Quite a few young ladies of the Great Clans had stars in their eyes, faint blushes coloring their cheeks as their gazes were helplessly drawn toward that figure.
Some heads and stewards of smaller families reacted even faster, immediately piling on warm smiles as they stepped forward to greet him.
"Young Master Liu, what a pleasure! I am from the Wang Family south of the city..."
"Young Master Liu, your bearing surpasses even that of the past! I wonder whether your honored father has been well lately?"
Liu Han handled them with perfect poise, a smile resting on his face at just the right measure—neither overly warm nor arrogantly distant.
Gu Ruohua watched Liu Han, who stood amid the crowd like the moon surrounded by a host of stars. Her eyes shone, and a faint flush spread across her cheeks.
She murmured softly, her words brimming with a young girl's yearning. "No matter when one looks at Young Master Liu, he is always so outstanding..."
Li Wan beside her was also gazing at Liu Han with admiration. Though there was affection in her eyes, she appeared far calmer and more restrained than Gu Ruohua.
She let out a soft sigh and murmured, "Yes, but someone like him is ultimately far too distant from us."
The subtle flutter in her heart was firmly suppressed by her clear-headed reason.
Wu Manqing took in her two friends' reactions and merely smiled without saying anything.
Her gaze instead moved more often among the other influential figures in the hall as she considered how to secure more opportunities for the Wu Family.
Just then, a burst of hearty laughter rang out.
Zheng Yuankui, head of the Zheng Family, walked onto the raised platform at the front of the hall, surrounded by several core members of