Chapter 66
With the final checks complete, guests were expected to begin arriving around 4 p.m. Some arrived early, some late. The timing of one's arrival was sometimes an art, revealing whether one valued the banquet and how one's status compared to the host.
But Feng Ran was too lazy to greet guests at the door. She didn't spend money to hire so many people to organize this birthday party so that she could do everything herself. After all, the event officially started at five o'clock, and rooms were prepared for the guests as lounges before that. So, she would be as lazy as possible if she could.
Of course, Feng Ran's own lounge was the most luxurious presidential suite. She casually sat on the sofa in the suite, reviewing Fran's reports and documents from this period. Fran, who was dressed in a smart and neat suit today, stood cautiously to the side for fear of getting his clothes dirty, wearing gloves and curiously and excitedly pinching Xiao Jiu.
Although it was destined not to appear today, Little Pink still tied a bow on its head with waterproof fabric, making it look particularly comical. Hilde and Carlo, who came along, sat opposite Feng Ran, looking somewhat awkward.
Feng Ran couldn't offer any helpful suggestions on Fran's research report. After all, with Xing Tong's assistance, Fran's efficiency had increased significantly, and even his research style was starting to resemble Feng Ran's under Xing Tong's guidance. It was somewhat like nurturing a student.
Fengran: "The research direction is theoretically sound, but we're still lacking experimental subjects, right? How's the research on the corrosive damage of Kraken slime going?"
Fran: "The sample size was too small. We tried testing it several times, but we don't know if it was due to the reaction or the dilution. In the end, the corrosiveness was gone, so we can't study it right now."
Feng Ran: "Alright, it seems we'll have to find new test subjects later." She looked at the other two, who seemed a little uneasy, "Oh, do you two have anything to say?"
Hilde was also forced to wear a formal suit today. With the scars on his face covered, his burly figure strangely exuded a sense of righteousness. Carlo, on the other hand, was not tall, and his flaxen curly hair and freckles made him look particularly simple and honest.
Hilde still acted arrogantly and defiant, but then awkwardly mimicked Fran's tone and reported, "We've sold out of everything we prepared, and now we have nothing to do on Laplace."
Feng Ran squinted and thought for a moment: "Jiang Lan is doing well undercover, so I don't think we need your help. Hmm, do you want to go back to your old base in the Kerxi Star Sector?"
Hilde curled her lip: "Ha, what kind of outpost is it if it's already exposed?"
Feng Ran: "Hey, you have a lot of opinions, huh? Then are you going to the interstellar battlefield to help me kill legion-level aliens?"
Hilde: "Damn it! Why?!"
He was extremely unwilling to do this kind of indirect good deed, which benefited the country and the people and forced prostitutes to become good. He didn't care if his colleagues laughed at him, but if the empire found out, wouldn't his past actions make him look like a clown?
Feng Ran mimicked his expression and pouted, "Heh, you think someone like you can be considered S-rank?"
Hilde's temper flared up immediately, and she retorted, "What does this have to do with S-class? You're so capable, yet you haven't listened to Fran's prophecy and saved the world?"
Feng Ran ignored him and turned to look at Carlo: "Carlo, besides planetary collisions, what other prophecies does your Sat tribe make? What is the basis for your astrologers' prophecies?"
Carlo shook his head: "I don't know the specifics. The astrologer only said that a collision would occur and advised everyone to leave. Grandpa Colin has been observing the stars since he was a child and has been very accurate for most of his life. He said he judged based on the deviation of the position of the eclipse, but we ordinary people can't see it with the naked eye like he can."
Feng Ran was skeptical of this rather imprecise method of judgment. There were so many stars in the Baroque system whose orbits intersected and overlapped with each other, and planets didn't emit light. How could they tell that a celestial eclipse had occurred? It was puzzling.
The hotel manager's voice came through the doorbell: "Ms. Fengran, it's time to change and put on makeup. A third of the people on the list have already arrived. You can prepare to go on stage."
Feng Ran stood up: "Hilde, do you want to be the bad guy?"
Hilde scoffed: "I've always been a bad person."
Feng Ran looked at him calmly: "Okay, then you can work for Chairman Kobana for a month. Killing, silencing, interrogation and torture are underestimating your S-rank. You can have a special experience of training products and dealing with human pigs. If you can do that, I won't care what you want to do in the future."
"Only by extinguishing humanity can one be considered a thoroughly evil person, don't you think? If you choose to deviate from the norm, then simply destroying justice and order is not enough. The malice you project will surge back like a tide. Only by completely suppressing the turmoil and wavering in your heart, turning it into a calm Dead Sea, can you avoid losing to this world where right and wrong are indistinguishable. But unfortunately, I can't do that. I hope you can adapt to it with ease."
Hilde was terrified by her gaze and words. He knew all about Kobana's affairs, so how could he possibly take on such a difficult task right away? His whole neighborhood was full of perverts. He had only gotten into a fight with some thugs who loitered around the black market out of boredom, and Kobana's adopted son, for some reason, had turned him into an Omega and dumped him in front of Hilde's shop, naked and rubbing against her in a tattered cloth. He was scared to death.
