The Stepmother's Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era-Chapter 428 - 427: Human Beauty - Miss Li

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"Try this," she said.

The girl looked at Shen Mingzhu, her doe-like eyes watery and clear yet naive, utterly captivating.

Shen Mingzhu pointed at the girl’s heel, "Put the band-aid on the wounded area; it will relieve the pain."

The girl took the band-aid with skepticism, applied it to the chafed spot, put on her shoe, and walked a few steps with her skirt in hand. A look of surprise appeared on her face.

"It really doesn’t hurt anymore!"

"Thank you. How much for the band-aid? I’ll pay you."

"No need."

Shen Mingzhu declined the offer of payment and casually shared a few tips to make shoes more comfortable.

While she was speaking, she saw Yan Su rush out from the banquet hall, looking around for her.

Shen Mingzhu quickly excused herself from the girl and went to meet Yan Su.

"Have you been waiting long? I was held up by some things inside."

Upon seeing her, Yan Su took her hand and apologized.

Shen Mingzhu shook her head with a smile, "No worries, I haven’t been here long myself."

"Let’s go, I’ll take you in."

"Okay."

The entire banquet was dazzling, filled with celebrities and the rustle of expensive clothing.

Every face bore a smile, the atmosphere lively yet refined.

The only flaw was the stuffiness.

Nearly a thousand guests were squeezed into a two-thousand-square-meter space, and the air conditioning technology of the era couldn’t achieve the ideal temperature and air quality, leaving a sheen of sweat visible on the guests’ faces.

Under Yan Su’s guidance, Shen Mingzhu passed through the dazzling crowd to a group of ladies.

With Yan Jing at the helm, four or five women, evidently wealthy from their attire and demeanor, were enthusiastically praising each other in Cantonese.

I compliment your skin, you praise my figure.

I then admire your son’s marital match, you in turn laud my daughter’s high-profile wedding.

Shen Mingzhu stood aside, playing the role of an onlooker, thoroughly entertained.

After about seven or eight minutes, Yan Jing finished her pleasantries with the ladies, taking Yan Su in search of the next targets.

The sisters walked slowly – a pace that maintained grace but also offered respite.

Shen Mingzhu followed behind them, her eyes involuntarily scanning back and forth.

She couldn’t help it – the room was filled with beauties, and even many celebrities from TV shows in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Yan Jing suddenly stopped and looked back at her.

Shen Mingzhu offered a polite smile, "Mrs. Ning."

Yan Jing nodded, "If you’re bored, you can go get something to eat."

Shen Mingzhu was about to reply that she wasn’t bored when she suddenly realized that Yan Jing probably wasn’t truly concerned about whether a minor character like her was bored or not.

So, she was being dismissed.

But the words were couched in a way that spared her dignity.

How does that song go? I’ll perform to the best of my ability when it’s my turn to play a part.

Shen Mingzhu feigned embarrassment and touched her stomach, "I didn’t eat dinner, I am a bit hungry. I’ll go have some food then."

Yan Su squeezed her hand, "After you’ve eaten, come find me. Don’t wander off alone."

"Got it."

Yan Jing sipped her red wine and watched Shen Mingzhu’s retreating figure until she was out of sight before turning to her sister.

"I won’t interfere with your friendships, but in adult relationships, it’s important to maintain a proper distance to avoid being used by others."

Yan Su intended to defend Shen Mingzhu, "It was my idea to bring her."

"Yes, she’s here now, and that’s enough, understand?"

Yan Su nodded.

Yan Jing patted the back of her hand in a soothing gesture, "Alright, let’s go. I’d like to introduce someone to you."

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"Who’s that?"

Yan Jing teased with a twinkle in her eye, "A young talent who would be a good match for you."

Yan Su’s expression fell, "I don’t want it."

Yan Jing pulled her forward, her tone affectionate yet imperiously authoritative.

"Just meet the person. If you really don’t like him, you can just be friends. I’m not forcing you to marry him."

