The table suddenly fell silent. So many eyes were fixed on Song You, making him feel a prickle of unease. Just as he was about to try and gloss over the situation, Wen Tingxue spoke, "Master, do you remember what you promised me a few days ago?"
Without waiting for Elder Yan to reply, the young girl continued, "I've already secured the contract with Xing Er. Master, isn't it time for you to fulfill your promise?"
She playfully flipped through photos on her phone and presented them with both hands.
Elder Yan took them, even putting on his reading glasses to examine them. His expression was as if a young relative had won a grand prize. "Let me see too." Yan Jun, seated to Elder Yan's left, could see with just a turn of his head. "Oh, this little one is quite capable. You're already the chief designer for Xing Er?"
Elder Yan nodded, not bothering to ask Wen Tingxue what she wanted. He directly instructed the butler, "After dinner, prepare a cup of lychee and red date tea."
Song You's eyes lit up. He was going to be accepted as a disciple.
Just because of a few words from the young girl?
Not only Song You, but everyone at the table froze for a moment.
It was common knowledge in the circle that Elder Yan was very strict about accepting disciples.
And now, it was so casual. Pei Zhong and Sha Zhengxin looked at Wen Tingxue thoughtfully. Wen Tingxue, completely oblivious, playfully cajoled Elder Yan, making him laugh heartily.
After drinking the discipleship tea, Wen Tingxue's long-held worry finally subsided.
However—Pei Zhong teased, "You seniors and juniors, older and younger disciples, how will you address each other from now on?"
Wen Tingxue: "..."
Oops.
She had forgotten about that.
Song You smiled faintly, "Since you've joined the sect, we should naturally follow the order of discipleship. I hope my senior sister will guide me more in the future."
He cupped his hands respectfully towards Wen Tingxue.
His gentle and refined demeanor was exactly like a private tutor stepping out of a painting.
Wen Tingxue blushed, feeling embarrassed. "Senior Brother! You can't bully me like this!"
The others watched with amusement. Elder Yan protected the young girl, saying, "There are no such strict rules. Let's just go by age. Little Xue is the youngest, so you all should look out for her."
Pei Zhong and Sha Zhengxin exchanged a knowing glance.
Was Master showing too much favoritism towards the little girl?
Even his own daughters hadn't been treated with such care before.
Yan Jun chimed in with a smile, "Oh, you're right. Would we possibly bully her?"
"Perfect timing, Fourth is here to pick me up," Yan Jun said, taking Wen Tingxue's arm as they walked towards the exit. "You two should meet and get acquainted. It'll open up more opportunities for you in the future."
Fourth?
Wen Tingxue blinked, confused. Who was it?
Her senior sister's son?
Being held by Yan Jun, Wen Tingxue naturally didn't notice the subtle shift in the expressions of the others.
It wasn't until the car window rolled down at the entrance that she realized who "Fourth" was.
The helmsman of the Han family.
Fourth Master Han.
Meeting the man's cold and deep gaze unexpectedly, Wen Tingxue's body tensed, and she couldn't even muster a smile.
Oh, heavens.
Who could tell her.
What in the world was going on?!
How could she possibly meet the legendary Fourth Master Han, who was notoriously difficult to get an appointment with!!
Yan Jun introduced them with a smile. Han Xianyun sat in the car, his expression slightly weary, listening patiently.
Finally, Yan Jun took Wen Tingxue's hand and said, "Don't mind his cold demeanor; he's actually quite a good person. If you encounter any trouble in the future, just give him a call."
Quite a good person?
Recalling the various messy rumors, Wen Tingxue's lips twitched.
Senior Sister, did you have a misunderstanding of those words?
Could someone who could oppose Fu Yuchuan have a good personality?
She didn't believe it.
But she didn't dare to say it aloud. She lowered her head shyly, her voice meekly saying, "There's no need to trouble Mr. Han..."
Before the last word could be spoken, Han Xianyun rubbed his temples wearily and cut her off, "It's fine."
He then recited a string of numbers. Fearing she wouldn't remember, he found a business card from the compartment and handed it to her.
