126 The Cheongsam's Grace

Ye Shuang's choice of outfit was interesting. The cheongsam was traditional Chinese attire, and it was touted as an outfit that could enhance the softness of the female beauty. It was adored even by the international crowd.

However, unlike other articles of clothing, the cheongsam did not have much difference in price due to a limitation of cheongsam manufacturers. Of course, there were still several traditional seamstresses. From the upper echelon of the society to the common folk, there was an occasion for everyone to put on a cheongsam, and the difference in quality could mainly be discerned from the needlework and embroidery. As the founding place for the various schools of embroidery, finding a professional seamstress in Jing Hu City, while not easy, was not too difficult.

With enough money, a cheongsam exquisite enough to trick others was born.

Other than that, Ye Shuang wore simple accessories, a normal pair of silver earring, a sandalwood bracelet, and a hair pin. None of these things were expensive, but since no one would expect people to take sandalwood, which was normally used in prayers, and fashion it into accessories. The natural speculation was that these accessories were transferred down through generation, and the socialite was one who appreciated culture and tradition. Even though the question 'Why did she not wear jade then?' did flash across several people's minds, it was soon overwhelmed by Ye Shuang's gentle and graceful presence.

[What a beautiful young lady. Only a traditional family would be able to produce such a soft, reserved woman.

Ye Shuang was like a vision from the past, a wonderful presence wrapped in silk like she had just walked out from a Chinese painting. Simple yet graceful attire enhanced the soft and kind smile that blossomed on her face.

Luo Mingxin glanced to his side and was not surprised to find that the young master beside him had unconsciously lost himself in her deception. He stood up from the chair in a hurry to greet Ye Shuang like she was someone that deserved such a respectful treatment.

[Does your father know you're so easily tricked by women‽

After a brief conversation between the young master and Ye Shuang, the latter made the introduction for Luo Mingxin. "By the way, Celebrity Luo just mentioned Miss Ye. Let me make the introduction. This is Miss Ye Shuang, and I believe Celebrity Luo needs no introduction… Hahaha. Who would have thought that someone like Miss Ye also follows celebrity news?"

[Why do this couple share the same name‽ Also, am I imagining this, or is the man implying that knowing me pulls down the taste of her goddess‽

Luo Mingxin finished the remaining glass of wine with a trace of sadness before standing up with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm surprised Jing Hu City has someone as beautiful as Miss Ye. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Jing Hu City is as picturesque as a painting; it is definitely my misfortune to not have been born in such a gorgeous place." Ye Shuang smiled like she did not hear Luo Mingxin's probing. The brilliance of her performance was almost blinding to Luo Mingxin.

Luo Mingxin pretended to not notice and asked directly, "Then where does Miss Ye come from?"

Ye Shuang was baffled before a trace of melancholy surfaced between her brows. With a forced smile that was hiding plenty of history, she asked, "Why don't you guess?"

The young master frowned and surreptitiously pulled on Luo Mingxin, who had more questions, warning him that he had crossed the line. Luo Mingxin almost fainted from frustration due to this man's interruption. [I've not even said anything yet. Why are you so worried‽

According to social manners, pressing on another's privacy was very rude behavior, especially when it was clear that the other person did not want to talk about it. Luo Mingxin had a pretty good idea about how the lady managed to brush over the questions on her background and history. If he did not know about her background, even he would have been tricked by this flawless performance of hers. Since he did not know where the young lady learned such amazing acting skills, he was curious. If someone insisted on knowing her history, how would she avoid it‽

After all, even if China had plenty of traditional families, those who would wear cheongsam on a daily basis were rare. Only old royalty who had survived for generations would insist on such a tradition, and the numbers of such families were dwindling. In fact, one could count them with two hands. Therefore, even though the cheongsam had helped Ye Shuang solve the issue of her inability to purchase branded goods, it could be considered her biggest mistake.

Luo Mingxin was interested to find out how she was going to come up with a 'Ye Family' that had survived for decades already. With a wicked interest, Luo Mingxin ignored the young master and pressed with anticipation, "If Miss Ye doesn't mind, may we know where Miss Ye's family comes from?"

"Mr. Luo!" The young master was pissed; his whispered warning was filled with dissatisfaction.

