Chapter 212: Attending the Banquet
The figures of He Hanshi and four other men subconsciously flashed through Shi Lan’s mind. She blushed but didn’t hide it from her good friend. "I do."
"Really?"
Jiang Yan beamed. "Quick, tell me! Is it someone I know?"
Shi Lan thought for a moment. "You probably know all of them."
"All of them? More than one?"
"Wow, Lanlan, you work fast! Who are they?"
She was so excited she nearly screamed in the middle of the restaurant. Shi Lan quickly coughed, reminding her to maintain her composure. She remembered how Jiang Yan had specifically warned her about a few people, so she wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Finally, in a small voice, she chose the safest name to mention: He Hanshi.
"What?!!! Oh my god, Lanlan, you’re incredible!"
Jiang Yan couldn’t hold back this time and actually cried out loud. Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at them, but since they were females, the onlookers’ gazes were understanding.
Dying of embarrassment, Shi Lan tugged at her friend’s sleeve. "Yanyan, could you be a little quieter?"
"Oh, oh, right."
Jiang Yan made a ’shushing’ sound and lowered her voice. "Lanlan, I can’t believe you actually managed to land Vice Admiral He—the dream of countless females in the Empire! Oh, wait, he was promoted. I should say Admiral."
"I knew there was something going on between you two. Why else would he have specifically sent Levito to protect you?"
"Tsk, I guess even an old bachelor like Admiral He can change. Single for over thirty years, and he finally decides he wants to get married."
"Aaaah, I ship it so hard!!"
Shi Lan hadn’t even said a word, but Jiang Yan was already in a complete frenzy over the ship.
And it was more than just that. The moment Jiang Yan thought about it—how Admiral He, a 3S male, had his spiritual power collapse and only recovered to a low-level, yet still chose a female who couldn’t soothe him, all for love—she was convinced it had to be the real deal.
As expected, her friend was the most amazing one of all.
Jiang Yan hugged Shi Lan, beside herself with excitement. Shi Lan struggled to remain composed, but she was starting to feel a pang of regret. ’If I’d known this would be her reaction, I should have just said Jiang Xia.’
She had underestimated He Hanshi’s fame.
But Jiang Yan would find out eventually anyway, and Shi Lan didn’t want to keep secrets from her.
"Right, who are the others?"
She barely managed to calm down, eager to know who else would have the courage to compete with Admiral He.
Thinking about the public reputations of the others, Shi Lan hesitated. "Um... I’ll, uh, tell you next time I get a chance."
As for Ye Ming, she found him rather unpredictable at times and definitely wasn’t going to mention him until she was more certain about things.
"Alright."
Although Jiang Yan was dying for more gossip, the news about He Hanshi was certainly enough for her to process for the time being.
’Lanlan is just too awesome!’
Jiang Yan’s excitement didn’t subside until the next day when she saw Shi Lan, at which point her attention immediately shifted. Standing at the entrance of the Interstellar Mansion, she clung to Shi Lan in a hug, unwilling to let go. "Lanlan, you look absolutely gorgeous! I love it, I love it so much."
As someone with a weakness for pretty faces, Jiang Yan’s reaction to seeing Shi Lan was like laying eyes on her one true love. In fact, you could even say her affection for her own male partners didn’t even come close to what she felt for her best friend.
Shi Lan wasn’t prepared for such an effusive reaction, and the compliments brought a beautiful pink blush to her cheeks. She gently tugged on Jiang Yan’s blue gown, her lips curving into a smile. "You look beautiful today too, Yanyan."
One of Jiang Yan’s Beast Husbands was standing by the Hovercar behind her. His eyes were fixed solely on Jiang Yan, and he seemed a bit displeased that she was clinging to someone else.
Shi Lan noticed his stare and took an embarrassed step back. "Yanyan, you’ll mess up your hair."
Jiang Yan seemed to have a thought as well. "Oh, you’re right! Your hair... Quick, get in the Hovercar, I’ll restyle it for you."
Jiang Yan loved all things beautiful and had spent her childhood playing with pretty dolls, so she had become quite skilled at creating all sorts of intricate hairstyles.
