Chapter 18
It's a hard choice for Bianca whether she bought these clothes.
If she bought these clothes, she will be the one who "had the 'greatest' taste and picked out the ugliest clothes in the shop."
Bianca was targeted by Sophia and the sales assistants were looking at her. If she didn't buy and leave the shop, she would lose face.
Seeing the shopkeeper printing a set of lists, Vanessa who were standing beside the counter, said to Sophia in a low voice, "Do you really buy these clothes?"  
Sophia nodded her head seriously: "Of course I'll buy it."
Vanessa said: "I'm afraid it is not good."
Sophia replied: "Never mind. It's my brother-in-law's supplementary credit card. He didn't care about it."
Vanessa said: "It's even worse. I don't know your brother-in-law."
"I said that I would buy them. How could I beg off at the last minute."
Sophia got herself into dilemma, and she was determined to buy these things and no one could persuade her. She said to Vanessa, "It can be counted as a return gift for your invitation to the concert."
―And a little compensation for what happened before.
She was too embarrassed to say that.
She swiped the credit card and signed her name quickly, which was much quicker than the speed she organized the manuscripts.
After settling accounts, she looked at Bianca and Jackson in a aggressive manner.
"Thank you, sister."
"You idiot." Bianca cannot put up with her and pointed at Sophia, but Jackson pulled her back. The people who were shopping there were all standing around and watching at them.
Several shop assistants stood around Sophia and Vanessa, and passers-by were all looking.
Sophia turned around in the crowd in a swanking manner, "Why do you swear at me? It's none of your business that I spent money on clothes? Did I spend your family's money?"
"All right, all right!" Jackson pulled angry Bianca outside, "Don't buy them. These clothes don't look good-looking."
"They don't look good, do they?" Bianca sneered and said in a low voice that only he could hear, "You were attracted by her just now."
-
Vanessa felt dizzy under the bright light.
And the shop assistants, who were expected to complete the entire quarterly KPI today, looked at the two of them kindly, putting Vanessa in an embarrassing position.
She felt that the rich thought weird.
However, Vanessa wore the red dress and walked out of the mall, with a pile of delivery lists in her hand.
She really didn't know how to deal with it.
She even wanted to return these goods and refunded the money directly to Sophia's credit card.
The two stood at the roadside as the sound of cars honk continuously.
"Where are we going?" Sophia wore her sunglasses and prepared to call her driver, "Do you want to go to dinner with me?"
Vanessa shook her head, "Thanks, but I've got a dinner date."
It seemed that Vanessa was in a good mood and Sophia looked towards her.
The two looked at each other, and Vanessa raised her eyebrows and smiled meaningfully.
"Oh! I get it!!!"
Sophia suddenly realized something and laughed, "No wonder you came to buy clothes."
Vanessa chuckled, "You are smart."
Sophia gave her a thumbs up, "Great! Go! Go for him!!! Try to get my brother-in-law as soon as possible!"
-
After saying goodbye to Sophia, Vanessa went back home immediately. When she got off the car, Shawn's car drove to her slowly.
Looking at the several shopping bags she was carrying, Vanessa thought for a moment and walked quickly towards the community.
Not for any other reason, She just wanted to put her shopping bag down first.
The flat shoes she wore for shopping today didn't look beautiful, so she wanted to go home and change a pair of high heels.
But she didn't walk a few steps when the car behind her stopped.
"Vanessa."
Shawn called her name calmly, and Vanessa stopped unconsciously and slowly turned her head.
He lowered his car window down and she could only see half of his face hidden behind the shadows. His dark eyes looked at her directly.
"Get on the car."
"Oh."
Vanessa had to carry a lot of bags to the car.
She put paper bags besides her legs and they rattled some time.
Shawn glanced these things and frowned slightly.
His business car had never been stacked with such messy things.
They didn't seem to fit here.
Vanessa wasn't aware of it, and smoothed her hair, not asking Shawn where they were going.
Vanessa didn't disturb Shawn as he read the documents, and sat quietly at the seat.
After half an hour's drive, the car drove into the suburbs, crossed the national highway, turned towards a scenic area, passed lake and stopped at the entrance of a Chinese-style garden.
This semi-opening garden belonged to the Cheng Family. It was private and had an elegant setting. Thus it was the first choice for people who were fond of Chinese banquets.
The dinner party hosted by the senior Cheng at his home today was not a formal business banquet, but a habit he had had for many years.
He lost his son in his middle age and had no children. So after loneliness for some time, he started to hold family banquets, and invited his friends and their relatives or children.
For more than a decade, he kept this habit. The children who attended the banquet grew up, and they constituted a relationship net. The annual party became a stage for mingling.  
Vanessa wasn't aware of it, and it was only when she followed Shawn into the garden that she felt that something was wrong.
There was a bridge and a quiet creek running below.
It didn't look like a place for man and woman to have dinner.
Vanessa walked beside him.
"Is this a place where we have dinner?"
When Shawn was about to speak, he paused for a while and looked at Vanessa.
His eyes swept over Vanessa's head and he looked at her.
Without her high heels on, she looked shorter and her face became even smaller as he looked down at her.
Shawn suddenly asked, "Why are you so short?"
Vanessa:?
If he didn't want to answer her, then just be quiet. What's the point of making fun of her height?
"Everyone is more than one meter. What's the difference? The bus driver doesn't charge me half price."
"......"
-
While walking through a very long corridor, Vanessa finally learned that today was not a dinner party for her and Shawn alone, but a dinner party hosted by an elder.
Vanessa stopped walking.
"Didn't you say that you would have dinner with me?"
He looked at her calmly, "This doesn't count as having dinner with you?"
Vanessa:?
Fine.
She lowered her head.
"You know that's not what I mean."