Ye Shuang shook her head and smiled to console the young master before sighing. "What is the point of history when I'm all alone in a foreign land, being a foreign guest? Sometimes, I'm reminded that I have no one around me and…"

The sentence trailed off, and the beauty's pair of eyes were covered with sadness. The young master immediately tried his best to console Ye Shuang and picked a more light-hearted conversation topic.

Luo Mingxin almost dropped to his knees. He was that impressed by this queen of acting. [Wonderful! Perfect!

A Chinese from a foreign country—naturally, she might not be that open to reveal her country of origin. The important point was that she had travelled back to her country of origin. She was a foreigner, so naturally, they would not have heard of the 'Ye Family'…

Even though many Chinese would assimilate into other cultures, the fact that she had not and would return to China deserved recognition. It added to her overall beauty and mystery. Even if Luo Mingxin flipped through the history of all the great Chinese families, he would not be able to point out the flaw in her story!

On top of that, these conclusions were formed by other people on their own; Ye Shuang herself had not actually said anything. A foreign person in a foreign land? Technically, that was not wrong. After all, she was not from Jing Hu City, so the place was indeed a foreign land, and other than her partner, she was indeed alone there.

Even if she was exposed, she could say that she had not made claims to any of those things.

He gulped down a glass of wine, and Luo Mingxin's heart chilled. Even the best Oscar winner was no competition for this woman.

[So be it. The earlier generation will always be replaced by those who come after them. At the very least, it was me who taught this liar… Hmm, how come that doesn't make me feel any better‽

…

The expressions, words and behaviors created an illusion. A lie could not be fully foolproof, but as long as the weakness was not exposed, it would be perfect.

Ye Shuang made up a number of little actions and verbal insinuations to increase other people's faith in her fake identity. When this belief reached a certain level, people would come up with their own explanations to cover up her slight anomalies. After all, a foundation that had been set could not be ruined easily. Basically, she was reinforcing their trust, not so different from brands tricking consumers with their brand ideas.

Another thing that worked for Ye Shuang was that she was not out for money or other gains, a completely harmless individual, so she would not arouse suspicion in others. If one were splitting hairs, however, it could be said that her gain was potential clients. But this would not really take away from her presence; it might even add to the trust of her connections.

Not long after that, when the young master left, Ye Shuang turned away from the crowd, and the easy smile that Luo Mingxin saw at the bookstore returned. "Celebrity Luo sure is amazing. I've been putting everything that you've told me to good use."

Luo Mingxin's lips twitched, and his emotions became complicated. He gulped down another glass of wine. "…As long as you're happy."

"If you act real enough, people can believe almost anything…" Ye Shuang leaned against the chair in a graceful pose, looking just like a young lady who had been taught social manners since she was young. Unconsciously, this young lady would uphold these standards even when she was relaxing. "Now, I see what you mean."

"…You plan to cheat people like this for how long‽" Luo Mingxin laughed. Since there was no one else there, he had more courage to say certain things. "A lie cannot be carried on forever. Even Frank was exposed and detained in the end. Have you ever considered the consequences after you're exposed?"

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and distance also preserves privacy." Ye Shuang shrugged. "I'll be leaving in a few more days, so I just need to nab myself a potential client before that."

After all, the talents normally would not know the agent's identity, so Yao Zhixing and those who knew her personally were special cases. Furthermore, normal agents would not expose their identity to potential clients either.

A lie could not be carried on for long, but Ye Shuang was not lying, merely misdirecting. When she was inside the clubhouse, while it seemed like everyone had seen through her background, in reality, she had not said anything. This was merely people's assumption based on her actions and presence.

Because she was a good wine-taster, people thought she was from the upper class. Because she knew foreign languages, people thought she came from a foreign background. Did Ye Shuang confirm or deny any of that? She did not. She merely put forth some stuff to misdirect others to form the impression that she wanted.

Once she left, people would talk about how a wonderful young lady once graced them with her presence, but no one seemed to have asked for her phone number.

Luo Mingxin soon understood Ye Shuang's meaning. He chuckled like he wanted to say something, but his face suddenly fell. Ye Shuang was confused when a female voice came from behind her. "Mr. Luo is also here? It's such a shame that we didn't get you to see you at the ball last week, but I hear from your manager that you'll be coming to my birthday party tomorrow. Is that true?"