Inside the hall, everyone's gaze converged on Xu Ningxue's dress and as the faint humming sound of the hair dryer filled the air, their eyes widened and mouths gaped open, almost large enough to fit a duck egg.

As the rolling heat from the hairdryer passed over Xu Ningxue's dress, the wine stains gradually evaporated, revealing the pattern beneath.

First, a pair of blood-red claws were revealed, varying shades on them vividly clear. As the claws appeared, wisps of blood-red feathers emerged, followed by the wings, and then a demon beast head resembling a phoenix crown!

The entire pattern became clearer and clearer under the heat of the hairdryer, and the full design surfaced, resembling an ancient totem from China!

"Fire... Fire Phoenix!!!"

Disbelief filled everyone's eyes; many women covered their mouths tightly, gazing at the dazzling totem in a daze!

It indeed was a Fire Phoenix pattern, its entire body a bright red without any trace of other colors, and the phoenix's body contours were accentuated by variations in color depth, giving it a very three-dimensional appearance as if it were a real phoenix.

Besides, around the body of the phoenix, there were flames outlined by the wine stains, winding upward like real flames.

"Such a beautiful Fire Phoenix! It's much more beautiful than those made by special effects on TV!"

"Yes! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought it was printed! It's simply too beautiful!"

...

All the women in the hall chattered, looking at the Fire Phoenix pattern on Xu Ningxue's dress with envy and astonishment; the mere vivid colors of the Fire Phoenix were enough to captivate anyone's attention!

Not to mention here, even if it was presented at a fashion show, this kind of patterned dress would draw everyone's eyes!

Compared to the women, the men's eyes were bursting with fervent light.

Xu Ningxue herself had a transcendent charm, and now, dressed in the Fire Phoenix patterned dress, she was stunningly beautiful, almost blinding everyone's eyes!

At the moment, Xu Ningxue herself was touching the Fire Phoenix pattern on her dress, momentarily lost in thought; this was the first time she had witnessed such a gorgeous pattern, almost unable to believe it was sketched with wine stains.

"Ningxue, you look so beautiful in this dress! I really didn't expect, your boyfriend to have this skill!"

Han Miaomiao clicked her tongue in amazement, her face also filled with extreme envy; Xu Ningxue's beauty combined with the eye-catching Fire Phoenix pattern on the dress would surely outshine all the celebrity beauties!

Upon hearing this, a blissful blush emerged on Xu Ningxue's pretty face, followed by her hands sweetly clinging to Ye Feng's arms.

However, just then, those discordant voices rang out once again!

"Humph! It's just a chicken, what's so great about it! That dress is just cheap street stall goods, not even worth a hundred yuan, and even if it's painted with a golden chicken, it's useless!"

Among the crowd, the women who had previously spoken arrogantly about Xu Ningxue were now speaking in envious and jealous tones, their voices dripping with acidity.

"Exactly! What's the use of painting a chicken! It's still just a tattered dress, even a piece of cloth we tear off would be more expensive than that dress!"

"Humph! That's not a chicken, it looks more like a sparrow, a sparrow that will never fly onto a branch and become a phoenix!"

"Who said that! It's definitely a chicken, fitting perfectly on Xu Ningxue, perhaps she could consider changing careers to that! At least it's much better than being a tired little saleswoman!"

...

The jealousy of these women was exceptionally strong, especially after seeing Xu Ningxue's beauty enhanced by the Fire Phoenix pattern, they went crazy with envy, mocking bitterly.

Upon hearing this, Han Miaomiao's face turned cold, she pointed at those women and shouted harshly, "Chicken? I think you are the chickens! If any of you dares to babble nonsense again, I'll tear her mouth apart today!"

Han Miaomiao was furious, and at that moment, her outburst bore quite a feisty flavor.

"You..."

These women, scolded by Han Miaomiao, turned bursts of red and purple on their faces, but considering Han Miaomiao's status, they dared not retort.

At this moment in the hall, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward; the men were all ogling Xu Ningxue with fiery eyes, while the women, mixed with jealousy, did not dare trouble Xu Ningxue further due to Han Miaomiao's protection.

And in this awkward atmosphere, a man in his late twenties walked in from outside the hall.

"What's all this excitement? What is everyone gathering for?"

The man, dressed in a suit and polished shoes, with hair slicked back and a square face with big eyes, appeared quite handsome—a typical successful businessman.

At that moment, his expression shifted to slight confusion upon seeing everyone in the hall, then his gaze swiftly scanned the hall, and when it fell on Xu Ningxue, his eyes brightened, and a trace of fervency emerged.

"So Ningxue is here too! It's been over a year since we last met, hasn't it!"

As he spoke, the man quickly walked towards Xu Ningxue, his face alight with a dazzling smile, his words eager.

Especially when he saw Xu Ningxue's pretty face, framed by the Fire Phoenix pattern on her dress, his eyes sparkled with intense greed.

Xu Ningxue, upon seeing this man, looked slightly displeased and just nodded faintly.

"Eh? Who is this?" the man said as he approached Xu Ningxue and noticed her holding hands with Ye Feng. He paused briefly, then frowned.

"This gentleman is Ningxue's boyfriend!"

Before Xu Ningxue could reply, Yan Li, carrying two glasses of red wine, came over and handed one to the man, her eyes playfully mocking as she spoke.

"Boyfriend?" Upon hearing this, the man's expression darkened, then he looked at Xu Ningxue and asked, "Ningxue, when did you get a boyfriend, and why didn't any of us know?"

The man knew Xu Ningxue's background well, aware that she had no boyfriend. So how could this shabbily dressed guy suddenly appear as Xu Ningxue's boyfriend?

At the man's words, Yan Li's pretty face immediately turned sour, and she wrapped her arms around the man's arm, coquettishly saying:

"Honey, you haven't seen Ningxue for almost two years, how would you know if she had a boyfriend or not!"

Yan Li's tone was like whining, but it was actually a question. The man, realizing his slip of the tongue, became somewhat embarrassed.

"This is my boyfriend, Ye Feng!" Xu Ningxue then lovingly said while holding onto Ye Feng's arm, then turned to Ye Feng and said:

"This is our class monitor from school, now the CEO of Changhong Group, Ling Changhong!"

Seeing this, Ye Feng smiled slightly and then reached out his hand, saying to Ling Changhong, "Hello! My name is Ye Feng!"

"Ling Changhong!" Ling Changhong did not reach out to shake Ye Feng's hand, but glanced at him with a look full of disgust:

"Where are you working now? How long have you and Ningxue been together?"

Ling Changhong wanted to probe a little about Ye Feng's background, more importantly, to figure out where this guy had appeared from, as he had no intelligence on this person.

Although that was the case, his tone was full of dominance, conveying a sense of superiority.

Ye Feng had noticed this, but he didn't mind. After thinking for a moment, he then said, "I am now a driver at Zhen Country Group, and Ningxue and I, um, have been living together for about five or six years!"

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