He was followed by a burly man who was almost six-foot-three. Effortlessly carrying a large bag, the man admired the house before him, "Meng Ping, your house is really nice."
Meng Ping looked at the house with a cold smirk, "This is nothing. Youâll see whatâs nice when you get to my company."
"Alright!" The tall man named Du Xiaosong was hired by his grandfather specifically for his protection, and he only took orders from him. Possibly due to the injury he had suffered, Du Xiaosong had formidable fighting abilities, and ordinary men couldnât come close.
"Letâs go!" Meng Ping walked up to the front door and kicked it without bothering to knock.
"Who is it? Who is it? Iâm coming, stop kicking, itâs so rude." The auntâs complaining voice came from inside, and when she opened the door to see Meng Ping standing there, her jaw almost dropped.
"Meng Ping, youâre back? My goodness! Your parents would probably be thrilled."
"Whereâs Su Yun?" Meng Ping asked directly.
The smile on the auntâs face paused, as Meng Ping had never used Su Yunâs name so bluntly before.
"Is she home?"
"Yes! Yes..." The aunt hastily moved aside to open the door all the way.
Meng Ping stepped inside, and Su Yun had already heard the noise and came to see. She was overjoyed, "Meng Ping, how come youâre back? Your dad said he was going to visit you during the New Year!"
"Today is New Yearâs Day, why didnât he come?"
"Heâs busy, hardly ever home."
"Why are you home? Arenât you supposed to perform at the Provincial Command Center today?"
"I... I wasnât feeling well, so I didnât go." Su Yun felt too embarrassed to admit it, and her disdain for Sheng Ning grew even stronger.
"I want to watch the show, come with me! Otherwise, I wonât have a chance to get in."
"Nonsense, you are Xingzhiâs son, how could you possibly not be able to go." Su Yun pretended to be annoyed. "Since you want to go, Iâll take you."
"Great! Thank you!"
"You wait, Iâm going upstairs to change my clothes." Thinking that Meng Ping had returned, Su Yun was thrilled since Xingzhi did not have to think about returning for New Yearâs anymore. She went upstairs happily.
The aunt said with relief, "Meng Ping, you certainly have a lot of influence, your mom hasnât gone out in a long time, and no one elseâs visit makes any difference."
"Is that so?" Meng Ping asked back expressionlessly, "I think itâs my dad who has the real influence."
*********
As night fell, the gala began.
Sheng Ning hid backstage, listening to the thrilling speeches, the lively atmosphere, and the thunderous applause, already imagining a sea of people.
Bai Oulan and Gu Jun, both seasoned members, expertly handled the hosting, and even while conversing with high-ranking officials, they managed everything with ease.
The backstage was messy, and Sheng Ning was only involved in the final, main event of Hope Field. With nothing to do beforehand, she hid behind the curtains to secretly watch. This really showed the importance of their placement, as theirs was the only group in the song and dance troupe that could sneak a peek at the front.
Pulling back the curtain, she saw a dense crowd in front of the stage. Everyone was in union attire; at first glance, it was hard to distinguish one person from another.
"Over here, over here..." Suddenly, she saw a pair of hands waving vigorously from a forward position in the audience.
Sheng Ning looked closely, it was Chen Huaying, sitting behind Su Huaiâan, very close to the front. Su Huaiâan must have come with the president and the dean of National Security University.
Su Huaiâan also spotted Sheng Ning and smiled at her subtly, causing the plump dean next to him to look on in surprise.
People really did have sharp eyes, and frightened, Sheng Ning quickly hid behind the curtain, daring not to look anymore.