She deserves an Oscar

Lina could have disabled the girls in one move, but just as she was about to restrain them, she decided against it.

Not only did she want to hide her abilities from the public right now, she also wanted to teach these girls a lesson.

They deserved to be served humble pie.

Sara and her friends pushed Lina to the ground as she pretended to helplessly defend herself.

Then they started slapping her face where it wasn't covered by the mask, making her porcelain, delicate skin red and bruised.

"Take that, you dirty bitch!"

"This is what you deserve and this is where you belong!"

Sara laughed scornfully at Lina, huddled up in a corner, looking pitiful. Her beautiful dress had been ripped in places, her hair was a mess and she looked like a wounded kitten.

"You can't go back to the ballroom looking like this!"

In saying this, Sara opened her purse and threw a thick wad of cash at Lina's face.

"There, that should be more than enough for a commoner like you to comfortably take a taxi back to whatever hole you crawled out from."

She was satisfied with herself for showing this lowly woman her place and status. She shouldn't be able to show herself like this in the ballroom again. It would be too embarrassing.

That way, she could go and make an actual move on Shen, the man she had been longing for since she was young.

After saying this, Sara stuck her nose up in the air and walked out of the washroom with her two friends trailing behind her.

Once the women left the bathroom, Lina stood up. She smiled to herself in the mirror. She had decided to paint an even more pitiful picture of herself.

She scratched herself a few times and tore her dress in a few more places.

"What a pity...Briar Rose, I promise to rescue you once the credits roll tonight. It's nothing personal, you were just collateral damage."

Lina sighed as she spoke to her beautiful dress that met its end far too soon.

After looking as miserable as she could, she found her way back to the ballroom, stumbling in as if in pain, clutching her stomach.

Shen was looking around anxiously to see if she had returned while Sara had made a beeline for him.

When he saw her approach, he put on a polite smile.

"Brother Shen! Brother Shen! I heard you came tonight and tried to look for you everywhere!"

Sara feigned a sickly sweet act, doe-eyed and innocent.

She immediately went over to him and attached herself to his arm, making sure to wear a naïve look on her face, yet 'inadvertently' throw her body at him.

After all, every man noticed a woman's physical assets first.

Sara enjoyed attention and knew very well how to catch a lustful man's eye.

But Shen was anything but lustful.

Well, maybe he was...but there was only one woman who could arouse his desire. And she was not in this room!

He carefully extracted his arm from her clingy grasp and greeted her as courteously as possible in the situation.

"Sara, how are you? I just met your brother who told me you returned from Country A just a week back."

Shen did show Sara more kindness than he did any other young girl at such parties, but that was only because he grew up with her brother and their families had close business and personal ties.

"I graduated with an almost perfect score last month so mother and brother are throwing a big party next weekend."

She smiled at him sweetly, trying to keep his eyes solely on her.

But to her disappointment, Shen was distracted. His gaze kept absently scouring the ballroom, looking for Lina.

Annoyed, Sara pouted coyly and thrust her chest forward as she tried to recapture his attention.

"Brother Shen...you haven't seen me in one year and yet you cannot even have one conversation with me."

When did this girl get so clingy? Yes, he had known her all her life, and yes he had been kind to her, but he had never given her any special preference.

Why was she acting as if he belonged to her?

He didn't want a hassle or a tantrum, so he decided to quickly pacify the girl.

"Of course not, we are all so proud of your achievement."

His tone was calm, without a hint of excitement. But Sara's eyes brightened again.

"So you will come to the party then?" she pestered him eagerly.

Suddenly Shen's eyes caught sight of a stumbling figure in a dusty pink ballgown.

Absently, he answered Sara.

"Yes, sure. Now please excuse me."

Sara's face darkened as she followed his gaze to the stumbling figure.

'This troublesome bitch actually walked back in here in that embarrassing state!? And what are all those scratches on her? We didn't do that!"

As these thoughts ran through Sara's mind, she saw an increasingly concerned Shen quickly make his way towards that horrible woman.

Unbelievable!

He didn't spare her a second glance.

Suddenly, her heartbeat quickened.

What if this woman allowed them to bully her on purpose!

Would she complain to Shen about them?

Would her dear Shen hate her or be angry at her?

Did that mean he actually cared about this unknown woman?

The way she was acting all pitiful, she surely deserved an Oscar for her performance!