Chapter 32 Winning over the mother-in-law, then the father-in-law

The charity gala was held at a top-tier seven-star hotel in northern Beijing.

Today, Ruan Yao wore a champagne-colored knee-length dress. The style was understated, but the quality was excellent, which made her skin look fair and her temperament delicate.

Holding the invitation, she entered the banquet hall without any problems.

Inside the hall, wine glasses clinked, and elegantly dressed people mingled; all those present were prominent figures from northern Beijing.

Ruan Yao didn't plan to rush to join the fun. She found a quiet corner, picked up a glass of champagne, and quietly observed.

As she was lost in thought, a sarcastic female voice rang out behind her, filled with undisguised contempt.

"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this the eldest daughter of the Ruan family?"

Ruan Yao turned around and saw a woman in a fiery red haute couture dress, arms crossed, scrutinizing her from head to toe with a critical look.

The woman was strikingly beautiful, but her makeup was a bit too heavy-handed, making her look tacky.

Ruan Yao recognized her at a glance.

Zhou Yayun, Zhou Tianhao's only daughter.

Zhou Tianhao is the head of the Zhou family, and also the culprit who set up the scheme that bankrupted the Ruan family in his previous life.

The Zhou family recently set their sights on the Ruan family, which is experiencing rapid growth, and wanted to acquire it at a low price, but the Ruan family refused without hesitation.

Recently, the Zhou family has been making things difficult for the Ruan family in their business dealings.

It seems that Ms. Zhou is taking out her business frustrations on her.

New and old grudges surged into her heart, but Ruan Yao still wore a polite smile, as if she hadn't heard the barbs in the other person's words.

"Miss Zhou, it's been a long time."

Seeing that she wasn't angry, Zhou Yayun assumed that she was intimidated by her aura, and her smugness grew even stronger.

"This kind of banquet isn't one that just anyone can get in. Miss Ruan, whose connections did you use to get in?"

Several women who seemed to be her followers also covered their mouths and chuckled softly.

"Ya Yun, don't say that. Maybe they have some special skills?"

"Exactly, maybe they've managed to curry favor with some important person."

His barbed words drew curious glances from those around him.

That's a very harsh way to put it.

Several onlookers had already cast curious glances their way.

Ruan Yao had no intention of proving herself. She shook the champagne glass in her hand, tilted her head, and looked innocent and naive.

"Huh? That's strange. Why would you say that? Weren't we all invited in?"

"oh."

Ruan Yao responded slowly, blinking her clear, doe-like eyes as if she understood something.

"I see, so you guys got in by currying favor with some big shot?"

Zhou Yayun was turned on the other side, and her face instantly turned a deep purplish-red.

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

Ruan Yao, however, seemed oblivious to her anger and continued to speak slowly and deliberately in that gentle tone.

"Whether I'm lying or not, Miss Zhou knows best, doesn't she? After all, only someone who has done such a thing would think in this direction, unlike me, who didn't even know that such a banquet could be entered through connections."

Ruan Yao looked completely innocent, her tea-like demeanor making Zhou Ya Yun tremble with anger.

She hadn't expected that this seemingly gentle person was actually quite cunning and difficult to manipulate.

Among the onlookers, some couldn't help but let out suppressed laughter.

On the other side, in the VIP area.

Huo Wenbo felt extremely uneasy.

He has never liked such occasions; the air is filled with mutual flattery and insincere conversation, and the scent of perfume mixed with the smell of money makes him feel irritated.

If the organizers tonight weren't important partners of the Huo family, and if Huo Yanzhi and Huo Jing weren't both too busy to come, he would never have shown up here.

People kept coming up to him to chat and flatter him, and he dealt with them all flawlessly, but he was already getting impatient inside.

Seeing that someone else was walking towards him with a wine glass, Huo Wenbo couldn't stand it any longer. He made an excuse to make a phone call and took the opportunity to slip away.

He needs to get some fresh air.

Huo Wenbo walked alone to the rooftop garden at the back of the hotel.

The moonlight, as clear as water, gently spilled onto every leaf in the garden.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the banquet hall, all that could be heard was the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

Huo Wenbo found a bench and sat down, feeling much better.

He looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and suddenly became interested, blurting out: "The moon rises bright, and the beautiful one is there..."

Just as he finished reciting, a sweet and gentle female voice came from the side, continuing the next line: "So graceful and charming, yet so troubled and anxious."

Huo Wenbo was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.

A young girl stood under the flower trellis not far away.

She was wearing a champagne-colored dress, the moonlight outlining the soft contours of her profile, her clear eyes looking at her with a slight smile.

It was Ruan Yao who had just come out of the banquet hall for some fresh air.

She never expected to run into Huo Yanzhi's father here.

In his past life, this father-in-law was a man of few words, always spending his time alone in his study reading and drinking tea, and his presence was not strong.

But Ruan Yao remembered that in her previous life, she was not good at business social situations and there were several times when she was embarrassed and at a loss. It was Huo Wenbo who quietly helped her out of the predicament.

His kindness towards her was a silent, subtle kind of thoughtfulness.

Reunited here at this moment, Ruan Yao felt a mix of emotions.

She nodded politely to Huo Wenbo, but did not take the initiative to strike up a conversation, nor did she reveal that she knew him.

Huo Wenbo was somewhat surprised.

In the Book of Songs, the poem "The Moon Rises in Chen Feng" is not very popular. Nowadays, not many young people know it, let alone be able to recite the next line just by hearing the first line.

When Huo Wenbo saw her looking over, he smiled gently.

"You also like reading the Book of Songs?"

"I wouldn't say I like it, I just happened to read it before." Ruan Yao walked over slowly and sat down on the stone bench opposite him, maintaining an appropriate social distance.

In her previous life, she had nothing to do when she was in the Huo family. She would read through all the books in Huo Wenbai's study and found peace in the leisurely mood described in the books.

She knew that Huo Wenbo favored pre-Qin literature, was fond of Song Dynasty calligraphy, and even knew that he had searched for many years for a little-known collection of Su Shi's miscellaneous writings.

Looking back now, the fact that Huo Wenbo, who was a voracious reader, allowed her to come and go freely in his study was already the greatest favor he could show to his daughter-in-law.

“It’s rare, it’s rare. There aren’t many young people these days who can calm down and read these kinds of books.” Huo Wenbo’s tone was full of appreciation.

He preferred quiet and was quite taken with the girl in front of him, who had a clean demeanor and spoke politely, so he chatted with her for a while longer.

Under the moonlight, the two chatted about everything from the Book of Songs to Song Dynasty poetry, from calligraphy to ancient paintings.

Huo Wenbo became increasingly alarmed as they talked, but they also found themselves increasingly compatible.

The girl in front of me is young, but she is quite knowledgeable.

She wasn't an expert in everything, but she could always chime in with a few words when he mentioned some obscure allusion or author, and her insights were unique and unconventional.

This made Huo Wenbo appreciate this younger man even more.

"Speaking of which, I have been looking for a Song Dynasty edition of 'Dongshan Ji' recently. Unfortunately, very few of these books have survived. I have been searching for several years without any results."

When Huo Wenbo spoke of his favorite item, a hint of regret inevitably appeared on his face.

Ruan Yao's heart skipped a beat.

She remembered "The Record of Dongshan".

In his previous life, it was Huo Yanzhi who found this rare book and gave it to Huo Wenbai on his birthday.

She still remembers the overwhelming joy Huo Wenbo felt when he received the gift.

Unexpectedly, in this life, she actually heard her father-in-law's wish with her own ears here.