HBWMA -Chapter 207 Golden Bay Night Banquet

Shen Guiling said, “You’re going to protect me?”

Over the past three years, no matter who bullied him, she would always show up afterward and “add a finishing kick.” And now she was actually saying she wanted to protect him?

Who would believe that?

Shen Guiling lifted his eyes, reached out, and tapped her forehead. “Did you hit your head and go stupid?”

“Hiss!” Jiang Huashan sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. Instinctively, she swung a knife-hand strike toward his arm.

Shen Guiling reacted quickly and pulled back slightly; her strike landed directly into his palm.

He smiled faintly, lightly holding her hand. “I’ll take you. Don’t start hitting people.”

The Golden Bay banquet officially began at 7 p.m.

The drive from Whale Port to Golden Bay took about two hours, and they also needed time for dressing and preparation. So once the swelling on Jiang Huashan’s forehead had mostly gone down, Shen Guiling took her out of the school.

Lei Xing had already been informed of today’s schedule and was waiting in the car as planned. Suddenly seeing an extra passenger—especially that ancestor—he was so shocked he even forgot to open the door in proper etiquette.

Shen Guiling had to do it himself. After Jiang Huashan got in, he casually explained, “Shanshan is coming too.”

Lei Xing hesitated. “Young Master A-Ling, Golden Bay is in the South Bay District, and it’s still school hours. Shouldn’t we report this to the Old Master?”

Everyone in the Shen family knew that this “ancestor” was the Old Master’s treasure. If she got even a scratch, everyone accompanying them would be in trouble.

Shen Guiling said calmly, “I’ve already told Grandpa.”

At that moment, Jiang Huashan leaned out of the car window. “What are you dawdling about?”

“It’s nothing. I’ll keep an eye on her.” Shen Guiling patted Lei Xing’s shoulder, then walked around the car and got in from the other side.

Lei Xing finally relaxed and immediately switched back into work mode.

After leaving the school, the car headed straight out of the city and onto the elevated highway. Under the autumn sun, the world outside was completely different from campus life—filled with the prosperity and noise of the city.

Jiang Huashan looked out through the glass window at the steel jungle before her. In her previous life, before the age of eighteen, almost all her memories were confined to school; she was unfamiliar with everything about Whale Port.

Lei Xing noticed her curiosity and smiled. “Miss Jiang hasn’t been to Golden Bay before, right?”

She shook her head. Then she seemed to think of something and turned to Shen Guiling. “I remember you’re from the South Bay area? Isn’t Golden Port also in South Bay District? So it must be pretty close to your home, right?”

Shen Guiling hadn’t expected her sudden question and nodded. “Mm, very close.”

Jiang Huashan turned back, thoughtful. In her previous life, after her grandfather passed away, Shen Guiling returned to the country in force a year later and chose South Bay as his political base. In just three years, he rose to become the governor of South Bay Province. It seemed none of this was accidental.

Lei Xing chuckled. “Miss Jiang really cares about the young master.”

Jiang Huashan laughed lightly twice. “Not really.”

“…Not really?” What did that even mean?

Lei Xing quietly observed Shen Guiling. Seeing that he didn’t react, he quickly changed the topic. “Miss Jiang, since we didn’t know you would attend, we didn’t prepare a gown for you in time. Fortunately, the charity banquet isn’t too strict in dress code. I’ve already contacted a PR company in Golden Bay. Please bear with us a little.”

Jiang Huashan immediately turned to Shen Guiling. “Remember this. I’m only putting up with it this time because of you.”

Shen Guiling glanced at her, amused. She really knew how to take advantage of every opportunity.

He smiled lightly. “Mm, I’ll remember.”

Golden Bay District, “Mirage of the Sea.”

Crystal chandeliers hung throughout the gilded banquet hall. Staff moved in an orderly fashion, checking every detail of the event.

Flashing neon lights and the rich aroma of wine filled the space, separating the interior from the outside world like two entirely different realms.

In a suite on the top floor of the hotel, Yao Ge and a group of female officials from the political circle had already entered “pre-banquet mode.”

At the front of a ten-meter-long hall, a group of male models knelt densely packed together.

Those who could enter Yao Ge’s circle were not ordinary officials; privacy was naturally well ensured. Everyone relaxed completely, allowing the male models to flirt and tease them. When they were in a good mood, they would occasionally respond.

Every time Yao Ge saw these people fall into the arrangements she had carefully designed, she felt a sense of control and satisfaction.

These individuals held the lifeline of most of Golden Bay. By controlling them, she effectively controlled half of Golden Bay itself.

“A-Ge, you’ve really gone all out for tonight’s banquet.”

A well-maintained woman in her fifties walked out from the room.

Yao Ge stood up, handed her a glass of red wine, and meaningfully pointed at the smudged lipstick on the corner of her mouth. “Governor Yan, are you enjoying yourself?”

The charity banquet tonight had invited many media outlets, so not a trace of impropriety could appear in front of the cameras. That was why Yao Ge had arranged this private pre-event gathering.

Yan Meiting took the glass, raised it, and drank it all in one go. “Let’s go upstairs and talk.”

Yao Ge followed suit, finishing her wine in a single gulp. The slight bitterness spread across her tongue before mellowing into a lingering fragrance.

Watching Yan Meiting’s figure disappear upstairs, the smile on Yao Ge’s lips deepened.

To her, it was just like tasting wine: the past three years of hard work had been bitter, but once she secured control over Golden Bay’s power line, everything would become a long-lasting sweetness.

Because very soon, her A-Nian would return.