After Being Scummed – Chapter 17

Did you just abandon me like this?

As Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou entered the venue, they heard a middle-aged man loudly exclaim, “Chairwoman Xiao Yin is here!”

This exclamation sent a shiver through Yin Bai’s body, causing her to tightly grip the cane in her hand out of fear. Zuo Jingyou, who was accompanying Yin Bai, immediately noticed her unusual reaction. She turned her gaze toward Yin Bai and noticed that her already fair face had grown even paler.

Indeed, this person seemed to have a touch of social anxiety.

Zuo Jingyou held Yin Bai’s hand, and from a distance, they saw Li Fuhao approaching with a raised wine glass, saying, “Chairwoman Xiao Yin, long time no see!”

Facing this warm and welcoming face, Yin Bai’s stiff expression was forced to wear a professional smile, “Mr. Li, you’re too kind, too kind.”

Li Fuhao extended his hand towards Yin Bai, saying, “Not at all! Today, my daughter is getting married, and your esteemed presence truly adds luster to the occasion!”

Yin Bai hesitated for a moment as she looked at his fair and robust hand before tentatively touching it with her fingertips. She politely replied, “Congratulations on your daughter’s marriage. I wish her a lifetime of happiness and joy.”

After exchanging greetings, the observant Zuo Jingyou noticed Yin Bai retracting her hand and gripping the corner of her suit jacket, vigorously rubbing it as if she had touched something dirty and needed to clean it off with great effort.

Li Fuhao had interacted with Yin Bai a few times before and knew that she wasn’t particularly fond of physical contact. Therefore, he didn’t engage in further small talk and instead shifted his attention to Zuo Jingyou, who was standing beside Yin Bai.

Seeing Zuo Jingyou with Yin Bai, he mistakenly assumed she was Yin Bai’s companion and his smile became even warmer as he said, “Ah, this must be Miss Zuo!”

Li Fuhao extended his hand and warmly greeted Zuo Jingyou, saying, “My daughter really admires your films, Miss Zuo, and of course, your role in ‘Endless Horizon’ left a deep impression on me too!”

“It’s wonderful that you could join us for my daughter’s wedding; she must be thrilled!”

Zuo Jingyou quickly understood the situation – Li Fuhao mistook her for Yin Bai’s companion. She instinctively glanced at Yin Bai but noticed no signs of displeasure on her face; in fact, Yin Bai seemed lost in thought.

Zuo Jingyou smiled, shook Li Fuhao’s hand, and echoed similar sentiments, “Not at all. I wish Miss Li a blissful and harmonious marriage, like a well-tuned instrument.”

After some pleasantries, Li Fuhao led the way, taking Yin Bai and Zuo Jingyou into the venue, saying, “Come, let’s head inside and continue our conversation.”

“Alright.”

As the host of the event, Li Fuhao guided Yin Bai into the business circle, introducing her to influential and affluent individuals within the industry.

Zuo Jingyou was somewhat connected to this circle, but she didn’t particularly enjoy socializing with this group of people. Therefore, after exchanging greetings, Zuo Jingyou spotted Li Fuhao’s daughter and gracefully said, “I’ll go say hello to Miss Li. Chairman Yin, Chairman Li, you can continue your conversation.”

Li Fuhao sent her off with a warm smile. Surrounded by a group of middle-aged and elderly individuals, Yin Bai, who was left behind after Zuo Jingyou’s departure, stared in astonishment.

Wait a minute! Weren’t they supposed to come together? Wasn’t Zuo Jingyou supposed to be her little friend’s mother? Why did she leave her alone amidst this group of seasoned individuals without taking her along?

Yin Bai watched Zuo Jingyou’s confident departure and puffed her cheeks, turning into a pouty figure, seething with frustration!

However, no matter how angry she felt, she couldn’t do much about it. She didn’t want to insist on keeping Zuo Jingyou with her, so she clenched her cane tightly and mustered the strength to deal with this group of middle-aged people.

When this group of people met, they initially praised Li Fuhao’s daughter for her promising youth and her son-in-law for his successful career. Then, the conversation shifted towards unmarried sons and daughters.

As they continued talking, the conversation veered towards Yin Bai.

Not to mention in Haicheng, even within the country, Yin Bai was one of the wealthiest individuals. Even the He family, known for their real estate ventures, couldn’t match her combined wealth.

Moreover, given the simplicity of the Yin family’s relationships and the absence of any unusual power struggles within their wealthy household, it was clear that Yin Bai was in charge. As a result, there were quite a few people interested in forming marital connections with the Yin family.

At this moment, Mrs. Zhang brought up Yin Bai, saying, “Chairwoman Xiao Yin is not even thirty yet, and she manages the family business so well. Oh dear, my daughter is so unfocused; she just finished her Ph.D. at the age of twenty seven, and her father asked her to manage a small company, but she can’t handle it. I really wish she could learn from Chairwoman Xiao Yin and ask her how she became so outstanding.”

Oh, here we go again!

As soon as Yin Bai heard this, she knew that various families were starting the routine of introducing potential suitors to her. In the past, when she was with Xiao Nan, these people would subtly try to matchmake their own children with her. However, after Yin Bai firmly rejected their advances, they hadn’t dared to bring up the topic in front of her for several years.

