“What’s so troublesome about this?” Qian Xinyan laughed heartily. “Mr. Sui, you’re being too polite. If you have something to attend to, by all means, go ahead. Tonight’s charity banquet is really just an excuse for everyone to get together and chat.”

She shrugged, showing a humorous smile. “My father’s generation is always like this. You’ve only recently returned to the country, so you might not be fully aware of this yet, but within half a year, you’ll notice—they can find countless reasons to host a banquet if they wish.”

Qian Xinyan dragged out her last word and winked at Sui Yuesheng.

Thinking about the various invitations piling up like a small mountain on Assistant Zhou’s desk, Sui Yuesheng had to admit she was right.

Although they hadn’t known each other for long, chatting with Qian Xinyan was much more enjoyable than engaging in the verbal sparring often required with that group of old foxes. If it weren’t for receiving a message from Xu Song, Sui Yuesheng would have loved to chat with her a bit longer.

Unfortunately, the current situation demanded his immediate attention.

As Sui Yuesheng held his phone with one hand, typing rapidly, Qian Xinyan spoke up again at just the right moment: “Would you like me to call a car for you?”

Sui Yuesheng was slightly taken aback. “Thank you, but that’s not necessary. My driver is in the parking lot. I just messaged him, and he’ll be here soon.”

“Alright then.” Qian Xinyan elegantly took a step aside, making way for him. “I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Sui.”

“And I wish you a pleasant evening, Miss Qian.” Sui Yuesheng politely nodded and brushed past her.

Out of Sui Yuesheng’s sight, Qian Xinyan watched his retreating figure with keen interest, raising an eyebrow.

She was curious about the reason behind Sui Yuesheng’s sudden change in demeanor, but she wasn’t the kind to pry. If Sui Yuesheng wanted to tell her the details, he would have mentioned it from the start, so she didn’t press further.

However, in her view, the reason wasn’t hard to guess.

The entire upper class of Jingpu knew that Sui Yuesheng, this newly emerged beta, was at odds with Tao Zhixing’s precious son.

Although neither of the two parties had ever directly addressed the matter, everyone was well aware—

Put yourself in their shoes—if someone suddenly took over your family business, would you get along with them? Especially when that person is a control freak who, upon taking over, made significant changes and fired many employees.

Though these two had put on an elaborate show of brotherly love at the Mr. Zhu family’s birthday banquet, almost no one believed it, especially since one of the involved parties’ classmates had provided credible evidence of their discord.

Speaking of which, wasn’t Tao’s young master nearing adulthood? His alpha impulses during puberty were likely causing trouble, which now required Sui Yuesheng, as his guardian, to clean up the mess.

Wasn’t there a rumor that the young master got involved in a street fight and ended up at the police station? Qian Xinyan sipped her champagne as the thought crossed her mind.

Although Sui Yuesheng was just a beta, his work abilities were undeniably impressive, not to mention that he was now the head of the Tao family.

While the beta’s primary gender might seem mediocre, it did have its advantages—whether alpha, beta, or omega, any of them could potentially marry him.

Despite recent rumors of a political and business marriage between Jiang Jingyun and Sui Yuesheng, neither of them had confirmed it, meaning that, in a certain sense, Sui Yuesheng was still single.

Many eyes were fixated on Sui Yuesheng, hoping to bind him through marriage and thereby gain access to the Tao family or to have him work for their own families.

The Qian family was no exception.

Qian Xinyan had little interest in betas. They didn’t have glands to produce pheromones, nor did they possess the soft and tender features of omegas, and they were not known for their fertility. As the only eligible unmarried candidate of her generation, she had been pushed by her father to pursue Sui Yuesheng, much to her reluctance. However, after meeting him today, she found him somewhat intriguing.

He was truly a striking beauty, sharp-edged like a poppy swaying in the wind, captivating anyone who laid eyes on him.

…But his troublesome younger brother was indeed a challenge.

Still, if the opportunity arose, she might give it a try. She’d never been with a beta before.

As a familiar friend nodded at her from not far away, Qian Xinyan walked over slowly, her thoughts wandering aimlessly.

Sui Yuesheng had no idea someone was contemplating a one-night stand with him as he made his way through the crowd to the entrance of the banquet hall.

Unexpectedly, he ran into two familiar faces—the Cedar-Rose duo.

—After all, their pheromones mixed together smelled surprisingly pleasant, so Sui Yuesheng secretly gave them that nickname in his mind.

“Really? We rushed over right after the meeting, so we’re late, but surely the banquet isn’t already over?” Yu Hebai joked with a smile.

Sui Yuesheng’s gaze swept over the strange bite at the corner of Jiang Jingyun’s mouth, making him doubt the real reason for their tardiness, but he didn’t respond.

Jiang Jingyun stepped forward half a step, subtly shielding his often brash partner from Sui Yuesheng, and asked seriously, “Did something happen?”

Sui Yuesheng was always meticulous with his manners. Even during university club dinners, he never left early without a reason, and now his expression was quite grim.

Yu Hebai finally noticed the change in Sui Yuesheng’s expression and was about to ask out of concern when Sui Yuesheng spoke.

“Xiao Che is missing.”

Yu Hebai and Jiang Jingyun exchanged a glance, their faces revealing undisguised shock.

“It’s not a kidnapping,” Sui Yuesheng clarified, seeing that they had misunderstood, and sighed wearily. “He went out with several bodyguards, but we don’t know where he is now.”

“If he has bodyguards with him, it shouldn’t be anything too serious,” Jiang Jingyun offered in comfort. “If you need any help, just ask. Which car is missing from the garage? Do you need me to contact the police station to get surveillance footage?”

“Uncle Xu texted me, but I don’t know the details yet. I’ll find out more when I get back.”

Jiang Jingyun nodded. “I’m tied up here today. Why don’t I send Hebai to accompany you back?”

Yu Hebai’s name suddenly came up, and he nodded vigorously in agreement.

Sui Yuesheng smiled. “No need.”

Jiang Jingyun was about to say something when Sui Yuesheng added, “Is Yu Hebai here as your secretary today or as the only son of the Yu family?”

Jiang Jingyun: “…”

The Karlmann King slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance. Jiang Jingyun sighed, said no more, and simply reached out to pat Sui Yuesheng on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll find him.”

Sui Yuesheng’s lips curved into a stiff smile, barely passing as one. He nodded slightly, both as a farewell and as an acknowledgment of Jiang Jingyun’s words.

He turned away, saying nothing more, leaving the two alphas with the sight of his slender back.

The ever-eloquent politician Jiang watched his friend hurry away and suddenly realized he had just said something pointless.

—How could Sui Yuesheng not be anxious?