Chapter 193 - We're Done Here (Don't Skip)

When they received news that 95% of the guests were already in the venue, the women finally entered the place.

"This is not real," Liu Meilien said beside the cousins. She was sure that her eyes were sparkling and if someone would draw her, there would be stars in her eyes.

"Qing Chen tend to go beyond in parties." Feng Xuan touched her shoulders. "Let's go."

The whole place was huge! Liu Meilien calculated that this could have taken at least four function rooms combined. Like the wedding party of Qing Chen and Feng Xuan, a gazillion flowers hung from the ceiling. The air was cold and smelled sweet. The lights were soft whites and violets.

It was as if her heart dropped to the floor when she saw where she would walk tonight. There were two circles of tables. A small one in the middle of the room—for the VIPs and the other was an outer circle. In between that, there was the circular runway, offering the dresses in every possible angle. In wherever you were seated in the huge room, you would be able to see what the models were wearing.

"Do you like it?" Wang Yimin asked Liu Meilien who looked starstruck. 

"It's beautiful," she answered and felt like she was going to cry. "Thank you so much for inviting me to be your ambassadress."

"Aren't you sweet?" Wang Yimin smiled. "Now, let's all do our job and make rounds. In fifteen minutes, we're all going to the stage."

"You got it, boss," answered Feng Xuan and started walking in one direction. Wang Yimin went another.

Liu Meilien took a few more seconds to take in everything—the beautiful dress she was wearing, the photographers that crowded the sides of the runway, the biggest stage she was walking on to date… her heart swelled. She belonged here. Yes, she made the right decision with this one. 

She took her first step, wishing she would not see her mother too quickly.

**

Feng Xuan was walking around the place in search of her husband but she stopped by the smaller circles of women who called her—whose names she mostly forgot because they were too many. She thought that she really needed to attend more parties to be familiar with everyone else. 

She was talking with some of middle-aged ladies, complimenting her dress and she was humbly telling them that it was Wang Yimin who put in all the work, when she saw her husband in the middle of the room talking to some older man she did not recognize.

"I'm sorry, let's continue this in a short while. I still have to find my cousin," she said to the women and strutted to where her husband was. 

The photographers helped her up the small staircase they put at the side of the runway. And just like that, she caught her husband's eye and he stopped mid-sentence. For a second, he just looked at her and then smiled. He excused himself and rushed over, offering his hand to help her down the staircase.

Then she was in Qing Chen's arm, his hand on her waist as he carefully kissed the side of her face. "You look ravishing."

"Wang Yimin's handiwork," she said and smiled at him.

"Can we get a photo?" asked one photographer at the side of the stage and Feng Xuan nodded and flashed a smile to the camera.

"You feel cold," Qing Chen whispered to her ear. "I'd offer you my coat but I know you're not going to take it."

"Thank you for thinking about that, husband. But you're right. I'm not going to take it. Yimin is going to have my head if I won't show the world the thing she had lost sleep to."

The light continued to flash and Feng Xuan shivered as the air bit on her exposed legs and tulle covered arms.

"I'm going to catch a cold," she said to Qing Chen quietly.

"I'll have your food served hot."

"Thank you." She pressed a kiss on his cheek and waved to the photographers. "We're going to make an announcement and get this party started. I'll be back."

"Have fun on the runway," he said.

"I will."

**

Feng Xuan went backstage and saw that people were bustling around. Most of the models were already lined up, but some were still on their chairs adding the final touches. The smell of perfume and hairspray filled the air.

She scrunched her nose while tiptoeing around. The dresses—especially the tulle were really fragile. One nick and it would be over. She found her cousin putting eyeshadow on one girl in front of the mirror. "Where's Liu Meilien? She's supposed to host this thing."

Wang Yimin's eyes widened and looked around. "Did you think her mother saw her and took her away?!"

Feng Xuan cursed under her breath. "I'll go look for her."

**

Liu Meilien was having the time of her life. Most of the people here did not know her, but that would soon end. After tonight, she would be known in this society. Other brands would come knocking at her door. Designers would come and pursue her to model their dresses. Magazines would call her for features and covers. 

She could all see it. She just had to reach for i—

A hand clasped her arm and yanked her to the side. "Where were you?!" her mother snarled at her ear. "I had been looking for you and I thought you're going to wear the iridescent dress I got you."

Wang Yimin squirmed. "That dress is too loud."

"How are you going to get noticed if you're not loud?"

She twisted away from her mother's grasp but she would not let go.

"Where did you get that dress?" Liu Lifen's eyes flicked on the hairpin and saw the shiny YANG on it. "What did they do to you?! Take it off!"

"No!"

But her mother pulled the pin already and her hair tumbled down her shoulders in big curls. "You and I are going to go home and talk about this."

"I don't want to go!" said Liu Meilien. "I want to be here. Feng Xuan and Wang Yimin got me a job and—"

"You're going to put your life in their hands?! You're so naïve. They are just playing you! Did you really think they would get you as their model? After everything we've done to them?"

"It was just you!" said Liu Meilien, her eyes brimmed with tears. She was aware of the other people looking and pointing at them as they eavesdropped on their conversation. But she didn't care. "I didn't want any part of it but…" she could not even finish her sentence. "I want to be responsible for myself."

Her mother scoffed. "Responsible for yourself? You can't even go to the salon without me fixing an appointment for you!"

She lifted her head. "I'll do everything on my own."

"What's going on here?"

Both of their attentions shifted to Feng Xuan who was already glaring at Liu Lifen.

"Hello, Xuan," said the mother, "we were just leavi—"

"No," Liu Meilien interrupted. "We're done here."