"Jiaojiao." Xu Ping also arrived.

"I'm just moving some books, why did you come?"

Xu Ping hesitated before saying, "There's a business banquet this evening that President Li wants you to attend."

"Why would I go to a business banquet?" Sheng Jiaoyang looked at Xu Ping.

Xu Ping hesitated. She obviously knew President Li's intentions and had tried to convince him otherwise, but it was useless. Right now, President Li's treatment was very different from the time he'd invited her to become Jiaojiao's manager. If at that time you could say he was treating her as the treasure of a store, encased in gla.s.s and protected, now it could be said that he treated her as mere merchandise, left to be sold at a good price.

Sheng Jiaoyang laughed quietly. She wasn't a flower in a greenhouse and obviously knew what had happened. Li Yu was a businessman, so there was no such thing as friends.h.i.+p with him. Therefore, her att.i.tude towards Li Yu had always been cold.

Xu Ping knew that Jiaojiao understood President Li's intentions when she saw her face and secretly sighed. After joining a management company, there'd always be some restriction of freedom. Otherwise, why would so many celebrities create their own studio? On one side, it reduced the commission cut, and on the other side, they wouldn't be under the control of others.

Suddenly, someone's phone rang.

Sheng Jiaoyang pulled out her phone, raising a brow when she saw the caller ID.

"Young Master Ning, how do you have the time to call me? Do you miss your life as an a.s.sistant?"

"Xu Jiaojiao, you still owe me a meal."

"I can't tonight, I need to attend a business banquet."

"A business banquet? Is it the evening party at Norde Hotel?"

Sheng Jiaoyang asked Xu Ping where it was, and upon confirmation, answered Ning Xiaoruan's question.

"Aiya, what a coincidence, I'm also attending!" Ning Xiaoruan sounded excited.

Sheng Jiaoyang's lips curved. It'd definitely be inconvenient to bring her manager and a.s.sistant to a place like that, so with Ning Xiaoruan present, she wouldn't need to bother her grandfather. Although she wasn't afraid of anything, it'd be a lot of trouble with her current status.

Hearing that Sheng Jiaoyang was going to attend the banquet, Xu Ping said, "Then, I'll help you rent an evening dress."

"It's fine, just send me home. I have new formal dresses in my wardrobe."

After returning home, Sheng Jiaoyang and Grandfather Yang talked about the evening party, and he easily allowed her to go with him.

After everything was prepared, Sheng Jiaoyang went to the hotel with Grandfather Yang. Everyone with a sealed invitation had a room card so they could rest throughout the evening and after the banquet. Because they arrived early, they first went to their room.

Just as Sheng Jiaoyang was about to enter the room, Ning Xiaoruan called.

"Did you leave yet?"

"I'm already at the hotel," Sheng Jiaoyang replied.

"Then, where are you? I'll go find you!"

"No need, we'll see each other soon."

Grandfather Yang waited for her to hang up before asking curiously, "Who called?"

"Grandfather, you've met him before. That was Shen Zhining's younger cousin."

"You two seem to have a pretty good relations.h.i.+p, so why can't you get along with Zhining?"

"He's always bullying me! To h.e.l.l with getting along well with him." Sheng Jiaoyang pouted.

Grandfather Yang smiled. "That's because he doesn't know that you're Jiaoyang."

"When we were kids, he also always bullied me. Besides, it's not like I didn't try to get along with him. He never lets me get close, always thinking that I'm harbouring some sort of motive. I've always been treated unjustly!"

At this moment, An Jing pushed the door open and walked in, forcing Grandfather Yang to change what he was about to say. "You're all adults now, so I won't force you two. Let's just leave everything to fate!"

"Grandfather, the banquet has started," An Jing said.

"Then, let's go."

The elevator stopped one floor down as two people walked inside, chatting.

"Jiaojiao? Why are you here?" one of the people that just entered the elevator asked in surprise.

Sheng Jiaoyang glanced over. Oh, they were all acquaintances.

It was Pan Zihui.

Behind him was Sheng Xun.

Both of them were her biological fathers.

"Father, you also came," Sheng Xun inspected Sheng Jiaoyang before respectfully greeting Grandfather Yang.

Pan Zihui also recognised the old man sitting on the wheelchair and hurriedly greeted him as well, "h.e.l.lo, Mr Yang."

Grandfather Yang ignored Sheng Xun as he inspected Pan Zihui. "You know my family's Jiaojiao?"

My family's Jiaojiao? Sheng Xun's gaze was filled with shock. At Jiaoyang's funeral he'd clearly seen how negative his father's att.i.tude was towards this girl. His father had even said that he never wanted to see her again. How did his att.i.tude suddenly become so intimate?

"I'm…" Pan Zihui was about to say it, but then he hesitated.

Sheng Jiaoyang's lips curved as she leaned over to whisper in her grandfather's ear, "He's my current blood related father."

Grandfather Yang understood, a hint of disgust appearing in his gaze as he looked at Pan Zihui.

Pan Zihui opened his mouth. He could clearly feel that Mr Yang's att.i.tude had changed after Jiaojiao said something. Could it be that Jiaojiao already knew his status?

Ding! They reached the banquet floor.

Pan Zihui awkwardly walked out first and stood to the side, waiting.

"Father, didn't you say that you never wanted to see her again?" Sheng Xun bluntly asked, refusing to move.

"What does that have to do with you?" Grandfather Yang didn't smile. "And, I already said many times, don't call me father. We don't have a relations.h.i.+p."

