The socialites were speechless, their faces turning red and white by Ning Bing'an's merciless words.
They originally just wanted to take the opportunity to mock this "country bumpkin" from the mainland.
However, this annual banquet was almost entirely funded by the Ning family, and what I just said was indeed inappropriate. If I offended the Ning family, it would be no laughing matter!
One of the girls, dressed in a black and white Chanel dress, originally intended to use her family's influence to argue back.
But when she met Ning Bing'an's icy gaze, for some reason, her momentum suddenly diminished, and her words became stammering: "You...you're just the Ning family's adopted son, you dare to..."
“What right do you have to ask?” Ning Yuan suddenly interrupted her.
A hint of mockery flashed in her clear eyes: "May I ask this young lady's surname? What kind of business does your family run? Tell us so we can broaden our horizons."
The girl was speechless. Although her family was indeed very wealthy, they were powerless to challenge the Ning family, the richest family in Hong Kong.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Ning Yuan raised an eyebrow, slowly picking up a macaron from the delicate pastry plate, and chuckled softly.
"Although I, a northern girl from the mainland, have not received any elite socialite education, I know that a cultured person will not speak nonsense in the host's home, let alone criticize the host's daughter."
She paused, then said coolly, "It seems that some people, even if they receive so-called socialite education their whole lives, are still inherently unrefined."
“You…” The socialites were furious, but dared not be disrespectful in front of Ning Bing’an.
After all, Ning Yuan is now the daughter of the Ning family and is a newcomer, so they can't really break off relations.
"We...we didn't mean that!" the girl in the Chanel dress retorted through gritted teeth, then slunk away with her companion.
"You did a great job. Don't pay any attention to those people; they're all lowlifes," Ning Bing'an said casually, handing Ning Yuan a glass of juice.
"I know, thank you for getting me out of that situation, Third Brother." Ning Yuan took the juice and casually picked up a delicate little cake—
"The food made by a five-star hotel chef is much more interesting than those boring gossips."
Looking at her nonchalant demeanor, a complex and strange look flashed in Ning Bing'an's eyes.
This young lady is far too calm and composed; she doesn't seem like an ignorant northern girl at all.
The socialites who had slunk away suddenly noticed Ning Manfei, who was idly drinking champagne near the podium.
They exchanged a glance and walked towards Ning Manfei.
"Sister Manfei, what did your family find in the countryside? We just casually mentioned that she wasn't as good as you and Sister Man'an, and she..."
The lady in the Chanel suit complained to Ning Manfei without any politeness.
Ning Manfei wore a short silver-red evening gown today, her short hair was carefully styled, and she had diamond hair clips tucked behind her ears.
Her long, fair neck and exquisite makeup made her features even more radiant and captivating.
Ning Manfei raised an eyebrow at her, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes: "So what?"
"Just because she's now a young lady of the Ning family, she thinks she can boss us around. She's nothing like you or Sister Man'an, who are proper young ladies of the Ning family!"
"That's right, who does she think she is? She's just a country bumpkin from the north who wants to steal the family fortune. You're the eldest daughter of the Ning family, you can't let her ride roughshod over you!"
The socialites took turns complaining to Ning Manfei—
"...Anyway, you need to teach this country bumpkin a lesson, or she'll get away with riding on your head sooner or later!!"
Ning Manfei, with her sharp and mean personality, would definitely look down on Ning Yuan, so she was asked to step in and teach Ning Yuan a lesson.
Who knew...
"That's enough." Ning Manfei suddenly put down her wine glass.
She interrupted them coldly: "Who are you? What right do you have to talk about the Ning family behind their backs?"
The socialites were stunned. Why was Ning Manfei acting this way? Was she helping that northern girl?
The woman in the Chanel dress tried to explain, "Sister Manfei, we just..."
"Just what?" Ning Manfei looked at them coldly: "Just jealous that a northern girl is now the daughter of the Ning family? Just trying to incite me to embarrass her at the banquet?"
Her words struck a chord with the group, leaving them so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground.
"Ha!" Ning Manfei sneered, her icy gaze sweeping over them, her tone filled with undisguised mockery.
"Who do you think you are? You dare to tell me what to do?"
She looked down at them, sneering sharply, "No matter what Ning Yuan is like, she's still a member of the Ning family. It's none of your business to talk nonsense about her, and you're not worthy to be here on the Ning family's turf, pointing fingers at the Ning family members!"
The socialites were rendered speechless by her sharp retort and could only awkwardly slink away, not daring to say anything more.
Ning Manfei watched their retreating figures, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
She turned gracefully to get some snacks, but the next second, she met a pair of deep black eyes.
Ning Yuan was standing not far behind her, holding two delicate pastries in her hands, looking at her with a half-smile.
Ning Bing'an stood beside her, his gaze calm and unwavering, revealing no emotion.
Ning Manfei looked at them, her face turning pale and then flushed. She feigned composure, turned her face away, and said coldly:
"I just can't stand people saying bad things about the Ning family, it's none of your business."
After speaking, she glanced at Ning Bing'an beside Ning Yuan, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.
In the end, he said nothing, arrogantly raised his chin, and turned to leave.
"That's strange." Ning Yuan looked at her back, raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised that the other party would actually defend her.
It seems that the Ning family is truly united in their dealings with outsiders. No matter how much turmoil occurs within the family, they always maintain the family's reputation in front of outsiders.
At this moment, melodious music began to play, and the originally noisy hall gradually quieted down, marking the official start of the charity auction.
Ning Bing'an naturally took Ning Yuan's hand and said in a light tone, "Let's go, let's go up ahead. What do you like? I'll take a picture of it for you."
Ning Yuan tried to pull her hand away, but it was held even tighter.
She looked up at Ning Bing'an and found him looking down at her, his expression calm: "This is a task my family gave me."
Ning Yuan didn't refuse again. Since she wouldn't lose out anyway, she nodded and said, "Okay."
On the other side, a black Lincoln was also weaving through the traffic.
In the car, Cha Meiling carefully touched up her lipstick in front of the makeup mirror.
Her exquisite makeup and flamboyant red dress made her look radiant, like a blooming red rose, delicate and beautiful.
Cha Meiling asked her secretary calmly, "How do I look today?"
"Miss Anne, you are Hong Kong's most famous socialite, naturally you are radiant and outshine all others," the female secretary complimented.
Cha Meiling smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes—
"I don't want my godmother to think I'm deliberately trying to outshine my younger sister Ning Yuan today, but I also want everyone to know that even without the title of the eldest daughter-in-law of the Ning family, I, Cha Meiling, am still the number one socialite in Hong Kong!"
Thinking about facing Ning Bingyu and Ning Yuan later, Cha Meiling habitually thought of lighting a cigarette.
But her secretary quickly stopped her: "Miss Anne, you're wearing a haute couture gown today, don't let it get stained with the smell of smoke."
Cha Meiling reluctantly put down the lighter: "How much longer until we arrive?"
"This road is a bit congested, it might take another twenty minutes or so," the secretary replied cautiously while flipping through the itinerary.
Twenty minutes?
Cha Meiling frowned slightly. She hated wasting time, especially this kind of meaningless waiting.
She impatiently knocked on the car window, glancing casually outside, but noticed that the car seemed to be traveling in a strange direction.
"Where are we going? Why aren't we taking the main road?" Cha Meiling asked, frowning.
The secretary paused for a moment, realizing something was wrong, and quickly asked the driver, "This road doesn't seem to lead to the hotel. Did you take the wrong turn?"
The driver ignored her question and instead sped up.
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