Fan Ning’er hesitated, wanting to speak, but ultimately she didn’t call out to stop her.
On the other side, Bai Jinghong and Shen Yaoyao had already found a spot to sit down.
He had no interest in chattering and listening to others’ flattery.
Bai Jinghong’s gaze swept around, noting that the person he wanted to meet hadn’t appeared yet.
He was here with a purpose.
Knowing the plot, he understood that today’s birthday banquet would feature an unremarkable, hidden heavyweight.
Yuan Daoqi!
An educator deeply versed in philosophy, but whose true passion was all kinds of musical instruments.
And that was just the surface. Behind the scenes, he was the power broker of the Imperial Capital’s Yuan Family.
The Yuan Family’s status in the Imperial Capital was equivalent to a top-tier family.
The reason he had been able to befriend Chen Lin was mainly because Chen Lin’s knowledge and broad-mindedness impressed him.
Most crucially, Chen Lin could make Yuan Daoqi admit defeat in various fields, making Yuan Daoqi feel he had met a kindred spirit.
The two hit it off and became Cross-Generational Friends.
It was this very figure who provided War God Chen Lin with immense help.
But—since he was here now, did Chen Lin want to befriend this man? He could eat crap for all Bai Jinghong cared.
While Bai Jinghong was still looking around, a graceful figure suddenly appeared before him. It was Zhang Xiaoya.
“Young Master Bai, you came!” Zhang Xiaoya’s eyes were alluring, a charming smile on her face.
She very naturally sat down in the seat next to Bai Jinghong.
“Isn’t this Xiaoya?” Bai Jinghong curled his lip. “Is something the matter?”
“Oh, what are you saying? Can’t I come say hello without a reason? We’re friends, after all!”
Zhang Xiaoya was very skilled at closing the distance between people.
Besides helping Fan Ning’er whisper things into Bai Jinghong’s ear back then, their relationship was practically nonexistent.
At best, she was someone who had played Bai Jinghong’s instrument.
“You’ve said hello. Off you go now,” Bai Jinghong’s voice was very indifferent.
This actually left Zhang Xiaoya at a loss for words.
She adjusted herself, put on a smile again, and whispered in Bai Jinghong’s ear:
“Young Master Bai, Ning’er has actually been waiting for you over there. She spent a very long time dressing up today just to see you.”
“Shall we go sit over there?”
Saying this, she pointed towards the graceful Fan Ning’er in the distance.
Bai Jinghong also looked over: “Mm, she is quite pretty, radiant and alluring, especially those long legs!”
“Yes, Young Master Bai, so…”
“What a pity those legs aren’t used for pedaling a tricycle.”
“Huh?” Zhang Xiaoya was stunned again.
“Anything else?” Bai Jinghong asked again.
Zhang Xiaoya’s mouth twitched, and she shook her head with an awkward smile.
She could only bid farewell to Bai Jinghong for the time being.
She hadn’t expected that once Bai Jinghong’s heart changed, he would be so ruthless and disown the past.
After Zhang Xiaoya left, Bai Jinghong patted Shen Yaoyao’s delicate hand: “Yao Yao, I’m going to go visit someone. Wait for me here.”
Shen Yaoyao was startled and blurted out: “Didn’t you just act uninterested?”
“What do you mean uninterested? You sit tight first, I’ll be right back.”
“Hey…” Shen Yaoyao raised her hand and grabbed Bai Jinghong’s sleeve. “I can just wander around a bit, right? Sitting here with so many people staring is a bit embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing?” Bai Jinghong scanned the area; indeed, half the gazes were on Shen Yaoyao.
He couldn’t help but laugh: “If you want to walk around, go ahead, but don’t feel embarrassed. Just ignore them.”
“If you still feel embarrassed, I’ll give you a question to ponder slowly. That way you won’t pay attention to others!”
“What question?” Shen Yaoyao was somewhat curious.
Bai Jinghong thought for a moment and blurted out: “A rooster can mate 20 to 80 times a day, meaning it can mate with 20 to 80 hens a day!”
