How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Nowadays, there are generally two main attractions at dances: the prestige of the guests and the beauty of the female guests.

With her natural beauty and ethereal grace, she stood out in the crowd. Zheng, the comprador, noticed her immediately, but because Guo Zixing was of greater importance, he ignored her for the time being.

Seeing that she had come all the way with Guo Zixing and seemed quite familiar with him, he asked, "Oh, I don't think I've seen you in this city before. Do you know your father's name?"

Qingru smiled, her expression aloof and noble. "It's nothing to mention. I'm just a country bumpkin. My father always said that one should not show one's shortcomings in public, so I dare not mention it. Please forgive me."

Zheng, the comprador, was a shrewd man. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but think of a wealthy family surnamed Wu in Guo Zixing's hometown. However, he didn't make things difficult for Qingru and laughed heartily, saying:

"It's alright, it's alright. Young people always have their own opinions. I still have to greet guests, so I'll keep you company. You young people can go wherever you like to have fun."

They both nodded and left.

Qingru breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "Luckily, Zheng the comprador didn't ask any more questions, otherwise I wouldn't know how to make up a story."

Guo Zixing tilted his head and listened to her say a few words, then smiled without saying anything and took her to find the Zheng family's daughter.

Zheng, the comprador, had only one daughter, Zheng Peilan, who was eighteen years old and had just returned from studying abroad. She had very progressive ideas, so many young people gathered around her, all wanting to hear her talk about her experiences abroad.

Today she wore a pink court dress with a tight waist, a large skirt, and an off-the-shoulder design that showed off her beautiful collarbone and neck.

A crystal-clear, pigeon-egg-sized diamond pendant paired with matching earrings sparkles with dazzling brilliance.

Her hair was tied up, she wore a small crown, and long, light pink silk gloves on her arms. A pair of high heels made her look tall and beautiful, like a noble princess.

Qingru couldn't help but glance at her a few more times when she saw her attire.

A young woman in a blue dress standing next to Zheng Peilan said, "Sister Peilan, you look so beautiful in this outfit. I've only ever seen ambassadors' wives wear it in the concessions. I thought only foreigners could look good in it. I didn't realize that Chinese people could look so good in it too."

Zheng Peilan smiled modestly and said shyly, "I didn't originally want to dress up like this; it was all arranged by my father."

The woman in blue pouted and said, "I really envy you. My dad rarely lets me buy such a beautiful dress. He always says that a cheongsam is enough for a girl, and that wearing those weird styles is just inappropriate."

Zheng Peilan looked slightly embarrassed; wasn't this a reference to her?

Fortunately, the woman in blue quickly realized what she meant and said, "I wasn't talking about you, Sister Pei Lan. I was talking about my father, who is old-fashioned."

Zheng Peilan was the hostess of today's ball, so naturally she wouldn't hold it against her. "It's alright. If you like, I have many more here. I can give you a few sets."

The woman in blue perked up, "Really? Then I'll be waiting for you."

Zheng Peilan forced a smile and pulled away from the blue-clad woman's tightly clasped arms. "I'll have someone deliver it to your home tomorrow. We've been sitting here long enough. I still have to attend to other guests. Please have a seat for a while."

“I’ll go with you.” The woman in blue was clearly oblivious to the situation and continued to follow closely behind Zheng Peilan.

Just then, Guo Zixing and his companion walked up to her. Seeing her embarrassment, Guo Zixing said, "Hello, are you Miss Zheng?"

Zheng Peilan was just wondering how to get rid of the woman in blue when Guo Zixing stepped forward to strike up a conversation. She quickly replied, "Yes, I am. I haven't asked you yet...?"

Guo Zixing extended his hand, revealing a warm smile, "My name is Guo Zixing."

Zheng, the comprador, had already given Zheng Peilan a general overview of the interpersonal relationships in Sifang City, so when he mentioned it briefly, Zheng Peilan guessed who his father was.

So he reached out and shook her hand, saying solemnly, "Hello, Zheng Peilan."

The woman in blue had clearly heard of Guo Zixing's name as well, and interjected, "Hello, my name is Liu Xiang."

