Chapter 671: True Dragon!
"A banquet at the Hilton Hotel?"
He Yiyi's small face was filled with surprise and astonishment as she listened to Shen Anyu's words.
A banquet held at an international five-star hotel like the Hilton would certainly be high-class, grand, and full of celebrities.
How could an ordinary girl like her attend such an upscale banquet?
He Yiyi felt a little self-conscious, like Cinderella about to attend the prince's ball. She looked up at Shen Anyu and timidly asked:
"Mr. Shen, will I embarrass you if I go as your companion?"
She was currently dressed as a female white-collar worker, in a suit skirt with black stockings covering her beautiful legs, exuding a pure yet slightly mature aura, which was very attractive. The outfit was professional, crisp, and perfect for her role at the Ling Group, but for a gala at the Hilton? It felt like wearing a school uniform to a royal coronation. But to attend a high-end banquet at the Hilton Hotel?
He Yiyi felt that she was definitely Cinderella, the ugly duckling, completely out of her depth. The thought made her shrink into herself. Her hands, resting on her lap, began to twist the fabric of her skirt, the material suddenly feeling cheap and coarse beneath her fingertips. It would be one thing if she embarrassed herself; she was used to being overlooked. But if she embarrassed Mr. Shen, a man who moved through the world with such effortless grace and power, that would be an unforgivable failure.
"Hmm, wait, I'll take you somewhere," Shen Anyu's gaze swept over He Yiyi. It wasn't a casual glance; it was a comprehensive scan that took in every detail—the anxious flicker in her eyes, the way her shoulders were hunched defensively, the nervous blush creeping up her neck. Seeing He Yiyi's small face flush as she nervously clutched her clothes, he smiled, a subtle curve of his lips that instantly eased some of the tension in the car. He turned the steering wheel with a smooth, decisive motion, the powerful engine of the car responding instantly as he changed direction.
He Yiyi looked at Shen Anyu with some curiosity as he stopped the car in front of a sprawling, opulent shopping mall. Its facade was a proof of modern luxury, gleaming with glass and chrome under the evening lights.
"Mr. Shen, aren't we going to the Hilton Hotel?"
Shen Anyu got out of the car, the motion fluid and confident. He walked around to her side and opened the passenger door, extending his hand in a gesture worthy of a gentleman from a bygone era. A charming smile played on his lips.
"To get you a change of clothes."
He Yiyi was startled, her eyes widening. Her first instinct was to refuse, to shake her head and insist her current attire was fine. It was too much, too extravagant. She couldn't possibly accept such a gift.
"Do you want to wear these clothes to play the pig to eat the tiger, and show off to slap faces?" Shen Anyu's smile widened, a mischievous glint dancing in his dark eyes. He leaned in slightly, his voice a low, teasing drawl. "Security, if you dare to stop me, you are already courting death?"
"Pfft." A giggle escaped her before she could stop it. He Yiyi quickly covered her rosy lips with her hand, but it was too late. The tension that had coiled in her chest dissolved into warmth, and her eyebrows, previously furrowed with worry, relaxed into a gentle arch. His humor was disarming, cutting right through her anxiety.
"Come with me." Shen Anyu extended his large hand towards He Yiyi again, his palm facing up in an obvious invitation.
He Yiyi pursed her lips and smiled, a genuine, shy smile that lit up her features. Timidly, she placed her soft, small hand on Shen Anyu's large one. The contrast was immediate—his skin was warm and slightly calloused, his grip firm and reassuring as it enveloped hers. With a gentle pull from Shen Anyu, she rose from inside the car. For a moment, she lost her balance, her heels catching awkwardly, and she stumbled forward, falling directly into Shen Anyu's embrace.
"Oh, Mr. Shen, I'm sorry." The world spun for a second before resolving into the solid wall of his chest. The clean, masculine scent of his cologne filled her senses, and a wave of heat radiated from his body, seeping through her clothes. He Yiyi quickly pulled away, her face burning with a mortified blush, and bowed deeply to Shen Anyu to apologize.
'Heavens, what must he think?' she thought, her heart hammering against her ribs. She was a little flustered. Mr. Shen wouldn't think she deliberately stumbled into him, would he?
"Let's go." Shen Anyu simply closed the car door, his expression unreadable. He took He Yiyi's small hand again, his fingers lacing through hers, and walked towards the shopping mall.
In his heart, however, he secretly thought that he hadn't expected He Yiyi, who seemed so pure and tender, a typical slender and delicate girl, to possess the soft power of hitting someone with a volleyball. The brief impact had been surprisingly substantial.
'An unexpected asset,' he mused. He wondered about the strength of the other one.
As he led her towards the entrance, Shen Anyu's peripheral vision swept over a black Bentley that had parked a short distance behind them. A meaningful, almost predatory arc curved on his lips. He knew exactly who was inside.
'Mr. Shen has such a good physique,' He Yiyi was dizzily led by Shen Anyu, her steps light as she followed behind him. The solid feel of his chest was still imprinted on her mind. She couldn't help but admire the man's comic-book-like physique—the broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, the powerful lines of his back visible even through his tailored suit. Her small face flushed, looking incredibly adorable.
Not long after Shen Anyu and He Yiyi left, a graceful figure stepped out of the Bentley. The door closed with a muted, expensive thud.
"Another woman?"
A cold voice emerged from the perfectly shaped red lips of this graceful figure. The air around her seemed to drop a few degrees.
If He Yiyi and Ren Zhacheng were here, they would surely recognize this graceful figure as Ling Qingcheng, the helmswoman and CEO of their Ling Group. Her bearing was regal, her aura that of a queen surveying her domain.