“So, from a philosophical perspective, does the hen consider the rooster a duck? [T/N: In Chinese slang, ‘duck’ refers to a male gigolo/prostitute.]”
“Think about it carefully and give me an answer later!”
After saying this, Bai Jinghong headed off to one side.
Leaving behind a dumbfounded Shen Yaoyao: “A… duck!”
When Bai Jinghong got up and left, Fan Ning’er naturally noticed.
She was currently putting on an aloof appearance.
Zhang Xiaoya was walking back towards her, and Bai Jinghong had also gotten up and was heading in this direction.
It seemed Zhang Xiaoya had indeed persuaded him.
After the way Bai Jinghong treated her before, she had to elevate her stance now.
She had to make Bai Jinghong understand that she was the woman he couldn’t afford to miss!
If he missed out on her, he would regret it for life!
Some onlookers around them also took in this scene.
Low murmurs began to spread.
“Young Master Bai is going to see Miss Fan. Looks like they’ve made up!”
“Look at Miss Fan’s confident demeanor. Young Master Bai is probably falling back into his old ways.”
Fan Ning’er heard these whispers, her heart swelling with pride.
She was stunning everyone today. How could Bai Jinghong resist?
When Bai Jinghong came up to speak to her later, she had to keep him hanging for a bit, make him realize he shouldn’t have treated her that way.
But the next second, Fan Ning’er was dumbfounded.
Because Bai Jinghong turned and walked in a different direction.
Didn’t he know she was here?
Just then, Zhang Xiaoya arrived nearby, a helpless look on her face.
“Xiaoya, why did Jinghong walk away?” Fan Ning’er asked hurriedly.
“Walk away? Ning’er, what are you talking about? He never intended to come this way at all!”
Zhang Xiaoya was full of frustration: “At this point, you should go to him yourself. If you keep putting on airs, there really won’t be any hope.”
“Impossible! How could he not be coming to find me?”
Fan Ning’er watched in disbelief.
In reality, Bai Jinghong had no time to pay her any attention. The person he wanted to find was the newly arrived Dragon Sea “Xiao Family.”
Because Yuan Daoqi had come to the party with members of the Xiao Family.
“Uncle Xiao, you’re here too. Long time no see. How have you been lately?”
Bai Jinghong saw Xiao Yi and his son Xiao Tianquan in this area, so he pretended to pass by and greeted them.
At that moment, Xiao Yi was talking to a man in his sixties and suddenly heard the greeting.
He turned his head and smiled: “Ah, it’s Jinghong. Yes, everything’s been fine!”
“Young Master Bai!” Xiao Tianquan also quickly greeted Bai Jinghong.
This guy was also a member of the Autumn Club.
Today, he was mainly dragged along by his father and only just noticed Bai Jinghong was here.
Bai Jinghong’s gaze also fell on the sixty-something man.
Although he was dressed very ordinarily and had an average appearance, the aura he carried felt extraordinary.
This was Yuan Daoqi.
“Uncle Xiao, chatting with a friend? This gentleman is…?”
Bai Jinghong pretended not to know and inquired.
“Oh, this is a good friend of mine. He just came along to take a look today!”
Xiao Yi certainly wouldn’t casually reveal his identity. Today was indeed just a stop-by.
“Hello, I’m Bai Jinghong, a junior,” Bai Jinghong proactively extended his hand, a smile on his face.
Many people only knew Bai Jinghong by name, not in person.
Yuan Daoqi was naturally one of them.
He had long heard of Bai Jinghong’s reputation, mainly because his father, Bai Zhennan, was incredibly famous.
As the power broker of a top family in the Imperial Capital, how could he not have heard of Bai Zhennan, the Number One Prodigal of the Yangtze River Delta?
Of course, that was a thing of the past. Now, his son seemed to surpass even that.
As the saying goes, you don’t hit a smiling face. Even if he didn’t think highly of Bai Jinghong, Yuan Daoqi still extended his hand and shook it.
