“President Qiao and Mrs. Qiao truly are a match made in heaven. I’ve long heard Mrs. Qiao is breathtakingly beautiful, and now that I’ve seen her in person, the rumors don’t do her justice.” Someone came forward to greet them, though Nina Shaw didn’t recognize the person.

Their compliment was laced with insincerity. The whole city of Harbor City was still buzzing about how Xavier Quinn had spent a hundred million to buy a diamond—then given it to the famous jewelry designer Sheng Hanxia.

Speaking of Sheng Hanxia, apparently she was also at the banquet tonight.

Nina Shaw, as the official wife, seemed almost like a living joke—at least, behind closed doors, that’s what people were saying.

Nina Shaw’s sharp eyes quickly found Sheng Hanxia in the crowd. She arched an eyebrow and shot her a challenging little smile.

Leaning in close to Xavier Quinn, she whispered into his ear, “Look, your old flame is right over there. Aren’t you worried she’ll get jealous later?”

Xavier Quinn pinched her gently at the waist; Nina Shaw shot him a glare.

To outsiders, their little exchange looked like nothing more than flirtatious banter.

“If you ask me, President Qiao and Mrs. Qiao don’t seem so at odds as the rumors say. In fact, they look pretty close.”

“I thought so too. I even heard someone say President Qiao was together with his old college classmate.”

“With these wealthy families, who can ever really say what’s true?”

…

At a banquet like this, wherever there are people, there’s bound to be endless gossip.

Watching the couple putting on their loving act, Sheng Hanxia could feel a surge of resentment bubbling up inside her.

Arm in arm with Xavier Quinn, Nina Shaw walked over to greet her with easy familiarity.

“Miss Sheng, hello. I’m Nina Shaw, Xavier Quinn’s wife.” Nina Shaw’s smile was poised and gentle, her hand extended in a friendly gesture, her whole demeanor soft yet approachable.

Sheng Hanxia hadn’t expected her to stride over, arm-in-arm with Xavier Quinn, to greet her so directly.

She hesitated for a moment before reaching out for a handshake. “Hello, Mrs. Qiao.”

“No need to be so formal—you can just call me Nina Shaw. After all, you and Xavi Quinn were college classmates, right? His friends are my friends, too.”

Sheng Hanxia was surprised by this, unsure what exactly Nina Shaw was playing at.

She masked her confusion with a smile. “Mrs. Qiao, about what happened before, it was really just—”

“Oh I know it was all just a misunderstanding, Miss Sheng—no need to feel guilty. Xavi Quinn already explained everything to me, and I trust him.” Nina Shaw smiled serenely.

Everyone at the banquet was watching them—original wife and rumored love rival, face to face. It was a spectacle, but not the claws-out showdown people might have expected.

Sheng Hanxia was thrown off by Nina Shaw’s composure and generosity.

Xavier Quinn, expressionless, looked at her. “Miss Sheng, is my wife’s jewelry necklace finished yet?”

The room suddenly fell silent and all eyes turned their way. Whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Jewelry necklace? Wait, does that mean President Qiao bought that pink diamond for Mrs. Qiao?”

“That’s what it sounds like. Then why did people say he gave the diamond to her?”

With everyone gossiping at once, Sheng Hanxia’s expression flickered between embarrassment and humiliation.

She’d been at the charity auction too. The diamond had actually been purchased by Xavier Quinn’s assistant, who had to leave early and asked her to take it back to the company for him.

She’d just snapped a photo and posted it online—how could she have known people would twist the story, claiming Xavier Quinn bought the diamond for her?

She hadn’t clarified at the time, and when rumors exploded, she chose to stay quiet. After all, the speculation matched her secret hopes.

Later, Xavier Quinn tried to squash the gossip, posting online to deny the diamond was for her, but people found his explanation unconvincing.

She’d thought the whole business had blown over, but now it was all being dragged into the light again.

Sheng Hanxia felt an acute sense of humiliation. She forced a smile and turned to Nina Shaw. “It should be finished next week, Mrs. Qiao. Thank you for your patience.”

“No rush, I’m not in a hurry. It’s just that Xavi Quinn keeps saying he can’t wait to see me wearing that pink diamond.” Nina Shaw looked up at Xavier Quinn, batting her big eyes mischievously at him.

The crowd could barely keep up—they felt like they’d just been force-fed a mouthful of saccharine sweetness.

Xavier Quinn wrapped an arm around her waist, his gaze soft and full of affection.

Nina Shaw steadied herself, lowering her voice, “That’s enough. Stop looking at me like that.” If she hadn’t known they were just putting on a show, she might have fallen for it herself.

There couldn’t possibly be any real love between them.

Xavier Quinn’s arm tightened around her waist. “There are a lot of eyes on us. Behave yourself.”

Nina Shaw gave him an insincere smile.

Since so many people were watching, she might as well take the role all the way.

“Honey, let’s go dance,” she said sweetly, tossing a casual glance at Sheng Hanxia.

Xavier Quinn led her toward the dance floor, arm around her waist.

Behind them, Sheng Hanxia clenched her fists tight.

As they danced, Xavier Quinn’s hand rested against Nina Shaw’s bare back—her gown was backless, and the warmth of his palm made her whole body tense up.

She felt his fingertips lightly skim her back, and a sheen of sweat gathered in her palm.

“Focus,” Xavier Quinn murmured in her ear, his voice deep and low.

Nina Shaw glared up at him. “Can your hand behave, please? If you keep groping me, I’ll go home and chop it off!”

Oddly enough, even though her glare was fierce, Xavier Quinn found her especially cute—every move, every word.

He bent lower, his lips close to her ear. “Last time you said you’d chop off something else of mine. Tell me, aren’t you afraid of losing your happiness for the rest of your life?”

“You…” How shameless he was, saying something like that in public! But then again, that was exactly what she’d threatened last time.

The last time he’d been away for over three months on a business trip, and the moment he’d returned, he had insisted on fulfilling their ‘marital duties’—seven times in one night! Who could take that?

Not only that—he’d still had the energy to go to work the next morning.

She’d threatened that if there ever was a next time, she’d chop it right off.

But she had only blurted that out in the heat of the moment, never expecting to really do it.

A flush crept up Nina Shaw’s cheeks. For him to bring up that kind of talk at an event like this—it was honestly a bit mortifying.

“Is my wife feeling shy?” Xavier Quinn saw the blush on her face and couldn’t resist teasing.

She gave his hand a squeeze, not too gently. “Shut up!”

Xavier Quinn’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “Having a good time tonight?”

Nina Shaw shot him a sidelong look. “It’s... alright.”

Still, her mood had finally lifted. The past few days, Xavier Quinn had tried all sorts of ways to cheer her up—buying her clothes, bags, luxury goods—just to make her smile, though Nina Shaw had paid him no mind.

But watching Sheng Hanxia on the verge of flying into a jealous frenzy tonight—well, that had made her feel a whole lot better, at least the irritation was gone.