Five years later.

Barbara helped Shen Ling put on a light blue tulle dress and a silver belt. Shen Ling herself put on a diamond-encrusted hair band in front of the mirror, and walked out of the bedroom after feeling that there was nothing wrong.

Today is the first time she has participated in a dance held by the upper class. For this reason, she and Mrs. Browning have prepared for a long time and are ready to shine at the dance.

The ball was held by the Earl of Ashton, who lived hundreds of miles away. The manor he lived in was twice as large as that of the Browning family. So when Shen Ling got out of the carriage and entered the vast living room, he also Did not feel surprised.

It was approaching dusk, and candles were already lit in the living room. When Shen Ling entered the living room, the bright candlelight sprinkled her complexion with a faint brilliance. The pale blue rosy dress and the diamond headband on her head set it off. She is very bright.

Several male guests who chatted around the fireplace with the ladies frequently looked at her. Shen Ling had a faint smile on her face, and her manner was elegant and calm. Even if she knew that someone was watching her, her face was not shy or twitchy. , Does not look like a lady who has stepped into the social scene for the first time, but like a princess with a noble birth.

Mrs. Ashton stood up from a sofa, invited Mrs. Browning and Shen Ling to a sofa, and talked with them cordially.

When the dinner was held at seven o'clock, Shen Ling and Mrs. Browning were arranged to sit in the dining room with many ladies and ladies.

Sitting next to Shen Ling was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. She was wearing a white tulle dress with a very low neckline. She was a very beautiful noble lady.

This aristocratic lady was invited to dance four pairs of male and female dances at the beginning of the ball. Shen Ling was only after the male and female dances before a blond youth came to invite her to dance.

Shen Ling recognized him as William, the son of the Baroness Doberville, so he smiled and followed him to the dance floor. When they danced, they were not very familiar with each other, so they only talked briefly about the weather.

When the second dance melody sounded, Shen Ling was dancing with a tall young man. Although his facial features were not as refined as William, but his manner was very gentle and elegant. Through simple conversation, Shen Ling learned that he was a young son of the Viscount. His name is Edward.

Then he invited Shen Ling to perform two dances. When she returned to her seat, Mrs. Browning was talking with a lady. They were talking about the dance held by the Duchess in London last week, not so much. It is better to say a dance party than a salon, because most of the people attending the dance party are literary and political celebrities.

When Shen Ling heard the word Sharon, his heart moved slightly, but he quickly suppressed the thought that had come up.

Mrs. Browning saw her absent-mindedness, "My dear, how you look unhappy, you must know that it is extremely rude to have such an attitude at the prom." Mrs. Browning is a real lady, she Be very strict with himself and his daughter's behavior in public.

"Mom, I am not upset, but I am a little tired from dancing." Shen Ling said with a faint smile, sometimes, especially when she is in a bad mood, she will be very tired of the current aristocratic life, because It does not allow itself to be a little bit rude. Even if it is like she is not very happy now, she still has to have a faintly happy expression on her face. Otherwise, it would be rude to others.

Mrs. Browning took a close look at her. "But you just did a dance with William. Later when William invites you again, I will inform you that you'd better not refuse."

Shen Ling had long known that her mother, Mrs. Browning, had an agreement with the Baroness, and they were very willing to facilitate their marriage with William. Shen Ling didn't know what William thought. She had only met each other a few times, and the greetings in each meeting did not exceed five sentences. But she was somewhat resistant to this marriage.

This is probably a common problem of aristocratic girls who are her age. While enjoying delicious food and costumes, they also lose the freedom and right to choose marriage.

According to the facts that Shen Ling has heard and seen for so many years, the marriages of these nobles, free love is only a small part, and most of them are decided by their parents, marrying or marrying a noble girl or young man who is right.

However, Shen Ling felt that instead of letting Mrs. Browning take the charge, he might as well choose a young man who fits his own liking in the home of these right people, so that life after marriage would at least be happier.

After Shen Ling danced with William in accordance with Mrs. Browning's will, after a short break, he accepted another young man's invitation. Soon she learned that this young man was the youngest son of the family just like Edward. The reason they came into contact with Shen Ling was nothing more than her generous dowry.

These younger sons who cannot inherit the title of the family are more realistic in their marriage than the eldest son who inherited the title of the family. Their purpose in entering the social field is nothing more than to find a wife with a rich dowry.

Undoubtedly, Shen Ling, the only daughter in the family, is one of their goals.

Shen Ling was able to dance three dances with Edward because when she danced with him, she couldn't help but think of Zhou Kai from the last world. But this doesn't mean she doesn't know what idea they are making. So when the youth invited her to dance the next dance, Shen Ling refused without hesitation.

To ask her to choose these young people who want to live on his wife's dowry, she might as well choose William. At least he still has a title and a lot of properties, and will not use her dowry idea. Presumably this is one of the reasons why Mrs. Browning wanted to facilitate her marriage with William.

When the dance party lasted until two o'clock in the night, Shen Ling was really tired. From more than eight o'clock to the present, she danced for the first time for so long. Naturally, she couldn't compare with the others in the field. She stepped down from the dance floor, refused another invitation from her partner, and sat a little tired on the loveseat next to her.

Suddenly someone offered a glass of orange juice from the side. Shen Ling saw that it was William. She smiled and thanked her, before taking the glass of orange juice.

The two were silent for a long time before William asked her, "What are you reading recently?" He said this sentence in French, and his pronunciation was very standard.

Out of courtesy, Shen Ling also responded in French: "I was watching Virgil's work recently."