Thinking back on it still disgusted him. He pondered for a moment and said, "It's not that bad. It's just a mutant. You want to steal the crystal core, right? I think it's feasible."
The wind-burning reaction was mild, and it readily accepted Hilde's compromise: "Alright, then you guys stay in Chilia with Fran for now. I estimate that it will only be a month or two before we go to snatch the crystal cores."
Feng Ran walked to the door and opened it for the manager and makeup artist. The other three didn't want to linger any longer, so they brushed past each other and left.
Her bangs had grown long and were a bit too eye-catching, so the makeup artist trimmed them a little and then curled and styled them again. The small wool curls looked particularly gorgeous and luxurious, but Feng Ran wasn't in the mood to pay attention to them. She stared at the mirror, her gaze focusing and then scattering in the air, lost in thought.
It's hard to tell whether she wants to be a good person or a bad person. It's just that if she stands somewhere in between, she'll be abandoned by both sides, and she's getting tired of that.
Shen Shiqian's room was right next to Feng Ran's. Considering some factors, he arrived at the "appointment" later than usual. Of course, his appearance at Feng Ran's birthday banquet was already a sensation for the outside world, so his appearance naturally had to be more cautious and glamorous.
After changing her clothes, Feng Ran arrived at the banquet hall and greeted some guests. Since an invitation could only bring one or two family members or partners, Feng Ran didn't know many of the guests and dealt with them casually, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking about organizing such a grand banquet.
In fact, she wasn't sure. Even if she decided to stay in Kempion, she didn't feel the need to cultivate good relationships with so many people. After all, her usual style was to use forceful means to make others submit, and ladylike negotiation skills seemed like something from a past life to her.
"Ranran! Happy birthday!"
Feng Ran turned his head when he heard the sound. He was not surprised that Afu was the first of the four families to arrive. Beside her was a tall girl dressed in simple clothes. Although she looked different from the girls in the usual interview videos, her unique temperament made it hard not to suspect her.
Sherry Carlos smiled and extended her hand: "Happy birthday, Miss Windburn."
Feng Ran gently squeezed her hand back: "I hope Your Highness has a good time."
The promised show of support turned into an incognito visit, which left Feng Ran somewhat bewildered. The thoughts of these important figures were truly hard to fathom, but out of consideration for Afu and Shen Shiqian, she chose not to dwell on it.
Afu: "Anything fun to do today?"
Feng Ran: "Hmm, does inviting Bai Jinyu to perform count? I reckon a lot of people will be asking for autographs. If you want one too, I can have the manager take you directly to the cast and crew lounge."
After all, all the high-ranking generals and major generals from the military are here. I even heard from Zuo Ling that other people are also trying to get their family members here, so it's going to be quite a lively event.
Afu grinned and said, "Hehe, it feels so good to get in through the back door, but I don't need to."
Feng Ran understood, assuming the two were pretty much certain of their success, so he didn't bring it up again.
"Ignite it!"
This was their first meeting since they said they would be temporarily separated. As usual, young master Basil was surrounded by many people. Chris forcibly restrained the restless Joshua, while Joshua resentfully tugged at Basil's suit sleeve. Joey from the Bruce family followed a few steps behind them, with Bai Chenxi beside him.
The group seemed inexplicably crowded. Although everyone was obviously shrewd and seemed to have some ulterior motives, Basil occupied the central position, bright and proper. Feng Ran didn't know what others thought, but she was reluctant to take her eyes off her.
When he spoke, it was as if all the misunderstandings and conflicts had never happened: "Happy birthday, Ranran! It's all Joshua's fault for throwing a tantrum on the way, otherwise I would have arrived long ago."
Joshua, concerned about saving face in front of everyone, tugged at his sleeve, making it even more wrinkled: "I didn't!"
Basil pulled her sleeve out of his hand: "I already told you that Joey and I just happened to run into each other. Why would I lie to you for no reason? What have you done wrong that makes you so scared when you see him?"
Feng Ran glanced at the council speaker's youngest son as if sensing something, his gaze fixed on Joshua without ever looking away, which didn't seem like they had a bad relationship.
She lifted her skirt and slightly bent her knees: "I see. There are many fun activities at the banquet. I hope Joshua will feel better."
Joshua: "Thank you, and I hope you have a good day." After saying that, he grabbed Basil and Chris's arms and shoved them like a bull as he walked inside, making a point of getting away from Joey.
Feng Ran wasn't familiar with the other two, only knowing that they were well-known for their excellence in the industry, but were also taciturn and difficult to approach.
Joey Bruce appeared expressionless, but was actually calm and deep, with an occasional gloomy demeanor that resembled Shen Shiqian: "Happy birthday, Ms. Feng Ran, thank you for your invitation."
Of course, that kind of familiarity is a more flat feeling. After all, when Shen Shiqian looks at Feng Ran, he is more erotic and passionate, making people wonder if he is a pervert. On the other hand, the way Joey looks at Joshua is full of crazy possessiveness. He is willing to risk both of them to the point of death. He is more like a murderer than a pervert.
A-Tong is truly an amazing creature.
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