"My goodness! Is that Li Xiaoru?"
Su Minghan stared in shock at the woman who walked with grace, looking around with a calm and confident air in every gesture and glance.
Such a lofty aura and irresistible charm simply crushed all the other women present. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to consider her the center of attention.
"What's with Li Xiaoru wearing a mask at her engagement? Does she think this is a masquerade ball?" Shen Shiyu couldn't hold back and blurted out her complaint.
"Can't even food shut you up?" Bo Siming said unhappily, putting a stop to her.
She immediately lowered her head, as obedient as a fawn.
Bo Jingyu stared fixedly at the woman sitting alone at the first table. His heart started beating irregularly. It was impossible to say he wasn't nervous.
"Is that the CEO of Ahaorui?"
Someone shouted in the dead - silent venue.
And soon, someone confirmed the doubt.
A Kun also rushed in from behind the door. With a poker face, he quickly stood behind Shen Ximan and whispered seriously and calmly to her.
"Sorry, everyone. We were held up for a while."
Li Rui showed up out of breath and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"The CEO of Ahaorui is so young?"
"She's actually a woman!"
"This is her first public appearance!"
The people present were all excitedly whispering to each other and completely ignored him.
Li Rui looked utterly confused and didn't know how to salvage the situation.
"Mr. Su, I'd like to go over and say hello."
Xiao Shujing's eyes sparkled like stars.
The uncontrollable excitement and joy were like a volcanic eruption. It was impossible to stop her.
Su Minghan knew exactly what was on her mind, but in the current awkward atmosphere, he didn't think it was a good idea to cause more trouble.
"Wait a bit. I'll take you after the ceremony. Let's deal with the situation first."
"Okay!"
Tian Danni, who had heard clearly from the side, rolled her eyes in annoyance.
After saying that, he took the microphone from the stunned emcee and tried to smooth things over, "Dear guests, please be patient. The engagement ceremony will now officially begin."
Everyone snapped back to their senses, and there was a thunderous round of applause.
Soft and romantic music filled the air.
Shen Ximan stared at Li Xiaoru, who was smiling, and felt a pang in her heart.
Back then, when she married Bo Jingyu, there wasn't even a proper engagement ceremony, let alone a wedding.
It was quite laughable.
She had married in place of Shen Shiyu. Whether in the Shen family or the Bo family, she was just a pawn that could be discarded at any time.
Love and family affection meant nothing to Shen Ximan at this moment. They were like passing clouds, not worth a second thought.
Bo Jingyu's eyes were fixed on the woman sitting alone at the table. He didn't even glance at Li Xiaoru.
His suspicion grew stronger, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was bothering him.
"Jingyu? Jingyu!"
"What's up?" He snapped back to reality and shifted his gaze.
"Aren't you going to hold my hand?" Li Xiaoru looked at him awkwardly.
Only then did Bo Jingyu react and quickly took her hand.
The emcee then stepped forward and started with the usual lines.
The noise in her ears, the whispered conversations among the rich people, all passed by Shen Ximan. These meaningless things were too tiring for her to even care about.
What she cared about was what those snobbish members of the Shen family would do next.
The ceremony ended quickly. During the meal, even Bo Jingming kept his eyes on Shen Ximan sitting alone at the table. He was extremely curious.
How did such a young and capable woman manage to lead a top - tier company?
The Bo family was well - known in Yancheng.
Even such a powerful and wealthy family couldn't match Ahaorui.
The phrase "ranking second" was what he heard most often. Although Bo Jingming didn't stay in the country often, he still felt a bit uncomfortable. A man's natural competitiveness was hard to shake off.
"Second Young Master, I'll go to the back area to propose a toast. Could you please take Xiaoru and propose a toast to the guests here?" Li Rui said politely.
Bo Jingyu nodded in agreement.
"You've been distracted since earlier. What are you thinking about?"
Li Xiaoru voiced her doubt, trying to read his expression.
"Nothing."
After saying that, he picked up a glass of red wine and walked towards the first table.
"Ms. Shen, Second Young Master and the others are coming." A Kun reminded her.
Shen Ximan slowly put a piece of foie gras into her mouth, nodded appreciatively, and carefully savored the unique flavor of the food.
He had already guessed that she might cause trouble and helplessly tried to defuse the situation.
"Second Young Master, Miss Five, I'd like to wish you a happy engagement."
Li Xiaoru smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Representative Yan."
"This is our company's CEO, Ms. Wen Jinrui."
A Kun said politely the lines he had practiced many times in advance.
"Hello, Ms. Wen. We're so honored to receive your blessing!"
She wrapped her arm around Bo Jingyu's and her smile grew even brighter.
But Shen Ximan just kept eating silently. She neither responded nor clinked glasses with them, as if they were invisible.
"Ms. Wen, my fiancée is talking to you."
Bo Jingyu couldn't stand it anymore and took the lead in taking over the conversation.
She stopped what she was doing and raised her cold eyes, squinting slightly.
"Do I have to respond just because she's talking?"
"This is a matter of etiquette." He replied with a cold face as well.
Everyone around was too shocked to say a word. In such a situation where titans clashed, it was better to keep quiet and watch.
Otherwise, if they tried to stop them, they would surely end up in a bad situation!
Shen Ximan sneered as she looked at the glass in Li Xiaoru's hand, which was almost higher than her head. Li Xiaoru just stood there stupidly, completely unaware.
"She doesn't even know the proper way to propose a toast. Should I respond?"
Only then did Bo Jingyu notice. He quickly gave a look to the people beside him.
But Li Xiaoru's mind went blank. She had no idea what he meant.
Did this Ms. Wen have an aversion to red wine?
"Hand!" He growled in her ear in frustration.
She immediately reacted, put the glass on the table, and took off the platinum bracelet on her wrist as fast as she could.
Shen Ximan's face darkened, "Who do you think you're looking down on?"
"You're so stupid!" Bo Jingyu was so angry that his head was about to explode.
Li Xiaoru was completely bewildered.
"Didn't you tell me about the hand? I took it off."
He covered his forehead in disbelief and didn't even want to say another word.
Shen Ximan threw the napkin on the table and was about to leave.
"Ms. Wen, she's not used to such grand occasions. Please don't take it to heart."
Bo Jingyu didn't hesitate to humble himself and followed her to explain.
"What does it matter to me whether she's used to such occasions or not?"
"It seems that a high - achieving student who studied abroad isn't all that great. Ahaorui won't consider cooperating with Juanyi in the future."
"No way! Please don't do that!"
Hearing the commotion, Li Rui shouted and trotted over to plead.
"It's all my daughter's fault. She's so naive! Please forgive us this time, Your Honor!"
Li Xiaoru's four older brothers also put down their trays of wine for toasting and came over one by one, looking mournful. They were afraid of missing out on this great opportunity.
Yang Wan and Shen Shiyu, sitting several tables away, were munching on sunflower seeds with relish. They even dragged Bo Siming along to join in the discussion.