Nina knew what Jessica and Vivian intended to do, and she had no plans to pay them any particular attention.
More importantly, she was feeling an invisible gaze coming from the second floor.
She had been feeling it for a while now.
She pondered this, and her mind wandered. The next thing she knew, she sprained her ankle and fell into Noah's arms.
Her unique and alluring scent assaulted his senses, leaving Noah stunned. Instead of asking if she was okay, he found himself reveling in the softness in his arms.
For her part, Nina was still a little hung up on that mysterious gaze that she thought it was John holding her.
As soon as Emma saw Nina fall, she walked over to them. She quickly pulled her friend up. "Nina, are you okay?"
"Aunt Nina! Are you all right?" James came to his senses, too.
Their reactions finally pulled Noah away from the haze and helped him regain his composure. "Nini, are you hurt anywhere?"
Nina looked up at his words, realizing belatedly that this man was Noah and not her husband.
'Ah, it looks like I'm missing John too much these days.
I don't even know if he is here tonight.'
She raised her eyes to the direction of the second floor again, but she still couldn't see anyone.
The music stopped at the commotion, and everyone's eyes turned to Nina and her friends.
"It's nothing serious, but I think I might have sprained my ankle." Nina tried a cheery smi
if you want there to be a story about the two of you."
That was all he needed to hear. James chased after his girl.
Left behind with her injury, Nina sat on a nearby chair, and Noah squatted in front of her to check her ankle.
"It doesn't look serious. I'll give you a massage." Noah started to rub her foot, relieved that she wasn't badly hurt.
It occurred to neither of them that they were doing something inappropriate. Especially not Nina, since she had always treated Noah like brother.
But it appeared differently in the eyes of others.
May took the cue and started with her act once again. "Isn't it a little improper for him to touch Mrs. Shi like that? An unmarried man and a married woman..."
She trailed off, as if belatedly realizing what she was saying. Her words were directed to Vivian and Jessica, and it was all done on purpose.
Vivian reacted like clockwork, her mind immediately devising a scheme. Here presented to them was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
"Noah, Nina is married. You will make people misunderstand you if you keep doing that." Her tone sounded concerned, like a caring sister reminding Noah to pay careful attention to their surroundings. But Vivian made sure her voice was loud and heard by the rest of the guests.
Jessica jumped in, too. "What a disgraceful display. Nina, please stop embarrassing the Shi family with your acts of impropriety."