Lu Weixi had attended the banquet five years ago, then as Qin Zhiguâs girlfriend. The charity banquet was a gathering of reputable figures in society, and no one would hesitate to spend money. There were two options: direct donation or contributing auction items which they themselves would buy back afterward. Auction items would be labeled as âdonated by XXXâ. Ordinary people generally wouldnât bid on these items.
Qin Zhiyou, as stingy as he was, took part in this event not only to maintain relationships but for another vital reason too. The event was organized by the government; donations would be pooled into a government-designated charity fund and managed collectively. The top donors of the night would not only get the honor of opening the subsequent ball but also receive some tax relief in the following fiscal year. Thatâs why there were hardly any film or TV stars present â attending came with a high cost and slight benefit, and hence was not worth it for them.
However, today as Lu Weixi walked in, she felt the atmosphere was perhaps a bit too lively. There had never been such an array of cars and reporters outside the banquet hall; it didnât seem like a charity banquet but more like a celebrity award ceremony.
Luckily, the organizers werenât foolish enough to roll out a red carpet or anything of the sort. The reporters and stars were confined to the main entrance. The hall was still solemn. Even the showbiz personalities who were boisterous outside maintained decorum as soon as they stepped inside.
Every attendee was a prominent figure in Yan City, even across China. Even those high-profile influencers and wealthy heirs, who usually have millions or billions of followers on Weibo, must behave properly here. And there were cameras being set up; it looked like theyâd be filming the event.
This made Lu Weixi anxious. It wasnât that she didnât want to accompany Qin Zhiyou to the event, she just didnât want to reveal her identity. They had discussed this beforehand and agreed on it.
Though the event was crowded and she might not get caught on camera, there would be many people from the entertainment industry there. So, what if she ran into Qin Zhiyouâs exes?
She had no intentions of catching up with that crowd or discussing him. How would those conversations even go? âOh, howâs it going with Qin Zhiyou? Donât you find him annoying?â
She turned to Qin Zhiyou, her face displaying her annoyance, âThis is a public event. Why didnât you tell me?â
Qin Zhiyou had no idea either; he hadnât planned to put Lu Weixi in such a situation. He turned to his secretary, âWhatâs going on here?â
After looking up some information, the secretary explained, âThere has been a once in fifty years flood around Yan City recently, and it just so happens that itâs the charity banquetâs 10th anniversary. It was decided to make it slightly larger. Nothing else was mentioned, everyone was simply instructed to proceed as usual.â
So, it was a larger event, primarily to raise more funds for the flood. Thatâs why they invited people from the entertainment industry and even called in the television teams, right?
With a slight frown, Qin Zhiyou turned back to Lu Weixi.
This was actually unimportant to him; regardless of it being a massive or small event, or whether there were reporters, he would have dressed the same. The only tricky part was explaining it to Lu Weixi, as she did not wish to face the people or the cameras.
But now, the car had already reached the venue, and it was too late to back out. She knew she couldnât just leave. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Especially since she caught a glimpse of the host greeting the guests upfront, who seemed to be Liu Yiyi..