Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 72: An Imperfect Truth

Jiang Feng was not at Elder Qin’s birthday banquet tonight. To be more precise, no one had invited him; he simply wasn’t qualified to attend a high-society event of this caliber.

But whether he came or not was no longer important. Tonight, Jiang Feng was destined to become the talk of the capital.

Ye Qingxuan did not want to accept Qin Junlin’s marriage proposal, but she had no way to refuse him directly. Her only recourse was to make Qin Junlin temporarily abandon the idea himself. She never expected things would take such an unexpected turn.

She had merely been misled by her mother and inadvertently mentioned Jiang Feng’s name. Then, almost instantly, everyone had misunderstood the nature of her relationship with him.

She knew perfectly well that she and Jiang Feng had no connection whatsoever; they weren’t even friends. Although Xu Minmin had once suggested she find a stand-in boyfriend to reject Qin Junlin, even then, Ye Qingxuan had never considered Jiang Feng.

Now, under the intense scrutiny of everyone present, Ye Qingxuan felt her scalp prickle. She desperately wanted to explain that things were not what they thought, but the words died on her lips. Not a single syllable came out. Miserable, she lowered her head.

Her lowered head naturally came across as silent acquiescence to Qin Junlin. A fury began to burn within him. So this is why, he thought. No wonder Ye Qingxuan has always been so resistant and distant. Her heart already belongs to another—and that other is Jiang Feng, that laughingstock of the city.

But when did it start? Was it when Jiang Feng fell from his horse at the Huatian Racecourse? During Ye Qingxuan’s visit to the Jiang family? At Chen Siran’s birthday party, when Ye Qingxuan said she had something to tell Jiang Feng? Or when she went to find him at Yanjing University?

Qin Junlin couldn’t figure it out, but he also felt it didn’t matter. Whenever it had started, in his heart, Jiang Feng was already a dead man.

No one could take what was his. No one. Not even the gods themselves.

Furthermore, if Ye Qingxuan preferred Jiang Feng, didn’t that mean he, Qin Junlin, was inferior to that worthless trash? That was utterly intolerable.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiuxiu finally snapped out of her shock and grabbed Ye Qingxuan’s arm tightly. “Qingxuan, is it true? About you and Jiang Feng? Tell me you’re joking, please! Explain this clearly! Are you trying to worry your mother to death?”

Ye Qingxuan looked at Lu Xiuxiu and said softly, “Mom, I’m not feeling well. I need some air. We can talk about this when we get home.”

Ignoring Lu Xiuxiu’s attempts to hold her back and the strange looks from the guests, Ye Qingxuan walked out of the banquet hall with quick, small steps.

As soon as she left, a woman dressed in an unusually demure manner rose quickly from an inconspicuous corner and followed her. This woman was none other than Pei Ruoxi.

Pei Yuanshan had spent the last two days with Jiang Feng and, feeling unwell, had declined the Qin family’s invitation early on. However, for propriety’s sake, he sent Pei Ruoxi to represent him.

Pei Ruoxi rarely attended such upper-class gatherings, and being dressed so formally made her extremely uncomfortable. She had been wandering around bored out of her mind, planning to slip away once she had eaten her fill.

She had seen Ye Qingxuan and other dignitaries usually only spotted on TV, but had no interest in greeting them, responding indifferently to anyone who spoke to her.

It wasn’t until Qin Junlin approached Ye Qingxuan with his proposal that Pei Ruoxi’s attention was piqued. What happened next greatly surprised her—though she knew she wasn’t the only one; surely everyone present was equally shocked.

Naturally drawn to drama and chaos, Pei Ruoxi was intensely curious. The fact that Ye Qingxuan hadn’t outright confirmed or denied the relationship with Jiang Feng made Pei Ruoxi desperate to chase her down and get the full story—to ask if there was really something going on between them.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan leave alone, Pei Ruoxi knew her chance had come. Without a second thought, she dropped the food and glass in her hands and scurried after her.

Ye Qingxuan stepped outside the state guesthouse, breathing in the fresh air as she gradually collected herself. She was about to head to her car when she noticed someone following her. Assuming they were coming for her, and not wanting to talk, she quickened her pace.

“Sister Qingxuan, you look so beautiful today!” Pei Ruoxi called out, deliberately drawing out her words in a attempt at a normal greeting.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan trying to leave, Pei Ruoxi quickly spoke up, determined to pester her. If she didn’t clarify the situation between Ye Qingxuan and Jiang Feng, she knew she’d lose sleep over it.

