The man finally lifted his eyes and glanced toward the staircase.
The person coming down the stairs had skin so fair it seemed to glow, with slender, long calves exposed beneath her dress, as prim and proper as a music box doll.
Compared to before, her innocence had faded, and she had matured quite a bit.
Only now did Miss Xu Nanyin get a full view of his stunningly handsome face.
His bone structure was exceptional, his features defined—no matter how you looked, there wasn’t a single flaw to be found.
He was entirely different from those boys at school who hadn’t yet grown up; instead, he had the maturity of someone in a position of power, with an invisible sense of pressure.
A stranger, an aggressive presence.
Miss Xu Mother smiled and reminded her, “Why aren’t you greeting him? Huai Xu even brought you a gift today.”
Miss Xu Nanyin hesitated and spoke, “Huai Xu-ge… ge?”
She wasn’t sure if the man would accept such a deliberately intimate form of address, but thankfully, he showed no displeasure.
She glanced at the seats, thought for two seconds, and finally Miss Xu Nanyin made up her mind and went to the single armchair by the coffee table.
She sat very obediently, hands on her knees, knees pressed together.
Mr. Song Huaixu raised his brow slightly, glanced over her, and spoke in an unhurried tone, “Tomorrow, you’re coming back to Ning City with me.”
The time and place were already decided, carrying an irresistible sense of control.
Obviously, while she’d been upstairs, her mother had already discussed something with this man.
With him?
Miss Xu Nanyin’s heart skipped, “Is there something I need to do?”
Above her, the crystal chandelier shone brilliantly, reflecting the sparkles of her party makeup and making her pupils twinkle like stars.
Mr. Song Huaixu’s gaze lingered on her for two seconds, then he withdrew it and gave her a concise answer.
“Marriage investigation.”
***
“If you pass the marriage investigation, you can continue to get along. If you don’t, it’s better to end things early so you don’t waste your time.”
Madam Xu said to her daughter, still regretting not being able to keep the guest for dinner.
Once she heard he had an appointment with the Lin Family Head, she knew there was no way to keep him.
After their only guest left, Miss Xu Nanyin opened the gift—it was a Blue Sapphire Butterfly Brooch, which happened to perfectly match the dress she was wearing.
She was quite fond of it.
Carefully putting it back in the box, Miss Xu Nanyin went back to her room for a bath, but couldn’t help searching “Song Huaixu.”
It was all news about him.
There were interviews by world-renowned news channels, group presidents wanting to have dinner with him, even actresses publicly confessing their love…
Miss Xu Nanyin didn’t know much about finance, but seeing so many familiar names praising Song Huaixu so highly, she could tell how formidable he was.
His name, like the man himself, was powerful.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t find his personal Instagram; otherwise, she might have been able to figure out his personality from his daily posts.
He’d been based in the mainland for years; maybe he used Weibo?
Having found nothing, Miss Xu Nanyin came out of the bathroom. In her room, Miss Xu Mother was already instructing the staff to pack her clothes and jewelry for tomorrow, as well as all the daily necessities for hair and skincare—enough for a month.
A Li followed behind, jotting down the key points.
Miss Xu Nanyin sat on the edge of the bed, her slender figure hidden beneath a lace nightgown, the stray hair on both sides of her oval face damp from her bath.
“A month? That long? We’re leaving tomorrow, won’t Daddy be shocked not to see us after all this time?”
“Not us, just you.”
Miss Xu Nanyin jumped up in surprise, her bare feet landing on the carpet.
Seeing her daughter’s adorable expression, Miss Xu Mother nodded helplessly.
“The family’s been busy lately. I can’t just leave my work behind. You’ve stayed there before; it’s not a strange place to you.”
Miss Xu Nanyin barely remembered anything about Ning City.
She’d been in Port City for so long, going to school every day, hanging out with Lin Zhijun and the others—she’d never traveled far alone.
Let alone with an unfamiliar man.
Miss Xu Nanyin thought for a moment.
If she went alone, the results of the marriage investigation would be entirely up to her, and the advantages were obvious.
“Why has this engagement been kept all along?”
“These days, anything good is quickly targeted by others, and people are no exception. Even your cousin Young Master Lin was a childhood match. The Song Family and us know each other well and have some feelings between us. Their family’s situation isn’t complicated.”
Most importantly, the Song Family’s main branch only had two sons, unlike here in Port City, where there were many children, and even illegitimate sons and daughters running everywhere.