And while everything else about Shi Lan looked beautiful today, her hair was just hanging down simply, which didn’t quite harmonize with the rest of her look.
Shi Lan let out a small "Ah?" Her eyes showed her confusion, but before she could say a word, Jiang Yan had grabbed her hand and impetuously pulled her into the Hovercar to begin the hair transformation.
Styling hair takes time, so the Hovercar lingered in the air for a while. Only when Jiang Yan declared her work complete did she lead her perfectly coiffed ’doll’ out of the vehicle, her Beast Husband, Nan Nuo, completely forgotten.
Nan Nuo watched his wife helplessly. The two women had to wait for him at the entrance, however, as they were one invitation short.
Shi Lan produced her own invitation, while Jiang Yan was attending with her Beast Husband.
Seeing their invitations, the guard at the entrance politely let them pass. His gaze lingered on Shi Lan for a second, and he couldn’t help but wonder, ’Which family’s young lady is she? I’ve never seen her before.’
As the heir, Ye Ming’s birthday banquet was a bustling affair, a picture of extravagance and opulence.
It was Shi Lan’s first time at such a gathering, so she was naturally a little overwhelmed. Jiang Yan thoughtfully led her through the crowd, with Nan Nuo following closely behind them.
Young females from the major noble families were a rare sight these days. Furthermore, Ye Ming himself was in his thirties and had wasted several years on Black Star, so there were very few young females at the banquet. A quick scan of the room showed mostly males or older, married females.
Having married Nan Nuo of the Nan Family, Jiang Yan was already a familiar face among the Empire’s elite. Furthermore, her mother was good friends with many other high-society females, so Jiang Yan moved through such events with practiced ease.
However, everyone was mystified by Shi Lan, who stood beside her. Whispers broke out among the guests from time to time.
"Which family is that female from?"
"She’s beautiful. I want to pursue her."
"Gods, my heart started racing the moment she walked in. I knew there was a reason I’ve stayed single all these years—I was waiting to meet my true muse."
"Heh, she looks very young. You old geezer, stop getting ideas about a young girl like that. I think I’m a much more suitable match."
...
Many of the single males in the vicinity were far from calm. They discreetly adjusted their attire, each eagerly anticipating a chance to approach Shi Lan and strike up a conversation.
Standing beside his mother, Jiang Qingzai whispered, "Mom, isn’t that Shi Lan? Does she have connections to the Imperial Family?"
The Four Great Families consisted of the families of Jiang Xia, Mu Tangfeng, and Nan Nuo, as well as the Chang Family—the family of Jiang Qingzai’s mother, Chang Liu.
Chang Liu was in the middle of a conversation with a friend. When she heard her son’s voice, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was indeed the young woman from the other day.
A flicker of interest appeared in Chang Liu’s eyes. Though everyone called Shi Lan a ’useless female,’ it seemed there was more to her than met the eye.
She racked her brain but was certain that no such person existed within the Imperial Family’s network. ’Could she be the daughter of a council member from another planet?’
Shi...
She murmured the surname, but it still didn’t ring any bells.
Just then, one of the males could no longer contain himself. Snagging a rose from a passing server’s tray, he flashed a brilliant smile, strode toward Shi Lan, and said warmly, "Hello, miss. Might I have the pleasure of getting to know you?"
As he spoke, he held the rose out to Shi Lan.
Jiang Yan, standing to the side, gave the male a quick once-over. ’He seems decent enough,’ she thought, making a quick judgment. Not wanting to interrupt her best friend’s potential romantic encounter, she stood by silently and waited.
’Admiral He is great, of course,’ she mused, ’but my Lanlan is going to have five Beast Husbands. She has to start prospecting a little, right?’
With all eyes on her, Shi Lan felt it would be rude to refuse outright. She simply accepted the flower with a polite smile. "Thank you."
She was just about to tactfully mention she already had Beast Husbands to nip his interest in the bud when a familiar, irritated voice suddenly rang out from behind her. "Lanlan, how could you accept another man’s flower!"