Chapter 122: Female Companion at the Banquet
When Chu Luo emerged into the living room, Li Yan was standing by the window, answering a call.
He didn’t say anything, but his body was emitting a murderous aura.
She didn’t know what the other party had said, but he sneered.
“It’s settled.”
With that, he hung up the phone and put it away before turning around.
When he saw Chu Luo standing there, a dark glint suddenly flashed across his eyes.
Then, his gaze landed on the high heels in her hand. “Why didn’t you change into your shoes?”
Chu Luo carried her shoes and walked up to him. She realized that he had changed into a suit too. After sizing him up, she said, “I plan to put them on only once we reach our destination.”
Li Yan looked at the sneakers on her feet and didn’t say anything.
The two of them went out to get into the car and Li Yan told her about the banquet.
“Today’s banquet is organized by the chairman of XX Corporation, Atlantis. You don’t have to worry about anyone there. If anyone dares to provoke you, just deal with them.”
Chu Luo gave him an “I don’t need you to tell me that” look.
Li Yan was silent for a few seconds before continuing, “There’s a communicator in your earring. When the time comes, if you’re not with me, you can press here.”
He tapped her ear stud with his phone. “You can contact me then.”
Chu Luo raised her hand and pressed it. Indeed, she saw the brooch on Li Yan’s suit flash red.
Chu Luo became interested. She pointed at the brooch on his clothes and asked, “If there are a lot of people around you, would you notice that the light is flas.h.i.+ng?”
“It doesn’t just flash. It has a sensor. I can feel it.”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
Li Yan pressed on the brooch and Chu Luo felt her earring vibrate.
She said seriously, “The person who designed this is amazing.”
She wanted to learn how.
Li Yan glanced at her sparkling eyes and didn’t say anything else.
When it was almost six o’clock, the car stopped outside the gate of a large garden villa.
At this moment, there were no guests besides the guards at the door. It was obvious that the guests had already entered.
After the car stopped, a guard standing by the gate of the villa immediately went in to report his arrival.
Li Yan wasn’t in a hurry to get the bodyguards to open the door. He first took out a mask for Chu Luo. “Put this on.”
It was a black phoenix mask with dark carvings on it. It looked mysterious and n.o.ble, and it could cover up areas above the nose.
After Chu Luo put on the mask, she put on the pair of thin high heels.
At this moment, a few men walked out of the villa. There were middle-aged men and a few young people.
These people were the owner of the villa, Atlantis, and his sons.
As soon as they reached the car, Atlantis came over and knocked on the car window.
Li Yan pulled out a wheelchair from behind and sat in it under Chu Luo’s bright gaze. He then gestured for the chauffeur to lower the window.
When Atlantis saw Li Yan, he immediately smiled warmly. “Li, welcome to our family’s banquet.”
Li Yan nodded at him.
The chauffeur and Qin Ming, who was sitting in the front pa.s.senger seat, got off the car at the same time to open the door for the two of them.
Atlantis and the young men quickly moved aside.
Qin Ming and the chauffeur carried the wheelchair down.
Atlantis seemed to want to come over and chat with him.
However, Li Yan turned his wheelchair around and looked into the car.
Atlantis and the young men looked into the car in surprise. When they saw Chu Luo get out, they thought in shock: ‘Li Yan actually brought a female companion! Could this lady be Li Yan’s…’
Before they could finish thinking, their eyes widened.
This was the first time Chu Luo was wearing a dress like this, and it was also the first time she was wearing high heels like this. It was then that she realized that she wasn’t used to it at all. Thus, when she alighted from the car, she didn’t manage to grasp the angle and directly stuck the heel of her shoe on the cus.h.i.+on beside the car.
Chu Luo was dumbfounded.
Seeing her like this, Li Yan frowned and reached out to grab her ankle.
The temperature of the palm on her skin made Chu Luo reflexively want to retract her leg.
“Don’t move!”
After warning her in a low voice, Li Yan rescued her shoes from the cus.h.i.+on.
He gestured for Qin Ming to push the wheelchair away a little.
Chu Luo glanced at him before getting out of the car.
After getting out of the car, she didn’t expect to have to balance in such shoes. She was careless and lost her footing. If Li Yan hadn’t quickly grabbed her wrist, she would have fallen.
Chu Luo frowned and said, “I should have known.”
Li Yan looked at her beautiful feet and said, “Change back if you’re not used to it.”
“How can that do!”
Chu Luo had attended other banquets since she came to this world. How could she not know the importance of high heels for girls? (High heels can make a person taller so that they don’t have to look up at people.) She struggled free from Li Yan’s grasp and walked into the villa.
She realized that as long as she grasped the balance, wearing such shoes was nothing.
However, after taking a few steps, she saw that no one was following her, so she stopped and turned around to look at Li Yan.
Li Yan glanced at the shocked group standing to the side and gestured for Qin Ming to push the wheelchair.
The rest of them came back to their senses, and Atlantis quickly caught up to them. No matter what they thought, they quickly praised her in a probing tone. “The lady that Li brought here tonight is really beautiful.”
Unexpectedly, Li Yan responded with an “Mm.”
