At the end of November, the officialdom in the provincial capital ushered in a new leader.
With the escape and arrest of the former leader, there was a huge shock in the officialdom.
Xia Rou never cared about these things in her previous life, and it is no different in this life. The officialdom in the provincial capital went up and down during that time, and people fell from their horses from time to time, which can be called a shock. She just glanced at the news and switched channels without interest.
During that time, the social circle in the provincial capital was very quiet, and there were hardly any big gatherings. It wasn't until March of the following year, when the dust settled, that the new leader's house held a banquet for the first time.
Xia Rou has a new dress again. Cao An also took her to a jewelry store.
For a girl of her age, jewelry that is too cumbersome is not only old-fashioned but also tacky. Simple is best.
In the end, I bought a three-layer pearl bracelet. A touch of luster, elegant and pleasant, very suitable for her temperament.
Cao An also wants to buy a few more items, as there will be more occasions in the future.
Xia Rou declined. She remembered that her mother's jewelry box was still in the safe deposit box at the bank.
Cao Xiong had bought many jewels for Cheng Wan, some were very expensive, some were just because she liked them. Cheng Wan also likes simple and plain jewelry. And she doesn't have such a grand occasion to attend, and her jewelry won't be so cumbersome.
For Xia Rou, there are a lot of things that can be used.
Although he said so, Cao An bought her another pearl hairpin, which matched the bracelet just right.
"The Wang family has just arrived, and this is the first time they have hosted a banquet. Everyone has to be serious and give their family some face," Cao An said.
Wang is really a very popular surname. In the elite circles in the provincial capital, there are several families surnamed Wang.
So when Cao An said that, Xia Rou didn't realize that this Wang family was that Wang family.
It wasn't until she saw Cao Yang and Wang Manyan laughing at Yan Yan and toasting each other in the banquet hall of Wang's family, like a pair of lovers, that she realized that they had already known each other at this time.
Wang Man, her... ex-sister-in-law.
"What are you looking at?" Cao An brought her a non-alcoholic drink.
Turning her head to follow her gaze: "Yo! All right, my brother! Hey, it's my big brother!"
He giggled.
"That's...?" Xia Rou asked knowingly.
"Wang Man. The daughter of the new Governor Wang's family." Cao An gloated, "In the past, the Zhao family had no daughters, and our family had no girls. Sun Miaolan from the Sun family always claimed to be the number one lady in the province. I can't laugh now. Come out."
He gossips: "This new master is amazing. She has a master's degree from an Ivy League school and only returned to China last year. I have met her twice when I was abroad. The circle of Chinese people is small, and they gather together in a bunch abroad. She has always been They are all quite famous, and many people chase after them. No one looks down on them, they are proud."
Of course Xia Rou knows Wang Man's pride.
She also knew that Wang Man had the capital to be proud.
She has a proud background, and she is so outstanding, no matter how proud she is, it is taken for granted in the eyes of others.
But this proud woman, no one looked down on her, and finally she fell in love with Cao Yang.
That's because, big brother, he is such an excellent man!
Xia Rou suddenly became proud for no reason.
Cao Yang led Wang Man over and introduced them to each other.
"Cao An, my fourth brother." He said.
"I've seen it before, abroad." Wang Man smiled, and turned his gaze to Xia Rou, "This one?"
"Xia Rou," Cao Yang habitually stretched out his hand to rub Xia Rou's head, but seeing that her hair was twisted, he patted her lightly, "Our girl."
Our girl.
The introduction is really subtle and vague.
But to that girl, there is a very natural intimacy.
It seems that the rumors are true, Wang Man thought. The Cao family has an illegitimate daughter, which has been admitted by Cao Xiong. It appears to be this girl.
She smiled and said to Xia Rou: "Hi Xia Rou, I'm Wang Man."
In the previous life, when Xia Rou first met her, she was already Cao Yang's public girlfriend.
But also from the very beginning, her attitude towards her was not affectionate. At most, that is polite.
Politely, with a bit of casualness.
Xia Rou even remembered that later she became her sister-in-law, and when she hadn't left the Cao's mansion, she always looked at her with a cool look.
That coolness was the real reason why she decided to move out of Cao's house.
She thought, big brother... must also understand. Although he tried his best to dissuade her, none of them broke the matter.
At this time, Wang Man's attitude towards her can be described as gentle and friendly, which made Xia Rou flattered and surprised.
But she soon figured it out.
Because Wang Man smiled to Cao Yang: "Your sister is so cute."
That's right, like everyone else, she thought she was Cao Xiong's illegitimate daughter and Cao Yang's biological sister.
In the previous life, when Wang Man knew her, she knew that she was just the child of Cao Xiong's deceased lover, and she was living in Cao's house. There is no blood relationship with Cao Yang.
Wang Man exchanged a few words with them, said "excuse me", and went elsewhere. She is the host, and there are many guests who need her to entertain.
But Xia Rou could also tell that it was obvious that Cao Yang and Wang Man had just met for the first time. There are still some social gestures between the two of them.
It is always pleasant to have one's own child praised, even if the compliment is purely social.
