Chapter 100: Leaving Midway

“Gao Wenwen’s bravery for charity has deeply impressed us all. Please welcome the Vice President of BMW China and Ms. Gao Wenwen to the stage to present the award to Mr. Xiang Nan, thanking Mr. Xiang Nan for his generous donation to charity.”

The host’s excited voice caused the audience to burst into warm applause.

In her seat, Gao Wenwen’s eyes dimmed when she heard the announcement. Then she stood up from her seat and slowly walked toward the stage.

The surrounding celebrities looked at her with either envy or pity.

This was fate.

Many of them knew the inside story, but they couldn’t talk about it.

Hua Yi’s status in the entertainment industry was that of a top boss. Offending him would only lead to being blacklisted. Being favored by the president of Hua Yi was in itself a blessing. Spending a fortune for a beauty’s kiss—not every woman could get such happiness.

Many female celebrities envied Gao Wenwen. If they could gain the favor of Hua Yi Group’s president, resources would pour in, making it impossible not to become famous.

Everyone’s eyes at the venue were on Gao Wenwen.

“Just as Secretary said—it really is the female star’s fragrant kiss.” Seeing the strange looks of the others, Xiaoyu teased.

“I was just joking earlier; I didn’t expect it to come true. But why wasn’t it Chen Mo, young brother, since it’s also eight?” Yao Yi looked at Chen Mo.

“Even if it were me, I couldn’t enjoy it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be allowed into bed when I got home.”

As soon as Chen Mo said this, everyone at the table laughed. Xiaoyu blushed and gently kicked Chen Mo under the table.

“It just doesn’t seem that simple to me. Looking at Gao Wenwen’s expression, she doesn’t seem willing at all. Or maybe Xiang Nan’s going on stage was prearranged. Didn’t they say someone in the entertainment industry had their eye on Gao Wenwen?” Chen Mo watched Gao Wenwen walk toward the stage.

“When we ran into Gao Wenwen earlier, she was alone and spaced out—could she have been thinking about this?” Xiaoyu suddenly remembered the moment they saw Gao Wenwen.

Chen Mo thought about it. Indeed, when they first saw her, Gao Wenwen seemed unhappy.

Dong Zhu chimed in.

“There might really be something fishy going on. Originally, there shouldn’t be this kind of reward at Charity Night. It was probably set up in advance, using the name of charity to force her to do this. If she refused, she would be completely ruined.”

Bang! As soon as Dong Zhu finished speaking, there was a bit of chaos at the venue.

Gao Wenwen, who was walking toward the stage, missed a step on the stairs. She hit the stage steps, bleeding from her forehead and falling unconscious.

“Save her!”

“Call an ambulance!”

The scene turned chaotic. Many people screamed. The host and staff hurried over and carried Gao Wenwen away from the scene.

The audience below was stunned. The sudden incident caught everyone off guard; no one had expected this scene.

Watching this, the people at Chen Mo’s table looked at each other.

“That can’t be a coincidence, right? I absolutely don’t believe it wasn’t intentional. This Gao Wenwen actually used this method to escape.” Sun Hua also spoke up.

“Using the name of charity for the entertainment industry’s hidden rules—it’s really disappointing.”

Yao Yi shook his head and sighed, his voice filled with deep disappointment. What had been a good Charity Night now seemed like a farce in their eyes.

“It’s a bit late; I’ll head out first.” Yao Yi checked the time and stood up from his seat. After this commotion, Charity Night seemed to have changed in nature. Sitting there longer, he didn’t have the mood.

“I’ll leave too.” Dong Zhu also stood up.

“Let’s go together.”

Chen Mo and Xiaoyu also got up from their seats. The party was somewhat boring, but leaving Charity Night midway wasn’t good either. Yet now, with things seeming to have soured, they completely lost the desire to stay.

The other people at the table exchanged glances and all got up to leave.

