Chapter 257: Encountering Xia Jiajiao at the Art Exhibition
However, no matter what they speculated, it was none of Yun Zijin’s concern.
After Zero One and his team escorted her into the car, they immediately drove away from Yungong No. 1.
Before long, they arrived at the gallery hosting the art exhibition they were attending that day.
"Please present your tickets."
When Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong arrived at the gallery entrance, they were stopped by staff who asked for their tickets.
Yun Zijin took two VIP tickets from her purse. These were tickets the gallery had sent to Mei Lin, who then gave them to her.
For an art exhibition like this, in addition to the tickets sold to the public, there were also many complimentary ones.
Mei Lin was gradually making a name for herself in Dijing. Many people might not recognize Yun Zijin, but they would definitely recognize Mei Lin.
This was precisely the effect Yun Zijin wanted.
A staff member took the tickets, scanned them with a phone, and returned them to Yun Zijin after confirming they were valid.
"Please, go right in."
Yun Zijin took the tickets back and handed one to Qin Sitong. Then, the two of them walked inside together.
Zero One and his men didn’t have tickets. However, for Yun Zijin’s safety, they used every trick in the book and successfully blended in with the security, servers, and other staff.
Yun Zijin was aware of this maneuver. As they weren’t disrupting the event’s order, she let them be.
In fact, with Zero One and his team present, the art exhibition’s security would see a quantum leap in quality.
Qin Sitong walked beside Yun Zijin, her eyes scanning the paintings that lined the walls.
She’d never had much exposure to art, so in the end, all she could manage to say was whether a piece was "nice" or "not nice."
Yun Zijin was just as much of an amateur, but she was rich. That fact alone was enough to give her the confidence to be here.
"Sister!"
Yun Zijin had just finished examining a painting, still undecided on whether to buy it, when she heard a grating voice.
Qin Sitong had met Xia Jiajiao before. Hearing that voice, she instinctively glanced at Yun Zijin.
This Xia Jiajiao, the victorious cuckoo who’d stolen the nest, made a point to come and gloat every time she saw Yun Zijin.
It was a mystery what went through the girl’s head. She was rebuffed every time, yet she was relentlessly persistent. Qin Sitong couldn’t fathom where she found such tenacity.
Yun Zijin had no intention of dealing with Xia Jiajiao and turned to leave.
But Xia Jiajiao had come with a purpose today; there was no way she would let Yun Zijin walk away.
Seeing Yun Zijin about to leave, she hurried after her. It was a miracle the stiletto sky-high heels she wore didn’t snap.
"Sister, why are you leaving the moment you see me?"
"Xia Jiajiao, is there something wrong with you? Can’t you see Zijin wants nothing to do with you? Why must you always come over and put on a show?
And let me be blunt, your acting is terrible."
Not wanting Yun Zijin to be misunderstood again, Qin Sitong jumped in with a retort before she could speak.
"Miss, are you my sister’s friend? I think you might have some misunderstanding about me. I’ve always been very fond of my sister."
Xia Jiajiao was unusually composed today. Despite Qin Sitong’s scathing remarks, she showed no sign of anger, instead seizing the opportunity to play the victim.
"Zijin can’t stand you. You’re an imposter, a cuckoo in the nest. How dare you shamelessly squat in her family’s home? You have some nerve."
Qin Sitong’s "imposter, a cuckoo in the nest" remark nearly made Xia Jiajiao drop her act.
But to avoid being sent off into an arranged marriage, Xia Jiajiao forced herself to stomach it.
"It’s all right. Even if Sister doesn’t like me, it’s enough that I like her.
Are you here for the exhibition too, Sister? The host of today’s exhibition and I go way back. Would you like me to make an introduction?"
Xia Jiajiao was all smiles, but to Yun Zijin, it was clear she had just cooked up a new scheme against her.
"Not necessary."
She was here purely to spend money; she had no interest in the host of the exhibition.
However, if the host of the exhibition knew Xia Jiajiao, Yun Zijin felt she had to reconsider buying anything at all.
Anyone associated with Xia Jiajiao was likely someone she wouldn’t get along with.
"It’s fine. Brother Jiang is a very nice person. He won’t be angry that you came uninvited."
"What are you talking about! We have tickets, so how are we ’uninvited’?"
And Qin Sitong hadn’t even mentioned that their tickets were for VIPs.
"Then I misspoke. I’m sorry."
Xia Jiajiao stood to the side, head bowed, the rims of her eyes already turning red.
Yun Zijin rolled her eyes so hard she could see the ceiling. ’It’s the same trick every single time. Can’t she be more creative?’
"About to cry? Go ahead and start, then. We have other paintings to see."
Although knowing the exhibition’s host was acquainted with Xia Jiajiao put a damper on things for Yun Zijin, she figured since they were already here, they might as well see the rest of the art.
As for Xia Jiajiao, she was completely dumbfounded by Yun Zijin’s unorthodox response. ’What does she mean, "go ahead and start"?’
’I’m on the verge of tears! On the verge of tears! The beautiful, delicate, pear-blossom-in-the-rain kind of tears!’
’This country bumpkin has no appreciation for aesthetics at all.’
Yun Zijin had no idea what Xia Jiajiao was thinking. While she had found some of the earlier paintings decent, now that she knew the host was an acquaintance of Xia Jiajiao, she suddenly saw flaws everywhere.
In the end, Yun Zijin didn’t find a single painting she liked.
"It’s okay," Qin Sitong said, trying to console Yun Zijin. "We’ll just come back another time. There are plenty of famous artists out there. It’s not like he’s the only one who can hold an exhibition."
Yun Zijin, however, didn’t think it was much of a loss. If she couldn’t spend her money today, she would just find somewhere else to spend it tomorrow.
The two walked side-by-side toward the exit, oblivious to Xia Jiajiao hiding in a corner just out of sight, a sinister expression on her face as she watched Yun Zijin’s retreating back.
The moment she stepped out of the gallery, Yun Zijin’s scalp suddenly prickled.
She quickly grabbed Qin Sitong’s hand. "Zero One!"
Zero One and his men, knowing Yun Zijin and Qin Sitong had finished their tour of the gallery and were about to leave, had already found excuses to break away from their posts.
The instant Yun Zijin called out, Zero One appeared at their side in a flash.
"Two of you take my car. Tongtong and I will ride with you."
The Sielbe was flashy, but in terms of safety, the Randomly Spend-brand minivan was superior.
Besides, Yun Zijin trusted that in an emergency, Zero One and his team’s driving skills were far superior to her own.
"Understood, Miss."
Ling Qi and Ling Lu immediately broke from the group and got into Yun Zijin’s Sielbe Tuatara.
Once they were in the car, Qin Sitong finally asked, "What’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing. I just suddenly had a feeling that someone’s out to get me. It’s too dangerous for the two of us to ride alone, so switching is the safer option."
She didn’t know what was going to happen, but Yun Zijin trusted her intuition.
"Really? In broad daylight? Who would be that bold?"
Even though it was already two or three in the afternoon, the sun was still up.
"It’s just a precaution. If nothing happens, then we can just say I was overthinking things."
But if her intuition proved true, then this decision to switch cars could very well save her life.
"True. Safety first."
Qin Sitong said no more, settling quietly into her seat and occasionally stealing glances at the bodyguards in the car.
’I have to say, Zijin’s bodyguards are all ridiculously good-looking. And their physiques are amazing!’
SKREEE—