Zi Yi questioned them back straightforwardly and instantly caused the few noble ladies to turn red and they could not find any words to refute her.

  This situation here was soon known by Count Alistair’s people. A man wearing a burgundy suit soon walked out from the inside.

  Before he had come out, the servants had reported the situation to him. When he saw that it was Zi Yi standing there, his eyes revealed amazement at first glance. He then revealed a gentleman’s smile and walked over, while deliberately talking in a humorous tone. “Beautiful ladies, our hall inside is more beautiful than outside. Why don’t you come in first?”


  He then motioned for them to head inside.

  When the few noble ladies saw that there was a chance for them to get out of the predicament, they hastily met gazes and headed in.

  The man walked over to Zi Yi and Dou Xiangling and first did a gentlemanly gesture before he introduced himself, “Dear beautiful ladies, my name is Ansel. Welcome to my house as guests.”


  He then smiled and looked at Zi Yi, “The painting Miss Zi completed today during the competition is exceptionally amazing. My father has been obsessed with the two paintings done by Miss Zi ever since he had laid his eyes on them.

  There’s also Miss Dou’s painting. Miss Dou truly deserves to be known as the forerunner among the younger generation of artists. Every single painting of yours is so fascinating.”


  “Thank you.”


  Dou Xiangling politely thanked him while Zi Yi merely gave him a brief nod.

  Ansel then made an invitational gesture towards them and led them inside. While walking, he said, “What Miss Zi said earlier is very reasonable. Every country has its own clothing traditions and the cheongsam of your country is really stunning. It’s even more charming when worn on the two ladies.

  Therefore, there’s no need to worry about what others say. Tonight’s dinner banquet is to welcome the contestants and you can wear anything you prefer.”


  Ansel’s words were considerably pleasant to the ears and Dou Xiangling chatted with him longer due to politeness.

  Whereas Zi Yi kept her mouth shut and followed them, without the slightest intention of speaking.

  This caused Ansel to look in her direction several times.

  When the two of them were led away by Ansel, some women standing behind them could not help but whisper, “I didn’t expect Ansel, the son of Count Alistair to personally come out and welcome Dou Xiangling and Zi Yi. Could it be that Count Alistair intends to connect with the Dou Family through marriage?”


  “It’s likely. The Dou Family is extremely well-known and if they could connect through marriage, it is surely a good thing for the Count Family. However, I noticed that Young Master Ansel has been looking in Zi Yi’s direction. Does he fancy her?”


  “Say, do you think she has undergone plastic surgery before? How could there be such a beautiful woman? I feel that even her figure has gone under the knife.”


  “Absolutely. It’s obvious that a woman like her is the restless type. Did you see those men? They practically have their eyes glued onto her.”


  …


  They entered the main entrance and passed through a corridor with murals hung on both sides before arriving in the hall.

  Within the magnificent hall, it was already crowded with people. Everyone either had a glass of red wine in their hands as they chatted about life or perhaps they were appreciating the paintings in the hall while enjoying the wine alone.

  Count Alistair’s living room was full of paintings. Every single painting was genuine and priceless.

  Ansel raised his hand to beckon to a servant. He then picked up two glasses of red wine from the tray.

  “Miss Zi, Miss Dou, my father will be arriving shortly. You can casually hang around for a while.”


  Having said that, he even turned to Zi Yi and asked, “Beautiful Miss Zi, can I invite you for a dance later.”


  Zi Yi held the glass of wine in her hand and refused without the slightest hesitation. “Apologies, I don’t dance.”


  Ansel originally wanted to say that he could lead her if she did not know how to dance. However, he understood the meaning behind her words in the next second. Traces of disappointment flashed through his eyes, but he still said in a gentlemanly manner, “What a pity then.”


  He then looked towards Dou Xiangling.

  “Beautiful Miss Dou…”


  “Ansel.”


  A feminine woman’s voice suddenly interrupted.

  Shortly after, they saw a woman leisurely walking over. She wore a tight, short black dress that revealed her figure as she headed over towards them while walking gracefully in her high heels.

  When the woman arrived next to Ansel, she naturally grabbed his arm and looked at Zi Yi and Dou Xiangling.

  That gaze of hers was filled with hostility.

  After the woman sized them up, she deliberately said, “Ansel, there are so many artists who are here today. You can’t be so impartial and only attend to these two beautiful ladies.”


  Following that, she looked at Zi Yi and her eyes were filled with hostility, which she self-assumed that she had concealed very well. “Ever since Miss Zi entered, all the men’s gazes are all attracted to you. I believe Miss Zi must have spent quite the sum of money to maintain such a beautiful appearance?”


  How could Zi Yi not detect the sarcasm in her words? Similarly, her lips curled up, and she replied, “There’s a saying in our country. A natural born beauty is hard to conceal. The amount of cosmetics I use is surely lesser than yours.”


  “How do you know if you don’t use more cosmetics than I do?” The woman pointed out. “I only use a set of skincare products, and I do not get any injections or consume any medicine. At most, I would visit the skincare centers to learn some facial massages. I feel that I spend much less time and effort on my face and body as compared to Miss Zi.”


  “Is that so? But I only use a bottle of skin care essence and nothing else.”


  That bottle of essence was personally refined by herself and it was a dozen times more effective than the so-called skincare products in this world.

  “How is that possible!” The woman did not believe her words and was about to rebuke her.

  Just then, Zi Yi looked at her and revealed a puzzled expression. “Compared to my appearance, I prefer to showcase my talents. Moreover, we’re here tonight to discuss the paintings, so… why do you keep discussing such a meaningless topic with me?”


  The woman: “…”


  Zi Yi looked away and said to Dou Xiangling, “Cousin, let’s go and check out the paintings on the wall.”


  Dou Xiangling immediately nodded in agreement. “Okay!”


  Thus, the two of them turned away and headed elsewhere.

  The woman was angered so much by Zi Yi that her face had nearly distorted.

  At this point in time, Ansel spoke in a tone that contained slight displeasure. “Lucy, I think that you’re targeting Miss Zi.”


  Lucy’s heart trembled for a second and she hastily controlled her expression before revealing a delicate smile as she held his arm. “How could I be targeting Miss Zi? I’m only curious about what kind of skincare products Miss Zi uses. Moreover, when women gather, we will always like to discuss such topics.”


  Ansel gave her a look and said nothing else.

  After the guests had all arrived, Count Alistair walked out from the side corridor with a group of people.

  Together with him were the two Painting and Calligraphy Association’s Chairmen, a group of Master Painters, along with several middle-aged aristocrats.

  The group walked out as they chatted and the originally noisy hall immediately quieted down.

  Count Alistair looks like a gentlemanly middle-aged man. However, those eyes of his seemed to contain indiscernible wisdom.

  First, he said a few courtesy words of welcome, before he then looked towards Zi Yi.