Chapter 51 Anniversary Scene

After struggling, Ruan Xingfeng chose to go. The invitation was in front of him and he should go. As for those looks and sarcastic words, he didn't care. He had already made it up to Liao Feng and he no longer owed Liao Feng anything.

Song Xuexi was planning to invite the Li brothers, but except for Li Mingyuan, the other four went abroad, so they had to give up. Xu Nuoyan's purpose was to commemorate their friendship of more than 20 years, but Liao Feng and Song Xuexi's purpose was not just for this.

The "Herbivore Protection Law" newly formulated by Ruan Xingfeng has affected their industry, especially had a serious impact on Chuangyu's stocks. There are also rumors online that Chuangyu is against herbivores. They are ready to take concrete action through this banquet.

The banquet hall was ablaze with lights and bustling with people. Song Xuexi was undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching figures of the evening.

She rarely took off her usual meticulous business suit and put on the latest deep sea blue satin fishtail dress from Jolie.

The silky luster perfectly outlines her slender yet powerful waist and the graceful, swan-like neck and back.

She already had an impressive height of 1.8 meters, and at this moment, she was wearing a pair of minimalist silver stiletto heels, which made her stand out from the crowd. She had an imposing aura, and she was almost at eye level with the two men next to her who were nearly 1.9 meters tall, like a cold and beautiful queen with her own halo.

The two guardians beside her were also dressed carefully, with different styles.

Liao Feng chose a well-tailored dark grey plaid suit, the fabric had a subtle sheen, a low-key yet luxurious look. He had just recovered from his injuries, and his face was still a little pale, but his posture was as straight as a pine or cypress, without a trace of sickness.

His hair today was a classic retro slicked back, meticulously combed back with wax, revealing a clear and full forehead and a pair of eyes that looked even deeper and calmer. This hairstyle gave his already sharp features an even more Old Hollywood gentlemanly charm and unquestionable authority.

Song Xuexi had clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with this, muttering that this hairstyle reminded her of "the slick casino owner in old movies", but Liao Feng himself was extremely satisfied and seemed to enjoy this meticulousness of having everything under his control.

In contrast, Xu Nuoyan's outfit was more modern. He wore a dark black peaked-lapel suit, the tailored fit accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

His hairstyle is the textured side-parted style that is very popular among young people nowadays. A few unruly strands of hair hang casually in front of his forehead, softening his fox eyes that always have a nonchalant smile, diluting the formality of the suit and adding a bit of lazy and charming artistic atmosphere.

"Xu Nuoyan, why are you pretending to be an innocent male college student here?" A lively voice with a smile suddenly interrupted. Unknowingly, Li Mingyuan had already swayed to their side.

He was wearing a sexy burgundy velvet suit, which he even paired with a black lace inner layer, making him look like a peacock with its tail spread out.

He pointed at Xu Nuoyan's hair and complained bluntly, "The way your hair is combed, I'm afraid a gust of wind will blow it all over your idol image."

Xu Nuoyan was not annoyed. He curved his eyes and retorted, "It's better than the colorful clothes of some people. Does Li Mingyuan like this kind of fancy clothes so much? You are almost 30 years old." Li Mingyuan rolled his eyes and ignored him, picking up the red wine beside him and taking a sip.

As soon as Ruan Xingfeng stepped into the venue, his eyes were attracted by a magnet, and he passed through the crowd of people drinking and chatting, and immediately locked onto the figure who was the center of attention - Liao Feng.

Almost at the same time, Liao Feng seemed to have sensed something, and his deep gaze passed over the shoulder of the person he was talking to and cast a precise look over.

Their eyes met.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Ruan Xingfeng's heart suddenly contracted, and then it began to beat wildly as if it had broken free from its restraints, making his eardrums buzz.

Those eyes were calm and peaceful, yet they instantly sucked him in like a deep pool. He couldn't tell whether it was hatred, resentment, or... any other emotion that he desired or feared.

Just a second, maybe less.

Liao Feng shifted his gaze away very naturally, as if he was just casually glancing at an insignificant stranger, and continued to listen attentively to the conversation of a politician next to him. There was even a hint of a just right, business-like expression on the corner of his mouth again.

