Chapter 552

23rd floor, inside the "Star Language Hall."

The air floated with a faint, high-end fragrance blended from white truffle and citrus.

The atmosphere was full of the joy and mystery unique to a young party.

Guests wearing all kinds of masks gathered in twos and threes, guessing each other's identities, laughter constant.

As the heroine of the night, Tian Jing was naturally the absolute focus of the entire venue.

She moved through the crowd with ease, exchanging greetings and taking photos with every friend, a sweet smile always hanging on her face.

Just as she was chatting with a few friends, Manager Liu from the hotel walked over quickly.

Bowing slightly, he said respectfully in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Miss Tian, Chairman Tang just arrived at the hotel. He asked me to convey to you that he has to meet a friend temporarily and will be delayed for a few minutes, but he will be here shortly."

Hearing this, Xiao Jing pouted.

What is Master Tang Song doing?!

She had planned everything, every link timed precisely; why did he have something come up at the last minute?

Her friends were all here now, and Meng Chuan, Lin Jingming, and the others hadn't arrived yet; it was the perfect opportunity to make an entrance.

Otherwise, she would have her thunder stolen.

Although she felt a little resentful inside, the expression on her face didn't change at all; she just nodded lightly and said, "I understand,

thank you."

Just then, a young man laughed: "Look, Sister Qingli is here!"

Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned toward the entrance in unison.

Immediately after, they saw a man and a woman walking toward them side by side.

The woman was wearing a purple evening gown, her long hair pinned up, wearing a black lace mask; it was Xiao Jing's best friend, Ni Qingli.

Beside her was a young man in his early thirties.

He wore a pair of exquisite gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, was dressed in a well-tailored Tom Ford suit, and had a well-proportioned figure.

He didn't wear a mask, and a gentle, confident smile always hung on his handsome face.

His whole person exuded an aura of both elegance and capability, unique to a young elite.

"It's Lin Jingming from Speed Impulse, Chairman Lin!" someone immediately exclaimed in a low voice.

"My dad mentioned him, saying he started from scratch and is extremely capable; he's recently preparing to invest heavily to build a factory here in our Yancheng."

Some people who didn't know him also began to ask their friends beside them in low voices.

Soon, the glorious resume of "Lin Jingming" spread through the crowd like ripples.

Young as he was, he was already a tech upstart with a valuation of over 500 million USD, frequently appearing in news reports, which left everyone present astonished.

"Sister Qingli, this mask suits you so well, so mysterious and beautiful!"

"Qingli, you finally arrived!"

"Chairman Lin, welcome, welcome, I've long admired your name!"

Many who knew him immediately stepped forward with smiles to greet him.

Soon, Lin Jingming, accompanied by Ni Qingli, arrived in front of Xiao Jing.

"Xiao Jing, happy birthday." Ni Qingli hugged her best friend and laughed: "Look who I brought, is it a surprise? This is a distinguished guest, oh."

"Miss Tian, happy birthday." Lin Jingming looked at the dazzling Xiao Jing and said with refined manners: "It is very presumptuous of me not to pay my respects to Chairman Tian first, but I just felt that the first blessing of the night should be given to the most beautiful birthday girl."

A flash of undisguised amazement and appreciation crossed his eyes.

He had a very good impression of Tian Jing.

Not only did her figure and appearance perfectly match his aesthetic, but her family background was outstanding; she was a standard, high-quality socialite.

He had been struggling and starting businesses for many years, and now that he had achieved success, it was time to consider settling down; Tian Jing was undoubtedly his ideal candidate for a partner.

Xiao Jing said politely: "Chairman Lin, you are too kind. It is my honor to receive your blessing."

Liang Yufan beside her felt a surge of displeasure; as a man, he could clearly feel Lin Jingming's intense intentions.

But he had to admit that whether in career achievements or personal charm, he was far from being the other's match.

Led by Ni Qingli and several core second-generation heirs, Lin Jingming soon became the absolute center of the venue.

He was witty and knowledgeable; whether chatting about cutting-edge tech trends or the latest business developments, he handled it with ease.

In front of this group of young rich kids, he formed a dimensionality reduction strike.

Drawing waves of admiration from everyone, he was like stars surrounding the moon.

On the other side, in the VIP hall on the east side, the atmosphere was equally lively.

Present, besides family friends like Qin Dechang, were several of Tian Chengye's important partners in the investment field.

