CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248: ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION (2)

But Shen Lingxing just smiled it off, disregarding Mi Jing’s surprise and not giving her a chance to struggle and resist. He cupped her face and dominantly kissed her red lips...

Unable to refuse, Mi Jing could only meekly accept it. However, this kiss did not transmit the virus to Shen Lingxing, and Mi Jing’s cold did not get any better because of it. Instead, it got worse.

With a runny nose and cough coming together, Mi Jing clutched a tissue box and couldn’t let go. In such a miserable state, she couldn’t attend the company’s anniversary celebration with Shen Lingxing. And Shen Lingxing, not wanting to trouble her while she was sick, let her stay home to recuperate.

Shen’s Jewelry Company’s anniversary celebration was held at a five-star hotel. Besides the company’s employees, the invited guests also included many wealthy businessmen, popular celebrities, and high-society ladies. The grand scene naturally highlighted Shen’s strong background.

Since the old lady withdrew from Shen’s management, she hadn’t appeared in public. She didn’t attend tonight’s anniversary celebration either. Instead, Shen Zixian attended with Ma Huilian and Shen Jiajia.

Under the limelight, Shen Zixian’s appearance immediately attracted most people’s attention. Before he even approached the crowd, a small group of people rushed toward him, and soon the three of them were surrounded.

Having mingled in social circles for so many years, Shen Zixian naturally handled social occasions with ease. In contrast to Ma Huilian and Shen Jiajia, who exuded a proud sense of superiority when receiving attention and flattery, Shen Zixian remained much more composed. He always gave the impression of being steady, his expression sometimes calm, sometimes lightly smiling. He never appeared too distant, yet maintained an appropriate sense of distance, making people feel he was approachable but still inscrutable, with an aura of mystery and depth.

Outstanding people are mostly like this, rarely revealing their emotions and thoughts easily. Even a simple expression or look could provoke endless speculation. And no matter where they went, they would be surrounded by people.

Standing beside Shen Zixian, watching the flattering faces, Shen Jiajia wore a gentle smile but was already impatient in her heart. So when she caught sight of Shen Lingxing walking in from the main entrance, she immediately found an excuse to leave, "Dad, brother is here. I’ll go see if there’s anything I can help with."

"Hmm, go ahead." Seeing his daughter being so sensible, Shen Zixian was naturally pleased and nodded with a smile, his eyes showing a touch of affection.

Shen Jiajia, wearing a long white dress, turned around gracefully, and the hem of her dress drew a beautiful arc, leaving a faint fragrance behind that attracted many gazes.

"Mayor Shen, your daughter is really beautiful."

"Yes, Mayor Shen is truly blessed."

"..."

The voices of praise gradually disappeared as Shen Jiajia walked away. She held up her dress, walking lightly, gracefully, and joyfully towards Shen Lingxing.

"Brother."

Hearing the call, Shen Lingxing stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the smiling Shen Jiajia, but showed no expression on his handsome face.

"Brother, is there anything I can help with?" Shen Jiajia looked up at Shen Lingxing and asked softly.

"No."

Thinking back to Mi Jing’s unhappy expression last time, Shen Lingxing’s face grew even sterner, and he coldly uttered the two words before turning to leave, followed by several subordinates, a small group of people silently leaving Shen Jiajia behind as they gradually walked away from her sight.

Shen Jiajia stood there, not moving for a long while, her hands tightly clenched into fists before slowly releasing. She knew it; Shen Lingxing didn’t like her, but she had never expected him to embarrass her so openly in front of others.

She had already humbled herself to please him, yet she was met with such harsh rejection!

Shen Lingxing was clearly doing it on purpose to humiliate her!

Shen Jiajia thought angrily, filled with fury, but constrained by the situation, she bottled up all her unhappiness. Under everyone’s gaze, she pretended to look despondent and sad after being ignored, lowered her head, and slowly left the bustling venue. When she reached an empty corner, she finally revealed her twisted resentment.

From childhood to adulthood, she felt she had never received fair treatment. Even though her grandmother was quite fond of her when she was young, it was still less compared to Shen Lingxing and Shen Xing’er. So, she never liked Shen Xing’er. Without her presence, she would have been the only princess in the Shen Family, receiving more love. But even before Shen Xing’er disappeared, her grandmother had started to dislike her, wouldn’t save a share of food or toys for her, and didn’t like her hanging around anymore. Suddenly, she became distant! She had asked, protested, cried, but no one could tell her why. So, until now, she hadn’t found the answer.

But no matter what the answer was, it couldn’t change her sense of being wronged in this family.

After a while, Shen Jiajia calmed down. She took out a compact from her handbag, touched up her makeup, and then, with an air of arrogance, headed to the dressing room.

"Miss, please stop. This area is for staff only, no unauthorized personnel allowed." Two security guards stood at the dressing room entrance; their tall stature and cold expressions halted Shen Jiajia as she approached.

"Do you know who I am?" Shen Jiajia raised her chin, a flash of impatience in her eyes, and arrogantly glared at the guards.

"It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re not authorized, please leave!" The security guards were evidently well-trained. Even though Shen Jiajia looked like a high-and-mighty peacock, their attitude remained unchanged, retaining their professional and impersonal demeanor.

"You..." Shen Jiajia fumed, glaring at the guards before arrogantly saying, "My father is Shen Zixian, and my brother is Shen Lingxing. Now, do you know who I am?"

Shen Zixian?

Shen Lingxing!

Everyone in the company knew the chairman’s name! The security guards had naturally heard of him. As for Shen Zixian, the name sounded somewhat familiar, but without thinking seriously, they couldn’t immediately place his status.

"Who you are is irrelevant to us!" They didn’t care who her father was! Their job was to ensure the safety of the area, and no unauthorized person was allowed entry. So, the dedicated security guards firmly thwarted Shen Jiajia’s attempt to bypass the rules.

As a young lady of the Shen family, countless people wanted to curry favor with her! Yet now, these two security guards didn’t take her seriously?

Shen Jiajia was infuriated, biting her lip and saying through gritted teeth, "Do you want to get yourselves fired?"