Ruan Xing
"President Bai, this is all of President Yi's expenses at 'Shadow of Deception' during this period, and... about the incident where President Yi assaulted someone at the bar..." Ying Cheng cautiously observed his superior's expression, his voice growing softer as he reported...
"How are their injuries?" Wen Xubai interrupted him directly.
Looking at the mountain of documents on his desk, he couldn't help but feel a slight ache in his temples again, and he gently braced himself with his hand.
Upon hearing this, Ying Cheng quickly flipped through the thick stack of documents in his hand to the injury report: "Comminuted fracture of the nasal bone, fractures of two ribs in the chest, plus... perforated eardrum..."
Wen Xubai tapped his hand lightly on the table, silently calculating the extent to which these injuries would require a forensic examination...
Minor injury, level two.
At best, it takes a year; at worst, it takes three years.
A wave of irritation washed over him, and Wen Xubai abruptly stood up, facing the window, forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Has the injured person applied for a forensic medical examination?"
"Not yet... They just happened to go to a hospital under our Wen Group, so..."
So they were stopped.
He understands without needing to be told.
This is the Wen family's usual tactic, and it's not the first time Wen Xuyi has done something like this.
They deliberately passed him the hot potato.
Wen Xubai gritted his teeth, and his grip on the back of the chair tightened involuntarily, leaving five deep finger marks on the black leather sofa.
"President Bai, so where are we now...?" Ying Cheng asked tentatively.
"Compensation." Wen Xubai slowly squeezed out two words from between his teeth. "Whatever they want, money, power, or anything else, as long as it's something the Wen family can give, we will do our best to compensate them."
"What if... what if they insist on appealing..."
Before he could finish speaking, Ying Cheng was so intimidated by the other party's sinister gaze that he shut his mouth and quickly said, "Yes, Mr. Bai, I understand..."
Wen Xubai's mood finally calmed down a bit. He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
He didn't want things to get to that point either...
Ying Cheng hesitated for a moment before speaking, "President Bai, Elder Wen is hosting a charity gala tonight. Do you think you should head back now?"
He had almost forgotten about it... He really should have made preparations earlier.
"Mm." Wen Xubai nodded.
"Okay, then I'll go prepare the car for you." Ying Cheng bowed and left.
When they returned to the Wen family home, it was already afternoon.
There weren't many people at home at the time, and he only saw Wen Xushi. The two exchanged a few simple greetings and pleasantries, and then parted ways because the housekeeper urged him to quickly get ready and change into his formal attire.
"Where is Father?" he asked casually.
"Master is resting in his room, conserving his energy for tonight's banquet," the butler replied respectfully.
"Um."
Wen Xubai nodded and went upstairs, but then he inadvertently saw Wen Xuyuan's tightly closed door.
When the young masters were not home, the butler would keep their doors closed to prevent anyone from entering. Wen Xuyuan, however, was different. Whether he returned or not, his door was always tightly shut, and even when he was home, he never spoke a word to the other family members.
The butler noticed his confusion and explained, "Young Master Yuan and Young Master Yi haven't returned yet."
As she spoke, she gestured for him to proceed.
Wen Xubai nodded and strode forward, following the other party's instructions.
Today, his formal attire was a custom-made white tailcoat, paired with a light gray inner layer, which made him look even more upright and exuded an air of nobility.
No matter how the Wen family treats him, a child who grows up in such a luxurious and dazzling world of fame and fortune will certainly have a good temperament.
After everyone had finished dressing and getting ready, it was time for the guests to enter.
As he stood before the French windows, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror, the butler, with a gentle smile that was neither distant nor obsequious, introduced him to the guests of the evening's banquet in a refined and respectful manner.
"Young Master Bai, today's charity gala is mainly for the shelter of children affected by the disaster. Several well-known and powerful families in the city will be attending, including... the Song family and the Ruan family."
Wen Xubai paused, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
He wasn't surprised that the Ruan family would come. After all, although the relationship between the Ruan and Wen families had once fallen into a slump because of Ruan Qing's matter, there was no open conflict, so it was best not to make things too tense.
As for the Song family...
The first wife of the Wen family, Wen Xuyuan's mother, and also the eldest daughter of the Song family—Song Yuxin.
But the news of her death was not so simple.
To avoid losing face, the Wen family didn't publicize Song Yuxin's true cause of death. While the outside world was unaware, everyone within their circle knew.
They're all old foxes; no matter how hard Wen Tingyi tries to suppress the news, it's inevitable that some rumors will leak out.
When the Song family learned of the news, they were so angry that they rushed to the door to demand an explanation. They even insisted on taking their grandson away and threatened to hold a press conference to expose Wen Tingyi's true colors.
But even if there were sufficient evidence, how could these two elderly people, both over sixty, possibly defeat Wen Tingyi, who was in his prime and a rising star in the political arena?
