Two cars stopped in front of the five-star hotel. The six members of the Spiritual Management Committee alighted, all in sleek, dark blue suits embroidered with floral patterns, paired with white shirts.
The women wore decorative ties, while the men simply unbuttoned the top collar of their shirts. Their black leather shoes featured subtle twisted patterns, and their chests were adorned with dangling metal lapel pins, a perfect finishing touch.
The expensive cufflinks were a gift from Tao Xue, who believed true wealth was always reflected in the details.
He Li handed the car keys to the doorman, straightened his back, and fastened a button on his suit, feeling that he was perhaps a bit too "flashy" at the moment.
He Li possessed a heroic handsomeness, and the tailored suit only enhanced his tall and imposing presence.
Of course, Bai Fei and Min Liang were no less impressive; as spiritual warriors, they naturally exuded an aura of martial spirit and pride.
The three women were equally striking, their women's suits exuding a dashing and undeniable charm.
As these six individuals appeared at the hotel entrance, the most attention was drawn not to the heroic and handsome He Li, nor to the delicate and pretty Tao Xue, but to the curvaceous Susan.
Her tall, voluptuous figure and impossibly long legs drew frequent glances.
The six entered the hotel lobby; the venue for the evening's gala was on the 24th floor.
Inside the elevator,
Sister Jiang tapped on her phone and said, "The channel connection is stable. The entire building is being monitored."
As Sister Jiang finished speaking, Min Liang jiggled his phone and said, "Headquarters' monitoring system is connected, but I might need a power bank."
Bai Fei tugged at his slightly tight suit and said with a wry smile, "I feel like we're spies."
He Li chimed in, "Aren't we security?"
Min Liang shook his head, "No, no, no, we're more like waiters." Then, Min Liang looked at Tao Xue, bowed slightly, and said softly, "Beautiful lady, would you care for some champagne?"
"No, sir, please give me a Coke."
"My apologies, beautiful lady, this is a high-end fashion gala, not the airplane you're traveling on. We don't have Coke."
"Alright, then I'll have a Sprite."
"My apologies, we don't have Sprite, only champagne."
The other four watched the performance of Min Liang and Tao Xue, utterly stunned. Were they doing stand-up comedy now?
Ding!
The elevator reached the 24th floor and the doors opened. As the six stepped out, a waiter immediately led them to the banquet hall.
As it was a private banquet, there was no grand fanfare. The guests were all wealthy individuals from Binjiang, and they all knew each other. People naturally found their acquaintances and joined conversations.
However, there were exceptions.
For instance, the six unfortunate souls from the Spiritual Management Committee, upon entering the hall, headed straight for the food area. After piling their plates high, they found a table and began to eat.
Although their behavior was rather unconventional, no one paid them any mind. Those wealthy patrons didn't recognize Bai Fei or He Li, but they knew Tao Xue and, even more so, Susan. When the Spiritual Management Committee arrived, they dared not even look in their direction.
Susan sipped her champagne, smacked her lips, then set it down. She then proceeded to take several glasses of red wine, pouring them all into one cup, and returned to her seat to savor the wine.
Before long, everyone had finished eating.
Comrade "Super Realistic White-Eyed Wolf," smacking his lips, suggested, "We're full and have had our fill. When do we leave?"
Bai Fei, however, shook his head and said, "Wait a moment. After the Xu Corporation finishes introducing their products, there will be dessert. We'll leave after we've had dessert."
"That's fine too," Min Liang nodded. Since they were already here, there was no harm in waiting a little longer.
The group sat at their seats, some staring blankly, some playing on their phones, some drinking. No one paid any attention to the jewelry and accessories appearing on stage. Even Tao Xue was engrossed in her phone, perhaps finding the Xu Corporation's so-called "fashion new arrivals" utterly unappealing.
Suddenly,
He Li, who had been spacing out, felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He took it out and saw a WeChat message from Zhang Qining.
"Look behind you."
He Li paused, then turned to look back. After a quick scan, he spotted Zhang Qining sitting at a round table, dressed in an off-white evening gown.
Zhang Qining was also looking at him, winked at He Li, and then raised her hand to wave.
He Li thought for a moment, put his phone back in his pocket, and said, "I'm going to see an old classmate."
The others' gazes fell upon He Li, all looking at him with suspicion. Who was his old classmate here?
He Li felt the burning curiosity from his teammates and helplessly pointed behind him with his thumb.
The five followed He Li's finger, their gazes shifting to Zhang Qining.
The curiosity intensified into a raging inferno.
He Li rolled his eyes and stood up to leave.
"He Li's old classmate is Zhang Qining?" Tao Xue asked, puzzled.
"Xiao Xue, do you know her?" Min Liang inquired.
Tao Xue watched He Li walk towards Zhang Qining and nodded, "Yes. We were in the same circle when we were kids, but she was on the fringes. Her family's rise to fortune wasn't exactly honorable, and their assets and status were only barely qualified."
"After playing together for a while, she found it a bit too much, so she stopped playing with us."
Min Liang shook his head and clicked his tongue, "I know what you mean by 'too much' is the literal meaning. Ah... the world of the second generation rich, we common folk don't understand."
Susan slightly raised her head, glanced at Mo Lin sitting next to Zhang Qining, then lowered her head and quietly drank her wine.
On the other side,
He Li sat down at Zhang Qining's table. Unlike He Li's table, the small, simple table did not have an abundance of food; a few glasses of champagne remained untouched.
Zhang Qining looked behind He Li, her eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
"When you said you worked at the Spiritual Management Committee, you meant... a demon hunter?"
"Yes, I said that."
He Li answered Zhang Qining's question, then nodded at Mo Lin with a casual smile.
"We meet again, Mr. He Li. I never imagined you would be a demon hunter," Mo Lin extended his hand towards He Li.
He Li shook Mo Lin's hand and smiled, "I've never hidden my profession."
Even at this point, Zhang Qining still found it hard to believe, but Susan was indeed sitting there.
Zhang Qining sighed and said with a wry smile, "I saw you from the moment you arrived here. It took me 37 minutes to accept this fact, and then I mustered the courage to send you a message."
He Li pursed his lips and smiled, raising an eyebrow at Zhang Qining. He wasn't sure how to respond to her statement.
Zhang Qining continued, "If I post this news in our alumni group, they'll probably go crazy."
He Li appeared indifferent, "Actually, I don't really care if they go crazy or not."
"Uh..."
Zhang Qining opened her mouth, then looked at He Li and chose to remain silent. She felt that same inherent pride emanating from He Li.
Perhaps he had come over and sat in front of her simply because she had messaged him and waved. If it had been someone else, even a classmate he wasn't very close to, he would have come over.
He simply didn't care who sent him the message.
...