Chapter 5 He, So Dazzling
On the day of the Qixing Business Summit.
Ruan Yao stood in front of the full-length mirror, wearing a light apricot-colored dress. The dress was simple in style, but it perfectly accentuated the girl's slender waist.
She remembered that in her previous life, when she first met Huo Yanzhi after the Ruan family went bankrupt, she was wearing a similar dress.
In the car, Ruan Sheng glanced at her in the rearview mirror and whistled.
"Wow, you're all dressed up so beautifully today. You're going to seduce a lot of people later!"
The car drove smoothly on the road.
As Ruan Sheng drove, he instructed Ruan Yao, "When we go inside, don't wander off, understand? They're all shrewd people, and they all speak with a lot of twists and turns. You won't be able to handle them."
"knew."
"Also, don't fall asleep during meetings, it would be embarrassing if you were caught on camera."
Ruan Yao nodded obediently, her fingers unconsciously stroking the long-handled black umbrella beside her legs.
The entrance to the venue was bustling with people, all dressed in suits and exuding an air of sophistication.
Ruan Yao followed Ruan Sheng inside.
Ruan Sheng's gaze then fell upon the black umbrella in her hand, and he raised an eyebrow. "Why are you carrying an umbrella? The weather forecast says it will be sunny today."
"What if it rains?" Ruan Yao said vaguely.
Ruan Sheng gave him a look that said, "Are you kidding me?" and didn't ask any more questions.
As soon as Ruan Yao stepped into the venue, her eyes eagerly began searching through the crowd.
She found it very quickly.
In the very center of the first row, Huo Yanzhi was surrounded by a group of men in suits, like a star being fawned over.
He was wearing a custom-made dark gray suit, exuding a cool and aloof demeanor.
Despite the noisy setting, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around him, isolating him from all the restlessness.
He listened intently to the people around him, his expression indifferent, occasionally nodding, his powerful aura drawing everyone's attention.
Ruan Yao's heart skipped a beat.
"Brother, where are our seats?"
“The rest of us are just here to make up the numbers.” Ruan Sheng led her through the crowd and found seats at the back of the venue.
It's too far away.
From here, all you can see is a blurry profile of Huo Yanzhi; you can't even make out his expression.
A sense of loss washed over Ruan Yao, but her eyes remained fixed on that retreating figure.
"See those people up ahead?" Ruan Sheng leaned closer, lowered his voice, and nodded his chin in Huo Yanzhi's direction.
Ruan Yao immediately sat up straight, pretending to listen attentively.
“That’s Mr. Wang from Dingsheng Group. And that’s Mr. Li from the new energy company.” Ruan Sheng introduced them to her one by one, “They’re big shots in Beijing, their presence is enough to shake the city.”
He paused, a hint of emotion in his voice, "See them surrounding that young man? That's Huo Yanzhi from the Huo family. Compared to them, our family is just a nobody, and we don't even rank in the Huo family's eyes."
Ruan Yao feigned curiosity and followed his lead, asking, "Brother, is that Huo Yanzhi very capable?"
“Of course.” Ruan Sheng’s tone was tinged with emotion. “This young master of the Huo family is unbelievably young, and his methods are unbelievably ruthless. In the entire Jingbei region, who wouldn’t want to get on his good side?”
Ruan Yao had heard these words in her previous life as well.
At that time, she was filled with fear, and she felt that Huo Yanzhi was a madman who was capricious and greedy.
Listening to it now evokes a different feeling.
A strange, proud feeling welled up in Ruan Yao's heart, along with a subtle, bittersweet feeling of regret for her past ignorance.
She looked at the blurry figure in the distance, a hint of admiration unconsciously showing in her eyes.
"Hey, snap out of it." Ruan Sheng nudged her with his elbow. "I said, something's not right with you today. Why are you so engrossed in listening to this? Your eyes are practically glued to the person."
Ruan Yao's cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly looked away, lowering her head as if to adjust her skirt.
"I just... I just think he's pretty good-looking."
Her appearance made Ruan Sheng even more suspicious.
He stroked his chin and chuckled mischievously, “Our little princess has such high standards, she’s already eyeing the top tier right away. But I advise you, just admire these kinds of people, we can’t afford to mess with them.”
