Y-Young Master Ning?

When they heard Mr Liang's greeting, the pair who'd just treated Ning Xiaoruan contemptuously, felt their hearts thump.

"Mr Liang, who might this be?" Fang Wenjun hurriedly asked.

"You mean Young Master Ning? He's the successor of the Ning Corporation," Mr Liang said casually. Then, he turned around and asked Ning Xiaoruan again, "Young Master Ning, are you available?"

Ning Xiaoruan nodded and looked at Sheng Jiaoyang. "Jiaojiao, do you want to come with me?"

"You can go yourself, I don't like big gatherings" Of course, the most important part that Sheng Jiaoyang didn't say was that if she went over with Ning Xiaoruan, she'd seem his follower. She, Sheng Jiaoyang, would never be somebody's follower!

"Alright, then play by yourself for a bit. If somebody does something to you, just tell me." Ning Xiaoruan glanced at the two warningly before following Mr Liang.

The Ning Corporation! Han Yaying might not recognise the name, but how could Fang Wenjun, a businessman, not understand? In front of them, his company was just a little sapling. Although he'd recently made a lot from investing in movies, his high profits were followed by high risks, different from other commercial enterprises. Furthermore, the Ning Corporation was an international group with a hand in many industries. However, the most important point was that they had many powerful backers.

"Brother Fang, what kind of person is Mr Liang?" Han Yiyang asked quietly.

Fang Wenjun stared after Mr Liang as he said, "Mr Liang is the host of this banquet."

Han Yaying's eyes widened. "Then, what about the Ning Corporation?"

"The brand amba.s.sador position Wen Xin s.n.a.t.c.hed from you earlier was under one of the Ning Corporation's brands."

Han Yaying started to panic. That well known brand was actually just one of the brands under the Ning Corporation, and this alone was enough to see how powerful the Ning Corporation was.

"I'm really sorry, Ms Xu. Earlier, I was ignorant and offended you, please forgive me!" Fang Wenjun quickly began apologising to Sheng Jiaoyang.

Sheng Jiaoyang laughed lightly. Sure enough, if one thickens their skin enough, they can cope with any embarra.s.sing situation.

Han Yaying's expression was complicated. Xu Jiaojiao really was full of secrets, she actually has connections with the Ning Corporation's little prince. It was no wonder that despite having so many scandals, she always managed to clean herself off in the end.

"Yingying, you can stay here and chat with Ms Xu. I'm going to go see a few friends." After apologising and feeling awkward, Fang Wenjun didn't wait for a reply and left Han Yaying to go talk with other people.

Han Yaying opened her mouth, wanting to shout at Fang Wenjin before hesitating. She turned to Sheng Jiaoyang, who was leisurely taking a slow sip of wine, and couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect you to have such tricks with how young you are."

"Many thanks." Sheng Jiaoyang's lips curved.

Han Yaying's lips twitched. "Did you split up with your boyfriend because of Young Master Ning?"

Sheng Jiaoyang turned to look at Han Yaying, a strange smile on her face. "It turns out that Senior Han actually follows news about me, I'm so happy!"

Han Yaying was furious as she gave up, instead choosing to ignore Sheng Jiaoyang. When she turned around, she saw a man enter the banquet hall in a tailored suit, making his straight and tall figure seem even more outstanding. She knew from a glance that this was Xu Jiaojiao's ex boyfriend.

"Is that your rumoured ex?" Han Yaying asked Sheng Jiaoyang, preparing to watch a good show.

Sheng Jiaoyang followed Han Yaying's finger and looked at Shen Zhining without any particular reaction. She knew he would be here.

Han Yaying was disappointed when she saw no reaction from Sheng Jiaoyang. She thought for a bit before a sneer appeared on her face. "It seems you've already made your decision. But, it's true, as long as you have the Ning Corporation's Young Master in your hands, other men aren't worth anything."

Sheng Jiaoyang looked at Han Yaying in wonder. Her imagination was really amazing! She hadn't said anything at all, yet Han Yaying's mind could come up with such a story.

"Huh?" Han Yaying released a sound of shock.

Han Yaying was surprised because she'd thought Xu Jiaojiao's ex boyfriend wasn't as wealthy as the Ning Family's young master. However, she saw the banquet host, Mr Liang, the Ning Family's young master, along with a few other important people, welcoming Xu Jiaojiao's ex together.

Could it be that he had an even higher status?

Han Yaying immediately looked at Sheng Jiaoyang's expression and saw that she was unsurprised, meaning she probably already knew about her boyfriend's ident.i.ty.

"Did your boyfriend break up with you because of your ambiguous relations.h.i.+p with Young Master Ning?" Han Yaying rejoiced in her misfortune.

Sheng Jiaoyang set down her gla.s.s on a pa.s.sing waiter's tray before glancing at Han Yaying, leaving a single sentence behind as she walked away. "Overthinking is an illness. If you have time, go see the doctor."

"You!" Han Yaying watched her walk away, a trace of hatred appeared in her eyes.

