34 Chapter Thirty Four

"Zhou Hua Fan is the cake to your liking?" A girl with long black hair and sparkling eyes smiles at Hua Fan anxiously for her approval. Hua Fan wipes the corner of her mouth, when the napkin was lowered they could see a tiny smile on her pink lips and held their breath. Her dark brown hair was expertly braided into a single french braid style that showed off her thin neck and flawless skin. Today she wore a simple white jade collar necklace, just below her chin dangled a dark sapphire diamond that matched with her pale skin color.

To match her necklace Hua Fan also wore a pair of sapphire stud earrings and a white silver bracelet on her left wrist. Her qipao today was a lovely navy blue to match her jewelry with white clouds. Around her shoulders hung a loose white chiffon scarf that was held up by her forearms alone. The pretty girl set the pastry down and took a small sip of her drink before answering the anxious little host with a simple sentence. "It's ok."

The Shu girl let out a breath of relief and eagerly brags about her family chief while monopolizing Hua Fan's attention much to her other guest's annoyance. "Sun Chang'e aren't you being too much right now?" One of them finally had the courage to interrupt Sun Chang'e and openly complain much to Chang'e's irritation. Her cheeks glow red and she glances at Hua Fan who was not paying their squabble any mind and was sipping her drink leisurely. She glares at Yang Yanyu and gave the other girl a scoff of disdain.

"What are you talking about? Is this not my home? Why can't I entertain my guest?" Xiao Xingfen also glances at Hua Fan before speaking her mind with a sour expression on her face. "You had told us that we would all be spending time with Zhou Hua Fan to bond yet neither Yanyu nor I have gotten to say a single word. Aren't you looking down on our family too much?"

With their plot exposed by Xiao Xingfen, Sun Chang'e sent Hua Fan an embarrassed expression which she ignored once more to neatly nibble on her pastry. She was afraid Hua Fan would become angry with them yet unexpectedly she was not phased and even seemed to be in her own world. "Xiao Xingfen!" She hisses anxiously at the girl sitting across from her and Hua Fan, but Xiao Xingfen did not budge and neither did Yang Yanyu. Yang Yanyu even snorts at her with a roll of her eyes as they could both tell Hua Fan had no plans to interrupt or give her own input.

That was how she was, if she did not care about people she would look right over them as if they were air. And currently, Zhou Hua Fan was treating all three of them as air. They knew as soon as the pretty girl only spoke two words to Sun Chang'e that Hua Fan was already dismissing them from her attention. It seemed that only Sun Chang'e thought she was sincere. "Chang'e, stop embarrassing yourself. Your act has long been seen through by Zhou Hua Fan."

Yang Yanyu and Xiao Xingfen both simultaneously sneer at Sun Chang'e. Subtly the corner of Hua Fan's lip rose and her eyes danced with slight amusement, her gaze flickering between the two girls across from her seat and the girl beside her. Xingfen even shook her head and sighed to herself before turning to Yang Yanyu to apologize. "Sorry Yanyu, if I knew this was her intent all along I would have never insisted for both of us to accept." The girl turns to Hua Fan next and lowers her head slightly, "And I will also apologize to Miss Zhou for wasting your time like this."

"Although we have never formally been introduced before today I wish to ask you to forget this meeting until I am ready to properly introduce myself to you." Hua Fan does not say anything back to her neither denying her request nor accepting as she taps her glass lightly staring at Xiao Xingfen in a disinterested manner. Xiao Xingfen did not insist for Hua Fan to speak again and pulls at the reluctant Yang Yanyu to leave. "Hey! Stop! You two stop right this instant!"

Sun Chang'e was effectively ignored by all three people in the room until there were only Hua Fan and her left in the parlor room. The awkward silence was deafening and Sun Chang'e felt a chill run down her entire body when she heard someone chuckle behind her. Hua Fan set her cup down and stood up to make her way towards the suddenly less confident Sun Chang'e who felt like a flightless bird being cornered by a snake. "Sun Chang'e. After being separated for so long you suddenly invited me over for snacks and drinks. There is no way you do not remember what happened to Tang Xiao Ai the first day I came back to school, did you?"

