Chapter 378 The Dull Wife in Republic of China Literature (35)

Chapter 378: The Stiff Wife in the Republican-Era Story (35)

She looked up!

Sure enough, there was Yan Ningcheng.

At first sight, both Fang Zhuo and Qu Wanran were stunned for a moment!

Yan Ningcheng looked very different today.

Fang Zhuo naturally knew that this friend of his had exceptional looks and family background.

But today’s Yan Ningcheng…

seemed to have made a special effort with his appearance.

The gold wire-rimmed glasses he usually wore were conspicuously missing today, revealing Yan Ningcheng’s naturally striking eyes and brows.

Without the obstruction of his glasses, even Fang Zhuo was seeing for the first time just how piercing his friend’s gaze could be.

"Ning Cheng…" Qu Wanran snapped back to reality, her eyes looking Yan Ningcheng up and down before she spoke, "You today…"

"look exceptionally handsome…"

Xu Jing laughed right then, "I knew it."

"I was sure you’d have the same reaction upon seeing Mr. Yan today!"

The moment Yan Ningcheng appeared today, he actually caused quite a stir! All the young ladies who'd been chatting in the room turned to look at him!

Even Xu Jing, who was accustomed to social interactions, was struck dumb!

Who knew that Mr. Yan’s appearance could be so outstanding!

"Mr. Yan, quite a few young ladies have specifically came asking about you just now…"

With a playful grin, Xu Jing pointed deliberately in a certain direction, and indeed, a group of blushing girls came into view.

"See? Mr. Yan, you’re quite the hot commodity now…"

"Would you care to take a closer look, Mr. Yan? Is there anyone among them who interests you?"

In response to this good-natured teasing, Yan Ningcheng replied calmly, "They're not suitable."

The only reason he'd come today was Xiao He.

The day they parted, Xiao He seemed to casually mention that her mistress would be attending this tenth-anniversary celebration.

While saying this, Xiao He had even whispered a reminder to him: "Master Yan, let me tell you secretly, this is a big day for our mistress!"

"You must dress up properly! Otherwise, you won’t be worthy of our mistress!"

After hurriedly saying these two sentences, Xiao He ran off.

It felt like a joke, her retreating figure practically bouncing with cheerfulness.

Xu Jing was still puzzled about why he had willingly offered the resources of Shen Bao; the reason lay precisely in this.

His eyes darted to the entrance again, but there was still no sign of Tang Qing...

He pursed his lips; a distinct shadow of gloom flashed in Yan Ningcheng's eyes.

Noticing Yan Ningcheng seemed restless, Xu Jing asked, "Mr. Yan, are you waiting for someone?"

"Is a friend of yours coming?"

Before Yan Ningcheng could respond, Qu Wanran cut in from the side, "What friends does he even have!"

"Ningcheng, like us, just got back to the country."

Since she’d spent some time with Yan Ningcheng, Qu Wanran believed she had a decent understanding of him.

He was pretty quiet, his days revolved entirely around his sketches.

His life was monotonous and pretty bare-bones, and Fang Zhuo was one of his only friends.

"Ningcheng..."

"What a coincidence bumping into you here."

"I haven’t had the chance to thank you for the paperwork thing." Bringing up Fang Zhuo’s divorce, Qu Wanran’s gratitude felt especially sincere.

"If it weren’t for you, Senior Brother Fang Zhuo would probably still be stuck with Tang Qing for a while longer."

"Two people who clearly don’t love each other, bound together by a marriage contract—every extra day was torture."

When she brought up Tang Qing, Qu Wanran might not have even realized it herself.

There was a natural tinge of disdain in her tone. In her eyes...

This marriage had always been about Tang Qing tying down her impeccable Senior Brother Fang Zhuo!

It was precisely this hint of disdain that caused Yan Ningcheng to frown.

Usually so detached, he now spoke with rare irritation, "Qu Wanran."

"What?"

Hearing Yan Ningcheng call her name so directly for the first time, Qu Wanran still didn’t get what was going on when she met his annoyed expression.

"What did I do?"

Was he angry?

Qu Wanran asked in confusion, "What did I say?"

"Stop assuming you know everything about other people."

"What do you mean?" Sensing the unusual tone in Yan Ningcheng’s voice, Qu Wanran immediately shot back, "Are you... siding with Tang Qing?"

"You’re our good friend—how can you speak up for Tang Qing?"

Her challenge came out naturally, which only annoyed Yan Ningcheng more.

"I’m not wrong!"

"If it weren’t for Tang Qing, Senior Brother Fang Zhuo and I would have been together long ago..." Before she could finish her sentence!

At this moment!

A wave of surprised exclamations suddenly erupted around her!

"Oh my! *Who is that!*"

"So beautiful!"

"How can someone have such heavenly beauty..."

These praises came so abruptly that Qu Wanran whipped her head around to look behind her!

Seeing who it was, Qu Wanran was frozen in place!

She's here too?

It was actually Tang Qing!

With an incredulous stare, Qu Wanran couldn't help but fix her eyes on Tang Qing's face...

No matter when she saw Tang Qing's face,

Indeed... she couldn't help feeling defeated!

It was as if all the effort she had put into trying on outfits and fussing over her makeup at home today had been in vain.

Tang Qing...

Was just too striking.

Pursing her lips, Qu Wanran tried to calm that flicker of feminine resentment. But when she looked up, she caught Fang Zhuo's astonished expression!

That flicker of resentment instantly exploded into full-blown anger!

He was still looking at Tang Qing!

And looking so intently!

"What are you doing here!"

Rage surged through her. Qu Wanran stepped forward, cutting off Fang Zhuo's view of Tang Qing entirely!

"Miss Tang! I think... I need not remind you,"

"You and Brother Fang Zhuo are already divorced!"

"What? Did you fish for information and lie in wait for us here today?"

"Miss Tang, if I were you, even after the divorce, I would maintain some dignity. I certainly wouldn’t hang on like this, even going so far as to crash someone else's banquet!"

With just a few words, Qu Wanran had already condemned Tang Qing. The people around, hearing what Qu Wanran said...

One by one, they began to realize that this suddenly appearing lady was actually the ex-wife of the Fang family, whose divorce had just been announced in the papers.

This was truly unexpected. The Fangs' daughter-in-law had rarely made public appearances.

Everyone had assumed she was just some ordinary sheltered woman—who would have thought she possessed such an extraordinary appearance...

The guests present instinctively compared Qu Wanran and Tang Qing.

Today, Tang Qing was dressed in a delicate pink cheongsam. Its tender color gave her complexion a peach-blossom glow, adding a soft, enchanting radiance to her originally somewhat aloof demeanor, making it impossible to look away.

Compared to Qu Wanran's intricate and cumbersome Western-style dress, Miss Qu, who had always been at the forefront of the latest trends, suddenly seemed overshadowed and faded...

"Fang Zhuo's ex-wife is actually this beautiful!"

"How could he let go of such a gorgeous wife?"

Eyes swept back and forth between Qu Wanran and Tang Qing... For a moment, the much-touted love story in the newspaper didn't seem to make sense anymore.