Fan Qing discovered that Hua Er was unexpectedly quite useful.
Useful in many senses of the word.
For example, like right now.
Fan Qing turned around and casually shoved Hua Er in front of him to block the approaching person.
Hua Er, though only twenty, had broad shoulders where they should be broad and muscles where they should be—so he completely and solidly blocked Miss Yuan from view.
Fan Qing felt deeply gratified.
It looked like their company’s physical management of its artists was quite solid.
Sure enough, this was something that had to be strictly enforced.
See? It was already coming in handy.
He imagined things beautifully.
Reality, however—
Miss Yuan looked at him, then at Hua Er, whom he had pushed forward.
The next second, her face cracked as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split apart.
Fan Qing could not quite explain why he was able to understand that expression on Miss Yuan’s face so clearly.
But if he had a choice, he really would rather not understand it.
Also—why exactly had she cracked like that?
Miss Yuan was stunned.
Who was this young boy standing in front of her?
Who?
What about the Nie Luo × Fan Qing pairing she shipped?
Where was the huge, dazzling Nie Luo she had been shipping?
Miss Yuan was shocked. Hua Er was equally shocked.
President Fan?
Had he just been used as a human shield?
No, no—that was not the key point.
The key point seemed to be that President Fan appeared to be somewhat afraid of this lady?
Why?
He had thought Fan Qing feared no one.
Could this be the undercurrents of high society?
Hua Er could not help wondering.
…Although neither of these two people knew what the other was thinking, one thing was obvious.
Both of them needed to stop overthinking.
Fan Qing stood to the side, observing their expressions, and thought blankly.
Miss Yuan, her emotions complicated, was the first to recover.
She glanced at Hua Er’s youthful face, then recalled what Nie Luo looked like.
Whew—
Suddenly, she felt reassured.
Although this one was also at the level of a handsome young man, one look was enough to tell he was far inferior to Nie Luo!
She refused to believe that Manager Fan would abandon Nie Luo and choose such a green little puppy instead.
With that thought, Miss Yuan immediately resumed her elegant, ladylike demeanor.
She cleared her throat lightly, a perfectly measured smile on her face.
“I was a little too excited just now. It has been a long time since I last saw Manager Fan—oh, no, that is not right. I should be calling you President Fan now.”
President Fan!
That made him even more compatible with Nie Luo!
Waaah!
Miss Yuan’s imagination ran wild, but the smile on her face grew even more refined.
“I did not even have the chance to congratulate you. I always thought that if President Fan remained only a small-time manager, it would truly be a waste of talent.”
The best position, of course, would be—
Nie Luo’s husband.
Absolutely not the top in the relationship, though. She would reverse the pairing if that happened.
Even though Fan Qing looked incredibly dominant, that was absolutely not acceptable!
Fan Qing: …He felt like he understood.
But he did not really want to.
“Miss Yuan flatters me. Being able to reach this position also owes something to Miss Yuan’s support.”
“You are the one joking, President Fan. If not for you at this banquet, I would have made a fool of myself.”
“Not at all.”
“Truly.”
The two of them exchanged polite words back and forth for a while, then met each other’s eyes.
Fan Qing spread his hands helplessly.
“Do we not look like we are engaged in mutual commercial flattery?”
Miss Yuan laughed brightly.
“There is a bit of that, yes.”
A bit?
It was very much that, Fan Qing thought helplessly.
Beside them, Hua Er had long since stopped understanding the direction this was going.
Still—what exactly was happening?
“I have not yet properly thanked President Fan for taking the time to attend my engagement banquet.”
Suppressing her obsessive shipping thoughts, Miss Yuan appeared dignified and confident.
“I have heard that, aside from me, many others sent President Fan invitations. I did not expect you would be willing to give me such face.”
“After all, we have worked together before. And Miss Yuan’s engagement banquet is naturally far more important than other banquets.”
Fan Qing was speaking sincerely.
The invitations he had received were all nominally for banquets, but only Miss Yuan’s was a formal and proper engagement banquet.
For such an important occasion, inviting him was clearly not merely a test.
Miss Yuan was giving him considerable face. Naturally, Fan Qing would not fail to recognize that.
Miss Yuan felt somewhat pleased upon hearing this.
The logic might be obvious, but the fact that Fan Qing truly came proved that he had indeed given her this face.
And besides—one of the main figures of the pairing she shipped was attending her engagement banquet!
There could not be anything that made her happier—well, actually, there could.
For example, if both of them attended together. Waaah, no, no, she could not think about that!
One had to learn to be content.
Crying inwardly, Miss Yuan maintained flawless manners on the outside as she invited them in.
However—
She could not help glancing at Hua Er, politely curious.
“I was rude earlier. And this gentleman is…?”
As expected, she asked.
Fan Qing was not particularly surprised.
He gave a simple explanation.
“My assistant. He is new, so I brought him out to gain some experience.”
“I see.”
Just an assistant. No threat whatsoever!
The smile on Miss Yuan’s face instantly bloomed.
Then everything was fine!
She could ship in peace again!
In a certain sense, this Miss Yuan was truly very easy to read.
Fan Qing sighed inwardly and led Hua Er into the banquet.
