Inside the lobby, Gu Feifei clung lightly to her older brother's arm, her fingers curled just enough to appear affectionate without seeming clingy. She moved with him through the crowd at an unhurried pace, her chin lifted, lips curved into a practised smile as she nodded at one guest after another.
"Director Gu."
"Miss Gu."
"Such a pleasure to see you tonight."
The greetings came in a steady stream, warm and eager, and Feifei basked in them like sunlight. Each compliment, each admiring glance, made her feel lighter, as though she were floating several inches above the polished marble floor.
Tonight was different.
Tonight, no one whispered behind her back. No one gave her those thin, polite smiles that barely concealed judgment. The opportunity Aidan Wilson had handed her, so casually, so generously, had crushed every lingering rumour in its path. The scandal that once clung to her name like a shadow had evaporated, replaced by praise and curiosity.
People flocked to her now.
