Chapter 96: The Banquet

The Haisha Charity Night was started during the SARS period by well-known actors and stars to raise funds for the fight against SARS, and it had continued ever since.

Originally, it was a gathering for stars, and all the major actors and celebrities from the country attended. Besides them, there were also CEOs, board members of well-known domestic companies, and other important people.

This time, the charity banquet was held in Binhai City. Since the Legion Ant Company was the brightest rising star in technology domestically and its headquarters was in Binhai City, it was natural for them to be invited.

This was the Legion Ant Company’s first time participating in public welfare and charity. Zhao Min had originally taken it very seriously and wanted to attend personally, but she had to go to Europe to prepare for the company’s international expansion. So, she had to send Chen Mo, the Chairman, instead.

At eight o’clock, Chen Mo and Xiaoyu arrived outside the banquet venue. The area was filled with luxury cars—it looked almost like a large luxury car exhibition.

Seeing the scene outside the window, Xiaoyu immediately became nervous.

This was her first time attending such a large banquet. The attendees were all elites of society. No matter how she looked at it, she was just a Cinderella—only with her prince by her side.

The soothing music in the car did not relax Xiaoyu at all. Instead, she gripped Chen Mo’s hand tightly.

“Nervous?” Chen Mo asked.

“A little,” Xiaoyu nodded.

“To be honest, I’ve never been to this kind of banquet either,” Chen Mo said, patting her hand to reassure her.

Feeling the warmth of Chen Mo’s hand, Xiaoyu relaxed slightly. It seemed that as long as Chen Mo was there, even if the sky fell, it would be alright.

After the car stopped outside the venue, Xiaoyu held onto Chen Mo’s arm and slowly walked inside.

Just as they reached the entrance, a staff member stopped them and asked, “May I ask who you are?”

“We’re representatives from the Legion Ant Company,” Chen Mo said calmly.

“Oh? Is Ms. Zhao Min not coming?” asked another staff member responsible for check-ins.

“She went to Europe,” Chen Mo replied.

“Oh, then please sign in here and go inside. There will be a second event area later,” the staff member said with a smile.

After the two left, the staff member picked up a walkie-talkie and said, “Director, the President of the Legion Ant Company didn’t come. They sent two representatives instead—one named Chen Mo and the other named He Xiaoyu.”

“Got it, I’ll inform the host. We should also change the seating for the Legion Ant Company in the second event area. Since it’s not the President, it might not be appropriate to keep them at that table. Decide on a suitable spot and adjust accordingly. Maybe swap with the seat for the President of Huayi Group.”

“Okay.”

Chen Mo and Xiaoyu didn’t arrive early; many people had already entered.

It was an open-air banquet venue. Inside, you could see small groups of people standing together, holding glasses, chatting and laughing. Outside, many security personnel were patrolling, clearly showing that security was well-organized.

The moment they stepped into the venue, Xiaoyu tensed up completely, pressing herself close to Chen Mo.

“Xiaoyu, don’t be so nervous. You’re making me a bit nervous too. We might both embarrass ourselves later,” Chen Mo said.

Xiaoyu chuckled. His comment actually helped her relax. Her laughter also eased the slight tension in Chen Mo’s heart, and he calmly looked around at the people nearby.

“Hey, Assistant He is here.” A middle-aged man in a suit, who was very clever and bald, saw Xiaoyu and walked over with a glass, smiling at them. “Is General Manager Zhao not here?”

“Hello, Mr. Qi. General Manager Zhao went to Europe and won’t be back for a few days,” Xiaoyu replied politely.

“Ah, what a shame. I was hoping to discuss some business with General Manager Zhao today. Maybe next time then, Assistant He. I’ll go catch up with an old friend over there. Please make yourself at home.”

After saying that, he walked away with his glass, only giving Chen Mo a brief glance from start to finish.

“Who was that?”

“Qi Ming, the boss of a small company. I met him when I went with General Manager Zhao to sign contracts with some distributors. His ‘clever and bald’ look is why I remembered him.”

“Xiaoyu, I see you’re getting a bit mischievous,” Chen Mo laughed.

“No, I’m not.”

Xiaoyu chuckled softly too. All her earlier nervousness had vanished, and she held Chen Mo’s arm as they walked away. Because of Xiaoyu’s pure and gentle demeanor, many people noticed them.

Those who knew Xiaoyu were aware that she was Zhao Min’s assistant.

Now, the Legion Ant Company was a well-known domestic enterprise, the company most likely to break the stagnation in the domestic internet industry. In the country, Zhao Min was considered one of the business giants.

Many young elites had come specifically hoping to meet Zhao Min today. After all, winning her over would mean a bright future for their family businesses and themselves.

Many were disappointed that Zhao Min hadn’t come.

Those who recognized Xiaoyu just gave a simple greeting before turning to chat with others. With Zhao Min not here, there was no point discussing business with an assistant.

As for Chen Mo, no one knew him at all.

“Chen Mo, what do you think of this banquet?” After walking around a bit, Xiaoyu asked while holding his arm.

“If you hadn’t come with me, I’d probably be bored to death.”

That was the honest evaluation Chen Mo gave.

To him, all these people were strangers. He wasn’t good at socializing in such settings—it was a blank spot for him. He also didn’t like initiating conversations with others.

The people at this event were elites from various fields. Many of their words were insincere, and he disliked the scheming and hidden agendas.

If possible, he’d rather stay in the Laboratory and do research.

“Let’s go sit down,” Xiaoyu suggested.

“Okay.”

Chen Mo led Xiaoyu to an empty corner. As soon as they sat down, Chen Mo picked up a glass of juice and drank it all in one go.

These juices were made from the best and freshest fruits. A single glass could cost as much as an average person’s daily wage.

Though it was called a charity night, it often felt more like a networking platform.

But Chen Mo didn’t care about that. After all, the sponsors were paying for it—it wasn’t taken from the charity funds. Even if they donated money, they wouldn’t spend it on things like this.

“Can I take out my phone and play a game?” Chen Mo asked.

Xiaoyu laughed. Playing games at a banquet like this was definitely a fresh sight.

“Go ahead. I’ll watch you play.”

“Alright then.”

Chen Mo took out his phone and started a game. He usually only played to relax, and now he was bored enough for a round.

Just as Chen Mo was immersed in the game, a pleasant voice interrupted them.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

They looked up and saw a beautiful figure. A girl with delicate features looked at Chen Mo, surprised to see someone gaming in such a place. It was her first time seeing that.

“No one’s sitting here.”

Xiaoyu looked up, surprised, and said, “Are you Gao Wenwen?”

“Who is Gao Wenwen?” Chen Mo put down his phone and glanced at the girl.

“She’s a popular star. She rose to fame not long ago after a TV series and became one of the hottest actors. It’s said she refused to comply with the ‘hidden rules’ of someone powerful in the entertainment industry and got blacklisted. She’s talented, but no director dares to use her now, and her endorsement contracts were canceled.” Xiaoyu leaned close to Chen Mo’s ear and whispered.

“Hello.”

Gao Wenwen smiled and greeted them, then picked up a glass of juice and drank it, though she seemed a bit distracted.

Chen Mo took a deep look at Gao Wenwen. The entertainment world was known to be a messy place. For a girl with no powerful backing to stay true to herself was quite admirable.

After just that one glance, Chen Mo picked up his phone again, ready to continue his game. But just as he was about to start, there was a noticeable commotion in the crowd.