Chapter 1631: The Strange Lady

Qiaozhi walked over with a glass of red wine, his demeanor elegant.

This beautiful and moving lady was all alone at this moment; her appearance was extremely striking, attracting the gazes of many men.

Yet they all avoided her as if dodging a disaster; as the ball had progressed until now, only a few sisters had greeted her, and no one had invited her to dance.

If no one is invited at a ball, it is a ridiculous thing.

However, she seemed to have already grown accustomed to it.

When gazes were cast her way, she would smile at others while drinking her wine in solitude.

But her smile was mixed with a touch of helplessness and bitterness; she sipped the red wine, set down the glass, and prepared to leave early.

Yet at this very moment, the red wine glass swayed gently, flashing with an alluring luster under the candlelight.

Like a star falling from the firmament, it landed before her eyes.

Masha's eyes flickered slightly, and she looked over following the red wine glass.

Her pupils dilated slightly; she saw a man with a tall, upright figure, his manners elegant, yet his brow revealing a firm and mighty expression.

Qiaozhi smiled and said, "Miss, hello, may I ask if I may invite you to dance the first dance of the evening?"

Masha was slightly stunned, even feeling somewhat incredulous.

His refined and easygoing actions, combined with that unique temperament seemingly forged on the battlefield, were extremely charming; Masha had reason to believe that none of the daughters of the nobles and wealthy men present today would refuse his invitation.

If the other party hadn't extended the invitation, Masha wouldn't even have dared to believe it.

Masha had no reason to refuse, but she said apologetically, "Sorry, I was preparing to leave."

At this answer, Qiaozhi revealed a trace of disappointment, but his smile did not diminish: "That is truly a pity, beautiful lady, may I ask if you could tell me your name?"

"I would like to know the name of the goddess I missed out on tonight."

"Masha," Masha smiled.

Qiaozhi murmured, "Masha..."

"Thank you," Qiaozhi said, leaving with a smile.

Masha lowered her eyes slightly and left apologetically.

Qiaozhi watched Masha's departing back, a trace of regret flashing through his heart, but that was all.

Masha left alone; when she reached the door, her heart stirred, and she looked back, but she did not see the handsome figure who had invited her, and she felt slightly dejected.

Yet she turned and left.

"Gelin, I may have wronged you."

Seeing Qiaozhi get rejected, his good brother Gelin felt a surge of satisfaction in his heart.

"It's nothing, brother."

"They are just women; they only affect our mood," Gelin comforted him, though he was secretly very pleased to see Qiaozhi rejected.

Seeing that the other party was on the same level as him, Gelin felt relieved; at least he wasn't the only one who had been rejected.

Qiaozhi sighed: "You are right, they do indeed affect our mood sometimes."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a beautiful and moving girl walked over and took the initiative to say, "Hello."

Seeing the girl's appearance, Gelin's eyes went straight, and he hurriedly said, "Hello."

The girl fidgeted a few times and said quite shyly, "I would like to learn about the stories of the war hero; could you tell them to me?"

Hearing the words "war hero," Gelin felt a surge of heat in his heart, his excitement evident on his face, and he pointed to himself: "Qiaozhi, did you hear that? There is a girl who wants to learn about my deeds as a war hero."

Qiaozhi gave an "oh" and ignored him further.

Gelin said to the girl with an excited face: "Beautiful lady, whatever you want to know, I can tell you."

The girl looked at Gelin with disgust and said coldly:

"Sorry, I am not looking for you."

"It is Lord Qiaozhi."

The smile on Gelin's face stiffened instantly, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

This was even more painful than watching his good brother find a desirable companion!

Gelin looked at Qiaozhi angrily; that detestable Qiaozhi had stolen his spotlight!

Seeing the change in Gelin's expression, Qiaozhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Qiaozhi, she came looking for you!" Gelin turned his head abruptly and ordered three whiskeys!

He borrowed the alcohol to dispel the lingering resentment in his heart.

Qiaozhi chuckled, looked at the incomparably moving girl, and thinking of Masha, he revealed an apologetic smile: "Sorry, I already have a suitable dance partner for tonight; please allow me to decline."

"A lady as beautiful as you should look for a dance partner more excellent than me."

Hearing the refusal, the girl said sorry and left dejectedly.

Count William watched all of this.

He walked over, looking at Qiaozhi, who had just finished refusing the girl's invitation, and Gelin, who was still drinking his sorrows away on the side.

"Oh, so our war hero is so popular with the girls."

Qiaozhi looked at the person who had arrived, Count William, the host of this ball, and smiled: "If I were popular with the girls, I wouldn't have been rejected by someone else."

William laughed; he knew Masha, who had rejected Qiaozhi, and said, "You are talking about Masha, aren't you?"

Qiaozhi nodded.

Count William sighed and said: "Masha is a good woman, but I advise you to stay away from her."

"Why?" Qiaozhi frowned slightly.

"She is a woman who carries misfortune; she had a husband and even two children, but not long after they were married, her husband was taken by illness."

"Qiaozhi, there are many beautiful girls, but you shouldn't think about a woman like Masha who carries misfortune."

"Furthermore, she is currently facing many troubles. Her husband was once a very famous Plantation Owner in Fojilisi, but after he died, she, as a woman, is destined to be unable to keep the plantation and wealth he left behind; those wolves coveting this property will tear her to shreds."

William instructed, "If you don't want to invite misfortune and disaster, listen to me and stop thinking about her."

Qiaozhi did not answer, not knowing what was on his mind.

After a long while, he looked at Count William and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder."

Count William glanced at Qiaozhi, his gaze extremely complex, and finally sighed, "May you be fortunate enough to save yourself."

Qiaozhi nodded.

After saying this, Count William looked at the dejected Gelin and smiled lightly, "Has our war hero started drinking because of a failure with a woman?"

Gelin turned his head to look at Count William and said earnestly, "Failure is only temporary; I am a warrior and will not shrink back."

Hearing these words, Count William nodded.

He beckoned, and the sound of *da-da-da* reached Gelin's ears.

Gelin looked over and saw a woman wearing a fiery red formal dress walking over in beautiful high heels.

Arriving beside Count William, Gelin looked closely and saw that the gown wrapped around her body, yet at the same time, its lines outlined a figure of extreme aesthetic beauty.

Although slender, it was a beauty possessed of great strength.

She glanced at Gelin, her calm gaze seemingly able to see right through him; Gelin was startled, and half his drunkenness faded away.