Among the truly young, wealthy heirs, those who actually followed the rules could be counted on one hand.
Miss Xu Mother didn’t want to push her daughter into the fire, but since Song Tingchuan never came to Port City, she kept the engagement as a backup plan.
As the eldest son, Song Huaixu had expanded Song Corporation’s holdings countless times since taking over.
Even in Port City, he would be considered among the very top, on par with the Lin Family.
If you wanted something, you had to go for the very best.
Actually, she preferred Song Huaixu, but now there was no hope at all—blame the family for lacking foresight back in the day.
“It’s a bit rushed, but this can’t be delayed any longer. You’ve already graduated, and I remember their Old Residence was kept for you. You’ll stay there when the time comes.”
The car left the luxurious villa, occasionally appearing through the lush shadows of the trees, and finally entered Binhai Highway.
Secretary Jiang Chen sat in the passenger seat, turning his head to glance at the man in the back through the rearview mirror.
“Boss, are we going to the Xu Family again tomorrow?”
“What do you think?”
Mr. Song Huaixu didn’t even look up, his deep brows lowered, the glow from the tablet highlighting his sharp profile.
Secretary Jiang Chen immediately understood.
As the heir to Song Corporation, when Mr. Song Huaixu came of age, the family assigned him more than a dozen secretaries and assistants, all with outstanding résumés.
He had fought through layers of competition to become the first among them.
This trip to Port City was also because he had just acquired a Biotechnology Company.
Most industries had already developed to their limits, but biotechnology was still a vast blue ocean.
Secretary Jiang Chen switched topics to today’s Xu Family matters.
“Miss Xu looked dazzling today; it seems she took the meeting very seriously.”
He guessed, “Maybe she thought Second Young Master would be coming too.”
The man’s mind flashed with the image of that gentle, obedient face. “Didn’t notice.”
“Maybe girls are just reserved—they usually don’t show it.”
Secretary Jiang Chen offered a reasonable explanation.
Mr. Song Huaixu glanced at him, “And you would know?”
“…”
Secretary Jiang Chen thought his guess was logical, but if the boss said no, then it was no.
He changed his answer, “It was Madam Xu.”
He remembered—Miss Xu hadn’t mentioned Second Young Master even once today.
The car fell silent.
Seems he was right this time.
The sky was still overcast, and Victoria Harbor was brilliantly bustling.
The lights of skyscrapers shimmered, casting a hazy neon glow on the rain-soaked surface.
Outside the hotel’s revolving doors, luxury cars with distinctive license plates stopped one after another.
Tonight, there was a Private Banquet.
There weren’t many guests, but all were influential figures in Port City’s business or political circles.
Some Media had caught wind of the guest list and rushed to the scene, hoping for interviews, but permission was not granted.
“President Lin just went upstairs. Most of the others have arrived. There are five minutes until it starts.”
Secretary Jiang Chen checked his messages.
This banquet was specially held for Mr. Song Huaixu.
Unlike those who liked to arrive late to flaunt their status, he preferred punctuality and didn’t like wasting time.
The elevator was as bright as daylight, its silver walls reflecting their images.
The man stood quietly, his long legs strong and powerful, the fine fabric of his suit adding a touch of nobility.
***
Port City’s nights were bustling and lively.
Miss Liang Jiamin was set to get engaged to the third son of a shoe magnate in a few days, so last night’s bachelorette party was naturally a hot topic for the local Media.
They hadn’t forgotten to dig up who Miss Xu Nanyin’s fiancé was.
Miss Xu Nanyin didn’t see a single headline about Song Huaixu.
Were Port City’s reporters really that behind?
“They’re all saying the future son-in-law can’t be shown in public, or that he doesn’t exist, and sooner or later your ‘fake engagement’ will be exposed.”
A Li finished reading the news and sighed.
“Zhuzhu, I don’t think I can go to Ning City with you.”
“?”
Miss Xu Nanyin couldn’t accept this at all.
Her Craving Skin Syndrome needed people.
If she was at home, it was fine for A Li to go home for a month—she could just act cute and get hugs from her mother, or go out with Lin Zhijun holding her arm.
Living alone in that huge Old Residence, she couldn’t imagine how hard it would be if her syndrome acted up.
Rubbing against pillows and wrapping herself tightly in blankets wouldn’t help at all.