“Wow… so this is what a high-society banquet is like.”
Ye Xingyao walked through the magnificent, gilded corridor and entered the inner hall of the banquet, catching the scent of food mingling with the heavy aroma of perfume in the air.
Upon entering the venue, she could clearly feel that many of the people already present had fixed their gazes on her, many of them filled with a sense of curiosity and inquiry.
Ye Xingyao didn’t shy away from these looks at all, responding to them with a smile.
Originally, she thought she would be quite uncomfortable in this kind of setting, but now that she was actually here and her performing personality had taken over, she didn’t feel that nervous anymore.
Looking around the room, middle-aged entrepreneurs with powerful auras made up a large portion of the crowd. Many of them were surrounded by young men and women; undoubtedly, these veterans were their main pillars of support.
They were likely their companions, daughters, or sons.
Of course, there were also many who looked at her with possessive eyes.
Fortunately, this was a banquet where everyone had to maintain basic etiquette.
They had to keep up appearances.
Therefore, Ye Xingyao didn’t pay much attention to them. She just let them be — it wasn’t their fault, after all. It was the price of being too beautiful.
However… where should she sit?
She couldn’t exactly sit with a group of veterans. Not only would it be suffocatingly dull, but her identity as the “daughter of a certain pharmaceutical company” might not hold up under the scrutiny of those experienced figures.
It would be better to find a place to fool some young people.
Oh, there.
Not far away, there was a small group formed by several young men and women. They were crowded around a blonde girl in the center, chattering about something.
Ye Xingyao stepped forward in her high heels, restraining herself from being too boisterous. Maintaining her smile and graceful bearing, she walked toward the small group one step at a time.
When she reached them, Ye Xingyao found a seat at the edge and sat down. She noticed that they only gave her a single glance before they stopped looking at her, which made her very satisfied.
And so, while Ye Xingyao paid attention to the contents of their conversation, she secretly took a small strawberry cake from the dessert rack and popped it into her mouth.
Mmm, this is delicious.
I’ll have another one…
“Xiaoyan, what are you looking at?”
The blonde girl in the middle had caught a glimpse of Ye Xingyao secretly eating the little cake nearby. She paused, her brow furrowing slightly as if she were deep in thought.
“Ah, nothing. Where were we?”
Chen Xiaoyan finally snapped out of it and returned to the group’s conversation.
‘Miss Ye Xin…? Why is she here?’
She was certain that this Miss Ye Xin was not a member of the so-called “upper circle.” She had no idea what purpose this remarkably down-to-earth Midnight-level Hunter had in appearing here.
However, she couldn’t exactly greet Miss Ye Xin directly. After all, she didn’t want to expose her own identity to those around her yet.
“Oh, we were talking about the organizers of this event. According to my father, the organizers want to showcase a certain technology that can influence the global landscape this time.”
“A technology that influences the global landscape? Doesn’t every new company say that? You shouldn’t take those kinds of gimmicks seriously.”
The person beside Chen Xiaoyan spoke dismissively.
Ye Xingyao, however, listened with great interest.
‘This is the first time I’ve heard such an unreliable advertisement in person…’
“How could that be? The organizers this time don’t look like they’re just trying to run an ad. Did you see the security outside? If they were just advertising, there’s no way they would have such a massive lineup.”
Oh, the security outside did indeed look quite professional.
Ye Xingyao recalled when she had just arrived; a female security guard had specifically taken her to a private security room and searched her entire body thoroughly, even checking every fold of her dress.
They had even squeezed the muscles in her arms to ensure she was truly an “ordinary person.”
It had been quite uncomfortable.
“You have a point… I heard that they even invited Mr. Qian, the head of the Hunter’s Union, to help host and manage the security work this time…”
The people in the small group spoke thoughtfully.
While Ye Xingyao listened to the gossip, she took small sips of the apple juice she had requested from a waitress.
Man, this mission is so relaxing!
Before she could continue enjoying herself, the members of the small group beside her suddenly stood up.
“Look, it’s Mr. Qian!”
Hmm? Mr. Qian?
It seemed like her contact on the inside was also named Qiansui.
Ye Xingyao followed the crowd’s gaze.
Wait? Why does this person look so familiar?
She was quite sure she hadn’t met this refined, smiling man before.
As a Hunter who only communicated directly with Hongye Qiu, she had never actually seen what the head of the Satellite City Hunter’s Union looked like.
‘Where exactly have I seen him before?’
Forget it, it wasn’t that important.
The apple juice was delicious; she’d get another glass in a bit.
“Oh, look! Mr. Qian is looking over here! He’s so handsome.”
A girl in the small group who was clearly a fangirl screamed in a low voice.
Hmm… to be the head of a city-level Hunter’s Union, what level of prestige did one need?
It seemed to be Star-Dark Grade. She wasn’t that much lower than him.
‘Where are my fangirls?’
Oh, right. In the past, she had operated in women’s clothing and had to investigate in the middle of remote forests. The few times she had clashed with Midnight-level Demonic Creatures had been joint operations.
Forget it, she would ask this guy later how much he could help her.
“Wow, Mr. Qian is walking toward us! Does he like me?”
If Ye Xingyao didn’t need to keep her cover, she would have patted this girl on the shoulder and told her earnestly.
People often misunderstand many things, and the most common mistake of all is — ‘Does this person like me?’
However, since he was coming over himself, he should be able to understand if she gave him a little hint.
Ye Xingyao struggled to pull her gaze away from the various desserts and looked up, only to find that Qiansui was looking at her with an intense gaze.
Meanwhile, a somewhat resentful look seemed to come from within the small group.
What’s that supposed to mean?
Ye Xingyao winked at Qiansui, hoping he could catch her hint.
Qiansui seemed surprised by her little gesture, but he quickly adjusted.
“This lady, you left a deep impression on me the last time we met. Might I ask for your name?”
Qiansui politely extended his hand.
‘Oh! He’s acting! I get it!’
By using his own popularity, he was both solidifying her identity as a “pharmaceutical company heiress” and demonstrating their familiarity to make their future actions easier.
‘Now this is a veteran actor!’
Ye Xingyao gave him a silent thumbs-up in her heart.
“Hello, sir. Our last meeting was far too brief. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ye Xin.”
Ye Xingyao reached out her hand, which she had secretly wiped clean, shook his hand, and responded with a smile.