The two talked about Cicero from Virgil's "Padre". Shen Ling soon discovered that William read a lot of books, but his memory was not as good as his own. Shen Ling could easily recite "after taking the medicinal medicinal medicine. Psalm in the Pastoral.

At this time, people were tired from dancing and leaning on the sofa in twos and threes. William, who was talking with Shen Ling, quickly noticed this situation, and he asked Shen Ling to play a piece on the piano. Shen Ling quickly understood what he meant. She couldn't help feeling a bit of a surprise, but she quickly recalled that the purpose of letting himself play the piano may not be to fulfill his reputation as a talented girl, but to consider his vanity. After all, having a talented fiancee can easily arouse the envy of others.

No matter what he thinks, Shen Ling sat down in front of the piano. She played an English tune first. The tune was more cheerful and moving, which was suitable for the current atmosphere. After playing two such tunes, Shen Ling next played an Italian tune and sang while playing, which quickly attracted the attention of the audience.

After Shen Ling had finished playing the piano, someone asked her to play another song. Shen Ling smiled and refused. The beautiful girl sitting next to her was unwilling to take over and played a few songs at the piano. Although it was pleasantly sounding, it was a bit bleak compared to Shen Ling's previous performances.

Shen Ling didn't care about the thoughts of these noble ladies. Since he wanted to become a local talented girl, there will be many who will be jealous of her in the future. This episode is just a small thing.

After attending this dance, Shen Ling participated in several similar dances. Whether it was music or literature, she showed her good talents. Coupled with her outstanding appearance and rich possessions, all of this gave her a better reputation in the social field.

Gradually, besides William, two more admirers followed her. One of them was Edward, the youngest son of the Viscount, and the other was Captain Philip. Captain Philip could become an earl after his uncle died. It's just that the earl's title is empty, so Captain Philip wanted to find himself a wife with a rich dowry, so that he could live a life of lavishness in the future.

Shen Ling is not a real Englishman and has no interest in knighthood. In her opinion, the countess and the baroness are just a little different in terms of title. She particularly resents Captain Philip selling her future earldom. It seemed that she, like most women, wanted to be a countess very much, even if she would spend a lot of dowry.

Shen Ling felt that such behavior was very stupid. In order to avoid Captain Philip's entanglement, she sneaked into the garden on Lord He Wei's mansion.

Lanterns are lit everywhere in the garden, and all kinds of flowers can be seen in the garden under the light, including violets, roses, dianthus, pansies and various herbs.

While she was admiring these flowers, there was a sound of footsteps behind her, and Shen Ling thought it was Captain Philip who had followed and was about to slip away.

"Miss Browning," said the man behind, "what are you doing here alone?"

Shen Ling turned his head, and saw Mr. Malfoy leaning against a nearby cherry tree with his pocket in his pocket, with a charming smile on his face, "I bet you are not interested in Lord Hevey’s garden. Sneak out of the living room."

"Who knows, I'm studying gardening recently. Maybe I'm really interested in the flowers in front of me." Shen Ling shrugged slightly, with a faint smile on his face, "Then why would Mr. Malfoy be? Come here?"

Malfoy took the cigarette case from his pocket and drew a cigar out of it. "I think you don't mind?"

"No, I mind very much." Shen Ling shook his head, "If you smoke here, I think I can go."

Malfoy put the cigar back. "I thought Captain Philip was more unbearable than a cigar."

Shen Ling thought for a while, "To be honest, it's hard for me to tell whether it's the cigar smell or Captain Philip, which makes me intolerant."

"I think it must be the latter." Malfoy picked up a rose and handed it to Shen Ling. "I know too well what it's like to be entangled. It's as disgusting as being forced to swallow a fly."

Shen Ling glanced at the rose, and still took it.

Malfoy didn't know if he was frustrated in love. Seeing that she had accepted Rose, he sat down beside her and chatted with her a few irrelevant words. In order to kill time, Shen Ling took the initiative to bring up a topic that he was more interested in. The two spoke for almost half an hour before Malfoy bowed to her and walked away from her.

The fourth time Shen Ling saw Malfoy, it was at a dance in London. Mrs. Browning did not show up on the day because of her physical discomfort, and Shen Ling was able to shuttle freely among the young people.

Then after dancing with a young man, when Malfoy made an inviting gesture to her, Shen Ling smiled and agreed.

While dancing, Malfoy told the truth, "Miss Browning, your choice of partner is not as good as your mother's."

Shen Ling watched him without speaking with those **** eyes open.

Malfoy smiled, "I'm just kidding, but those young people who just danced with you, I bet, if you don't have the one hundred thousand pounds dowry, they will never invite you to dance, even if it's half a dance. ."

Shen Ling was a little silent. She herself didn't know the purpose of those young people's courtesy to her, but she still had hope in her heart, hoping to find someone who truly liked her.

Malfoy glanced at her and felt that what he had just said might have hurt the girl in front of him. He couldn't help but say, "If you feel sorry for this, I apologize to you."

"No need to apologize." Shen Ling lowered his head and said, "I also want to thank you for saying these things to me. Allow me to tell the truth. I am surprised that such words can come out of your mouth."

Malfoy smiled meaningfully, "Miss, although I am a playboy, it doesn't mean I can't tell the truth."

After that, the two of them didn't speak, and they separated after the dance silently.

The author has something to say: When the scum author first watched Harry, he didn't like Malfoy. Later, in the last one, he thought he was very poor. The reason for using this name is purely coincidental.

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