Sheng Jiaoyang was just walking towards her grandfather when somebody called her. She turned around and saw Gu Zhou.

"Long time no see." Gu Zhou walked over.

"Why are you here?" Sheng Jiaoyang looked around and didn't find any other actors. But, if she really did see any more actors, she'd have to doubt if this was really a business banquet.

Gu Zhou's bearing was very mild. "Apart from being an actor, I'm also an investor."

"Oh."

Gu Zhou laughed upon seeing her act as aloof as before. "What about you? Did you come by yourself?"

"Nope."

"I still haven't congratulated you on your work."

Sheng Jiaoyang c.o.c.ked her head. "Which work are you talking about?"

"Your acting, of course. Are you still drawing these days?"

"I am. For me, drawing is something worth doing for a lifetime. I won't give it up." When the conversation turned into something she liked, Sheng Jiaoyang became a lot more talkative.

"Your acting is also very good. I saw some of the trailers for your new movie, and your performance really makes it hard to believe that you didn't come from an acting background."

"Should I be honoured to have received the Movie Emperor's praise?"

Gu Zhou smiled. "I said earlier that I'm an investor. I'm intending to invest in a movie with Director Cen Jin. They're already prepared to start filming and just need a female lead, are you interested in joining the casting?"

"I thought that you'd say 'just need a female lead, do you want to take the role?'. I didn't expect I'd still have to fight for it. Aren't you an investor? Can't you just decide the female lead?" Sheng Jiaoyang raised an eyebrow.

"Although I'm an investor, I still have to respect the director's choice. If the actor doesn't fit the role and it affects the movie, wouldn't I be making a loss? If you're interested, I can go talk with Cen Jin and have him arrange a time for you two to meet."

"What kind of movie? What are the details?"

"Before, all of Cen Jin's movies were cliche movies catering to the audience for a profit. Now, he wants to properly make a creative, literary movie to help create awareness for people in poverty. If you want the role, you first have to be ready to bear hards.h.i.+ps because the crew wants to stay in the mountains and film for at least two months."

Sheng Jiaoyang laughed. "You make it sound like I'll definitely be able to become the female lead. Yet, you just said I had to fight for the role."

Gu Zhou also laughed, his expression relaxing. Although his facial features weren't especially refined, when put together as a whole, it made him look very delightful. "Cen Jin and I have been friends for almost ten years, so I know pretty clearly what he's looking for."

Sheng Jiaoyang pondered it and quickly decided to take this opportunity. "Then, please help me make an appointment."

A handsome man and beautiful girl standing together really was visually pleasing, their pleasant conversation attracting a few eyes.

Ning Xiaoruan ground his teeth. "Really! Why is she so impatient with me, but so happily talking with other people?"

"What are you muttering about?"

Ning Xiaoruan heard his cousin's question and pointed to the happily chatting pair. "Cousin, look at her. She just broke up with you, yet she's already laughing and talking with other guys. Furthermore, Gu Zhou specially took her to the hospital after Xu Jiaojiao got sick last time. He definitely has other intentions."

Shen Zhining looked over and saw this scene, his eyes darkening.

"Cousin, it's good that you've already broken up. Otherwise, you'd definitely be unhappy seeing that," Ning Xiaoruan deliberately said.

Shen Zhining slowly looked at Ning Xiaoruan with a strange smile. "It looks like you really are free since you have the time to care about these things."

"Hey, aren't you being biased?!" Ning Xiaoruan pushed his gla.s.ses up his nose.

Meanwhile, Grandfather Yang was also watching Sheng Jiaoyang and Gu Zhou chatting. He was very curious about any man of marriageable age chatting with his granddaughter. He inspected Gu Zhou for a while and took note of his elegant poise and graceful bearing. He nodded in satisfaction before wheeling himself over.

"Jiaojiao, what did you hear that made you so happy?" Grandfather Yang asked.

"Grandfather." Sheng Jiaoyang turned upon hearing his teasing tone.

Although Gu Zhou was astonished that Xu Jiaojiao had a grandfather with such an unusual bearing, he didn't show it as he politely greeted, "h.e.l.lo!"

"Jiaojiao, won't you introduce him to me?" Grandfather Yang smiled at Sheng Jiaoyang.

Understanding her grandfather's intentions, Sheng Jiaoyang introduced them. "He's my senior, Gu Zhou. Right now, we're working at the same company."

"Oh, colleagues, that's good!" Grandfather Yang nodded with a smile. "Then, what does Gu Zhou do?"

"I'm currently still an actor, but I also have a few investments," Gu Zhou replied.

"An actor, huh…" The enthusiasm on Grandfather Yang's face dwindled. He didn't want Sheng Jiaoyang's spouse to be somebody from the entertainment industry as he knew what his granddaughter was like. No matter how long she stayed in the entertainment industry, she'd never be influenced by it. However, it might not be the same for other people.

Sheng Jiaoyang was at a loss for what to do as she looked at Gu Zhou. "Remember to ask Director Cen to contact me, I should be free for the next two days."

"Alright," Gu Zhou replied with a smile.