably interested in your jewelry. Didn't you bring a bunch with you? These rich kids have money to spend. Since they want to meet up, go for it."
After all, Sophia came to the city to make money—and now the opportunity was knocking.
Sophia nodded and replied to Haiwen on WeChat, setting up a meeting for the next afternoon.
"I'll probably be on the plane tomorrow afternoon," Amelia reminded her. "If you're meeting them, be careful. These people are all really sharp."
Sophia hugged her arm. "I know, Amelia."
They strolled around, chatted for a bit to digest their food, then headed back to the hotel.
The next day, Sophia took Amelia to the airport and stayed with her through check-in. After that, she went straight to the place where she had agreed to meet Haiwen and Zinni.
This time, the three men didn't come along.