In the end, the matter ended with Mr. Song being hospitalized due to a stroke caused by the stress.
As Wen Xubai was deep in thought, the sound of car horns came from downstairs.
"Third Young Master, we should go down now."
"good."
Wen Xubai nodded, and after making sure her makeup was perfect, she went downstairs.
Because it was a charity gala, the banquet setup should not be too extravagant, so an outdoor setting was chosen instead of a "magnificent" banquet hall.
The ladies' skirts swayed on the ground, their perfectly tailored haute couture gowns and off-the-shoulder mermaid dresses accentuating their graceful curves, every movement exuding elegance.
The men were mostly dressed in dark, custom-made suits, the Italian cashmere fabric crisp and well-fitting, with cleverly designed lapel pins, as they chatted casually while clinking glasses.
The white table was laden with a dazzling array of exquisite pastries, yet few people touched them. After all, in such a setting, eating was merely the most insignificant thing; what mattered was…
A waiter carrying a full tray of champagne walked by, and Wen Xubai casually picked up a glass and slowly stepped into the social setting.
He didn't like this atmosphere, but after attending so many gatherings of fame and fortune over the past eighteen years, he had also developed a hypocritical and deceitful facade.
Given his status as an "adopted son," not many people would bother to interact with him. Most would simply exchange a few polite greetings due to his good upbringing. He didn't want to get too entangled with these people and was happy to be at ease.
But today happens to be a charity gala, and the theme of the gala is related to "children," so Wen Tingyi, as a living "medal of merit," naturally has his status rising accordingly.
Outside were the media, and inside the venue, who knew if there were paparazzi who had carefully disguised themselves and sneaked in? Wen Xubai looked at the faces before him, all wearing fake smiles, as if offering a few words of concern would demonstrate their kindness and garner public favor…
He also put on a slight smile, raised his glass in response to each person, and chatted casually, while also saying a few good words for Wen Tingyi.
After dealing with wave after wave of guests, Wen Xubai took a small sip of champagne, his mouth dry, and then put down the empty glass, his sharp eyes sweeping over a furtive waiter not far away.
He had noticed this person from the very beginning; he had been hanging around from the sidelines ever since he started dealing with those "troublemakers."
The man thought he had disguised himself well, but he didn't expect to be discovered so quickly. He quickly lowered his head and left.
"His mission is complete; he should go and report to Wen Tingyi now."
A gentle voice, tinged with a hint of amusement, rang in my ears.
As soon as he came to his senses, another full glass of champagne appeared in front of Wen Xubai.
The pale golden surface of the wine swayed slightly, reflecting a faint light, while a man's smiling face was reflected in the clear glass.
Wen Xubai was a little surprised: "You are...?"
The man noticed his confusion, smiled slightly, and handed him the champagne, saying, "You may not remember me, but a long time ago... we met..."
Wen Xubai was taken aback upon hearing this. Looking at the refined and tall man in front of him, whose appearance was somewhat familiar, he frowned slightly.
He searched his memory very carefully, but ultimately found nothing.
Among the wealthy, the proportion of homosexuals is not small.
Thinking of the other person's words, which sounded like an old-fashioned "pickup line," Wen Xubai naturally thought of this person and assumed that he was another disgusting guy who had designs on him. He was about to refuse when the other person spoke first.
"Hello, let me introduce myself. My name is Ruan Xing."
Ruan Xing?!
Ruan Qing's older brother is also the current head of the Ruan family.
Wen Xubai's eyes widened suddenly as he looked at the person in front of him in shock.
The man before him was exceptionally well-maintained, with firm skin, well-defined features, a high but not sharp nose, and smooth, smiling lips. He wore a custom-made black suit and stood tall and straight. No matter how you looked at him, he definitely didn't look like a man in his forties or almost fifty.
It was at this moment that Wen Xubai suddenly realized what the other person meant when they said, "They met a long time ago."
Eighteen years ago, at Nguyen Thanh's funeral.
The man noticed his shock, and his smile widened. He raised the two glasses of champagne in his hand, bringing one of them closer to him, and said with a smile, "Well, Young Master Wen, would you do me the honor of having a drink?"
The man's voice was steady and calm, with a deep, resonant quality that commanded respect. A gentle, moist light shone from his clear, deep eyes.
Wen Xubai's head was buzzing, and for some reason, he subconsciously took the glass of wine.
Just as I was about to put it down, I suddenly heard another slightly sweet voice coming from afar, accompanied by the sound of footsteps approaching.
Before Wen Xubai could react, a white figure quickly squeezed between them, grabbed the arm of the person in front of him, and began to act coquettishly:
"Dad, what are you doing here?! I've been looking for you for ages! Have you seen Yuan-ge?"
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