Most people’s attention was on the stage, so not many noticed this table’s departure.

“Secretary Yao, President Dong, President Sun—although there was a small mishap, the evening isn’t over yet. Why are you in a hurry to leave?” As soon as they stepped outside the banquet, Su Guo, the event’s organizer, came up to them.

“Pressing schedule; it’s a bit late. I have work tomorrow and need to go rest.” Yao Yi said calmly.

“Is there something about the evening that wasn’t satisfactory?” Su Guo looked at Dong Zhu and the others, mustering up the courage to ask.

These were all CEOs of major domestic companies. The whole table leaving early clearly indicated some dissatisfaction.

“No, my company has an urgent matter I need to go handle. I have a flight tonight.” Dong Zhu spoke.

No one stopped Chen Mo and Xiaoyu. They left arm in arm. Yao Yi and the others also refused Su Guo’s attempts to persuade them to stay and left the venue.

“What exactly happened?”

Su Guo called over the waitress who had been serving Dong Zhu’s table.

“They seemed to be talking about someone donating eight fleets, but only Hua Yi’s President Xiang was announced. Then they also mentioned something about Gao Wenwen.”

“Hiss…”

Su Guo sucked in a cold breath. She knew where the problem lay—they had offended someone. It seemed the inside story of Charity Night had been guessed.

“Check the donation list for table 16.” Su Guo quickly took out her phone.

“Everyone, some good news—Ms. Gao Wenwen is confirmed to only be unconscious; she is fine. It’s just a pity the gentlemen’s surprise is gone. Next, please invite the representatives of those who participated in the donation to come to the stage.”

…

“Now, please invite the gentlemen and ladies who just participated in the donation to come up for a group photo. Legion Ant Company donated four fleets. Please welcome the representative of Legion Ant Company to the stage. As a rising star in domestic technology, Legion Ant is passionate about charity. Let’s give them a warm round of applause.”

The host on stage quickly stabilized the situation and continued with the Charity Night program.

But as soon as the host finished speaking, the scene fell into an eerie silence. Many people looked around but still didn’t see anyone stand up.

“Are they trying to play hide-and-seek?” another host quickly said to smooth things over.

“Probably. I like playing hide-and-seek too. It’s so comfortable down there; I’d rather stay seated than come up.”

“With your looks, if you hide in a corner at night, no one would find you. Next, we have Mr. Chen Mo, who donated four fleets. Everyone, please welcome him.”

After the applause died down, still no one appeared. The scene grew awkward; many began whispering.

“Is Mr. Chen Mo really fond of silence?”

“I guess he wants to be a silent hero. Charity needs anonymous heroes like Mr. Chen Mo.”

“Hmm~ I think they’re all playing hide-and-seek together. Let’s not read each name, so you all don’t stay down there and make this awkward for us.” one host quickly added.

The audience burst into laughter. Those who had donated and were sitting in their seats all went up on stage.

The hosts on stage secretly wiped their sweat. This situation was unprecedented. They quickly tried to smooth things over; fortunately, they had hosting experience.

“President Su, we found out. The donation list for table 16 includes four fleets from Legion Ant Company, four fleets from Chen Mo, two from Ms. Dong Zhu, and one from Runhua Group. Chen Mo is the representative of Legion Ant Company.”

The last sentence from the phone hit Su Guo’s head like a thunderbolt.

Legion Ant Company had donated eight fleets, but the top spot didn’t go to anyone from Legion Ant Company—instead, it went to the prearranged Hua Yi President Xiang Nan. They didn’t even mention their name, let alone give them the award. They had already offended someone.

“Contact the people from Legion Ant Company immediately and ask for Mr. Chen Mo’s contact information.”

After hanging up, Su Guo waited anxiously. It was too late to chase after them now; they were long gone. Soon, the phone rang again.

“President Su, the people from Legion Ant Company said that Chen Mo is the company’s Chairman. They don’t have his contact information.”