EBE Chapter 509, the grand finale.
Chapter 509, the grand finale.
Downstairs at that time.
The guests were entering at a leisurely pace.
After the business elites finished entering, several familiar faces from the film and television industry followed.
In the dead of winter, female celebrities walked the red carpet in haute couture gowns, their skirts sweeping across the carpet and creating a faint fragrance.
Some women strolled arm-in-arm with the producer, smiling sweetly, while others walked gracefully alone, lifting their skirts. Every step seemed to be under the spotlight, drawing quiet screams from fans on both sides.
Media reporters rushed around with their cameras, switching lenses between different faces, their shutters clicking incessantly, like a tireless swarm of bees.
Since it was the company's annual meeting, Xu's only invited a few actors from Haicheng and a few celebrities who had worked with Xu's in recent years.
Soon, the most glamorous stars of the night finished entering, and the evening's grand finale began.
Just then, a deep engine sound came from afar. Unlike the ostentatious sound of ordinary luxury cars, it carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
The crowd instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
A black, extended Hummer was slowly approaching, its body gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen under the lights, like a lurking beast.
As soon as the car came to a stop, the front and rear doors were opened simultaneously by bodyguards. Several bodyguards in black got out first and quickly stood around the car, forming an invisible barrier.
The next second, a hand with distinct knuckles rested on the door frame on the right side of the car.
The hand wore a simple black watch, and the thin calluses on the fingertips were faintly visible. With just a gesture of raising his hand, the air on both sides of the red carpet seemed to freeze for half a second.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Fangye stepped out of the car.
He wore a dark charcoal gray suit with a silver-gray silk tie at the collar. The casualness of not wearing a bow tie made his broad shoulders and narrow waist stand out even more, and his figure was as upright as a bamboo.
The light fell on his sharply defined profile, casting a clean shadow on his high nose. His thin lips, slightly pursed, carried a hint of aloofness and coldness. But when his gaze swept across the crowd, his deep eyes, like a cold pool filled with shattered stars, instantly captured everyone's attention.
Despite being only thirty, he already possesses the composed aura of someone in charge of a vast business empire. Standing there, the surrounding noise seems to become a blurred backdrop.
"It's Xu Fangye from the Xu family!"
Someone let out a soft exclamation, and a commotion instantly broke out in the room.
The female guests on both sides of the red carpet subconsciously straightened their backs, and some young socialites quietly tidied their sideburns, their eyes almost overflowing with admiration.
The female reporters in the back row gripped their cameras even tighter, their fingertips turning white from the force, their lenses locked on him, afraid of missing a single angle.
After all, this head of the Xu family rarely appears in public, and every time he does, it's enough to make both the financial and entertainment sections go wild.
"My God, he's even more handsome than in the financial magazines..."
"He's looking over here! Isn't he looking over here?"
"I heard he's single..."
The hushed whispers drifted out like feathers, carrying the joyful excitement of a young girl in the throes of first love.
Xu Fangye, however, was clearly unaware of these gazes.
He closed the car door, turned around and walked around the front of the car to the other side door, where he very naturally reached out and opened the door.
This action brought the discussion at the scene to an abrupt halt.
Who could get Xu Fangye to open the car door himself?
The next second, everyone saw an old man being carefully helped down by Xu Fangye.
The old man was dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit with a matching overcoat. His hair was neatly combed, and he held a pure white jade cane with intricate cloud patterns carved on the top.
Although he wasn't particularly tall, he exuded an air of authority that had been refined over time.
"It's Old Master Xu! Xu Qingrang!"
A seasoned journalist exclaimed in disbelief.
The flashes suddenly intensified, and the shutter sounds blended together, like a rapid symphony.
Everyone knows that Xu Qingrang has long since retired from the limelight, so the fact that he would personally attend today is itself a major news story that could ignite the business world!
The guests present also turned their heads to look, and even the big shots who originally maintained their status couldn't help but move forward to get a better look.
Just when everyone thought there was no one else in the car, Xu Fangye bent down again and reached his hand into the car.
His movements were natural and gentlemanly, with his palms facing upwards, as if he were waiting for a rare treasure.
This gesture silenced the scene once again, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the closed car door.
The sound of breathing on both sides of the red carpet seemed to disappear, leaving only the soft rustling of the wind through the ribbons.
A few seconds later, a hand reached out from inside the car.
It was an exceptionally beautiful hand, with skin so fair it was almost translucent, nails neatly trimmed and painted with only a light layer of nude pink nail polish, and a diamond ring on the ring finger that refracted tiny sparkles under the light.
The hand gently rested on Xu Fangye's palm, like a feather landing on a rock.
Immediately afterwards, a shimmering, iridescent skirt peeked out, a gradient champagne color embroidered with delicate silver threads, making it appear as if a piece of starry sky had been shattered as she moved.
Then, the talent finally stood on the red carpet.
Fang Li wore a floor-length dress today with a simple off-the-shoulder neckline. A white fluffy shawl wrapped around her shoulders, revealing her delicate collarbones. Her long hair was loosely tied back, with a few strands falling beside her cheeks, making her face even more beautiful and exquisite.
She didn't wear much jewelry, only a pair of jade earrings on her earlobes, which echoed the necklace around her neck, swaying gently with her movements.
The scene fell completely silent.
For a full three seconds, even the sound of the camera shutter disappeared.
Everyone was stunned.
Some were drawn to her beauty, while others were shocked to see her there, and to be so carefully protected by Xu Fangye!
"Who is that?"
The first question broke the silence, like a pebble thrown into a lake, instantly creating ripples.
"I don't know her, but she's so pretty and has such a great presence!"
"Appearing with Xu Fangye, could it be...?"
"I know her! Isn't she General Manager Xu from Xingli Media? I saw her at the film and television summit before!"
"Star Pear Media? How come she's with the Xu family?"
"Look at Xu Fangye... He helped the old man and then helped her. Their relationship is more than just ordinary, isn't it?"
"Could it be... my fiancée?"
This speculation immediately drew gasps from the crowd.
The admiration on the female guests' faces instantly turned into scrutiny and wariness. Some stared intently at Fang Li, as if trying to find some flaw in her flawless face.
The male guests glanced back and forth between Fang Li and Xu Fangye, their eyes filled with a mixture of envy and ambiguity.
The reporters went wild, their cameras clicking away like machine guns, their lenses practically shoving into the three people's faces.
"Mr. Fang! What is your relationship with Mr. Xu?"
"Chairman Xu! Is there some good news you have to announce that you are here in person?"
Questions came one after another, surging in like a tide.