A young man dressed as an assistant walked quickly to Tian Chengye's side,

and said in a low voice: "Chairman Tian, Chairman Lin has arrived. But he came with Miss Ni and went straight to the Star Language Hall on the west side."

Tian Chengye raised his eyebrows upon hearing this, just about to say something.

His wife, Chen Man, beside him, stood up elegantly and said with a smile: "Then I'll go over and receive him; you guys keep chatting."

As a heavyweight guest invited this time, Lin Jingming should have come here first.

Yet he went straight to Xiao Jing's side; his intention was self-evident.

As the hosts, they should show enough importance.

Immediately, Chen Man bid farewell to everyone present.

Several wealthy socialite friends beside her, whom she had specifically invited to "hold down the fort," also stood up one after another.

"We'll go over and take a look too; I heard Xiao Jing found a professional photographer today, just in time to take some beautiful photos."

"Exactly, exactly, and by the way, meet that Chairman Lin you all call a dragon among men, to see just how excellent he is."

As they spoke, a group of six or seven bejeweled women left the VIP hall in a grand procession along the internal corridor.

Just as they arrived at the entrance of the "Star Language Hall" on the west side, a burst of young and enthusiastic laughter greeted them.

They saw Lin Jingming surrounded by stars, and Tian Jing standing gracefully beside him.

At a glance, they saw Lin Jingming surrounded by a group of young people like stars around the moon.

And Tian Jing, who was standing beside him, wearing a gorgeous gown, appearing exceptionally graceful and poised.

Everyone was chatting happily, laughter ringing out.

"Manman, look, these two standing together are truly a talented man and a beautiful woman!" One of Chen Man's friends nudged her gently with her elbow.

The others also nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with appreciation as they looked at Lin Jingming.

Chen Man looked at the refined, confident, and extraordinary Lin Jingming before her, sighed softly, her mood complex.

Arriving close by.

Xiao Jing immediately came over, "Mom, why did you come over?"

"Of course, to welcome our distinguished guest." Chen Man wore a gentle and appropriate smile on her face: "Chairman Lin, we haven't hosted you well, please forgive us." Lin Jingming saw her and immediately stopped talking, bowing politely: "Auntie Chen, you are too kind."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

Ni Qingli beside them stood out very cleverly and began to introduce them to Lin Jingming one by one:

"Chairman Lin, let me introduce you. This is the director of our Yancheng Cultural Foundation, Auntie Sun; this is the wife of the Chairman of Huasheng Group, Auntie Wang; and this one is from the city..."

Every wealthy socialite introduced had a significant background and was the core of Yancheng's true upper circle.

They smiled and nodded to Lin Jingming, observing this young talent calmly.

Lin Jingming greeted them enthusiastically, his eyes becoming increasingly bright and joyful.

His investment in building a factory in Yancheng this time was mainly because he had taken a fancy to the high-end, sophisticated supply chain channels that Tang Yi Precision had cultivated locally.

In the future, there would inevitably be deeper development locally.

And these wealthy socialites before him, as well as the family forces they represented, were exactly the local connections he needed to break through.

His intense interest in Tian Jing, besides genuine appreciation, naturally also had this consideration.

After all, Tian Jing happened to be working at Tang Yi Precision now; this was undoubtedly a heaven-sent fate and a perfect entry point.

If he could get together with Tian Jing, his future business map would be like a tiger with wings.

Looking at this harmonious and mutually appreciative scene before him.

Xiao Jing's brows furrowed slightly, her mood a bit heavy.

The script didn't go according to her plan after all; Brother Tang Song arrived late, and the spotlight was stolen completely.

Even if he made an entrance later, the effect would be much worse.

E=(0*) sigh. Chen Man noticed her daughter's expression, held her hand calmly, and asked: "Jingjing, where is Tang Song? Why don't I see him?"

She had seen Tang Song's photos and actually quite wanted to meet him.

Ni Qingli on the side flickered her eyes and followed up: "Xiao Jing, I just found out, you actually have a boyfriend? And he was a former colleague at the company?"

She hadn't been back from abroad for long and had been busy with family business, rarely chatting with Tian Jing.

It wasn't until yesterday that she heard this news in the group chat.

Lin Jingming's eyebrows raised imperceptibly, the smile on his face faded a bit, and his gaze fell back onto Tian Jing's face, carrying a trace of inquiry.

Zhang Yuxin beside her blinked and asked curiously: "I say, Jingjing, everyone is almost here, why hasn't your mysterious 'boyfriend' arrived yet?"

The atmosphere, which had been quite harmonious, suddenly became subtle.