Ling Qingcheng's beautiful eyes, sharp as chips of obsidian, coldly watched Shen Anyu and He Yiyi's retreating figures. She watched him take the other woman's hand, saw the gentle way he led her into the mall, and her pretty face gradually became covered in a layer of impenetrable frost.
Not long ago at Xihe Shopping Mall, she saw Shen Anyu with two great beauties clinging to him, and now she saw him taking yet another beautiful woman to the mall. Wasn't he too much of a playboy? A predator collecting trophies?
'Zhang Yaqian, oh Zhang Yaqian, the man you found is truly not a good match.'
Ling Qingcheng sighed softly in her heart, a pang of sorrow striking her. She felt even more sympathy and pity for her best friend, Zhang Yaqian. To think that Yaqian was giving her heart to a man who so carelessly collected other women. If Zhang Yaqian knew that her beloved man had one woman after another by his side, she would surely be devastated. The thought made Ling Qingcheng's hands clench into tight fists.
"General Manager Ling, the Hilton Hotel banquet is about to begin, you—" The female assistant who had emerged from the driver's side spoke respectfully, her voice a low murmur.
"No rush. It's only seven o'clock." Ling Qingcheng cut her off, her gaze still locked on the mall entrance. She pondered for a moment, her mind racing. "Let's follow them and see." She decided to go up and see for herself. It would be best to take some photos and videos as evidence. Cold, hard proof. Otherwise, knowing Yaqian's infatuation, she might not believe her.
The Hilton banquet was very important, a critical networking opportunity for the Ling Group. But her best friend Zhang Yaqian's relationship problem was equally, if not more, important in Ling Qingcheng's heart. She didn't want her only best friend to get hurt. She would not stand by and watch her walk into a fire.
...
Just as Shen Anyu was taking He Yiyi to shop for clothes, and Ling Qingcheng was following behind like a hunter stalking her prey.
In the elegant living room of the top-floor suite at the Hilton Hotel.
A heroic young man was playing chess with an old man. The Go board, made of rare, dark wood, sat between them. The two were locked in a fierce battle, black and white chess pieces intertwined on the board like two great dragons fighting each other, their formations radiating a majestic momentum and a dangerous killing intent that seemed to make the very air in the room heavy. The silence was thick, broken only by the sharp, deliberate clack of stone against wood.
"Nephew, your chess skills are astonishing. This old man is no match for you." After a long while, the old man sighed lightly, a sound of genuine resignation, and conceded defeat.
"Old Qin, you care for the younger generation and allowed Guanying a half-move advantage. I am truly undeserving," the heroic young man said, his voice deep and steady, his humility sincere yet carrying an unshakable core of confidence.
Old Qin looked at the heroic young man with open admiration and praised:
"Nephew, you are not yet thirty, yet you possess such an impressive demeanor. You are truly the true dragon of the Yu Family. My boys are far from being able to compare."
"Old Qin, you flatter me." The heroic young man heard this and smiled, completely unperturbed by either favor or disgrace. His composure was absolute, even though this old man, known as Old Qin, was one of the few prominent figures in Hangzhou and even all of Yanxia.
Old Qin's gaze towards the heroic young man, while admiring, also carried a hint of profound solemnity.
Yu Guanying, the eldest legitimate son of the Yanxia Yu Clan's patriarch, was skilled in both literary and martial arts. His visit to Hangzhou this time did not bode well. It was a sign of shifting tides, of a great power making its move.
Even a prominent figure like him, a local hegemon, had to be solemn about it.
But the solemnity in Old Qin's eyes flashed and disappeared, quickly replaced by a kind and amiable smile. "There's still some time before the banquet. Let's play another game."
"With an elder's command, Guanying will naturally comply."
Yu Guanying responded with a smile, already beginning to clear the board.
"Old Qin, elder brother, please have some hot tea."
At this moment, a young girl of exquisite beauty, dressed in white martial attire, approached gracefully, holding a tea tray.
The girl had well-proportioned limbs, wheat-colored skin that spoke of countless hours under the sun, a strong physique, and clear muscle lines. There was a coiled power in her every step, like a sexy female leopard, full of healthy, vibrant beauty. Her eyes sparkled with a vibrant vitality that was almost hypnotic.
But as she walked gracefully, the way she held the tray, the poise in her posture, she was like a classical lady stepping out of a painting, with an extraordinary temperament, noble and elegant.
The aura of an athletic warrior and a classical lady was perfectly, impossibly blended within her, making her incredibly stunning.
"Nannan's tea ceremony is truly masterful. Given time, even those tea ceremony masters may not be able to compare."
Old Qin took a sip of the fragrant tea, closing his eyes for a moment in appreciation. He praised it endlessly.
Don't just look at it as a cup of tea; the mastery of heat, the precise control of spiritual energy contained within it, was beyond what ordinary people could manage.
The young girl in white martial attire before him was clearly a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
She was Yu Guanying's younger sister, Yu Guannan. Only twenty-two years old, yet she had already broken through to the Grandmaster realm a year ago.
Yu Guanying was the same; at twenty-eight years old, he was a Grandmaster Peak, skilled in both literary and martial arts, a monster of talent.
Looking at this outstanding brother and sister, a pair of celestial talents, Old Qin said with a hint of envy:
"I truly envy Old Yu, to have such outstanding children."
"The Yu Family has successors, true successors!"
At this point, Old Qin looked rather dejected. The Qin Family also had successors back then, but unfortunately...
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