It seemed as if the brief encounter just now was just an illusion caused by Ruan Xingfeng's palpitations.

This unnerved him more than outright disgust. He was being completely, completely ignored.

Ruan Xingfeng hastily lowered his eyes, his fingertips feeling slightly cold. All the psychological defenses he had just built up on the road collapsed at this glance.

He could only subconsciously clench the wine glass in his hand, trying to hide the chaos in his heart.

People in the venue seemed very busy, busy exchanging business cards, busy expanding their network, and busy climbing higher branches amid laughter and joy.

Only Xu Nuoyan sat quietly on the sofa in the corner like an observer, his clear eyes sweeping across the flashy and lively scene with a barely perceptible sense of alienation.

He doesn't understand the intrigues of the business world; his world is the precise data and transparent instruments in the laboratory.

And at this moment, the most imprecise and uncontrollable variable in his world appeared.

Ran Yian is here.

He didn't seem to be dressed up, simply wearing a well-tailored dark casual suit, no tie, and the top button of his shirt casually open.

Compared with the men and women around her who were decked out in jewels and precious stones, she even seemed a little too casual, yet she had a natural sense of propriety and uninhibitedness.

A pair of furry wolf ears stood naturally among the silver-gray hair, occasionally moving slightly sensitively.

There was a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was nonchalant about everything. His narrow eyes swept across the venue, but they had a kind of captivating wild charm.

From the moment he appeared at the door, Xu Nuoyan could not take her eyes off him.

His heartbeat became faster and louder as the figure moved through the crowd, approaching step by step, almost bursting through his chest.

He cursed himself in his heart for being useless and a waste, even though he had clearly sworn to never fall in love with him again.

But my heart seemed to have a will of its own, madly shouting that person's name.

Loving Yian seemed to be his instinct, which had already penetrated into his bones and integrated into his blood, and could not be easily cut off by reason.

"Xiao Nuo."

Ran Yian finally walked up to him and stopped. Her tone was as gentle as ever, even with a subtle hint of caution, as if the gap between them wasn't the gap of three years of separation and mutual hurt, as if he had just seen him yesterday.

But beneath his calm and gentle appearance, his nerves were stretched to the point of breaking.

Only he himself knew how much energy he had exhausted and how long he had spent mentally preparing himself in order to be able to walk up to this person calmly and confidently.

When he finally realized that his heart had only been filled with Xu Nuoyan from beginning to end, the first thing that came to his mind was a huge sense of self-contempt.

Because he knew better than anyone how Xu Nuoyan loved him unconditionally and was even willing to give up everything for him, but he was the one who retreated, was afraid, and ultimately pushed the other person into a desperate situation with his indifference.

At this moment, it took great courage for him to look at Xu Nuoyan so closely.

"Brother An." Xu Nuoyan came back to his senses and nodded slightly, as if to say hello. There was not much emotion in his voice, as if he was just meeting an ordinary old acquaintance.

After that, a deeper silence fell between them. Only the melodious piano music flowed in their ears, and before them was a magnificent hall filled with clinking glasses and a long table laden with exquisite and tempting food. But nothing could bridge the invisible yet thick barrier between them.

This overly quiet atmosphere made Ran Yian feel flustered. He almost hastily made an excuse: "I... I'll go give the things to Liao Feng first."

"Okay." Xu Nuoyan nodded, but his eyes seemed to be glued to the figure, following the hurried figure, unable to withdraw his attention for a long time.

On the other side, Ran Yian found Liao Feng who was talking to someone. He walked over naturally, with the calm demeanor of an elder, and gently patted Liao Feng's shoulder.

"Liao Feng." His voice was gentle, and he omitted all the polite honorifics, revealing that the relationship between the two was not just a simple business one.

Liao Feng turned around and saw that it was him. The cold lines on his face softened a little: "Brother An, you're here."

Ran Yian took out a seemingly insignificant envelope from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it to him: "Birthday anniversary, double happiness. A little gift from my heart."

