Ji Hanxing looked at the auction paddle in his hand, then shook his head firmly. "It's not hypocritical."
"As the saying goes, judge deeds, not hearts. If you judge hearts, no one is perfect."
"Whatever their purpose in coming here, they really did donate money and help people who needed help. That's enough."
Ji Hanxing raised his eyes slightly and met Yan Jinyue's gaze. Their gazes held, and they both understood what the other meant.
The corners of Yan Jinyue's lips lifted slightly. "You're right."
Ji Hanxing didn't bid on any of the subsequent auction items. His wallet was already empty for the day!
After the auction ended, some time was set aside to complete the paperwork. This also gave everyone time to socialize and talk.
Ji Hanxing had certainly stolen the limelight at today's charity gala. Both Yan Jinyue coming down from the stage to invite him to take a photo earlier and his own lavish bid of five hundred million for the unfinished purple jadeite had already drawn plenty of attention.
"That's Ji Hanxing from the Ji Group, isn't it? Looks like he's quite close to President Yan."
"Old Master Ji is still blessed in some ways. His son may be no good, but his grandson is!"
"They're both outstanding young men from City A. It's only natural that they get along. The younger generation is a force to be reckoned with."
"People used to say he was aloof and rarely attended occasions like these, but looking at him now, he seems all right."
Although Ji Hanxing kept a cold expression, maintaining his dignified, aloof demeanor, some people were still bold enough to approach him for a chat.
In the end, Ji Hanxing collected quite a few business cards and handed out plenty of his own.
Ji Hanxing shot Yan Jinyue a discreet glare. It was all his fault!
Yan Jinyue said, "Since you've taken the first step, the rest isn't such a big deal, is it?"
Ji Hanxing didn't argue. Yan Jinyue was right, unless he avoided these social occasions altogether like the original owner of his body, but that was impossible.
Even setting aside his own desire to adapt better to this world, the system's tasks and the original plotline alone meant that the original owner would undergo major changes. There was no avoiding it.
Yan Jinyue took a phone call, said a word to Ji Hanxing, and turned to deal with something. Ji Hanxing seized the opportunity to head to the terrace at the side. He wanted to escape somewhere quiet.
Once on the terrace, Ji Hanxing found a spot in a corner and sat down. He had barely sat down when he heard footsteps, and two more people came onto the terrace. Ji Hanxing was sitting in its darkest, farthest corner, and the newcomers didn't see him at all.
Ji Hanxing shrank farther into the corner, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible while secretly enjoying the gossip. According to what he had learned from reading novels recently, a banquet terrace always had gossip.
"Yushan, I remember Ji Hanxing was your high school classmate?"
A cool, commanding female voice rang out, and Ji Hanxing caught the key words. Yushan? High school classmate?
Sun Yushan!
Ji Hanxing craned his head a little and saw the two figures. The woman was sitting on a sofa, with a man standing beside her. That man was none other than Sun Yushan, whom Ji Hanxing had run into earlier.
Sun Yushan said nothing. The woman's expression sharpened, and she kicked him, snapping, "I'm asking you a question! Speak!"
Ji Hanxing shrank back. Just looking at the heel of that shoe made him feel the pain.
"Yes, Sis."
Even Sun Yushan's voice trembled slightly.
The woman nodded. "In that case, make good use of such an excellent opportunity."
"You saw it today too. Ji Hanxing has good relationships with both the Yan Family and the Jiang Family, and he's very capable himself. Someone like that is worth cultivating a good relationship with."
"You have the connection of being high school classmates. That gives you the advantage of proximity. Make something of it."
Sun Yushan's lips moved. "Sis, I..."
Just as he was about to speak, the woman stood and lightly patted his shoulder. "Don't disappoint me. I'll be waiting for your good news."
With those words, the woman walked away in her high heels.
Only Sun Yushan remained on the terrace. His fists were clenched and his head lowered, and there was no telling what he was thinking.
Ji Hanxing silently repeated to himself, You can't see me, you can't see me. Hurry up and leave!
But everyone had a little Murphy's Law hanging over them. Often, the more they feared something happening, the more likely it was to happen.
Sun Yushan looked up and spotted the figure in the corner. "Who's there!"
At the thought that someone had seen Sun Yuqiong kicking and berating him just now, Sun Yushan's face suddenly flushed red.
When the figure didn't move, Sun Yushan strode over. Left with no choice, Ji Hanxing stood up.
When Sun Yushan saw that the person rising from the corner was Ji Hanxing, his face turned a deep purplish red.
His eyes were bloodshot. "You heard all of that just now?"
Ji Hanxing wanted to say he hadn't heard anything, but Sun Yushan wouldn't believe him anyway.
Sun Yushan suddenly lunged at Ji Hanxing. Startled, Ji Hanxing instinctively dodged to the side, but the corner he was in was a dead end, leaving him nowhere to retreat.
He had only taken a few steps when pain shot through his neck. Sun Yushan had grabbed his throat from behind.
Sun Yushan's hand clamped hard around Ji Hanxing's neck. Ji Hanxing raised his hands and grabbed Sun Yushan's wrist, trying to pull it away, but he couldn't exert any strength in that position.
"Hh... hh... hh!"
Ji Hanxing tried to call for help, but with his throat gripped, he couldn't make a normal sound at all.
He felt the air thinning, and the lack of oxygen brought a feeling of pressure to his brain. Forced to tilt his head back, Ji Hanxing met Sun Yushan's terrifying, bloodshot eyes.
"You heard everything just now, didn't you?"
"You're feeling pretty smug, aren't you?"
"You think I'm going to come sucking up to you?"
"I'm telling you, that's not happening!"
Sun Yushan's expression grew increasingly vicious, and his grip gradually tightened. Ji Hanxing's vision began to go dark. He bit down hard on his tongue, and the sharp pain and taste of blood filled his mouth, jolting his dazed brain.
Ji Hanxing concentrated his strength in his elbow and drove it backward, striking Sun Yushan squarely in the abdomen. Pain flared in Sun Yushan's stomach, loosening his grip. Ji Hanxing bent forward and twisted free of Sun Yushan's hold, then pinned Sun Yushan's arm behind his back. Raising his leg high, he kicked Sun Yushan in the abdomen again.
Sun Yushan instinctively clutched his stomach. Ji Hanxing didn't linger to fight. He immediately turned and ran toward the terrace exit, his vision swimming in waves.
Bang!
Ji Hanxing crashed into someone's arms. The impact made his head spin even more. He clutched the person's clothes tightly, his voice hoarse. "Help me..."
"Ji Hanxing!"
Yan Jinyue supported Ji Hanxing's weakening body with both hands. His gaze fell on Ji Hanxing's fair, slender neck, where a dark patch of bruising bore clear strangulation marks. Yan Jinyue's pupils suddenly contracted.
Hearing Yan Jinyue's voice, Ji Hanxing immediately felt reassured. He leaned against Yan Jinyue and took a moment to recover, then pointed at Sun Yushan, who was preparing to jump off the terrace and escape. "He's trying to kill someone! Don't let him get away!"
Fu Fangxi arrived with the security guards just then. At the very moment Sun Yushan was about to jump, several of them grabbed him.