Chapter 473: Old Acquaintances

Chapter 473 Old Acquaintances

When Lu Hanchuan went to attend the gathering, Ye Xiaoxiao wasn't planning to go with him. She had already made plans with her sister-in-law to explore Jinhai City.

Jiang Shanshan was quite artsy, often enjoying plays and musicals.

The Jianghai Grand Theater in Jinhai was the city's most famous entertainment spot.

Since it was Ye Xiaoxiao’s first time here, she definitely wanted to see it.

In the morning, Ye Xiaoxiao stayed at the Yun residence, chatting with the old master and her aunt.

In the afternoon, she went out with Jiang Shanshan.

Lu Hanchuan was worried about Xiao Xiao going out and kept telling her before they left, "It's cold outside. Come back early after the show."

Ye Xiaoxiao shot him a meaningful look. "You’d better make sure I see you when I get back."

Lu Hanchuan: "..."

Jiang Shanshan couldn’t help but laugh at Lu Hanchuan’s tongue-tied expression—it was rare to see him at a loss for words.

Xiao Xiao seemed sweet and gentle, but who would have thought she was the one wearing the pants in their relationship?

Then again, it might just be Lu Hanchuan letting her have her way.

Even after her remark, he didn’t seem upset. Instead, he carefully fixed her scarf and hat, saying soothingly, "I’ll try to come back early."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded, then left with Jiang Shanshan.

The Yun family’s driver took them to the largest shopping mall in Jinhai. The two decided to look around the mall first, have dinner outside, and then head to the theater.

The theater performance started at 7 p.m., right when the nightlife starts.

Though the city didn’t have as many skyscrapers as the capital, the shopping area was lively. The mall was huge, packed with local goods and imported products.

Ye Xiaoxiao even saw the Huarong whitening cream.

Of course, Jiang Shanshan had no idea that Huarong Company belonged to Ye Xiaoxiao, so she started pitching the product.

"This whitening cream really works! My complexion used to be worse than it is now, but after using it consistently, I’ve lightened up quite a bit."

Ye Xiaoxiao figured that since they had time, she might as well go get the herbs Jiang Shanshan needed.

Jiang Shanshan was surprised. "Now? No hurry. I brought you out to have fun—I can’t let you help me get medicine."

She mostly felt embarrassed.

But Ye Xiaoxiao was only somewhat interested in the mall’s offerings. She’d rather visit the pharmacy than just kill time shopping.

"I saw a traditional medicine shop nearby when we came in. Let’s check it out."

Ye Xiaoxiao pulled Jiang Shanshan along as they headed out.

Jiang Shanshan asked, "Don’t you want to buy anything in the mall?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Not really."

So Jiang Shanshan and Ye Xiaoxiao changed course and went to the herbal medicine shop instead.

...

Meanwhile, when it was time, Lu Hanchuan arrived at the gathering place with Yun Pohuai.

The attendees were either rich or powerful, and the entire hotel had been reserved exclusively for tonight's gathering.

Lu Hanchuan and Yun Pohuai were undoubtedly the guests of honor, as no one else present could hold a candle to them.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance, someone came out to greet them.

Once inside, they had an escort the whole time.

Lu Hanchuan glanced at the person leading them, but before he could speak, Yun Pohuai introduced, "This is Xu Jiarui. His father is the mayor of Jinhai."

The Xu family was tight with the Yun family, and Xu Jiarui's father had recently become mayor, so networking was key now.

Lu Hanchuan nodded slightly, his demeanor aloof but fitting for his position.

"Ah, the mayor's boy."

Xu Jiarui, who had high emotional intelligence, immediately responded, "None of that 'son' business, Bro Lu. Just call me by my name."

Instead of addressing Lu Hanchuan by his title, Xu Jiarui called him "Bro Lu," breaking the ice right away.

Lu Hanchuan already pegged him as someone worth knowing—regardless of character, at least he wasn’t a fool.

Entering the banquet hall, Lu Hanchuan spotted some familiar faces.

Since it was a low-key get-together, the atmosphere was relaxed.

Yun Pohuai suddenly spotted someone and leaned in to whisper to Lu Hanchuan.

"Li Mingxiang is actually here too. She rarely attends events like this."

Lu Hanchuan didn't bat an eye. "If she didn’t come willingly, who dragged her here?"

Yun Pohuai shook his head. His earlier reminder was meant to inform Lu Hanchuan, "Li Mingxiang is still single, you know."

Lu Hanchuan turned, his tone slightly impatient. "So…?"

Yun Pohuai: "Have you really forgotten that she confessed to you before? Is your memory that bad?"

Lu Hanchuan genuinely didn’t remember Li Mingxiang well—it had been so many years ago.

He asked, genuinely confused, "When did she confess to me?"

Lu Hanchuan hoped Yun Pohuai wouldn’t start rumors that could make him look bad.

If Xiao Xiao found out, she might think he had ulterior motives for attending this gathering.

"Back during one of our private get-togethers. She poured her feelings out to you, but you just left afterward without any reaction."

Only after Yun Pohuai’s explanation did the memory come back to him.

He must have been around twenty then, and Li Mingxiang was just someone he made small talk with—nothing beyond that.

Though she was considered beautiful, she didn't do it for him.

"Wasn’t that just a dare from a drinking game? She lost fair and square, not me. Of course, I drank up and bounced."

Yun Pohuai: "..."

It was clear to him that Lu Hanchuan wasn’t the least bit interested in Li Mingxiang.

Perhaps due to the lack of contact over the years, he might not even remember what she looked like anymore.

As the two were talking, Li Mingxiang had already made her way over to them.

Times had changed, and Li Mingxiang was no longer as impulsive and passionate as she had been in her youth. She now wore a neat shoulder-length bob, appearing polished and confident.

She was still beautiful, but in a more refined way.

"Lu Hanchuan, it’s been a while."

Li Mingxiang walked past the others and directly extended her hand to Lu Hanchuan.

Lu Hanchuan politely shook her hand but withdrew almost immediately, not holding on a moment longer.

Noticing Lu Hanchuan's distance, Li Mingxiang's smile faded slightly.

"I heard you got married. Why wasn’t I invited?"

Lu Hanchuan said flatly, "Didn’t have your info."

In other words, no reason to.

Li Mingxiang: "..."

Yun Pohuai was closer to Li Mingxiang—the two had been classmates in high school.

Come to think of it, Li Mingxiang was a bit older than Lu Hanchuan.

"Why just talk to Hanchuan? Am I so invisible standing here, Li?"

Li Mingxiang knew Yun Pohuai was trying to ease the tension. She was no kid anymore and understood when to shift the conversation.

So she smoothly brushed past the earlier unpleasant topic as if it had never been brought up and began to make small talk with Yun Pohuai.

"You and I see each other almost every day. Why make a thing out of it? Of course, I’d acknowledge the guest first."