Ning Li was speechless.
‘Mrs. Ji only invited me, didn’t she? How did Lu Huaiyu somehow involve himself?’
Mrs. Ji’s eyes hovered over Lu Huaiyu and Ning Li for a moment. Her smile deepened as she said, “Then, that’s a promise!”
Ji Shu was beside them, feeling a bit confused as he listened.
His parents were aware that their son and Ning Li were close, so it would be normal for them to invite her to their house. How had it turned into Lu Huaiyu bringing Ning Li to visit them?
Ji Wenyuan liked Ning Li very much as well.
The relationship between the Ji family and the Ye family was not very close. After the Ye family had won the bid for the Qinghe Bridge project by a hair, Ji Wenyuan was now even less fond of them.
He had only agreed to attend their event this time purely out of courtesy.
Thus, the moment he had received an invitation from Lu Huaiyu, he had immediately changed his plans.
Although Ning Li now lived with the Ye family and was their nominal adopted daughter, everyone could see how they treated her.
Since Ning Li’s last name was not Ye, everyone did not treat her as part of the Ye family.
It was not easy for a young girl from a poor background to grow up to be so outstanding.
Their son was simply no match for her.
No wonder Lu Huaiyu and Cheng Xiyue were so protective of her.
Her gentle, docile look really tugged at people’s heartstrings.
Cheng Baiqing walked over with a smile on his face. “Ning Li, I heard that you will be participating in the national finals soon? There are only five representatives in the whole province, right?”
Ning Li nodded her head.
Cheng Baiqing gave her a thumbs up. “You’re so much smarter than Xiangxiang.”
Cheng Xiyue snickered. “Dad, with Cheng Xiangxiang’s grades, it’s already a miracle that she can handle the college entrance exams, let alone this competition. Why did you even mention her?”
His father glared at him. ‘How could this boy talk about his cousin like that?’
Unfortunately, Cheng Baiqing knew that what his son had said was the truth, so there was no way he could refute it.
Besides, Cheng Xiyue was the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Cheng family, so he was indeed qualified to say this.
Cheng Xiyue was fearless.
His father loved his brother and had always been very lenient towards his niece. However, Cheng Xiyue was not.
Cheng Xiangxiang was spoiled, willful, and presumptuous. Even after being reprimanded several times, she was still unrepentant.
After a while, Cheng Xiyue did not bother to pay any attention to her.
Since her parents had taught her to be that way, there was no one else to blame.
They were all talking to each other in a small group, which puzzled the other guests a little.
“What’s going on? The Ji and the Cheng families seem to be very fond of Ning Li.”
“How else can they treat her? Lu Huaiyu’s so protective of her. Wouldn’t this be normal?”
“I don’t think it’s because of that… They just seem to be quite close to Ning Li…”
“Didn’t they say she came from a very average background? Then what is this…”
The waiter served some champagne.
Lu Huaiyu took a glass for Ning Li.
Ning Li looked at it and saw that it was only juice.
It was clear that Lu Huaiyu had ordered it beforehand.
Another person came over to exchange pleasantries. “Second Master Lu, you seem to be in such a good mood today!”
The corners of Lu Huaiyu’s lips curved up slightly. “That’s mainly because this kid did well on her exams.”
That man immediately congratulated Ning Li with a smile.
Ning Li’s grades were excellent, but Lu Huaiyu was also known for his excellence in academics.
Even if he had scored like this on his own exams, he probably would not have done anything so grand.
Thus, it was not difficult to see how important Ning Li was to Second Master Lu.
One after another, more people came over to shower Ning Li with compliments.
Ning Li was no longer standing there as the adopted daughter of the Ye family.
Lu Huaiyu stood next to her protectively.
“You should rest for a while. I’ll be back later,” Lu Huaiyu said as he leaned down slightly.
Ning Li nodded.
She knew very well that this party was hosted by Lu Huaiyu and that these people had only attended it because of him.
They were only here to meet Lu Huaiyu.
In any case, he had to socialize a little.
Just as Lu Huaiyu was about to leave, she looked at the jacket she was wearing and said, “Second Brother, your coat…”
Lu Huaiyu’s gaze fell on her body.
She had already taken off half of the suit jacket, revealing her smooth shoulder and beautiful neckline. Her skin was so delicate and clear as if it could glow.
His eyes focused on her a while before he smiled and said, “Drape it on. It’s cold.”
Ning Li paused in her movements.
‘Cold? I think that the heating in the Grand Hyatt is quite sufficient.’
However, when she saw Lu Huaiyu’s eyes, she silently swallowed her words. “Okay…”
Lu Huaiyu saw her draping the jacket over her shoulders before nodding in satisfaction. He then turned to leave.
“By the way…” Ning Li suddenly remembered something and took a step forward.
Lu Huaiyu turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
At this moment, everyone else had already scattered about, which left them standing there close together.
Lu Huaiyu looked down and saw that the hem of her dress was touching his clothes.
However, she did not seem to be aware of this. She only looked up at him slightly and spoke with a little hesitation, “Second Brother, you…should drink less.”
Lu Huaiyu had only hosted this party for her.
Otherwise, with his usual style, he would have never hosted a party in Yunzhou.
Thus, Ning Li truly appreciated it.
If Lu Huaiyu got drunk this evening, she would feel guilty.
Thinking about the way he looked the last time he was drunk, Ning Li felt that she had to persuade him not to.
Lu Huaiyu tilted his head to look at her for a while before he laughed. “Okay.”
….
Once Lu Huaiyu went over to the other side of the room, someone came up to him with a drink in hand.
Lu Huaiyu put the glass down and politely declined. “Sorry, I’m not drinking today.”
The person across from him looked surprised.
“I heard that Second Master Lu has quite a high alcohol tolerance. Are you…”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
Lu Huaiyu raised his eyebrows and chuckled.
“My family is strict, so I’ll drink tea instead of wine.”
