Chapter 040: The Guests in Attendance

Once they had walked some distance away, Xara glanced back every now and then. Seeing this, Seraphina asked, "What is it?"

Xara withdrew her gaze and scratched her head. "Seraphina, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like Tina is a bit off today."

She was more than just "off" today. Seraphina wasn't close to Tina Wu, so she hadn't paid much attention to her at the mall last time. Thinking back now, Tina was already off then.

"Are you very close to her?"

"Yeah, we were high school classmates, and we’re in the same circle, so we run into each other often. But we're not as close as you and I." Saying this, Xara gave two silly "hehe" chuckles.

Seraphina: "..."

So silly.

Still, it seemed Xara and Tina’s relationship wasn't extremely intimate. Seraphina felt slightly relieved.

"Forget her. Seraphina, do you know if Silas Sterling is coming today?"

Seraphina’s footsteps faltered slightly. "I don't know."

She had assumed that since Xara came with Xander, Xara would know. It turned out she didn't know either. Did this mean even Xander didn't know if Silas would show up? Or did it mean Silas simply hadn't returned to Sea City yet?

Suddenly, Seraphina felt a wave of disappointment spread from the depths of her heart.

Occasionally, Xara could be a bit careless, and since she was walking a few steps ahead of Seraphina at that moment, she didn't see the slight change in her expression. Thus, Xara had no idea how much her casual question had stirred Seraphina’s emotions.

"I thought you would know. On the way here, I tried to pry information out of my cousin, but he said he didn't know. I asked him if Silas was back from his business trip, and he said he didn't know that either... basically, he’s a total blank."

"Is that so."

Xara didn't notice the change in Seraphina's mood. "Oh well, forget it. JH Entertainment's headquarters is in Sea City anyway, so Silas will have to come back sooner or later. We’ll see him eventually."

When she said "see," she didn't mean Seraphina seeing Silas, but herself. Ever since learning Seraphina had feelings for Silas, Xara had been incredibly curious about him. She wanted to see with her own eyes what extraordinary qualities he possessed to capture the heart of Seraphina, who had never fallen for anyone before.

Everything she knew about Silas was from hearsay. Although those evaluations were very high, she needed to see him herself to feel at ease.

"Let's talk about something serious." She slowed down to wait for Seraphina to catch up. Seraphina motioned for her to go ahead.

"I finalized the date for the fashion show a couple of days ago. Just yesterday, that aunt of Julian Fang—your uncle's fiancée—also set the date for

her

fashion show. It turns out to be the exact same day as ours."

Seraphina raised a brow slightly. After Xara finalized the date and told her, Seraphina had made a few small moves to leak the information secretly. As expected, Sylvia Foster truly picked the same day. She wanted to use Xara as a stepping stone to climb up.

"That’s one thing, but I also heard she chose the same venue as us!" The more she spoke, the more indignant Xara became.

In truth, when she first learned Sylvia had chosen the same day and venue, Xara was furious. But remembering that Sylvia was Seraphina’s future aunt-in-law, she held back and didn't tell Seraphina immediately. She wanted to wait until her anger had subsided so she wouldn't affect Seraphina's mood.

"Seraphina, what do you think Julian’s aunt is planning? She couldn't possibly be trying to use me as a stepping stone to rise, right?"

This matter was her own doing, but Seraphina didn't intend to tell Xara. Some things were better left unknown to her. However, it had to be said that Xara’s intuition was quite accurate. Sylvia Foster was exactly trying to use her as a stepping stone.

Seraphina looked at her and smiled faintly. "Afraid she’ll overshadow you?"

Xara immediately retorted without thinking: "How is that possible!"

"In the past, I might have worried. I know my own level well enough, and Sylvia is somewhat famous in the fashion world—at least more than I am. But things are different now. Those design drafts you gave me—I dare say they are of master-level quality. Crushing Sylvia will be more than easy."

"I just feel uncomfortable in my heart. How can it be such a coincidence that her show is on the same day and at the same place? It’s just annoying!"

"Seraphina, I suspect your future aunt-in-law did this on purpose." Though she said "suspect," Xara was already certain in her heart. She was sure Sylvia did it intentionally.

Seraphina smiled. "Regardless of whether it’s intentional, won't having someone to compare with make the difference in quality even more obvious?"

Xara’s eyes rolled as she thought. It seemed that was indeed the case. Her heart suddenly felt much better. In any case, she was confident that those few works could completely crush Sylvia. Sylvia had a bit of fame in the fashion world while she was still a nobody; if Sylvia wanted to step on her to rise, why couldn't she step right back?

"Seraphina, I have an idea and I’d like your opinion."

"Go ahead."

"A classmate mentioned to me the other day that their company's design department is co-hosting a fashion design competition with relevant departments. I want to take one of those works you gave me to enter. I heard the whole selection process—preliminary, semi-finals, and finals—takes less than two weeks. That is to say, the results will be out before our fashion show."

Xara hadn't originally thought about entering a competition. She didn't want to before she had Seraphina's designs, and she hadn't thought about it after getting them either. She only wanted to focus on preparing the show. She wasn't lacking the money or connections to invite media and reporters for coverage. Well, she used to be short on cash, but after Seraphina’s investment, she wasn't anymore. She simply hadn't considered competing. It was only after learning Sylvia had picked the same time and place that the idea occurred to her.

That competition was said to carry a lot of weight. Moreover, she was confident that any one of the works Seraphina gave her could win. With a winning work and newfound fame, if Sylvia wanted to overshadow them... In two words: keep dreaming.

After hearing Xara out, Seraphina was slightly surprised. She had actually thought about this too. It was just that she wasn't as well-informed in this area as Xara. She had planned to look into such competitions but changed her mind, thinking that since the fashion show was only two weeks away, it would be too late even if there was a contest. She hadn't expected there truly was one.

"You make the call."

Seeing her agree, Xara was thrilled. "Seraphina, don't worry, I’ll definitely bring back first place for you!"

Seraphina smiled and said nothing.

The two headed to the teacher's office. Before coming to school, Seraphina had messaged their old homeroom teacher saying she was coming to visit. The teacher was still waiting in the office instead of heading to the auditorium. After a round of pleasantries, they headed to the auditorium together.

They found their guest seats and sat down. The guest seats were separate from the teachers and students, so they parted ways with the homeroom teacher.

Alumni of the same year were seated together, so Seraphina was flanked by Xara and Julian Fang. Her father, Sheldon Pierce, was sitting in the front row with her mother. Xenia wasn't from Sea City and hadn't attended First High; she had come along with Sheldon as a family member.

Seraphina saw them and nodded in greeting. Leo had gone to sit with his own class.

The opening ceremony of the anniversary began. The principal began to speak. At a time like this, whether students, teachers, or invited guests, everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived.

However, as Seraphina searched the guest seating area, she still didn't see that familiar figure. Her movements were noticed by Julian Fang beside her, who couldn't help but ask: "Seraphina, are you looking for someone?"