Chapter 151
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Chapter 151: Charity Gala
Why was this charity gala held?
Mainly because the global economy has been trending downward recently. Even within Huaguo, there’s been a surge in freelancers.
Countless companies have gone bankrupt and shut down.
Even the street vendor economy, which had been banned by city management a few years ago, is now making a full comeback.
There’s now widespread support for individual businesses.
If people keep refusing to work or find employment, with every household just scraping by on savings, that’s clearly unsustainable.
Right now is precisely the time for a full reshuffling within Binhai’s upper circles.
Getting through this economic crisis is also a major opportunity.
Those who seize the moment, answer the call to restart work and production, create more job opportunities, and benefit from municipal policy support—
Well, this is the perfect time to expand one’s commercial territory.
Businesses that survive the crisis will naturally grow much faster once the market recovers.
Because their former competitors? Either gone or bankrupt. If you’re still standing, you automatically become the top dog.
Even in the worst-case scenario, even if you’re not the number one, the slice of the pie you get will still be bigger than before.
As for tonight’s charity gala—
The charity donations and auction shopping are just one part.
The other, more important part is about reviving the economy, strengthening cooperation among major enterprises, launching new business development plans, and creating more job opportunities.
Of course, this gathering is more for the bigwigs to connect and initiate some intentions. The actual execution will probably have to wait until after the New Year.
Events like this are often a mixed bag.
You’ve got real tycoons and wealthy elites discussing joint ventures and cooperative projects.
You’ve got opportunists fishing in troubled waters—people trying to attract investments, those wanting to gain something for nothing, or socialites hoping to snag a rich husband with their good looks.
And so on.
The upper class circle represents resources—and money.
Once you step into that circle, the kind of connections you make can change your life overnight.
From that point on, making money becomes much easier.
Of course, just because you’re attending this gala doesn’t mean you’ve truly entered that circle!
Another reason for this event is that Master Lu’s birthday banquet is coming up. Some people haven’t prepared a proper birthday gift yet and hope to find something suitable at the auction.
Of course, all auction items were donated freely under the name of charity.
All auction proceeds will go to the Gu Family Charity Foundation as donations. Whether that money really goes to charity or gets quietly pocketed—well, no one knows for sure.
But given the Gu family’s standing in Binhai, people are still willing to believe they won’t risk everything for small gains.
Before long, Su Ruoxue had already driven to the Shangri-La Hotel.
It was bustling tonight. The valet bowed respectfully after taking her car keys.
Ye Xiao had barely stepped out of the car when she saw that the hotel’s spacious parking lot was already packed with luxury cars.
BMWs, Mercedes, Porsche Cayennes—
These were the lowest tier among the luxury vehicles.
From Rolls-Royce Dawn, Bentley Mulsanne, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ferrari, Lamborghini—you name it, nearly half of the lot was filled with high-end cars of this caliber.
And it wasn’t even 8 p.m. yet.
Already, more than a hundred luxury cars had arrived.
And more were surely on the way.
Tonight, half of Binhai’s wealthy circle was gathering here!
Just like Su Ruoxue had said—it really was a warm-up before Master Lu’s birthday banquet. She wasn’t exaggerating.
In Ye Xiao’s mind, high-end galas—like the ones in TV dramas—were full of men in crisp suits. But that was far from reality.
The ladies, however, were all dressed gorgeously. Ye Xiao couldn’t stop looking—her eyes practically dazzled from beauty overload.
It was freezing out, but most of the ladies were still in evening gowns, with maybe a light coat to fend off the cold.
As for the young men? They were more rebellious than the last. Though all technically in suits, each one was flashier than the next.
They just had to stand out!
Individuality above all!
Blending in? That’s just not who they are!
There was even a middle-aged man who showed up in a huge floral padded jacket. Yet no one dared to look down on him—because these days, who’s to say whether that random old guy on the street isn’t actually a millionaire?
Of course, many might also have avoided formalwear simply because of the cold weather.
Standing at the hotel entrance, Ye Xiao suddenly felt a wave of cold pierce through her. She shivered on the spot.
Turning around, she saw Su Ruoxue staring at her seriously.
“Hehe… Uh, Ruoxue-jie, it’s really cold today! Let’s hurry inside!”
As Ye Xiao spoke, she rubbed her shoulders. Now that she wasn’t distracted by all the stylishly dressed ladies, the chill really hit her.
Su Ruoxue didn’t say anything—she just quietly took Ye Xiao’s hand. A moment later, Ye Xiao felt something even colder than her own fingers—but soon, a warm sensation began to spread.
“If you’re cold, stick on these heat patches. The gala’s probably going to last quite a while.”
“Okay~ Ruoxue-jie!”
So that’s what it was—Ye Xiao had thought Ruoxue-jie was mad or something. Turns out she’s just a softie with a sharp tongue, cold on the outside and warm on the inside.
That warmth—she’d experienced it more than once already.
Whatever unease she’d felt just now melted away instantly.
Ye Xiao’s eyes remained glued to all the pretty ladies, completely ignoring the flashy, show-off types among the men.
Still, the appearance of her and Su Ruoxue didn’t go unnoticed. Whispers and inquiries about their identities had already started.
When the two handed over their invitations and stepped into the main hall, the first thing everyone saw were Su Ruoxue’s long, smooth, shapely legs.
Unlike Ye Xiao, Su Ruoxue had chosen a black evening gown that stood out starkly against her snow-pale skin—just like her name suggested.
She was a natural beauty—flawless features, an icy elegance, truly extraordinary.
Like a snow lotus blooming on the heights of Tianshan.
Exquisite and aloof.
“Who is that girl? She’s stunning!”
“You don’t know? That’s Miss Su Ruoxue—Mrs. Gu, the wife of President Gu.”
“Su Ruoxue is here… Does that mean President Gu might show up too?”
Once it was confirmed that she was Gu Tingyuan’s wife—Madam Gu—the group of young men who’d been considering approaching her immediately backed off.
Everyone in business circles is shrewder than a monkey. While none of them could dream of touching someone like Su Ruoxue, that didn’t mean they didn’t want to make connections.
If Su Ruoxue were to mention their names in passing to Gu Tingyuan, who knows—maybe their company could land a deal with the Gu Group.
After all, in Binhai’s business world, the Gu family controls half the sky.
A coin dropped from the heavens—where it ends up largely depends on the Gu family.
As for Ye Xiao, although cute and attractive, she didn’t get nearly as much attention.
Most people probably assumed she was just some junior family member tagging along with Su Ruoxue to see the world—basically a nobody.
But for Ye Xiao, that was perfect. The fewer annoying men trying to compete with her for her beloved jie jie’s attention, the better.
She had no interest in dealing with those types anyway.
