Since receiving her latest mission to investigate the latest actions of the upper echelons of Esairi against the Lan Kingdom, An Moxue has been keeping an eye on the Nigu La family, the most prestigious and ancient family in Esairi, which not only has a rich history but also political capital.
Their latest operation is to exploit Lan Kingdom's current domestic policies to incite as many conflicts as possible and to harm Lan Kingdom's talents. An Moxue's goal is to obtain the list of people going to Lan Kingdom and the list of spies to be used in Lan Kingdom. The main person in charge of this operation is Nigu La.
Especially coincidentally, An Moxue met Sophia during the entrance interview. The two were even in the same class. Sophia happened to be the beloved daughter of the head of the Nigu La family, which brought great convenience to An Moxue's mission. It just so happened that it was Nigu La's birthday banquet. An Moxue wanted to make connections on one hand, and on the other hand, she also wanted to see if she could find any new clues about the mission.
On this day, An Moxue dressed up in a blue brocade dress, paired with a matching handbag, and her necklace was a top-grade sapphire set that could only be obtained by someone with a rich background. It was clearly a masterpiece from a family treasure.
The gift was an exquisite set of bone china with gold and blue patterns, which included a teapot, a tea caddy, six teacups, and two wine jugs. Even the packaging box was a fine lacquered and painted mahogany box, clearly a valuable and exquisite piece of bone china.
This was An Moxue's first appearance in the elite circle of Oseri. She needed to be neither too flamboyant nor too overbearing, but also to subtly display her status and position. Only by striking the right balance could she make a good impression and inspire people to want to befriend her.
An Moxue called Karl to inquire and learned that he was also going to the Nikolai family banquet. She begged him to take her along, and he readily agreed.
"Giddy, you look absolutely stunning today!" Karl exclaimed sincerely as he sat in the back seat of the car with An Moxue.
"Thank you, Karl. Otherwise, if I went alone, I would only know Sophia, and she would be very busy today, which would make me feel awkward. It would be better if I went with you. You should introduce me to a few people so that I won't be left alone and feeling awkward."
Looking into An Moxue's sincere eyes, Karl assured her, "Giddy, don't worry, I'll help you. You won't be left alone and embarrassed with no one to talk to you. I'll introduce you to some friends your age."
"Thank you, Karl. I don't know how to thank you enough." Karl felt needed both physically and mentally, and he felt that he could not let An Moxue down. He was thinking about who he would meet today, who he could introduce to An Moxue, and who he should remind her to be careful. He felt more important than ever before.
Karl also sensed that An Moxue seemed a little nervous, so he comforted her the whole way, telling her about the people and things she needed to pay attention to that day.
After getting off the bus, An Moxue met Sophia, presented her with a gift, and registered. Sophia then introduced An Moxue to her father, General Nun La. From that first meeting, An Moxue knew that Sophia was a ruthless and decisive man. An Moxue simply accepted Sophia's identity as her classmate and did not dare to inquire about anything else.
Nymphora's gaze swept over An Moxue, and she knew he was scrutinizing her. The oppressive presence was palpable, but An Moxue smiled, seemingly unaware of his gaze, and let Sophia continue her introduction.
“Father, this is the classmate I told you about who excelled in the entrance exam and received praise from many teachers, Jiduo.”
After Sophia finished her introduction, Nigu La also looked An Moxue up and down. An Moxue spoke first, saying, "Uncle, hello, happy birthday."
The questions were all serious: "Hello, welcome to my home. Who else lives here? And why did you come all the way to Puda to study?"
An Moxue, seemingly oblivious to his scrutiny, spoke slowly, saying, "There's not much left in my family, just enough money to get by. I've always admired the advanced ideas at Puda University and wanted to come and learn. Fortunately, I didn't miss this opportunity. I met Sophia and we became good friends."
The nun looked her over and, just by looking at the set of sapphire jewelry she was wearing, she knew that her claim of having enough money to get by was an understatement.
“Young man, you have ideas, that’s good, keep up the good work,” Nymphala said encouragingly, still with a serious face.
An Moxue looked grateful and said, "Uncle, I will try my best."
Sophia knew her father was busy and that it was already difficult for him to say a few words to An Moxue, so she said, "Father, I'm taking her over there."
Nikolai looked at Sofia, his eyes no longer serious, only gentle, and said, "Go! Treat your friend well."
After meeting with Nun La, Sophia pulled An Moxue aside to get a cup of black tea. An Moxue patted her chest with relief and whispered to Sophia, "Sophia, have I done anything rude? Will I displease your father? He's so intimidating." She then looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was paying attention.
Her reaction amused Sophia, who said, "No, you handled it perfectly. My father must like you, otherwise he wouldn't have asked you any questions." Sophia was also pleased that her new friend had won her father's favor, which was another form of recognition for her.
The two chatted, unaware that An Moxue had caught the eye of the Nygur family's guard camp from the moment she and Karl got out of the car. Especially after meeting Sophia and being taken to see the Nygur family, she became a key target of their attention.
After An Moxue got out of the car, she vaguely sensed that someone was watching her, and the location changed several times.
Furthermore, the security here is very tight, and it would be absolutely impossible for her to sneak into an important place as a guest on her own. Therefore, she abandoned all her previous thoughts and focused solely on being a good friend of Sophia.
"Giddy, come on, I'll introduce you to some friends. I might not be able to stay with you for a while, please forgive me." After saying that, Sophia led An Moxue towards a group of young people.
As they walked, the two said, "No, Sophia, I know we've only known each other for a few days, but you've already invited me to your father's birthday banquet. That's the greatest recognition you can give me. I'm not ungrateful."
Sofia was very happy. Making friends shouldn't be a one-sided affair where one party gives and the other takes it for granted. This birthday banquet was the best stepping stone to getting to know high society, especially with Sofia's personal introduction. It was a gathering of top nobles from Puda and even other regions. Such connections were priceless.
Before Sophia and An Moxue could reach the group of young people, one of them spotted them and whispered to Sophia, "Sophia!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com