Standing Next To You-Chapter 459: ’Vengeance’

A/n: This Chapter is fixed. Thank you for waiting.

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Bei Sangyun was equally stunned; she hadn’t expected to see Sophia here. But she quickly put the pieces together—the old man must have given an invitation to the Simon family. Because she hadn’t been paying particular attention when she entered the hall earlier, she hadn’t noticed any of them.

But to waste such a precious spot on Sophia? Old Man Lin must be losing his mind.

"Oh, it’s you." Bei Sangyun nodded curtly, then turned to greet others. She had no intention of wasting time with someone like Sophia.

But Sophia grabbed her arm.

"Hold on. Why are you here? The Lin family already sent Lin Zhe and Lin Sanju. Did you sneak in?"

Bei Sangyun shook off her grip and rolled her eyes. "Do you think the security here is just for show?"

"Then how come you’re here?!" Sophia’s eyes suddenly sparkled with realization. She looked Bei Sangyun up and down, a mocking glint in her gaze. "Oh, I see. You must’ve latched onto some old man and slipped in as his companion."

Bei Sangyun just shrugged. "Think whatever you want."

"Heh. You haven’t changed a bit. You seduced my brother and manipulated him, and now you’re trying to cling to another man here? What, is your ’gloomy prince’ not enough anymore? Looking to reel in a bigger fish?"

Bei Sangyun paused.

"This isn’t some little high school, you know. Once people here find out how despicable you really are, you’ll be thrown out without a second thought. And no prince will swoop in to save you this time."

Bei Sangyun chuckled. "You... still haven’t learned, have you?" She turned sharply, meeting Sophia’s gaze with a chilling intensity. Her dark brown eyes were as cold as ice, freezing anyone caught in their stare.

"The Simon family must truly adore you, to let you remain this spoiled despite everything that’s happened. If you’d learned your lesson back then, you wouldn’t be here now, wasting such a precious invitation—or daring to face me head-on."

Bei Sangyun’s cold smile and steely gaze made Sophia flinched, though she lifted her chin defiantly.

"I’m not afraid of you. Maybe you tricked my brother and grandfather back then, but I won’t fall for it. You’re nothing more than an illegitimate daughter. If I told everyone here, you’d be left unwelcome."

"Go ahead," Bei Sangyun shrugged, unfazed. "Just be ready to deal with the consequences."

"Hah. And what exactly could you do to me?"

Bei Sangyun looked amused by the question. She took a step forward, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor, making Sophia hesitate.

Bei Sangyun moved in close, too close, and Sophia instinctively took a step back. Memories of how Bei Sangyun had used her fist to her and her brother five years ago were still fresh in her mind. Fearing that Bei Sangyun might turn violent again, Sophia reflexively closed her eyes, bracing herself.

Bei Sangyun stopped, her smile barely concealing the threat in her voice. "A reminder, Sophia: what happened to your brother could just as easily happen to you. And this time, there won’t be any pardon. I’ll have you locked up, and forget about finding a fiancé—you’ll be lucky to see daylight outside a cell. If you doubt me, ask your brother who put him there."

Sophia paled, unable to fully believe it. Was she saying that she was the one who put her brother in jail? Bei Sangyun was just a powerless illegitimate child. How could she be behind her brother’s imprisonment?

It must be a bluff.

Bei Sangyun’s voice was calm, almost sweet, yet every word cut like ice. She leaned closer, speaking softly into Sophia’s ear. "Didn’t you come here to find a groom? I don’t care what you’re here for—just stay out of my sight."

Sophia shuddered, biting her lip to hide her fear. "Y-you can’t touch me. I’m a S-Simon..."

"Yes. The same Simon family who’s clinging on by a thread. It would only take a flick of my finger to bring your whole family crumbling down."

Bei Sangyun smiled, her eyes narrowing to crescents. "Or do you still think I’m just playing around?"

Sophia could feel her body freezing, remembering all too well how ruthless Bei Sangyun could be. This woman wasn’t one to bluff. She could smile and still be capable of anything, even...killing someone.

Sophia shuddered. She wanted to retort, but fear held her in place, her body refusing to move.

Bei Sangyun noticed that her threats had taken effect. She stepped back. "Oh, one more thing—I don’t care who else you try to seduce tonight. But Fei Chuan is off-limits. If I even see you reach for so much as the hem of his clothes, I’ll have you locked up before you leave this hall."

With those words, Bei Sangyun turned and walked away.

