Ji Hanxing had not planned to sleep, but before he knew it, he closed his eyes and drifted off amid the blanket's faint fragrance.
Yan Jinyue looked up from time to time. Seeing that the head peeking above the sofa remained motionless, he figured Ji Hanxing really had fallen asleep.
When Yan Jinyue finished his work, Ji Hanxing still had not woken. Yan Jinyue approached and silently watched him.
He had read all the information Fu Fangxi had emailed him. Those materials did indeed point to one person as the suspect behind the drugging: Ji Hanxing.
But Yan Jinyue did not think it was him, not only because he had heard Ji Hanxing's thoughts, but also because of his intuition. When that thought surfaced, Yan Jinyue himself was suddenly startled.
When had he become so irrational?
Because of Ji Hanxing? Because of that night they had shared?
Yan Jinyue admitted that it had been his first time, which did make it rather special. But what if that person had not been Ji Hanxing?
He had thought it over. Had it been anyone else, Yan Jinyue felt he would not have acted this way.
Ji Hanxing was that special exception, so special that he could hear his thoughts.
The moment Ji Hanxing opened his eyes, he saw Yan Jinyue staring at him. He jolted in fright, and Yan Jinyue hurriedly reached out to steady him.
[What the hell? Sitting beside someone and staring at them like this-what a creep!]
Yan Jinyue stiffened and withdrew his hand. Seeing that Ji Hanxing had been frightened, he spoke with a hint of apology. "Sorry, I startled you."
He raised his hand to check his watch. "It's almost time. I was just about to ask you to head downstairs when you woke up."
With Yan Jinyue putting it that way, what else could Ji Hanxing say?
Still, the banquet was finally about to begin, and Ji Hanxing felt hungry. Embarrassingly enough, hunger had woken him again.
[Finally, I can eat. I'm starving to death.]
[Ugh, it's such a shame I didn't get to eat those little cakes. I wonder if there'll be any after the main course.]
Yan Jinyue tilted his head slightly and looked at Ji Hanxing. Little cakes?
[Even if there are, I can't eat them. With so many people around, it would really hurt my domineering CEO image.]
Yan Jinyue noticed that Ji Hanxing seemed to care a great deal about his public image. Was this some sort of CEO baggage?
[It's all Jiang Yuzhuo's fault! If he hadn't suddenly come over, I would've finished those little cakes!]
[Still, I got a good nap because of him. Never mind.]
Yan Jinyue laughed inwardly. What did he mean, Jiang Yuzhuo had let him get a good nap? Shouldn't he be thanking Yan Jinyue instead? The sofa was his, and so was the blanket.
Ji Hanxing did not care what Yan Jinyue thought. He stood up and looked at the rumpled blanket in his hands. Just as he was about to straighten it out, Yan Jinyue naturally took it from him and began folding it himself.
Ji Hanxing opened his mouth, then ultimately closed it again and straightened the clothes that had become disheveled while he slept.
"Do you need my help?"
Yan Jinyue's voice rang out, and Ji Hanxing looked up. By then, Yan Jinyue had finished folding the blanket.
Seeing that Yan Jinyue seemed about to approach him, Ji Hanxing immediately waved a hand and refused three times in succession. "Don't. No need. I can do it myself."
Yan Jinyue nodded. "All right."
Once Ji Hanxing had straightened himself out, he followed Yan Jinyue out the door. They encountered Fu Fangxi at the entrance. The strange look mixed into Fu Fangxi's surprise made Ji Hanxing instinctively touch his face, thinking something had gotten on it.
Had sleeping left red marks on his face?
"There's nothing on your face."
Ji Hanxing looked at Yan Jinyue, who had just spoken. "Really?"
Yan Jinyue nodded.
Only then did Ji Hanxing relax. Considering that Yan Jinyue was the host today, wouldn't going downstairs with him cause a stir?
"President Yan, I'll head down first."
With that, Ji Hanxing strode away on his long legs.
"President Yan, I'm sorry. Just now, I..."
"It's fine. Don't overthink it."
Yan Jinyue cut Fu Fangxi off and gave him a reassuring look. Fu Fangxi's anxious heart immediately settled.
"Let's go. It's time for the banquet to begin."
"Have all our invited guests arrived?"
Fu Fangxi was a highly professional assistant too, and he quickly switched into work mode. "Young President Ye's assistant just called to say Young President Ye is on the way and will arrive a little late. Miss Ye is already here."
"President Cheng went to inspect the branch office in Country Y. The Cheng family's young son, Cheng Jiuyang, came instead."
"Young President Jiang has been here for a while as well."
Yan Jinyue nodded slightly to show he understood. It was much as he had expected.
After taking a few steps, he added, "Change Ji Hanxing's seat."
"Move Ji Hanxing's seat off to the side."
Yan Jinyue had originally arranged for Ji Hanxing to sit with the members of the Ye, Cheng, and Jiang families. Now, however, that seemed somewhat inappropriate. Ji Hanxing might not want to sit with them.
Fu Fangxi said, "Yes, President Yan. I'll arrange it right away."
"Also, notify the kitchen to serve everyone a little cake before the main course. Remember, everyone."
Fu Fangxi was somewhat surprised. Who served cake before the main course? Although he did not understand why Yan Jinyue had suddenly changed the menu, he knew he only needed to carry out the instructions.
Fu Fangxi truly worked quickly. Ji Hanxing had just reached the entrance to the main banquet hall. Looking at the rows of round tables filled with people inside, and the table at the very front that was the center of attention, Ji Hanxing felt that if he walked over like this, he would be so embarrassed he could claw a castle into the floor with his toes.
"Mr. Ji, I'm sorry. Due to an oversight in our arrangements, we need to change your seat at the last minute. Would that be all right?"
The server Fu Fangxi had instructed came forward to ask. Ji Hanxing's eyes lit up. "Where will I be sitting?"
The server pointed in a direction. Ji Hanxing looked over. It was also at the very front, but off to the side.
The lighting was dim now. If he walked over along the wall, he probably would not attract much attention.
"All right."
Just as Ji Hanxing had expected, he reached his reassigned seat without any trouble or attracting much attention.
He sat down quietly. The others at his table merely glanced at him. Seeing that he was young and unfamiliar, they gave him slight nods of acknowledgment, then resumed their conversation.
Ji Hanxing did not mind. He did not know these people either.
"Hey, did you see Miss Ye just now? She's truly beautiful. No wonder she's the foremost socialite in City A."
"I heard Miss Ye is still single. I wonder who'll be lucky enough to win that beauty's heart."
The person speaking across from Ji Hanxing sounded rather sour, as though there was a hint of jealousy in his tone.
"It's true that Miss Ye is single, but I heard she already likes someone. That person really doesn't know what's good for him. Even then, he hasn't said yes."
Ji Hanxing knew which Miss Ye they meant. Her name was Ye Zuixi, and she was the second daughter of the Ye Family, which dominated more than half of the global luxury goods and jewelry industries. She was known as City A's foremost socialite.
[Host, aren't you curious?]
The system suddenly asked a question, leaving Ji Hanxing bewildered. "Curious about what?"
[Ye Zuixi.]
Ji Hanxing simply thought the system was being inexplicable. He was not interested in women, nor was he curious.
[In the original plot, Ye Zuixi is your future fiancée, the villainous supporting female character whose love for you goes unrequited.]
"What?"
The system's words shocked Ji Hanxing so badly that his heart nearly stopped.