Tang Xintian ultimately chose a very elegant evening gown. It was silver-white, empire-waisted, off-the-shoulder but not backless, with a side slit above the knee, paired with a finely textured pure cashre shawl.
Han Lie, looking thoroughly unimpressed, escorted her to the venue, where Section Chief Tang underwent a sudden transformation.
Poised, elegant, and natural, she was more than capable of holding her own.
Gu Yong spotted Han Lie entering from afar and hurried over with his daughter to greet them. His rather pretty daughter was instantly and utterly outshone by Tang Xintian.
Tsk, tsk. Her fairly attractive appearance and deanor suffered brutally in comparison…
While Han Lie and Gu Yong exchanged pleasantries, the two young won naturally gravitated towards each other, each probing the other.
Gu Tian harbored a subtle but palpable hostility towards Tang Xintian. In their desultory chat, they covered everything from family background to academic qualifications.
"Hello there," Gu Tian began, her tone edged. "I'm Gu Tian. May I ask, what exactly is your relationship with Teacher Han?"
The question itself was rather impolite, not to ntion her subtly pointed deanor.
Tang Xintian smiled serenely. "A friend and business partner. I'm Tang Xintian, head of bank account managent for your company's Ming Capital project."
"Ah! My apologies..." Gu Tian's arrogance deflated sowhat. "So you are Section Chief Tang…"
But still wanting to outshine Tang Xintian, she played her first card: family background.
"Sister Tang, you're so young. May I ask who your esteed father is? Perhaps my father has had the honor of eting him."
"That's unlikely."
Tang Xintian chuckled softly and shook her head. Her glance at Gu Tian conveyed a clear first impression: Your father isn't worthy.
Then she added gently, "After graduating from my master's program at Harvard, I interned at PWC for a year and was then specially recruited by SPD Bank. My family didn't contribute much to that."
The condescending air diminished slightly, but its remnants lingered.
Gu Tian sensed it and feigned surprise. "Ah? So, Sister Tang, you're also an Ivy League graduate? I'm a sophomore in the Managent Departnt at Penn; that makes you my senior. What did you study?"
She was still trying to find a chink in Tang Xintian's armor, suspecting her master's degree might have been one of those less rigorous, "gilded" ones.
"Penn's managent program is quite strong; it could probably contend for third place nationally."
Tang Xintian smiled and raised her champagne glass. "I'm not an 'IVY' purist, so I'll acknowledge you as my junior. I also studied managent. We'll have opportunities to connect more."
The smile on Gu Tian's face froze; she felt as uncomfortable as if pricked by tiny needles.
In high-society gatherings, battles weren't fought with overt aggression; they all occurred beneath the surface.
Gu Tian had just boasted about her undergraduate program being ranked third in the nation, only to be thoroughly trounced by Tang Xintian's ntion of her genuinely top-ranked managent major from the nation's number one institution.
And her use of "IVY" was a point scored that outsiders wouldn't even comprehend.
Simply put, the Ivy League initially comprised only Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Princeton. The Roman nural for four is IV; add a "Y" suffix, and you get "IVY."
Consequently, a significant number of Harvard students only recognize "The Big Three"—Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, the titans of the Ivy League—perhaps including Columbia at most.
Therefore, they tended to look down on the schools that joined later, feeling they lowered the League's standards.
In the eyes of these original "IVY" proponents, even Columbia, the "least" of the original four, ranked above Penn, the "best" of the later additions. They were simply not in the sa league, which is why these purists disliked the common "Ivy League" designation used by outsiders.
Ivy this, League that?! We're Harvard! Don't try to claim so 'Ivy League' camaraderie with . Are you even worthy?
Such exchanges, utterly opaque to outsiders, were crystal clear to those involved.
Thoroughly bested in terms of appearance, bearing, and education, Gu Tian was in a foul mood.
She carefully observed Tang Xintian. Noticing the absence of any jewelry and that the gown wasn't from a major couture brand, she mustered her courage for another gambit.
"Senior Tang, landing such a huge case, your bonus must be quite substantial, right?"
Tang Xintian discerned Gu Tian's intention almost instantly. Instead of following her lead, she countered swiftly.
"That's a lovely tattoo, ΠΦΨ. Did you join a sorority at Penn? If I recall correctly, that particular one is a 'Social Frat,' isn't it?"
Gu Tian flinched and instinctively pulled at her dress, covering the tattoo she had inadvertently revealed.
Then, forcing a smile, she replied, "Yes, I joined so fun friends to experience their culture... Senior Tang, are you also a sorority mber?"
"Not quite. I received an invitation from an Honor Society. You know how it is; Honor Societies rarely have many activities."
Tang Xintian pursed her lips, a cool smile playing on them. She raised her glass again. "Yours sounds much more fun. Here's to your wild and free sorority culture."
Gu Tian's lips twitched into a dry, forced smile. She mumbled so agreent and then dared not utter another word.
Fuming yet cowed, she was an amusing sight.
Han Lie and Gu Yong had witnessed the entire exchange. They didn't understand it, but they were profoundly impressed.
Only when they separated temporarily, Gu Yong having gone to greet the next guest, did Han Lie find a chance to ask, "Sister Tangtang, what did you do to that girl?"
"Nothing much."
Tang Xintian maintained her demure smile and calmly explained, "She tried to use wealth to pressure , so I used wealth to pressure her right back."
Han Lie's eyes widened; he hadn't understood a single word.
Looks like I've been put in my place by her too... Tangtang at full power is truly different!
Tang Xintian genuinely wasn't trying to show off to Han Lie. For soone who hadn't been abroad or experienced that particular circle, not understanding was perfectly normal.
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