“Ah—it’s you—” Ye Qingxuan turned her head, startled to see Pei Ruoxi. She was almost dumbfounded, staring in disbelief that she would encounter Pei Ruoxi here. Remembering the scene inside, her cheeks warmed slightly. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the party!” Pei Ruoxi said with a giggle, then complained, “It’s so boring here! Grandpa really didn’t warn me how dull it would be, or I’d have never come. There’s no one to play with.”

Ye Qingxuan managed a faint smile. “It is a bit boring.”

Pei Ruoxi blinked. “Boring, yes, but not without its interesting moments. So, is it true what everyone was saying inside? That Jiang Feng is your boyfriend?”

Ye Qingxuan, recalling their encounter at the hospital, felt uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I never said that. They all misunderstood me. If this upsets you, I apologize.”

“What? He’s really not your boyfriend?” Pei Ruoxi was astonished.

Ye Qingxuan nodded gently.

Pei Ruoxi was stunned for a moment. “Even if he’s not, you don’t need to apologize to me. It’s nothing to me.” Then she quickly realized something and giggled. “Wait, are you apologizing because you thought Jiang Feng was my boyfriend?”

“Isn’t he?” Ye Qingxuan asked, puzzled.

“Of course not!” Pei Ruoxi stuck out her tongue playfully. “Now I’m sure you totally misunderstood our relationship at the hospital that day. Ugh, it’s partly my fault. You saw such an embarrassing scene—it’s so mortifying.”

Ye Qingxuan asked, confused, “Can you tell me what really happened?”

Pei Ruoxi then explained the whole story from beginning to end. After hearing it, Ye Qingxuan felt both amused and chagrined. She had heard Jiang Feng and Pei Ruoxi’s conversation clearly that day, never imagining the truth was anything like this.

If Pei Ruoxi wasn’t lying to her, then she had truly misunderstood Jiang Feng.

The realization hit Ye Qingxuan like a thunderbolt, and she suddenly understood the magnitude of the trouble she had caused today.

When everyone misunderstood her relationship with Jiang Feng earlier, she hadn’t denied it. Subconsciously, she had used him as a shield. While she felt guilty about potentially dragging Jiang Feng into this, part of her rationalized that since he had pestered her so shamelessly before, using him this once wouldn’t be a big deal.

Besides, it was just speculation; she hadn’t confirmed anything. No confirmation meant it wasn’t fact.

Furthermore, Jiang Feng was despicable—getting a girl pregnant and irresponsibly telling her to get an abortion. Someone like that probably didn’t matter if he was used. Maybe he’d even be glad she used him.

But now, Ye Qingxuan realized she was wrong. Terribly wrong.

Jiang Feng wasn’t the person she had imagined. She had misunderstood him and thrust him into an extremely awkward and dangerous position.

While she hadn’t explicitly confirmed the relationship, she hadn’t denied it immediately either. That was enough for many to believe there was indeed something ambiguous between her and Jiang Feng.

Consequently, Jiang Feng would likely become the target of Qin Junlin’s retaliation.

“How did things come to this? How could I have done this?” Ye Qingxuan’s mind was in turmoil, her eyes reddening.

Pei Ruoxi, seeing Ye Qingxuan’s prolonged silence and strange expression, grew concerned. Noticing she was on the verge of tears, Pei Ruoxi was startled. “Qingxuan姐, are you okay? I really didn’t mean to joke around with Jiang Feng like that. I didn’t know you liked him, or I never would have done it!”

Thinking she had upset Ye Qingxuan, Pei Ruoxi apologized profusely, though she found it increasingly bizarre. ‘Why would Ye Qingxuan like Jiang Feng?’ she wondered. ‘I even asked him at the hospital if she was his girlfriend, and he denied it! Besides, he’s living with that Zhao Wuxia, and now he’s involved with Ye Qingxuan too? He’s such a playboy! What’s so great about him anyway? He’s just a spoiled heir. How do he attract so many women? Even Grandpa seems fond of him, enjoying his stay so much he’s forgotten about me, his own granddaughter, and didn’t even come to Elder Qin’s banquet!’

“No, it’s not what you think,” Ye Qingxuan sighed softly, trying to compose herself. “I have something to attend to. I need to go. Thank you for telling me about…”

She almost said “thank you for telling me the truth,” but swallowed the last word. Lowering her head and covering her mouth, she quickly walked away from Pei Ruoxi.

Pei Ruoxi stared blankly after the retreating figure, still utterly confused. She couldn’t figure out which part of her explanation had been wrong, reducing Ye Qingxuan to such a state. She promptly shifted all the blame onto Jiang Feng. “Hmph! That philandering scoundrel! Serves you right for messing with so many women! Let’s see how you handle it when they all end up fighting over you! May you be utterly plagued by trouble!”