Atlantis was certain that the woman Li Yan had brought tonight was extraordinary and already had a plan in mind. He praised Chu Luo a little more and took the opportunity to introduce his sons to him.
“Li, let me introduce you. This is my eldest son, Ian. This is my second son, Derry. This is my youngest son, Arlan.”
Li Yan glanced at the three of them and retracted his gaze.
The group then walked towards the entrance of the villa.
As they approached the villa, they saw a short corridor. They turned on the corridor and arrived at the hall.
In the luxurious and bright hall, under the colorful palace chandelier and amid the soothing music, there were gentlemanly men and women whose elegance couldn’t be hidden even with a mask on.
They walked through the hall, stopping occasionally to raise their gla.s.ses and chat with people they knew.
The people who came here tonight were all important figures in the US business world.
When Atlantis led Li Yan and Chu Luo into the hall, the bustling scene suddenly fell silent.
Atlantis seemed to have expected this reaction from everyone. He smiled and said, “Let me introduce everyone to you guys. This is the chairman of the Blazing Glory Corporation, Li.” Then, he introduced Chu Luo in a gentlemanly manner. “This beautiful lady is Li’s female companion.”
He then gestured to Li Yan and Chu Luo to enter. “Li, beautiful lady, please enter.”
Qin Ming pushed Li Yan and Chu Luo followed.
Everyone looked at the two of them in disbelief.
“Mr. Atlantis actually managed to invite Master Li over!”
“I heard that XX Group is working with the Blazing Glory Corporation on a project worth tens of billions. Atlantis’ ident.i.ty is special. It’s normal for him to be able to invite Master Li over.”
“Master Li actually brought a female companion tonight. Didn’t he used to never bring a female companion?”
“The woman beside Li Yan must be a very beautiful woman. Her figure and disposition are really good.”
“What’s so good about it? She doesn’t look like she has any flesh. She’s so skinny. How can she possibly serve Li well?”
“Exactly. And she’s wearing a mask. Who knows if she’s beautiful or not?”
“I really want to see what she looks like.”
At this point, even though Li Yan was emanating cold air, he couldn’t withstand the pa.s.sion of the men present.
Soon, the men left their female companions behind and came over to toast and chat with him.
Chu Luo didn’t like being surrounded by these people and retreated.
As soon as she stood still, a few women wearing all kinds of gorgeous masks walked towards her.
One of them was a woman wearing a mask with three feathers in the middle that only covered her eyes. She was wearing a low-cut black evening dress and was the first to greet her.
“Hi.” After the woman greeted her, she waved to a servant to bring a gla.s.s of wine for Chu Luo and introduced herself. “I’m Julina. Nice to meet you.”
The other woman also introduced herself.
“I’m Tina.” This person was wearing a backless champagne-colored evening gown.
“I’m Sonia.” This person was wearing a strapless b.u.t.terfly evening dress.
Chu Luo glanced at the three of them before s.h.i.+fting her gaze to the wine gla.s.s in front of her.
Julina looked at Chu Luo and smiled. She deliberately said in a joking tone, “Could it be that the woman Master Li has brought doesn’t dare to drink?”
Tina and Sonia immediately covered their mouths and chuckled.
Chu Luo pursed her lips and looked at the three of them. She said rudely, “Why should I get acquainted with you three?”
The three of them stopped smiling at the same time.
However, the corners of Chu Luo’s lips curled up. “You guys are just trying to get close to me because you want to get close to Li Yan. As his female companion, would I be stupid enough to give you this chance?”
With that, she walked away under the three women’s disbelieving gazes.
The three women looked at each other with displeasure in their eyes. They didn’t follow her but went to the other group of women standing somewhere else.
Chu Luo stood in a quieter corner and looked into the hall.
The cold aura emanating from Li Yan was probably too strong. The men who flocked over quickly dispersed.
At this moment, Li Yan’s gaze swept across the venue. When his gaze landed on Chu Luo, he frowned.
Chu Luo pretended not to see it and turned to look at a colorful oil painting on the wall.
At this moment, Atlantis’ eldest son personally came to invite Chu Luo. “Beautiful lady, please go over there.”
It was impossible for Chu Luo not to give Li Yan face, so she followed him.
The host of the banquet, Atlantis, raised his gla.s.s and smiled as he announced the opening of the banquet to everyone present. He emphasized, “The most important thing for tonight’s banquet is to celebrate the smooth cooperation between XX Group and the Blazing Glory Corporation.”
He then personally handed Li Yan a gla.s.s of wine and raised it at him. “Li, let me toast you.”
Li Yan took the gla.s.s from him and took a sip.
Atlantis was extremely happy. He drank a gla.s.s of wine and asked the servant to refill the wine. He said to Chu Luo, “Beautiful lady, let me toast you too.”
The men in this country appeared to be very gentlemanly on the surface. Usually, when toasting to a VIP, they would also toast to their VIP’s female companion.
Chu Luo knew this custom, so she reached out to get some wine from the servant’s tray.
However, Li Yan pressed her hand down.
Li Yan said in a firm tone, “She doesn’t know how to drink.”
The scene fell silent again.
Everyone looked at Chu Luo and thought in shock: ‘Li Yan is actually being so protective of a woman!’