When Bei Sangyun finally left, Sophia could breathe again. The suffocating intensity of Bei Sangyun’s gaze had been terrifying; it felt as though she’d been stared down by a predator, frozen in place.

"...She can’t really do that... There’s no way she has that kind of influence. She is nothing....." she muttered, trying to shake off the chill that lingered in her heart.

Sophia glanced toward Fei Chuan, who stood in the corner, refilling his drink. Then, she looked over at Bei Sangyun, who was momentarily caught up in conversation with a group who had just talked with the Gates family.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia forced herself to dismiss the unease that Bei Sangyun’s threat had stirred. There was no way Bei Sangyun could actually send her to prison, much less touch her. She was a Simon; Bei Sangyun was just a woman with a tainted background.

Pushing aside her hesitation, Sophia approached Fei Chuan- the target she had decided earlier on. As for Bei Sangyun’s threat, she would prove that the latter was just all talk.

Sophia smoothed her hair and flashed the smile that always won men over. "It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it, Mr. Fei?"

Fei Chuan, absorbed in his drink, looked up. His beautiful dark eyes which were slightly upturned at the corners met hers. It was no wonder people melted under that stare; he was both alluring and captivating.

Sophia caught her breath as she took in his face up close. He was very handsome from a distance, but up close, he was mesmerizing. Enough to make one lose track of their thoughts.

Blushing, she continued, "Ahm, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Sophia Simon. I came here with my brother. I heard that the invitation we received was from you." She offered her hand shyly.

Only now did she recall that the man who had visited the Lin family on behalf of the James family that night had been introduced as ’Fei Chuan’. She’d only just connected the name to him.

And yet...something about him still felt familiar, as if they’d crossed paths before.

Fei Chuan regarded her for a moment before taking another sip from his glass, ignoring her outstretched hand. "You came with your brother?"

"Yes. We’re both big admirers of yours."

Fei Chuan chuckled as though he’d heard something amusing.

Sophia’s gaze lingered on him, captivated by his dimples and how dazzling he looked when he laughed. She couldn’t tear her eyes away.

"I doubt that," Fei Chuan commented with a small laugh.

"But it’s true! I’ve wanted to speak to you since earlier, but you’re quite popular." Sophia played with her fingers, a little embarrassed that he hadn’t taken her hand.

She peeked at him, with her cheeks flushing, "But I understand why are you so popular."

Fei Chuan merely smiled, his gaze seemingly tracking someone across the room.

The background music shifted as the orchestra began a new song, drawing couples to the dance floor. The atmosphere became vibrant and lively.

Sophia lingered at Fei Chuan’s side, waiting for him to respond, but he hadn’t said anything since she introduced herself.

"Um, Mr. Fei...have we met before?" she asked, struggling to fill the silence. "I feel like we’ve crossed paths, but I can’t recall where."

Fei Chuan set down his drink, glancing briefly in her direction. "I see. So you don’t remember me."

Sophia blinked, taken aback. They really had met before?

"Could you remind me where we met? Was it a party? Or perhaps abroad?"

But Fei Chuan was still looking toward the dance floor, his eyes narrowing slightly, clearly uninterested in answering.

Sophia waited, hoping for a response, but he remained silent, his focus fixed elsewhere. She pouted. Talking to this handsome man was proving harder than she expected.

She followed his gaze and spotted something that made her heart sink.

There, in the center of the dance floor, was Bei Sangyun, dancing with none other than the renowned William James.

****

Meanwhile, back at Bei Sangyun’s hotel suite, Maid Ye Zhai was tidying up.

She had just finished transferring clothes from the luggage to the wardrobe when her eyes fell on the vases of flowers arranged around the living room.

This hotel certainly loved extravagance. Every vase was filled with exquisite, expensive flowers. But unlike other hotels, each vase here bore a small card.

At the entrance, she’d noticed one with a card that read, Welcome. Another vase displayed a different arrangement with a card that said, Wishing you a pleasant stay. Each vase had unique flowers, arrangements, and messages.

The sight suddenly reminded Maid Ye Zhai of the flowers that had been sent to their mansion recently. Each bouquet had been different, each arrangement distinct.

Could each bouquet have had its own hidden meaning?

Curious, Maid Ye Zhai decided to investigate. After finishing her tasks, she called the boutique responsible for arranging the hotel flowers and inquired about the arrangements she’d seen.

She described the first bouquet in detail, and the woman on the line responded with surprise.

"The sender did indeed have a message in mind with those flowers."

Maid Ye Zhai’s heart skipped a beat.

"What did it mean?"

There was a brief pause. Then came the reply:

"Vengeance."