Miss Yuan’s engagement was a business marriage. Naturally, the other family’s status was not lacking either.
Though this was only an engagement banquet, Fan Qing immediately recognized quite a few prominent local figures.
Wait—?
Fan Qing’s gaze landed on a familiar figure not far away.
“What is President Fan looking at?”
Hua Er had been following closely behind him. He instinctively looked over as well.
“Second Young Master Jin?”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
The next second, he realized he had misspoken.
“Sorry, President Fan, I—”
“It is nothing. No need to make such a fuss.”
Fan Qing was not surprised by Hua Er’s nervousness.
He simply had not seen much of the world.
After coming to more events like this, being startled a few more times, he would naturally get used to it.
For example, Fan Qing had no intention of asking why the Second Young Master was here.
There was little point in asking.
As long as the Second Young Master did not drag Tenghuang along with him onto the entertainment news pages, Fan Qing did not particularly care where he chose to enjoy himself.
“I understand.”
President Fan might not demand much from him, but he could not afford to be so lax with himself.
Hua Er took a deep breath and resolved to be more cautious with his words and actions.
First, he would start by observing his surroundings.
With that thought, his gaze swept across the room.
The very next second, he recoiled, startled by the many probing looks coming from all directions—barely concealed.
Wh-what was going on?
Why were so many people staring at them?
Why?
He did not understand!
Unlike Hua Er’s confusion, Fan Qing knew perfectly well what was happening.
He had noticed earlier that aside from the Second Young Master, quite a few others present had also sent him invitation cards.
In other words, everyone’s intentions seemed rather aligned.
Fan Qing casually picked up two glasses of champagne and handed one to Hua Er.
“If you are truly nervous, go wander over by the Second Young Master. Take the opportunity to meet some people with him.”
Hua Er was just about to refuse when Fan Qing raised an eyebrow at him.
“You felt it too, did you not? The main character tonight is not the Second Young Master.”
He knew.
Everyone’s eyes were on President Fan.
With that thought, Hua Er understood.
He took a deep breath and nodded.
“I understand. I will head over now.”
“Go on.”
Fan Qing gestured with his eyes.
Hua Er nodded obediently and left.
The moment Hua Er walked away, Fan Qing could already sense the restless stirrings from quite a few people in the room.
He took a light sip of champagne and deftly undid two buttons at his collar.
It seemed the real battle was only just beginning.
Miss Yuan had gone back to her room to change.
The outfit she had worn earlier to greet guests was not the one she would wear once the banquet officially began.
The one she was about to change into was precisely the design that Designer Yao had created for her.
Two close friends from her social circle followed her in, curiosity written all over their faces.
“The man you were talking to just now—who is he? He is quite handsome, but how is it that neither of us has ever seen him before?”
As they spoke, an eager gleam had already appeared in their eyes.
Did they think she did not understand them?
Miss Yuan hurriedly cut them off.
“Do not even think about it. He is not from our circle.”
“Not?”
One of them looked puzzled.
“If he is not, then how did he get an invitation? That does not make sense.”
The other smiled sweetly.
“I do not believe you. Or is he actually your little lover? If he is, just say so. We would not fight you for him. We are only curious because he is good-looking.”
Only curious? As if.
Miss Yuan knew very well.
These two were nominally her intimate friends, but in this circle, who was not scheming against whom?
And listen to what they were saying.
Today was her engagement banquet, and right in front of her they were talking about lovers. Honestly—
She was just about to get angry when her eyes landed on the dress laid out nearby.
Her eyes rolled thoughtfully.
Why get angry?
If she truly wanted to respond, would it not be better to—
An idea struck her. Her tone instantly turned smug.
“This just shows you do not understand. Go wait outside. You will find out what he does soon enough!”
As she spoke, she pushed them out of the room.
Hmph. Trying to stir up trouble here.
She would get them back in a moment.
With that thought, Miss Yuan quickly changed into her dress and touched up her makeup.
“What is with her? Acting all mysterious.”
“Exactly. Who wants to wait for her? Let us just go ask that man who he is.”
“That is a good idea. I saw with my own eyes—she practically threw herself at him. If that is not a lover, then what is?”
“Right? Acting all innocent. Come on, I remember what he looks like. Let us go take a look.”
Hand in hand, the two of them headed back down to the banquet hall.
The moment they descended, they spotted Fan Qing surrounded by several people.
Even within the crowd, he stood out like a crane among chickens, speaking eloquently, calm and composed, as though he were glowing.
The two of them froze.
Wh-who exactly was this man?
They were not the only ones stunned.
Hua Er was as well.
His eyes were filled with deep admiration as he looked toward Fan Qing.
This—this was the kind of person he wanted to become.
Suddenly, a voice sounded beside him.
Fan Qing slapped Hua Er on the shoulder, looking shocked.
“What are you doing here?”
Hua Er turned around instinctively.
“I came with—”
President Fan.
Following his line of sight, Jin Yi spotted Fan Qing—and was even more astonished.
“Fan Qing actually learned to play the unspoken rules game?”
He actually brought his own artist out to… to that kind of occasion?
Sit with clients—or something like that?