Shawn said: "Then what do you want?"
Vanessa looked at him and said nothing.
Forget it. It was hard to express it to him clearly.
When he reached the door, Shawn stopped and looked at her.
He put one hand in his pocket, leaving some space between his arms.
Vanessa understood and grasped his arm.
Now, she was attending this dinner as Shawn's female companion.
But this didn't make her happy.
They were often invited to attend parties and banquets because of the work. She knew that on such occasions, men would attend the party with a female companion.
It could be a wife, a girlfriend, a colleague, or a friend they had only met for one time.
So Vanessa thought that Shawn must brought different female companions and would not take this seriously.
If it wasn't Vanessa today, it would be someone else too.
No wonder Shawn had agreed so quickly last night. He was probably looking for a female companion and she happened to meet his need.
Vanessa could not help but feel a little speechless.
Businessman is businessman who didn't involve in any unprofitable business. But fortunately, this seemed to a feast and was not totally serious. They didn't even have to attend with formal clothes.
And this year, it was a Chinese-style dinner, without any social purpose. It just made a group of juniors get together for a meal before New Year.
The largest balcony in the garden accommodated only four tables, which was separated by emerald screen, ensuring their privacy.
The moment Shawn entered, someone sitting directly opposite the door greeted him.
In a crowd, he was always the one who caught everyone's attention.
As soon as they heard that he had arrived, they looked at him.
Vanessa stood next to Shawn, holding his arm, and felt many people glancing at her curiously.
Was there such a big fuss?
Vanessa was puzzled. Wasn't it normal to attend  party with a partner?
She didn't know that after seeing that, people started to guess something.
Consequently, many messages were sent in a certain Whatsapp group.
--"Is this the actress in Shawn's car?"
-- "I haven't seen her before. She seemed to be a nameless one."
--- "It is said that she is good at acting?"
-- "She looks beautiful, but she's not famous at all."
-- "It won't take half a year for Shawn to make her a star."
-- "Why don't we go greet her. She might be a top actress in the future."
Just as Shawn and Vanessa took their seats, someone came.
"I don't pay much attention to the entertainment industry these days." A young man sitting opposite looked at Shawn, pointed at Vanessa and asked, "This is?"
"Ah! I know her!"
Without waiting for Shawn's reply, a girl said, "You're the leading lady in online drama 'The Legent of Queen Shawlyn' some time ago, right?"
When she said that, another girl said, "Yes, I remembered it. At that time, we said that the female lady was pretty. But I didn't expect that you look more beautiful in modern dress."
Vanessa:?
Shawn glanced at her and didn't say anything.
Vanessa smiled and said, "You might be mistaken. I'm a reporter of  the Financeweek."
They had a moment of enlightenment with some strange looks.
Soon, the Whatsapp group was active again.
-- "Last night, Shawn spent the night with an actress, and today he had a beautiful reporter?" --- "Shawn was impressive!"
-- "He brought her to Quinton Hawkg's family banquet. It seems that he prefers this one."
-- "Shawn likes cultured one."
-- "Poor lady."
Vanessa wasn't aware that Shawn's reputation had been reduced. She ate silently and listened to their conversation without interrupting much.
Until near the end of the banquet, Vanessa was bored, so she took out her mobile phone and looked at it.
The phone screen showed that there were several messages from Jackson.
She frowned.
She decisively deleted his Whatsapp and Weibo ago, but forgot that he had her mobile phone number.
She clicked on the text and saw that he had sent her two pieces of messages.
Twenty minutes ago.
Jackson: Vanessa, are you free?
Five minutes ago.
Jackson: I have something to tell you.
Vanessa scanned it and was about to delete the phone number when the other message came.
Jackson: Vanessa, are you busy now? What are you doing now?
Vanessa sneered and started to edit the message.
Vanessa: I am making love now.
Sending this message, Vanessa imagined Jackson's angry face, and felt suddenly delighted, a smile appearing on her face.
Almost at the same time, she seemed to feel something else.
She turned her head to the left slowly.
She met Shawn's eyesight.
His eyes skimmed over her phone screen and he looked at her face again.
The air seemed to be freezed at that moment.
Vanessa was frozen with no expression. Then she mechanically turned her head, and edited the message with other words under Shawn's gaze.
Vanessa: I am making lovely cake now.
After sending it, she put down the phone.
He stopped looking at her slowly.
He didn't say anything, but it was more embarrassing than he said something.
The banquet continued, with no difference from the atmosphere half a minute ago.
Vanessa seemed normal, as quiet and gentle as she had been a moment ago, without saying a word.
It was only after two minutes that she pushed the bowl away and buried her hands into her palms as if she was in a hole.
Someone asked, "What happened to her?"
Shawn glanced at her, and fondle her trembling back of head.
"I am not sure." He said calmly, "Maybe she didn't like the food."
After that, Vanessa didn't know anything at table any longer.
All she knew was that she felt awkward.
Vanessa adjusted her mood for a long time, and only when they stopped talking dishes did she slowly raise her head.
Fortunately, Shawn did not change expression at all, and did not even glance at her.
Vanessa relieved a lot.
There had never been a moment when she hoped that he ignored her completely.
But not for a while, a waiter knocked the door and served a cupcake to all the ladies.
Vanessa: "......"
Her back stiffened again and she looked at the cake in front of her blankly.
"Who ordered that?"
Someone asked.
Shawn wiped his hands leisurely and said, "I ordered it."
Vanessa: "......"
Shawn: "Someone likes it."
Vanessa: "......"
She was still staring at the cake in front of her.
A cake with pink mousse, white cream and two cherries. It looked lovely and might taste delicate.
But for some reason, Vanessa was reminded of pornography.
She felt that it was Shawn who was making fun of her.