Chapter 97: Identity?

“Secretary Yao is here.”

“Secretary Yao!”

There was a stir in the crowd as many people looked toward the entrance. A slightly overweight middle-aged man walked in. Yao Yi wore a smile on his face and gave a simple greeting to the crowd.

Upon seeing Yao Yi, some people became reserved.

Yao Yi had a military background. After being transferred to Binhai City, he worked efficiently and decisively. Within a few months of taking office, he had built a strong reputation in Binhai City.

Shortly after he took office, several rich kids were street racing and caused a fatal accident. They were arrested. When Yao Yi heard about it, he was furious. He rejected any pleas for favoritism and even took the opportunity to deal with some corrupt individuals.

After that incident, few people in Binhai City dared to act recklessly.

Yao Yi gave a strict order that there would be no protection for anyone. In the end, all the spoiled young heirs were sentenced. Many other rich kids in Binhai City were also arrested and given a lesson.

As time passed, there were fewer and fewer rich kids causing trouble in Binhai City. Because once they were caught making a big scene, there was little leniency. And if Yao Yi found out someone was bending the rules, even more people would face consequences.

Now, at the event, some of Binhai City’s rich kids looked nervous and hesitant when they saw Yao Yi.

As soon as Yao Yi appeared, a lavishly dressed woman approached him.

Many people at the event immediately recognized this woman. Su Guo, the organizer of this year’s Charity Night. Those who knew her understood that she was a very sociable and smooth operator.

“Secretary Yao, welcome to our event,” Su Guo said with a smile as she walked up to Yao Yi.

“Ms. Su, I’m honored to attend this charity evening. But tonight, I’m not here as the Secretary. It’s outside of work hours—I’m attending in a private capacity. I came to help drive up the prices at the auction.”

Su Guo laughed. “Then on behalf of those who will receive the donations, I thank you.”

“Ms. Su, you must be very busy tonight. Please attend to your duties; I’ll just walk around and look.”

After saying goodbye to Su Guo, Yao Yi began to move through the venue.

His arrival immediately attracted a lot of attention. Some entrepreneurs from Binhai City, as well as company presidents planning to enter Binhai City, gathered around Yao Yi.

This was a chance to get familiar. Many people came here not for charity, but for networking and resources.

However, unlike these company presidents, the spoiled young heirs kept their distance, afraid that Yao Yi might recognize them.

Yao Yi was surrounded by the crowd, wearing a calm and composed smile. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a corner, and he showed a slight surprise.

“Sorry, everyone, I need to step away for a moment.”

Yao Yi raised his glass and clinked with others. Seeing that Yao Yi was about to leave, they were disappointed but did not dare to stop him. They smiled and raised their glasses to clink with his.

“Secretary Yao is here. Should we go and say hello?” Xiaoyu whispered to Chen Mo.

“Probably not? If we go over, we might have to fight our way through the crowd,” Chen Mo said, also glancing at Yao Yi, who was surrounded by people.

“Alright.”

Xiaoyu did not insist. She sat beside Chen Mo, quietly sipping her juice. A short while later, Xiaoyu blinked and nudged Chen Mo beside her. “Secretary Yao seems to be coming toward us.”

“Really?”

Chen Mo also looked over and indeed saw Yao Yi striding in their direction. As he walked, he raised his glass in greeting toward both of them.

Chen Mo stood up from the sofa, and Xiaoyu followed.

“Secretary Yao, hello,” Chen Mo said, his tone calm and respectful.

He and Yao Yi had only met once before, when Li Chengzhi needed to verify his identity. They were not familiar, but given Yao Yi’s position, Chen Mo did not dare to be discourteous.

“Mr. Chen, Ms. He, hello.” Yao Yi reached out and shook Chen Mo’s hand. “Don’t call me Secretary—it’s too formal. It’s outside work hours. You can call me Uncle Yao or Mr. Yao.”

“Uncle Yao, hello,” Xiaoyu called out before Chen Mo could speak.

“Ms. He has become much sharper since working with Zhao Min. I remember the first time I saw Ms. He, she was a timid young girl. Chen Mo, you’re lucky to have a girl like Ms. He. You must have saved the world in your past life.” Yao Yi laughed and nodded at Xiaoyu.

“I was the one who saved the world in my past life,” Xiaoyu said with a smile, leaning closer to Chen Mo and gently linking her arm with his.

“We saved the world together in our past lives,” Chen Mo joked. At this, all three of them laughed.

“Is Zhao Min not here?” Yao Yi asked.

“She went to Europe to discuss cooperation. She’s preparing to bring the Butterfly Eye Phone into the international market. So she asked me to come here and attend this event,” Chen Mo explained.

“You are both talented young people in Binhai City. If Legion Ant Company grows bigger and stronger, it might become a flagship brand for Binhai City. If Binhai City ends up with a major company like Huawei, I would be proud to talk about it.”

The three of them chatted and laughed, their behavior relaxed and casual. This drew curious and puzzled looks from people watching the corner.

The business world is even more sensitive than the entertainment industry. A single word or a small gesture can convey a lot of information to some. From Chen Mo’s expression and demeanor, they saw no sign of nervousness—only calm and confidence. Many of them couldn’t achieve that kind of composure.

Yao Yi was the top official in Binhai City and was known for being strict. But now, they saw no sign of seriousness on Yao Yi’s face. Instead, he seemed to be talking with old friends.

Earlier, when they tried to approach Yao Yi, he had been somewhat dismissive. No one expected him to take the initiative to talk to two young people.

Although the pair looked handsome and beautiful, there were plenty of attractive people at such events. They didn’t think ordinary young people could make Yao Yi approach them voluntarily.

“President Qi, who are those two? They seem to know Secretary Yao,” a man in a suit next to Qi Ming asked.

“That pretty woman is He Xiaoyu, President Zhao Min’s assistant. As for the man, he looks like her boyfriend,” Qi Ming said.

He had interacted with some people from Legion Ant Company and had met Zhao Min once. But Chen Mo was unfamiliar to him—he had never seen him before.

“What is his identity?”

They all wanted to know Chen Mo’s identity—what made him so at ease talking with Yao Yi.

While chatting with Chen Mo, Yao Yi suddenly remembered something. “By the way, I have another task while I’m here. My daughter is a fan of Shu Ying. I heard she’s also at the charity evening, so I need to get an autographed photo from her. I must excuse myself now. See you later.”

“Alright,” Chen Mo nodded seriously.

After Yao Yi visited the corner, which had previously drawn little attention, more people began to gather around.

Gao Wenwen looked at the people around her, picked up her juice, and quietly stood up to leave.

Chen Mo and Xiaoyu also glanced around, then left arm in arm. They didn’t want to be the center of attention—it felt like being watched as if they were animals in a zoo.

After the two left, others focused their gazes on Chen Mo and Xiaoyu. Their eyes held curiosity, hesitation, and envy. They were all guessing about Chen Mo’s background, but since they hadn’t seen him before, they couldn’t be sure.

Chen Mo and Xiaoyu walked around for a bit, found another empty corner, and sat down to quietly wait for the official start of the event. Before long, the organizer Su Guo’s voice echoed through the banquet hall.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your presence. The charity evening is about to begin. Please proceed to the second venue and take your seats.”