16 Chapter 16: Qiao An and Cleo

Qiao An returned to her seat – still moody but she did not show it to the rest of strangers sitting in the same table as her. Shen Jun Shan was right behind Qiao An, and he had a helpless look on his face. Anyone who did not know them might have mistaken them as having lover quarrel.

"How much did you hear?" Qiao An sat and drank the orange juice in her glass. "I know you heard some of it."

Shen Jun Shan looked at the woman in front of him. He was moved when Qiao An told the girls that he did not need any sympathy as he was doing well. One of the things Shen Jun Shan hated the most would be unwanted pity and compassion. Shen Jun Shan felt like hugging Qiao An right now because of how thankful he was.

"The part where you compare her with Cleopatra. That's all."

Shen Jun Shan didn't tell Qiao An the truth because if he did, he would want to hug her and it was not good since they were in public and he had been trying so hard to control himself. Qiao An had a suspicious look on her face, but she didn't pursue the matter, so Shen Jun Shan felt at ease.

As the atmosphere was getting better, both Shen Jun Shan and Qiao An enjoyed themselves with all the performance in the dinner, but that peace didn't last long because Jin came to the table.

"Why are you not sitting in your regular place? I've been looking all over the place for you" Jin talked in a small voice because he knew that Qiao An didn't want people to know about them. All the other people in the table congratulated Jin as the host.

Shen Jun Shan finally realised as of why Jin looked familiar to him. The host of the charity dinner means that Jin was from the Tang Properties. Qiao An mentioned that Jin was her stepbrother, so that means – Qiao An is the mysterious stepdaughter of the Tang Properties?

Qiao An refused to answer Jin. She looked around as if looking for something and when she didn't see anyone she disliked, she was satisfied. "I am here on behalf of Amy, so of course, I sit here with Jun Shan. Mr Jin, this is Shen Jun Shan". Qiao A introduced Jun to Shen Jun Shan. "And Jun Shan, this is the guy last time. You know who he is."

Even though Jin was used to it, he was still hoping that Qiao An would introduce him as her brother next time since Mr Jin sounded too distant and they were family so they shouldn't be like that. Jin nodded in acknowledgement towards Shen Jun Shan but said nothing. He was still not over what happened last time at the staircase.

"After this, wait for a while. Aunt and dad want to see you, and I want to introduce you to Cleo" Jin walked away after saying what he wanted to say. The people on the table were curious about Qiao An's relationship with Jin, but they did not dare to ask Qiao An.

Shen Jun Shan tried to remember Qiao An's answer when he asked her about her attendance in the dinner. Qiao An did not lie or answer his question so he couldn't be bitter about it. "You didn't tell us about this. Do you have a good reason for that, young lady? I thought we were friends".

For the first time after the incident in the toilet, Qiao An smiled, but it was more towards an awkward smile; as if she was caught doing something terrible. She gestured for Shen Jun Shan to come closer to her before whispering something in his ear.

"Family connection has nothing to do with friendship. I want people to befriend me because I am me and not someone from the Tang Properties."

The distance was too close. In other people's eyes, they seemed like a couple who whispered sweet things to each other. Shen Jun Shan could feel the heat from Qiao An's breath. The rumour of her being shy must be false. There's no trace of shyness in her at all.

Jin who kept on watching Qiao An from afar saw the scene, and he was quite annoyed at Shen Jun Shan. That damn Jun Shan guy was flirting with his sister. He felt that he needed to talk to Qiao An regarding Shen Jun Shan.

Cleo who was sitting next to Jin could see that Jin kept on looking towards a specific direction. Her heart raced when she saw that Jin was looking into the direction where Shen Jun Shan and his new girlfriend were sitting.

Cleo told Jin that she never had any boyfriend before since Jin liked the innocent type of girl. She was worried that Jin knew her past relationship with Shen Jun Shan. Cleo has been trying so hard to build her innocent image to make a connection with rich, influential people. She managed to get Jin to fall in love with her delicate image, so she was unwilling to give up. Cleo was determined to see Shen Jun Shan and asked him not to mention anything about their past relationship.

When the dinner ended, Qiao An stayed back because she wanted to meet her parents. Shen Jun Shan told Qiao An that he would wait inside the car, but Qiao An said to him that it was alright for him to stay with her in the hall. Shen Jun Shan declined anyway.

Qiao An's mother and her stepfather came and hugged her when everyone else left the hall. Since Qiao An left City T, they missed her so much. Even Jin who was currently staying in City L had the difficulty to meet Qiao An, and the parents had even less chance to see her.

"Where do you sit just now? I keep on searching for you" Qiao An's mother patted her daughter's head. "Who is that guy sitting next to you just now? Is that your neighbour? The one who lived downstairs?"

Qiao An knew that Jin must have reported everything to her mother, so she nodded. She did not elaborate much, and she had no intention to introduce them to Shen Jun Shan. While chatting with her family, Jin came with her new girlfriend.

When Qiao An heard about Cleo in the washroom, she knew that Cleo was Shen Jun Shan's ex-girlfriend. She has nothing against Cleo but someone who likes to bring down other girls just so that they could feel superior could never be the right person.

Even though Jin annoyed her sometimes, she still loves him as her brother. Qiao An wished for Jin to be happy so she hoped that Cleo or Chloe or whatever her name would be in the future, will not be the one for Jin.

"Cleo, let me introduce you. This is my dear sister, the one I mentioned to you" Jin was excited to introduce Cleo and Qiao An, but he could feel that something wasn't right between the two of them.

"I'm Qiao An," Qiao An said hi without any enthusiasm. "I finally meet you."

Jin was used to the fact that Qiao An was not necessarily excited about a relationship, but this time, he could sense that Qiao An was upset about something. His suspicion was supported by the fact that Cleo's face changed when she saw Qiao An. Both of them were at the washroom just now, and Jin wondered if anything unpleasant happened between Cleo and Qiao An inside the washroom.

The girls exchanged a few pleasantries, but that's it. They did not go beyond that and Jin didn't want to push the connection between the two. When Qiao An excused herself, Jin decided to walk her out.

"What do you think about Cleo? She's beautiful, right?" Jin was thinking about asking Qiao An directly about her opinion towards Cleo, but he had a hunch that it won't end well if he did so.

Qiao An looked at Jin as if she was staring right into his soul- as if she was trying to read his mood or something. "Do you love her?"

Jin did not expect Qiao An to ask that question. To be honest, he likes Cleo, but he was not sure if the feeling he had for Cleo was a deep love or merely a crush that won't last long. For the first time after he started going out with Cleo, Jin tries to evaluate his feeling.

"I think you could do better. A pretty face is common nowadays but not a kind heart. I have a friend who has both" Qiao An did not elaborate more, and when she saw Shen Jun Shan's car, she waved towards Jin without saying anything.

That left Jin with thousands of questions. He wondered if Qiao An was trying to convey a message to him. Jin looked at Qiao An's back who disappeared with Shen Jun Shan's car. This was the first time for Qiao An to offer her opinion about his relationship. During his previous relationship, Qiao An never had anything to say. Therefore, Jin suspected that something must have happened in the washroom.