Now that Xiao Nan had run away with someone else, these people’s matchmaking schemes were back in full swing.

Yin Bai sneered inwardly, thinking, just because I have money, does that mean I have to accept being the subject of everyone’s matchmaking schemes?

Suppressing her inner dissatisfaction, Yin Bai put on a composed smile and replied, “There’s no need to learn from me. Most children can’t surpass their parents, and instances of ‘the student surpassing the master’ are rare. Extraordinary individuals like myself are even rarer.”

“If Miss Zhang finds it challenging to manage the family business, she can always do as I do and hire someone to handle it.”

“After all, Mr. Zhang worked hard his whole life to ensure his children wouldn’t have to toil as much. They should enjoy life, eat and drink without clinging to the management of the company.”

“In my opinion, instead of letting incapable children run the company and risk ruining the family legacy, it’s better to let others help make money. Don’t you think that’s the right way to go?”

Yin Bai’s sharp retort left Mrs. Zhang speechless. On the other hand, someone nearby raised their thumb in approval and exclaimed, “Chairwoman Yin’s perspective is indeed impressive!”

Others chimed in, saying, “Exactly! Working hard throughout one’s life is all for the sake of making life easier for their children. Having the means to spend money on their dreams and pursuits is precisely what parents should do, isn’t it?”

“In my opinion, if the children aren’t up to the task, it’s best to let it go.”

Hearing these remarks, Mrs. Zhang nearly choked with frustration. She glanced at Yin Bai, who clearly appeared distant, and awkwardly added, “Young people… should focus more on self-improvement…”

Yin Bai chuckled and stopped talking. She reached for a cocktail, politely excused herself, and departed calmly.

Anyway, this group of adults knew about her temperament. Mrs. Zhang’s earlier remarks were already seen as provoking her in the eyes of the onlookers. When she got angry, she had an excuse to leave, so it was not considered impolite.

With this in mind, Yin Bai, one hand leaning on her cane and the other holding her cocktail, made her way towards a corner of the venue.

As she walked halfway, she quickly noticed Zuo Jingyou engaged in conversation with someone. Zuo Jingyou held a glass of champagne, standing in the corner, chatting happily with a female companion, exuding the joyful atmosphere that comes with friendly conversation.

Yin Bai took a closer look and recognized the famous singer Sangtian, a prominent figure among the younger generation. Yin Bai had heard her songs and found them quite good, so she thought it might be worth getting to know her.

Yin Bai paused for a moment, adjusted the angle of her cane, and walked straight toward Zuo Jingyou.

She walked up to Zuo Jingyou’s side and tapped the heel of Zuo Jingyou’s high-heeled shoe with her cane. The vibration from the high heel reached Zuo Jingyou, disrupting her lively conversation with her friend. She turned her head and looked at Yin Bai, expressing her surprise, “Chairwoman Yin?”

Yin Bai’s lips curved slightly, and she said with a strange tone, “Miss Zuo, having a great time chatting, aren’t we?” She had just left her alone amidst that group of middle-aged people, and now she wanted to know if Zuo Jingyou was enjoying herself!

Zuo Jingyou looked at Yin Bai’s somewhat displeased expression, feeling puzzled. It took her a moment to realize that Yin Bai was coming to confront her.

She raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, “I’m sorry, Chairwoman Yin.”

Yin Bai snorted coldly, looking proud as she prodded Zuo Jingyou’s high heel with her cane, without saying another word.

The exchange between the two women was brief and somewhat inexplicable. Sangtian, who was standing beside Zuo Jingyou, looked at Zuo Jingyou and then at Yin Bai, who was wearing a gray shirt and matching overcoat. She appeared puzzled and asked, “Who is this?”

In the entertainment industry, almost everyone with some level of fame was aware of Yin Bai. However, Sangtian had not previously interacted with her, so she chose to feign unfamiliarity and waited for Zuo Jingyou to make the introduction.

Zuo Jingyou understood the situation and smiled, introducing them, “This is Chairman Yin from Galaxy Entertainment.”

Yin Bai nodded and extended her own glass, saying, “Yin Bai.”

Sangtian tactfully raised her glass and lightly clinked it with Yin Bai’s, displaying a cheerful smile, “Hello, Chairman Yin. I’m Sangtian.”

Yin Bai withdrew her glass, gently turning it to one side, and managed to muster a smile. “I know you. I’ve heard your songs, and they’re really wonderful. You sang the theme song for ‘Last Night at the Little Tower,’ right? It matched the movie so well, and your voice has a remarkable quality. I truly enjoyed it.”

When she mentioned “Last Night at the Little Tower,” Zuo Jingyou turned her head with a hint of surprise and looked at Yin Bai.

She even watch the movie that Xiao Nan and Lu Qing collaborated on? And now she’s openly mentioning it like it’s no big deal? Is she not bothered by what happened before?

Young people really do seem to recover quickly from the shadows of lost love.

The author has something to say:

Ahahaha, this chapter is so funny! It feels like a little tadpole searching for its mother!

(Next, it’s probably the tadpole looking for its mother!)