Liao Feng took it with some doubts and opened the envelope. Inside was not a check or a greeting card, but an extremely finely made exclusive medical record card with an anti-counterfeiting mark and a special U-key.

Liao Feng's name and a unique code were clearly printed on the card, and on the back was the logo of the private hospital where Ran Yian worked, which was famous for its top neurology department.

"This is..." Liao Feng was slightly stunned.

Ran Yian explained calmly, with a doctor's characteristically rigorous tone, "I've established a private medical archive channel for you with the highest level of authority. All of your physical examination data and medical history, no matter which partner institution in the world updates them, will be analyzed immediately by our expert team. The U-key can directly initiate a 24-hour emergency remote consultation. All departments in the hospital, including my newest research team, will have priority access to resources."

He paused and looked at Liao Feng, his eyes filled with the concern of an elder that could not be refuted. "Your condition is extremely dangerous this time. You must not be careless during the recovery period. With this, my team and I can keep an eye on you at all times, which is safer."

Liao Feng: “…”

His silence was deafening. This gift… practical, powerful, impeccable, but also… too hardcore! It was like an invisible medical monitoring radar had been installed on him.

Song Xuexi, who was standing next to her, leaned over to see what it was and suddenly covered her mouth with her hands. Her shoulders began to tremble slightly uncontrollably and her face turned red.

She tried hard to hold back her laughter. This was indeed a unique "blessing" that was in the style of Ran Yian and belonged to the top neurology director.

Liao Feng held the heavy, life-saving gift in his hand, feeling hesitant to accept or reject it. Ultimately, he could only stare at this elder, ten years his senior and whose actions were always unexpected, with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Brother An... your 'kindness'... really doesn't give me any chance to get sick."

Upon hearing this, Ran Yian just twitched the corners of his mouth slightly, and a hint of imperceptible relaxation flashed in his eyes. This was exactly the effect he wanted.

"Well, it's best not to use it." He replied concisely. The elder-like concern and authority in his tone made Liao Feng unable to say anything else.

"Don't worry, with his body like this, he will definitely be able to use it every other day." Song Xuexi added coldly, her tone full of mockery as if she was enjoying the show.

Liao Feng immediately tilted his head, glared at her fiercely, and said in a low voice, "Song Xuexi, are you sick?"

After being scolded by him, Song Xuexi was not angry at all. Instead, she felt an indescribable sense of ease in her heart.

That's right! As long as she could see Liao Feng get humiliated and no longer look like an iceberg with everything under control, she would feel particularly happy, as if she had returned to their youth when they could unscrupulously sabotage each other.

She raised her chin proudly towards Liao Feng, with an expression that said, "What can you do to me?"

This brief and familiar bickering happened to be seen by Ruan Xingfeng who was dealing with the crowd not far away.

He was surrounded by a crowd, his ears filled with all kinds of attentive greetings, blatant flattery, and disguised inquiries and flattery about the new bill. Champagne glasses clinked with a hypocritical sound, and smiles were worn on everyone's face like masks.

He did not feel much satisfaction, just boredom. However, when his eyes passed through the crowd and caught the natural and familiar interaction between Liao Feng, Song Xuexi and Ran Yian, a complex emotion quietly grew.

Over there was a world he could no longer fit into, filled with warmth and tacit understanding that made his heart tighten.

But on the other hand, looking at the people surrounding him, trying to get benefits from him or find out information, he clearly realized.

He is indeed no longer the "canary" who can only rely on Liao Feng completely and needs to hide under his wings to survive.

He relied on his own abilities and choices to reach a position that these people could take seriously, even currying favor with. Even though the process was filled with mistakes and scars, the result at this moment undoubtedly proved that his original desire to "break free and prove himself" was not completely absurd.

This realization brings a bitter, slightly ironic sense of accomplishment.

He lost the most important thing, but gained the "independence" and "influence" he once longed for.

This price is too heavy.

He picked up the wine glass and took a sip to hide the self-deprecating curve at the corner of his mouth.

The flattery around him continued to ring in his ears, but it seemed as if there was a layer of glass between them, and they could no longer truly touch his heart.