Sheng Jiaoyang looked at Sheng Xun, who suddenly appeared much older, and pushed her grandfather out of the elevator to the banquet hall.

Sheng Xun pursed his lips and also walked out.

After showing their invitation letters, they entered the banquet hall.

The banquet hall was filled with people gathered in twos and threes.

Attention was drawn to every new group that entered as acquaintances greeted them.

"Xu Jiaojiao." A certain person, who'd been waiting for Xu Jiaojiao, walked over.

Sheng Jiaoyang turned her head and sized up Ning Xiaoruan, who was dressed in a suit, appearing especially grandiose.

"Zhining didn't come?" Grandfather Yang asked.

"h.e.l.lo, Grandfather Yang, I'm representing the Ning Corporation today. I didn't come with my cousin, so I don't know if he's coming or not," Ning Xiaoruan replied seriously.

Grandfather Yang nodded.

"Grandfather Yang, I have some stuff to talk to Jiaojiao about, so let me borrow her for a bit. I promise I won't let her get bullied by anyone."

"Go ahead!" Grandfather Yang waved his hand.

Ning Xiaoruan grinned as he led Sheng Jiaoyang away by the hand.

Sheng Jiaoyang took back her hand. "What'd you want to say?"

Ning Xiaoruan grabbed two cups from one of the pa.s.sing waiters and gave one to Sheng Jiaoyang.

"I heard that Grandfather Yang wants to recognise your mother as his daughter, and wants you to inherit his a.s.sets. I wanted to congratulate you! Shall we drink?" Ning Xiaoruan raised the cup.

Sheng Jiaoyang held the gla.s.s, but she wasn't in any hurry to toast with Ning Xiaoruan as she said slowly, "If you're congratulating Grandfather for recognising my mother as his daughter, then that really does deserve a toast. But, if you're talking about inheriting his a.s.sets, there's nothing to toast. I didn't become relatives with Grandfather for money."

"Then, let's just toast Auntie becoming Grandfather Yang's daughter." Ning Xiaoruan immediately changed his toast.

Sheng Jiaoyang raised an eyebrow. Ning Xiaoruan was really crafty.

She lifted her cup and gently clinked it against Ning Xiaoruan's before gracefully drinking.

"Actually, I'm pretty curious. I feel like Grandfather Yang's closer to you, so why didn't he just recognise you as his granddaughter?" Ning Xiaoruan's expression was curious as he looked at her.

"If he recognised me as his granddaughter, first of all…" Sheng Jiaoyang's lips curved. "He has to have a son."

Ning Xiaoruan blinked. Her words weren't wrong.

"Did you know? When I heard that you and my cousin had broken up, I was very happy," Ning Xiaoruan said.

Sheng Jiaoyang looked at him silently, waiting for him to continue.

"Your temperament isn't really my type, but I like everything else. If you aren't together with my cousin, then would you be willing to change your temper for me?"

"Say something!" Ning Xiaoruan was a bit anxious.

"You may leave now." Sheng Jiaoyang lazily twirled her finger and pointed away.

Ning Xiaoruan was confused."What do you mean?"

"Scram!"

"…" Ning Xiaoruan was left dazed.

This wasn't quite how he'd imagined the situation going.

"Xu Jiaojiao?" a girl's voice abruptly asked from beside them.

Sheng Jiaoyang turned and saw a graceful woman in a form fitting evening dress holding hands with a man standing not far away. Sheng Jiaoyang remembered who she was with a glance.

Wasn't this the female celebrity, Han Yaying, that had partic.i.p.ated in The Ultimate Ace?

Han Yaying looked at her, surprised.

"So, it's Senior Han," Sheng Jiaoyang greeted her.

"You even managed to bring an a.s.sistant to such a banquet, how amazing!" Han Yaying raised her chin slightly as she glanced at Ning Xiaoruan. She'd seen him backstage at the television station, and this a.s.sistant, who didn't seem at all like somebody who'd be a celebrity's a.s.sistant, had given her quite an impression.

"Don't say that, how could I be more amazing than Senior Han?" Sheng Jiaoyang smiled.

"Yingying, who's this?" asked the man standing next to Han Yaying.

Han Yaying smiled brightly. "Brother Fang, she's a new artist that's recently been causing a lot of scandals online. You usually only follow people with works under their belt like me, and not all the rubbish online. It's natural you don't know her."

"Oh, no wonder." The man glanced at Sheng Jiaoyang like she was trash, completely ignoring Ning Xiaoruan.

"But, who invited you two?"

"I want to ask you that. Where did you come from? How come I've never seen you before?" Ning Xiaoruan pushed his gold gla.s.ses up his nose, his expression solemn.

"Xu Jiaojiao, I won't bicker with you because you're young, but you should control your a.s.sistant. His impoliteness could offend many people." Han Yaying's tone was impetuous.

She paused and pointed a finger at the man beside her. "You're new, so you probably don't know Brother Fang. He's the chairman of True Entertainment Media and a famous producer."

At this moment, a slightly plump middle-aged man walked towards them.

The man that Han Yaying had called Brother Fang turned to look at the approaching man, a smile on his face as he took the initiative to offer a greeting. "Good evening, Mr Liang!"

Mr Liang just nodded slightly in reply before turning to Ning Xiaoruan. "Young Master Ning, earlier I said that I'd introduce some old friends to you, do you have time now?"