What's more, Cao Yang didn't think Wang Man was just a compliment.
When she came out of the house, Xia Rou was wearing a coat. Now that the coat was taken off, I saw that the little dress was soft and light pink blue. She wears a pearl bracelet with a faint luster on her hand, and a pearl hairpin of the same color is pinned to her bud-like bun.
Cao An is a good designer, he discarded primary color pearls and pink girlish pearls, and chose light gray pearls for Xia Rou.
Viewed alone, it is slightly duller than pearls of other shades.
But when paired with the light and tender girlish color on Xia Rou, the style is elegant.
Compared to last year, Xia Rou has grown a little taller, her height is close to Cao Yang's chin.
It is no different from the height of most adult women.
Her long hair was coiled fluffy behind her head, and a few strands of curly hair hung down casually around her ears. The luster of pearls makes the skin radiant and radiant. The tight waistline of the dress and the let go of the skirt make it look like a slender waist.
Cao Yang's gaze stayed on her for a while.
It was found that her eyelashes were drooping and she was in a daze.
Sometimes this girl will be like this, and suddenly she will become dazed.
This is a bad bug.
"Xiaorou!" Cao Yang called her, "What are you thinking?"
"Ah? Oh..." Xia Rou came back to her senses, paused, and said, "Sister Wang Man read Ivy League... really amazing."
Cao Yang agreed: "Well, she is excellent." The appreciation was beyond words.
Xia Rou just glanced at him.
Under the crystal chandelier, he was wearing a suit, which looked as good as a military uniform. A straight nose, thin lips.
The corners of the brows and eyes are the confidence of a man.
Xia Rou couldn't help looking for Wang Man again, and she could still be easily found in the shadow of her clothes.
She talks and laughs and responds freely.
The confidence between the brows echoes Cao Yang.
She studied abroad at an Ivy League school with a master's degree. It has nothing to do with her last name or her origin. Completely, it is her personal excellence.
She is excellent in her own right, but also has a proud family background, coupled with her fresh beauty... In this occasion where the lights are intertwined, Wang Man not only dominates the crowd, even many men are not as dazzling as her.
Cao Yang also followed Xia Rou's gaze to see Wang Man.
When Xia Rou noticed, he had been looking at her for a while. In the eyes, there is no doubt of appreciation.
She couldn't help but sighed slightly from the bottom of her heart.
"Did the kid surnamed Hu call you?" Cao An touched her.
Xia Rou looked in the direction of his raised chin, and sure enough, Hu Xuan was waving at her.
"Go." Cao Yang nodded and said, "Hu Xuan is familiar with those people, let him introduce you."
On this occasion, people have their own social circles according to their age and status.
For example, Cao Xiong, after the first appearance, went to another hall with Governor Wang and other people of similar age and status.
Brothers like Cao Yang and Cao Bin socialized with the young and strong faction after meeting the elders.
And the half-grown children brought by their parents to show their faces also have their own circles.
Xia Rou walked to Hu Xuan's side.
"I called you several times, but you didn't hear it." Hu Xuan complained.
He and she are quite familiar now. Ever since he was taught a lesson by Cao Yang, he also knew in his heart that girls from the Cao family can't be touched casually.
The boy changed suddenly, from a pervert to a courteous flower protector. At school, she took care of Xia Rou with all her heart.
Xia Rou knew that he was not a good person in nature, but she also knew that under Cao Yang's protection, Hu Xuan could only pretend to be a good person in front of her.
She is no longer afraid of him.
Hu Xuan brought her into his circle and introduced her to the people in that circle.
Four of them are Xiarou's classmates in Nanhua, and one is still in the same class. Some of the other people were seen at the Cao family's banquet, and most of them were never seen.
Xia Rou greeted them politely.
She bears the name of the Cao family. Although these people are young, they are all cultivated and nurtured since childhood. They know who can be offended and who cannot be offended. It's fine with her.
Everyone chatted and laughed, a group of half-grown children couldn't talk about anything serious, they just chatted about eating, drinking and having fun, and then complained about homework and teachers in school.
When others passed the words over, Xia Rou also added a sentence or two, without being cold. Overall, the feeling is still quiet and gentle.
But she is a girl, and she is still a beautiful girl, this kind of evaluation is not bad.
After chatting for a while, the atmosphere became heated, and even if they met for the first time, they seemed to be familiar with each other.
A female classmate of Xia Rou casually asked: "You have been back to Cao's house for so long, when did you change your surname back to Cao?"
The group of people suddenly fell silent and looked at Xia Rou.
In this class, even half-grown children are divided into factions.
Xia Rou felt that thanks to her rebirth, she let go of those obsessions. If it was in her previous life, and she really entered this circle at this age, such a seemingly casual but malicious word would be enough to crush her.
Fortunately, the current Xia Rou doesn't care anymore.
She put down the cup, looked into the girl's eyes, and saw that she looked away guiltily, then nodded and said, "My biological father's surname is Xia. Although Uncle Cao took me in Cao's house, I am very grateful to him, but, no It is necessary to change the surname."
When everyone heard the words, their expressions were different.