She then quietly filled Yan Su in on the man’s personal details and family background.

...

Shen Mingzhu arrived at the food pickup area, faced with a dazzling array of top delicacies.

All sorts of sashimi, foie gras, caviar, seafood, bird’s nest, shark fin—you name it, they had it.

Shen Mingzhu ordered half a portion of charcoal-grilled wagyu beef and a flame lobster.

Both dishes needed to be made to order, so Shen Mingzhu grabbed some sashimi to eat while heading towards the dessert section.

After circling the dessert area, unsurprisingly, the boxes for the Ice Skin Mooncakes and the snow skin pastries were all empty.

Shen Mingzhu joyfully pierced a piece of salmon and popped it into her mouth.

As she turned around, she almost bumped into someone coming up from behind.

"Ah, they’re gone again!"

"So what if they’re gone? Are they really that delicious?"

"Really, they’re very delicious! Sweet, soft, and chewy, refreshingly cold, not greasy at all. I’ve never tasted mooncakes this good!"

The girl speaking stopped a passing server to ask when the Ice Skin Mooncakes would be available, and upon learning there would be none for the rest of the evening, she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Shen Mingzhu’s eyes lit up—here was her chance.

She hurriedly introduced herself, "...If you need to purchase some, you can leave your contact information and address, and I’ll deliver them to you after I’ve made them tomorrow."

It was clear the girl really enjoyed the Ice Skin Mooncakes, ordering twenty of each flavor, saying she wanted to give them to relatives and friends, and she also ordered twenty snow skin pastries.

Shen Mingzhu decided not to leave, instead guarding the empty boxes for the Ice Skin Mooncakes and snow skin pastries.

Whenever someone came looking for Ice Skin Mooncakes or snow skin pastries, she would approach them, striking up a conversation and exchanging contact information.

Thanks to her wait-and-see approach, it wasn’t long before Shen Mingzhu had sold three hundred Ice Skin Mooncakes and fifty snow skin pastries.

...

At 8:30 p.m., the charity dinner’s main event—the auction—began.

Each auction item was donated privately, with all proceeds going directly into the foundation’s account for charitable and relief activities.

Although the auction was lively, Shen Mingzhu wasn’t in the mood.

Her mind was preoccupied with the orders she had to fill tomorrow, wondering if the hotel would agree to let her use the baking kitchen privately, and she also needed to buy the ingredients for the mooncakes and snow skin pastries right away.

Before the auction ended, Shen Mingzhu excused herself, leaving the dinner early due to fatigue.

After leaving the banquet hall, she found Manager Xu and inquired about renting the baking kitchen for a day.

As expected, she was refused by Manager Xu.

It wasn’t that Manager Xu disagreed, but that the hotel had no precedent for such a request.

At least, not for a pastry chef like her.

On the way back to her room, Shen Mingzhu hesitated over whether to ask Yan Su for help but unexpectedly encountered the backless dress lady from the coffee shop in the elevator.

The lighting in the coffee shop had been dim, so Shen Mingzhu hadn’t had a clear view of the woman’s features.

Now, under the bright elevator lights, she was startled to realize the woman possessed a beauty that belonged to the golden age.

A heart-shaped face perfect for a palm, exquisite and beautiful features, a complexion of icy smoothness, delicate shoulder straps draped over her shoulders with her entire back exposed, yet without a trace of vulgarity, exuding instead a pure desire reminiscent of a young girl.

Shen Mingzhu occasionally stole glances at the woman.

She couldn’t help it—the woman was too beautiful to ignore.

Noticing Shen Mingzhu’s looks, the girl smiled generously, "Thank you so much earlier. Your band-aid really saved me from a big trouble."

"You’re welcome."

Even Shen Mingzhu, a woman herself, felt her face heat up and her heart race at the woman’s smile. She could only imagine what sort of effect this paragon of beauty might have on a man.