"This is my private number. It's on 24 hours a day."
Wen Tingxue: "..."?
What, what was happening?
After Yan Jun got into the car and left, Song You explained in a low voice, "Although Senior Sister Yan isn't the birth mother of the Han brothers, when Senior Sister married into the family..."
"The Han brothers were only five or six years old, in their mischievous phase. Senior Sister put in a lot of effort to take good care of them."
"From then on, the Han brothers treated her as their own mother. Although they didn't say it out loud, anyone with eyes could see that Senior Sister Yan held a high position in the Han family."
"Fourth Master Han would give nine parts of his face to anyone Senior Sister Yan introduced."
Nine parts?!
Wen Tingxue looked at the business card in her hand, suddenly feeling its weight.
Song You noticed her unusual mood and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wen Tingxue sighed deeply, "I really don't want to get entangled with wealthy families, but every step I take seems to connect me with them."
From the Fu family, to the Yan family, and now the Han family.
She herself didn't know how she had walked these paths.
It felt like a dream.
"It's not a bad thing," Song You comforted her. "This kind of connection is something others can only dream of. Besides, does fate announce when a benefactor will appear?"
Wen Tingxue thought about it and felt he had a point, so she stopped dwelling on it.
Anyway, whether it was Second Master Fu or Fourth Master Han, they had nothing to do with her life.
With the promotional push from Fu Group and Yan Jun's influence, Xing Er milk tea became a huge success, with stores opening in almost every provincial capital.
In September, before the start of the school year, various exhibition areas opened one after another. Wen Tingxue's oil painting was displayed in Wucheng.
The group studying in the capital arranged to see it before heading to school.
While browsing the exhibition, Wen Tingxue received a call from Chi Zerui. He hadn't appeared since Lunar New Year until the summer vacation.
Receiving a call out of the blue, Wen Tingxue was a bit unaccustomed to it.
But his attitude was as always, enthusiastic and roguish.
"Congratulations! You're the first among us to become famous. Don't forget us friends in the future."
"How could I?" Wen Tingxue said with a smile, chatting with him for a bit. "Are you competing right now?"
She could hear the roar of race cars.
"Mmm," Chi Zerui replied indifferently. "Just a small competition, not important. What? Want to cheer me on?"
Truth be told, after not seeing him for so long, Wen Tingxue had almost forgotten his appearance.
But she would never forget his demeanor on the racetrack.
He was exactly like the line in a poem: a spirited young man.
"Do you still need me to cheer you on? They already call you the God of Racing." Recalling a news report she'd seen online, Wen Tingxue couldn't help but tease him.
Chi Zerui paused for a moment, then his eyes curved as he said, "It's different. You're participating in the National Art Exhibition now, you have good fortune. Let me borrow some of that luck."
Wen Tingxue was amused. "Okay, good luck, you'll definitely win."
"Perfunctory," Chi Zerui chuckled disdainfully. "I won't disturb you any longer. Goodbye."
The moment the call ended, Qiao Xixi grabbed Wen Tingxue. "Quick, let's take a group photo together!"
Click! After the photo was taken, Qiao Xixi lowered her head to edit it. "Although I don't have many fans now, I can still promote you. This way, does it look good?"
Since it was going to be posted online, the others were hesitant to show their faces. Qiao Xixi cooperated by blurring their images.
Only Wen Tingxue and she were not pixelated.
Wen Tingxue: "..."
"I don't want my face to show either," Wen Tingxue hinted, looking at her with watery eyes.
Qiao Xixi wasn't swayed. "A beautiful painter, what a great selling point! No blurring, no blurring. Besides, I don't have many fans, don't worry~"
There were many people at the exhibition, and she liked to run around.
Mu Chen had no choice but to hold her hand.
And lead her away.
Creating some space, Yu Wenli browsed the exhibition nonchalantly. After a long while, he asked, "Just now, A Rui called you?"
"Mmm," Wen Tingxue replied, then, as if realizing something, she leaned closer to him and teased, "With that tone, aren't you jealous?"