The expression on Xiao Jing's face paused, and she smiled and explained: "He actually already arrived at the hotel, but he happened to run into an important friend, so he went over to handle some work matters temporarily; he'll be here soon."

Hearing this, the expressions of the friends around her varied.

Qin Hua held a glass of champagne and spoke seemingly casually: "That's a bit strange, isn't it? For such a big event as his girlfriend's birthday party, as the male lead, he's nowhere to be seen. And after finally arriving, he suddenly says he has something to handle? Is he that busy?"

Liang Yufan, not far away, smiled and also stepped forward: "Qin Hua, you might not know about this. Our Chairman Tang has always been like this; holding the title of CTO of Jinxiu Trading, yet it's hard to see him show his face at the company even once a month; he's very mysterious."

"What kind of friend could be more important than his own girlfriend? This is really not putting you in his heart at all."

"Yeah, that's a bit too much."

For a moment, everyone's gaze focused over.

Facing the "gossip" from her friends one after another, as well as the gazes from her mother and the elders.

The smile on Xiao Jing's face was still maintained, but the hand holding the champagne glass tightened unconsciously.

Even Xu Qing, who was in the corner single-mindedly tasting caviar tarts, stopped her movements and looked toward Xiao Jing with some worry.

She also felt that this guy, Little Songzi, was very unreliable.

Just as the atmosphere suddenly quieted down.

The heavy double doors of the "Star Language Hall" were slowly pushed open from the outside by two waiters wearing silver masks.

Immediately after, a dense and rhythmic sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Several greeters wearing silver masks automatically lined up on both sides, bowing in unison, their movements uniform.

"Chairman Tang!" "Chairman Tang!"

The low and respectful greetings rippled through the hall.

Everyone's attention was immediately attracted by the commotion here.

Xiao Jing's eyes lit up, she turned around instantly, looking at the door with burning eyes, knowing that the boyfriend she had been waiting for had finally made his entrance, and the script was finally going to return to the right track.

The next second, a slender and tall figure appeared in everyone's sight.

A dark Loro Piana suit jacket, with a white turtleneck sweater from Brunello Cucinelli underneath.

This seemingly simple outfit, worn on him, radiated an indescribable top-tier quality.

Noble beyond words, yet not ostentatious.

His pace was unhurried, his spine straight as a sword, his shoulder line level, his hands hanging naturally.

His demeanor was impeccable, yet carried a natural, seemingly innate ease and composure.

Every movement was full of a pleasing rhythm and beauty.

He didn't wear a mask; on that handsome, three-dimensional face, there was only a trace of a gentle, faint smile, his pitch-black eyes like a deep lake without waves.

There was no aggressive pressure on him, but a higher-level, unique charm derived from absolute confidence and control.

He just appeared there, not even having done anything yet, and naturally became the center of attention.

The lights of the entire banquet hall seemed to be focusing on him automatically.

In the reception hall, regardless of gender, everyone couldn't help but hold their breath.

Immediately after, behind him, more figures slowly unfolded like a painting.

The first to come into view were two figures Xiao Jing recognized, enough to make her heart beat faster—one was Shangguan Qiuya, whom she had long looked forward to as her ultimate "cheat code"; the other was Fan Wenzeng, one of the representative directors of Smile Capital at Jinxiu Trading.

And then, there were several core management members of Lanfeng International Hotel, led by Qiao Anji.

At this moment, they were bowing slightly, with respectful and enthusiastic smiles on their faces.

Although many people appeared.

But everyone's gaze was still firmly gathered on Tang Song.

Everything around them seemed to be just a backdrop existing to set off his presence.

Xiao Jing's eyes widened slightly, filled with extreme shock and excitement.

A hot current uncontrollably surged from the bottom of her heart, instantly rushing to her limbs and bones, causing a trace of an almost pathological flush to rise on her fair cheeks.

Tang Song at this moment was clearly the familiar him, but his temperament had undergone a earth-shaking sublimation.

That feeling—it was like her favorite anime male lead, after being pushed to a dead end, finally pressed that hidden transformation device, completely unlocking the final seal!

Transforming from a gentle and powerful guardian into that cold, indifferent "god" who looked down on all living beings!

Noble, aloof, powerful enough to make one tremble!

Ah! I really want to—

I really want to be severely and mercilessly punished by such a... such a Master Tang Song!

Under the gorgeous high-fashion evening gown, Xiao Jing's fair and slender legs began to tremble slightly, unable to be suppressed.