Chapter 23: Socialite Gala

Another reason Sister Mu was surprised is because Su Ziceng actively brought up her background. Like her, Su Ziceng also disliked talking about family or the past; thus, Sister Mu always thought she was just a rebellious young lady who had run away from home due to family conflicts. However, when she mentioned her family just now, the tone carried an unmistakable sense of reluctance and longing, without any intention of concealing it. The old woman was deeply shocked by her statement about "personal style beneath propriety." The old woman had always thought that propriety meant a fixed pattern wherein a woman should never expose herself in front of the opposite sex and should always maintain dignity and grace in front of the same sex. What Su Ziceng said pointed out exactly the initial intent of her ladyship of the house, sending her to Mo City. "Annie, times have changed," the old woman thought as the ladyship donned casual fencing attire and sweated profusely in the fencing area, just like a man. "You go to Mo City to invite the Wen family’s eldest daughter to the ball, and also take a look to see if it is necessary to introduce some new blood; you must know, Country Z has now become the new global economic and cultural center, and Mo City has become one of the central stages in Country Z." The ladyship’s expression when she deftly hit her opponent’s sword was identical to that of the young girl before her. "Who are you?" the old woman asked hesitantly. She paused her steps to leave, then sat back down, picking up the cup of tea that was just the right temperature. Perhaps it was because the weather was too hot; even inferior tea tasted refreshing. "Su Ziceng," Sister Mu answered for her. A flash of realization struck the old woman’s mind. Su Ziceng, surname Su—wasn’t this the name? The old woman hurriedly took out a small brocaded bag from her hand, pulled out a small gold-embossedenvelope from inside, and handed it to Su Ziceng. On the envelope, a rounded Arabic numeral was written: the number 20. "Miss Su Ziceng, you have been invited to the Eve Ball, becoming the twentieth socialite to participate in the Eve Coming-of-Age Ceremony." The old woman spoke in a tone very similar to Su Qingzhang’s, naturally commanding and leaving no room for negotiation, which made Su Ziceng feel somewhat displeased. "Take it." Without waiting for her response, Sister Mu tightly gripped Su Ziceng’s hand, which trembled as if tipsy. Su Ziceng had never seen Sister Mu so agitated before; she even disregarded the old woman’s previous rudeness and immediately struck up a conversation with her, as if they were long-lost friends. After sending off the old woman, Sister Mu immediately asked Su Ziceng to close the shop. "Admiration" rarely closed early. After closing the shop, Su Ziceng was again stopped by Sister Mu. Seeing Miss Su Ziceng still wearing a confused expression, Sister Mu hurriedly took out a bottle of good wine from the wine cabinet that she was reluctant to open and poured a full glass for her. The full glass of aged wine looked like a piece of agate-colored amber, magnifying Sister Mu’s smile infinitely: "Ziceng, congratulations on becoming a member of the Eve Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and I also wish you an early welcome into the hall of world-class socialites." Miss Su Ziceng was somewhat overwhelmed by the heavyweight title of "world-class socialite." In her life that had already disappeared, or should we say was about to enter its most glorious phase, the first chapter would be her century wedding with Hang Yishao, where the financial power and publicity of both the Su and Hang families turned her into a world-class nouveau riche. The second chapter involved her spending her own money to buy her family’s auction item at the Su Bi Auction—Yellow Love. The third chapter, which Miss Su Ziceng did not witness herself but presumably occurred during her father’s funeral, was a disgraceful final scene she left to the world after dying from shame. Seeing that she hadn’t reacted yet, Sister Mu simply put down the wine and began to explain in detail. The Eve Ball was known as the "Socialite Olympics," held once every four years, inviting members aged 16 to 20—unmarried young girls—hosted by a duchess known as Lady Eve, inviting only 20 girls each year. These girls, without exception, were outstanding in appearance and came from prominent families. Due to the long preparation period, high level of attention, and strictly controlled number of invites, countless eligible young girls competed fiercely to secure an invitation. About all this, Miss Su Ziceng had never heard because during her 18th birthday, due to a dispute with Chang Chi, she was confined for over two months, never setting foot outside. After her release, she was entirely focused on wooing Hang Yishao, thus completely oblivious to the outside world. Moreover, although the envoy from Lady Eve, who was the elderly woman seen before, was sent to Mo City to invite Wen Maixue to the ball while scouting for suitable new elites, the moment the old woman arrived in Mo City and made some inquiries, she was scared off by the high-profile behaviors of several nouveau riche, including the Su family, leading Miss Su Ziceng to naturally miss all opportunities related to the Eve Ball. It was because of this ball that Wen Maixue, after reaching adulthood, gained opportunities to meet various socialites and access international occasions, laying an indispensable foundation for her future status as the top socialite of Mo City and even the country. "So, I must attend this ball?" After listening to Sister Mu’s detailed explanation, Miss Su Ziceng could only listen in astonishment to the name "Eve Ball," which she should have been familiar with. She couldn’t believe that in Zone 5’s "Admiration," she would inadvertently meet Lady Eve’s envoy, nor could she imagine accidentally competing in the same arena as a genuine, established socialite like Wen Maixue. She recalled Wen Maixue, who had never looked her in the eye, and thought about all the disgraceful marks in her life, which, today, had all turned to ash. "Of course, you need not only to participate, but also to surpass Wen Maixue and become the top socialite of Mo City." Seeing as Sister Mu had already thoroughly investigated Miss Su Ziceng’s background and would not invite someone of unknown identity. Moreover, in Mo City these days, people secretly searching for Miss Su Ziceng were already restless. Even if Sister Mu were to cover it up further, it wouldn’t be long before the Su family’s people would come knocking. Sister Mu thought to herself, sighing, "The salespeople at ’Admiration’ indeed don't last long." "Ziceng, it’s time to fight a beautiful battle for yourself." Sister Mu couldn’t help but drink a few more sips of wine; her pale skin, illuminated by the wine, appeared even more radiant than the setting sun. "You must wear the best gown and become the globally noticed socialite." The alcohol seeped into every nerve of Sister Mu; her voice was still hoarse, yet fiery. Her gaze, filled with boundless influence, heatedly affected Miss Su Ziceng’s nerves inch by inch. Miss Su Ziceng, holding the small envelope in her hand, felt her blood boil with Sister Mu’s passionate speech, and she nodded firmly.