╔═══ Author's note ════╗
Edited by Dymens
╚═════════════════╝
"Is that Bing Shi?" A buzzing sound between older women started when a young lady arrived at the party with her parents.
"Can somebody's appearance change so much just by losing weight?" a woman in a red dress asked in doubt.
"Plastic surgery?" suggested a woman in green.
"It's only because of her first impression. When you look closer, she is not that beautiful. She can't be compared to your daughter, not to mention celebrities," answered the woman with the keenest eyes.
"I agree...but... I can't look away from her. Strange... Is it thanks to her clothing?" asserted a woman in yellow. All women with colorful dresses agreed with her.
Standing near the entrance, Bing Shi's clothing was a more feminine style than what she normally wore; a dark green, almost black vintage dress with long sleeves and a high neck collar. Without her black-rimmed eyeglasses, she brought a high-class flavor to her old-fashioned style of clothing. As the saying went, she was an embodiment of 'fashion fades, style is eternal'.
When Bing Shi walked towards the round tables, she greeted all adults, from the eldest to the youngest, not forgetting her upbringing. The people at this party could be considered Bing Shi's parents' closest friends and relatives.
"How is your skin so pale? Your mum looks younger compared to before. She said it's all thanks to you!" they asked. This young lady wasn't acting all innocent, nor did she over-sweet-talk to them. Polite with the right amount of playful respect.
'Easy. Don't go outside.'
"If you want to maintain your youthfulness, first, start to use sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. Second, try to avoid stress by laughing," Bing Shi chuckled, seating herself on a vacant seat next to a woman in red, "Because when you laugh, you feel no stress."
The women's mood improved the more they talked to her. After they rushed their sons to speak to Bing Shi, they went out for a tour around the grandiose hotel with her parents in the front.
All the sons refused to speak to Bing Shi. Their instincts told them to stay away from Bing Shi, being wary of her. Their mothers would always find faults with other girls. But Bing Shi? They wanted her as their daughter-in-law!
Of course, there would always be an overconfident man, Tan Huo, a handsome man who finished school and started his own company with the help of his parents.
"Hi, I'm Tan Huo," he came near Bing Shi and sat down next to her seat. With a polite smile, he offered his hand for a handshake. He was intrigued by how Bing Shi could easily communicate with his hard-to-please mother.
'Who? Please, go away.'
"Hi. I'm sorry, I don't shake hands," Bing Shi refused politely, a slight sorry-filled smile spread across her lips.
'Stay away. Stay away. Stay away.'
"Why?" He took his hand back, searching for the reason why the female didn't do handshakes.
"Because they get sweaty a lot. I don't want you to feel disgusted," Bing Shi explained and checked her phone afterward, looking for any messages from Xuan Mu. There were none, he was probably still at work.
'Xuan Mu is so hard working.'
"I don't mind." When he saw how she checked her phone without conduct, there was no sweat. Where did the thoughtful girl disappear to? Shouldn't she be trying to engage in a conversation like with her mother? He didn't give up and offered it again, encouraging her with a larger smile.
'What's wrong with this guy?'
"But, I do mind. Sorry," proclaimed Bing Shi with a fake smile. She put away her phone and started to eat the food offered on the table.
"..." Now, how should he continue the conversation? She refused politely, but somehow he felt like she was so disgusted by him to even speak to him. "Is it tasty?" he asked. He met many girls. But what was wrong with Bing Shi? Why was it so awkward?
"...Mmm..." Was all she said as her mouth was full. With that Bing Shi nodded without giving a bother of looking at him.
'Now. Leave. I don't talk when I eat.'
"It was nice to meet you. I have to go back." Sensing that she wasn't interested, he wanted to run away as this cramped feeling was suffocating him.
Bing Shi waved her hand at him as a goodbye gesture.
'Bye-bye.'
When Tan Huo went back, everyone started to ask questions.
"How is she?"
"Her whole being is screaming at you to leave her alone. The longer I sat with her, the harder it was to talk to her," said Tan Huo.
"A challenge, should I try too?" a young man snickered confidently.
"Go ahead. You've got no chance," warned Tan Huo.
The man didn't hear him. He was on his way to Bing Shi. "Hi, I'm Tony," he waved at her with a cute smile.
"Sorry, I'm at the good part of the novel. I can't speak to you," mumbled Bing Shi, who was reading a novel. Making sure nobody was going to interrupt her again, she put on her headphones.
"..." Tony dejectedly came back.
Everyone laughed at him and started to make tactics on how to catch her interest, "A polite man didn't work."
"What about a cold man?" they started.
"She will ignore you."
"What about a bad boy?"
"Good Idea!"
"Should we try to tease her? Like grabbing her phone and running away?"
"I'd like to see her reaction!"
"Who is going ?" They all looked at the bad boy in their group.
"No way, I'm not bullying her. Don't you remember who her backers are? All of our mothers!" The notorious bad boy backed away.
Realizing the truth, they got goosebumps. Bing Shi, was too powerful. No, they were not afraid of their mothers, all!
"I give up. She is not even that beautiful."
"Too ugly." They all agreed shamelessly. Nobody was stupid enough to challenge Bing Shi, "Let's try other girls?"
"All the other girls are still at the orphanage to play with the children as part of the charity event. They should return soon. Wait, why is Bing Shi not helping them?"
"Probably because of our mothers..." All of them went silent. What's with all these privileges? She just talked to them! Did she think she was a Queen? (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
During that Christmas eve, some people could finally get a glimpse of the rumored Bing Shi. True to her image, she was exactly like her parents described her. She could gain one's respect without putting out too much effort. A girl with a kind of hidden authority.