A Substitute Bride With Multiple Identities
Chapter 61: Conspiracy

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Conspiracy

Shen Yanhe prodded the cake and paused, lifting her head to look in the direction of the commotion.

Not far from her, Song Shiwei was being protectively cradled in Qi Yunqian’s arms, her skirt stained with cream from the ruined pastry that lay in pieces on the ground at her feet.

Fu Yu stood in front of the two, holding an empty paper plate that had once carried the cake, her beautiful face full of panic, but a flash of jealousy quickly passed through her eyes.

If Shen Yanhe hadn’t been quietly observing the subtle changes in her expression, she might not have noticed that flicker of jealousy at all.

It was obvious.

Fu Yu was targeting Song Shiwei.

Qi Yunqian loosely wrapped his arm around Song Shiwei’s waist, looking at Fu Yu with displeasure, his words carrying a hint of blame, "Can’t you be more careful?"

Fu Yu’s hand clutching the paper plate suddenly tightened, and she struggled to display a semblance of apology, "I’m sorry, Yunqian brother, it was my carelessness."

"Shiwei sister, your skirt is dirty. Go to the room and change it, otherwise, it would not look good if others saw," Fu Yu suggested softly and weakly to Song Shiwei.

Song Shiwei’s brows furrowed slightly as she shook off Qi Yunqian’s arm around her waist and glanced at the stain on her skirt, "I’ll go up and change into a different skirt; continuing to entertain the guests like this would be impolite."

"Okay," Qi Yunqian nodded, gently advising her, "I’ve already prepared a dress for you to change into; it’s in the wardrobe of the resting room. Come back down soon after you’ve changed."

As the words fell, Qi Yunqian asked with some unease, "Do you need me to come with you?"

Song Shiwei was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and gazed at him, "No need, I’m not a child anymore. I can go by myself; you stay here and attend to the guests."

Her smile, not seen for a long time, dazzled Qi Yunqian, his heart throbbed with heat as he looked at her intensely, "Then call me if you need anything."

Song Shiwei nodded, lifted her skirt, and turned to leave, never once looking at Fu Yu from beginning to end.

Watching the intimate interaction between the two, Fu Yu felt a surge of jealousy, but the thought of what would happen next turned that jealousy into pleasure!

Song Shiwei, just you wait!

I will make you fall from grace!

Shen Yanhe saw all of Fu Yu’s expressions, and inexplicably, she felt a bit uneasy.

After quickly finishing off the cake in her hand, Shen Yanhe stood up and said, "I need to go to the restroom."

Fu Yanhe raised an eyebrow at her, about to speak when the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

He picked up the phone, glanced at the caller on the screen, his gaze slightly contracting, and nodded subtly, "Come back soon, I need to find a quiet place to take a call."

Shen Yanhe’s eyes curved, and she nodded, "Okay."

Fu Yanhe looked at Wu Fang, who was standing behind him on guard, and Wu Fang pushed his wheelchair toward a quieter spot.

After watching his retreating back, Shen Yanhe then turned to leave.

However, as she turned, she bumped into Xia Ran, who for some reason was standing right behind her.

Not having worn high heels for a long while, Shen Yanhe’s sudden collision made her wobble, and the sharp pain in her ankle caused her to sway backwards.

But at the last moment, Shen Yanhe forcefully steadied herself, even extending a hand to catch Xia Ran, who was knocked back by the impact.

With her other hand free, she also grabbed the wine glass that Xia Ran was about to splash on her, exerting a bit of force to make Xia Ran hold the glass steady.

Just a few seconds had passed when Xia Ran, who had been falling backward, steadied herself and looked at Shen Yanhe in front of her with a hint of astonishment.

Shen Yanhe’s reflexes were that quick?

"Miss Xia, please be careful. Not everyone has the quick reflexes like I do at such moments," said Shen Yanhe with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, as she let go of the hand that was hooked around Xia Ran’s waist.

Xia Ran gave Shen Yanhe an apologetic smile, "I’m sorry, I didn’t know that Miss Shen would suddenly turn around, so I just..."

"To make amends to Miss Shen, I’ll drink this glass," Xia Ran said.

As her words fell, Xia Ran downed the champagne in her hand in one gulp.

Shen Yanhe raised an eyebrow and, without a word, watched Xia Ran’s actions.

Xia Ran placed her empty champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter, then took two more glasses of champagne, handing one to Shen Yanhe with a soft smile on her face, "Miss Shen, don’t be nervous."

"I’m not here to cause you trouble this time, I just want to apologize to you."

"Miss Shen, I’m sorry for any offense before, I hope you can forgive some of the unpleasant things I’ve said," Xia Ran said earnestly.

The conflict between Shen Yanhe and Xia Ran soon caught the attention of some female guests attending the engagement party.

They all knew beforehand that Xia Ran was the fiancée of the young master of the Fu Family and expected that she would eventually marry him; therefore, they were friendly with her.

Unexpectedly, the marriage between the Fu and Xia families was called off, and in the end, it was an unknown heiress from the Shen Family who married the young master.

It was said that this heiress from the Shen Family was just a country bumpkin.

This made them want to stand up for Xia Ran, but they didn’t dare to trouble her in front of the imposing Fu Yanhe.

Now, with Fu Yanhe absent and Xia Ran taking matters into her own hands to trouble this country bumpkin, their courage also swelled.

Some female guests who were on good terms with Xia Ran spoke out one after another, "Ah, Xia Ran has already apologized, so Miss Shen, please forgive her."

"Tsk tsk tsk, clearly she took over by force, taking Xia Ran’s place, and now she’s made the real victim apologize to her. I have to say, her tactics are really something," another commented.

"Isn’t that so? This girl from the countryside sure has a lot of tricks up her sleeve," another added.

Shen Yanhe was already impatient to waste time with these people.

She looked at Xia Ran, who was facing her with a sincere expression, but with a shadow flickering in her eyes, and with a slight narrowing of her gaze, accepted the glass of champagne from her hand and downed it in one go.

Then she looked at Xia Ran with a coldness in her eyes, revealing the sharpness hidden behind her sweet and soft façade, and said in a sweet voice, "Now that I’ve finished drinking, I’m not forgiving. Miss Xia, may I pass by now? I urgently need to use the restroom."

"Miss Xia is so understanding, I believe you won’t do something like block my way here to make me forgive you before letting me go to the restroom, right?"

Xia Ran subtly glanced at Shen Yanhe’s now empty champagne glass, a flash of excitement in her eyes, but her face portrayed a hint of dejection from being refused an apology, and she sighed, "How could that be? It seems that Miss Shen has a deep misunderstanding of me."

"Please go ahead, Miss Shen. If there’s a chance later on, I will apologize to you again."

Shen Yanhe chuckled, gave Xia Ran an ambiguous look, put down the champagne glass, and walked past her.

Hardly had she taken a step when a stabbing pain shot through her ankle, causing her brow to furrow briefly before she relaxed it as if nothing had happened and walked away.

But after Shan Yanhe left, Xia Ran looked at the man in the corner and flashed him a smile. The man quietly followed behind Shen Yanhe.