Ruan Yao lowered her head and remained silent, but she felt a little wronged and complained inwardly.
He was the one who provoked her first.
She quietly raised her eyes and glanced in that direction again, a slight sense of disappointment welling up inside her.
Since she came in, Huo Yanzhi hasn't looked this way even once.
He seemed completely oblivious to her.
The meeting officially began.
Ruan Yao sat upright, but her mind was completely focused on the front row of the venue.
She looked at Huo Yanzhi, who had his legs crossed and was leaning back in his chair in a relaxed posture.
He simply sat there quietly, as if he were in a world apart from his surroundings.
Ruan Yao's emotions began to fluctuate wildly with every subtle movement he made.
He raised his hand, and she tensed up.
He turned his head, and she began to look forward to it.
Beside her, Ruan Sheng was still muttering complaints about the speaker's boredom, but Ruan Yao didn't hear a word he said.
Suddenly, the host announced Huo Yanzhi's name in an enthusiastic tone.
He stood up and walked to the podium.
Ruan Yao sat up straighter instantly, her hands unconsciously clasped together and placed on her knees.
The spotlight shone on him, bathing him in light.
He adjusted the microphone height, and his deep, calm voice clearly resonated throughout the venue via the speakers.
Ruan Yao could hear her own heartbeat, one after another.
She stared wide-eyed at the man on the stage, listening to him analyze the market and explain his plans.
Those business terms that Ruan Yao once found so boring and tedious that they would put her to sleep, when spoken by him, carried a convincing power with every word.
She couldn't understand the technical jargon, but she could see the growing approval and recognition in the eyes of the business tycoons in the audience.
She could also see how brilliant the man on stage was in his field.
In her past life, how could she have imagined that such a person would need to resort to such despicable means as drugging to obtain a woman?
Ruan Yao stared intently, she had never been this focused in class.
She hoped he could see her.
But no.
Until the end of his speech, Huo Yanzhi's gaze did not stray even slightly from the back row.
He nodded politely to the audience, his expression indifferent.
Ruan Yao's glimmer of hope gradually faded.
Just as Huo Yanzhi stepped off the stage and was about to return to his seat...
His gaze inadvertently swept across the audience.
His gaze swept quickly across the back row, and then, in a split second, landed precisely on Ruan Yao.
It only paused for a second.
It took less than a second.
Ruan Yao's heart skipped a beat.
But that gaze quickly shifted away, without the slightest lingering affection, as if what had just happened was merely her imagination.
Huo Yanzhi returned to his seat and sat down.
Ruan Yao felt her heart pounding, and lowered her head in disappointment, trying to comfort herself.
It was too far away, and the lights were so dazzling, he definitely couldn't see it clearly.
As the summit concluded, guests gradually rose and left, chatting in small groups, and the venue became noisy once again.
Ruan Sheng yawned and stretched. "Finally done. Come on, let's go get something delicious."
Ruan Yao didn't move, her eyes fixed on the first row.
Huo Yanzhi also stood up, and Qin Feng was bowing beside him, saying something.
He didn't look in this direction again, and turned to leave.
"Brother, go wait for me at the door."
After saying this, Ruan Yao ignored Ruan Sheng's surprised shouts from behind and chased after him, lifting her skirt.
"Hey, where are you going!" Ruan Sheng's voice was drowned out by the crowd.
Ruan Yao chased after him to the entrance of the venue, her fair face flushed red from the chase.
She finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd and spotted Huo Yanzhi heading towards the VIP passage.
Just as Huo Yanzhi was about to get into the car, Qin Feng opened the back door for him.
Ruan Yao held her breath, preparing to step forward.
A flashy-looking man with a frivolous air suddenly darted out from the side and grabbed Huo Yanzhi's shoulder.
"Mr. Huo, can I hitch a ride with you?"
Ruan Yao paused for a moment.
She recognized the man; it was Gu Huai.
Huo Yanzhi's childhood friend was also one of his few friends.
Qin Feng had already opened the car door, and Huo Yanzhi could get in at any moment.
We can't wait any longer.
Ruan Yao bit her lip, gripped the umbrella handle tightly, mustered all her courage, and strode over.
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