Guo Zixing had never met such a self-aware person before, but he still politely said, "Hello."

After exchanging pleasantries and introducing themselves, Qingru continued with her usual refrain.

Seeing that they had struck up a conversation, he followed Guo Zixing's gaze and took Liu Xiang with him.

"Miss Liu, let's go sit over there together."

Liu Xiang still needed to follow Zheng Peilan, so she replied perfunctorily, "No, I'm not tired, you go by yourself."

Qingru couldn't let her ruin Guo Zixing's "flirting" with Zheng Peilan, so she pulled her to look in that direction.

“Miss Liu, look, there are quite a few empty seats over there. I just saw the division commander’s son sitting there. I suppose these privileged young men especially like the pastries over there. Let’s go and have a taste.”

Liu Xiang asked suspiciously, "Really? I didn't see you. Didn't you just arrive in Sifang City? How do you know me?"

Qingru secretly broke out in a cold sweat. "Uh... well, Guo Zixing and I are from the same hometown. You know his family is from the Marshal's Mansion, so what's so difficult about knowing a division commander?"

Liu Xiang was skeptical. "Oh, then why don't we go with Young Master Guo and his group? There will definitely be more people exchanging pleasantries with them later."

"Hmm... Think about it, it's precisely because they're so eye-catching that more people will surround them in no time. Wouldn't it be more special if we just stayed a distance and kept them company without disturbing them?"

"Ah~" Liu Xiang suddenly realized, "That's how it is, let's go take a look."

Qingru finally breathed a sigh of relief and tricked Liu Xiang into going to a secluded place to stay, while secretly observing the Qiao family's daughters.

I wonder what the Qiao family's daughters look like.

Seeing Liu Xiang intently searching for food, Qingru asked, "Miss Liu, have you met the young lady from the Qiao family?"

Liu Xiang ate without looking up. "Never seen them before, what's wrong? But I heard that their family has strict rules, and their daughters are very traditional, the kind of dignified and virtuous women that their parents' generation likes."

Qingru was somewhat surprised. Did Guo Zixing like old-fashioned women?

"So they won't be attending the dance today?"

Liu Xiang finally raised her head and sat down next to Qingru with a plate of various pastries.

"I don't know either. They might come. Master Qiao and Comprador Zheng have a past relationship. Perhaps they will give Sister Peilan face and bring his daughter over."

Qingru also took a pastry and ate it. She hadn't eaten anything all night, but the pastry was surprisingly delicious. She had thought that it was made so exquisitely just for show.

"Not bad, right? I tasted them before taking them."

Seeing Qingru's slightly surprised expression as she ate the pastry, Liu Xiang couldn't help but say happily.

"You tasted it? What if you tasted something that didn't taste good during that long period of time?"

"Put it back."

……

Qingru didn't know what to say, she just prayed that the next person wouldn't get to eat it.

Liu Xiang ate with great manners, enjoying every piece of pastry with a sense of happiness. Qingru asked curiously, "Don't you usually eat these pastries?"

While eating, she said somewhat forlornly, "We don't eat it often. There are many children in our family, so we don't often get to eat pastries."

Qingru then noticed that Liu Xiang's blue dress was a little too big and had some frayed edges, indicating it wasn't a new dress.

Liu Xiang said frankly, "This is my sister's dress. I've been wearing her old clothes since I was little. But my sister Peilan said she would give me new clothes. I'm so looking forward to it."

Her eyes shone with longing, and she was overjoyed.

Qingru couldn't understand it. Her family could only be considered moderately well-off, but her father was very generous to his two daughters, so Yanru rarely wore her old clothes.

Liu Xiang must be from a poor family to be able to attend a ball like this.

Liu Xiang cut another piece of cake from somewhere. Qingru looked around and saw a missing corner of the cake tower. She couldn't help but say nervously, "Why did you cut that? It's so obvious."

"We're putting this here for food. If more people come later, we won't be able to eat it."

Liu Xiang, sounding very experienced, said, "Don't worry, this cake might not even last until then."

Qingru had nothing to say, so she could only go along with Liu Xiang and, after she finished eating, half-dragged and half-pulled her towards the outside.