Sun Chang'e was shaking from head to toe but she dared not speak or look back even when an eerily cold hand was laid upon her shoulders. Hua Fan leans around her shoulders to give her an innocent grin though her eyes were full of darkness. "Chang'e, bad girls should be punished for their crimes. When a person commits a wrong don't you think they should receive punishment?" Sun Chang'e could only freeze on spot, Hua Fan could feel the other girl's tense muscles and tremble.

"Pfft." She gave a tiny puff of laughter, her eyes twinkling at Sun Chang'e's fear. "What's the matter? I was just saying random stuff, why are you so scared? You did not do anything wrong, did you? After all, you and I, are such close, "childhood friends". Just like Tang Xiao Ai."

Her voice held a trace of dark humor, "Right?" Sun Chang'e's knees were weak but she was too afraid to fall. The blood was pumping through her heart at an alarming pace as she knew that somehow, Hua Fan knew. She could not answer Hua Fan's question no matter how hard she tried, only a silent croak could escape her lips. "Haha!" Hua Fan laughs suddenly and releases her shoulders the threatening aura she had was retracted and Sun Chang'e could not find a trace of the terrifying demoness who was threatening her just moments ago.

But her words were just as scary as her smile. "Your father ordered you to befriend me and told you to try and promise cooperation between the Zhou and Sun company in the future right?" Sun Chang'e eyes widen and she hurriedly denies Hua Fan's words even though sweat was dripping down her brows due to her nervousness. "No! That's not true!" Hua Fan tilts her head and gave her an almost "playful" look, "Oh?"

Sun Chang'e took her chance to try and ease the situation while in her mind she was scrambling for excuses. As long as she's willing to believe me I can still salvage the situation! I remember that Hua Fan loved people taking her side and flattering her the most! All I have to do is talk bad about that mistress's child and she will forget about it all! Hua Fan could see through her thoughts and she smiles bitterly to herself.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing after all of this time! I heard that your father was planning to replace you with a mistress's child and since you and I grew up together I thought that I could give you some comfort. I really can't understand why your father would do that, bringing in a mistress's child and adopting him into the family. It's not fair at all!" Her smile went stale and her eyes that were twinling before from amusement die out like a star on its last breath.

"Oh? You think so?" Hua Fan gave a bland response but Sun Chang'e's eyes brighten up as she took this as Hua Fan calming down and accepting her explanation. She even bravely reaches out to hold Hua Fan's hand not noticing the flash of chilliness the moment she touched the other girl's hand. "Fan we have been friends since childhood and went to the same school since preschool! Believe me when I say that mistress's son is no good!"

"-I can tell! I mean he cannot even compare to you! He is poor, ugly, and a money-grubbing bastard!" "Really? He is ugly and a money-grubber?" Hua Fan's smile could freeze an entire lake, the look in her eyes hard to decipher but Sun Chang'e was too dense to realize the pit she was standing on.

She nods her head excitedly and tries to "convince" Hua Fan while attempting to weasel her way into her good graces. She smirks to herself, although she is able to trick everyone else she cannot trick me. Zhou Hua Fan is still the same vain and stupid girl she was back then. "Fan you are too nice and tolerant! If that were me I would have had him shipped off on the first day he stepped foot into the house. You shouldn't be so kind to him, those type of people are white-eyed wolves and will gobble up your entire fortune and family if you let them."

Hua Fan gave her a bright grin that dazzled the girl for a few seconds before she recovers from her daze. "I see, so you were just looking out for me this entire time." It, worked? Her voice was soothing and sweet on the ears, lulling the poor girl into a false sense of security. "I agree, white-eyed wolves should be eliminated and executed. They do not deserve the right to live after biting the hand that fed them."

Hua Fan lightly squeezes her hand, "Chang'e, it seems that you really do know me better than I thought." Her tone was especially sweet and gentle. For a second the sense of danger that left Sun Chang'e for a minute came back and she hesitates on responding. Hua Fan's eyes were curled up with her grin, although her face was understanding there was a scary innuendo in her words that alerted Sun Chang'e that the girl was not talking about Huang Gou Heng. "You really, really, REALLY know me well." Hua Fan giggles to herself and Sun Chang'e felt goosebumps cover her entire body listening to her soft laugh.