Chapter 428: Chapter 428: Enjoying Their Exasperated Looks
Li Xiaoliang noticed Bao Tingting’s lovestruck gaze glued to him, and a fierce hostility darkened his severe, handsome face.
He stared at the girl raising her glass, saying nothing, but his dark, deep-set eyes shot out a piercing glare.
Bao Tingting was terrified, but with so many people watching, she would lose face if she backed down.
She could only steel herself, raising her glass a little higher and giving it a little wave at the intimidating man before her.
"I’ll drink first, as a sign of respect," she said, before downing her drink in a single gulp.
In truth, Bao Tingting had a very good impression of Mu Ziquan, even though he had been rather nasty to her.
But when Mu Ziquan met her grandmother and father, he had been polite, courteous, handsome, and charming.
He was a man of rare refinement, a gentleman without peer. She had once dreamed of marrying him.
Unfortunately, Mu Ziquan had no interest in her whatsoever, always treating her as nothing more than a distant relative.
So when Bao Tingting saw the even more handsome Li Xiaoliang, she decided to take a chance.
’What did I do wrong? Why is this man glaring at me like he wants to eat me alive?!’
The Bao family’s maternal granddaughter, sitting at the same table, saw Bao Tingting toast such a handsome man and decided to get in on the action, grabbing her glass and approaching as well.
’A man this exceptional is a rare find. How can I let Bao Tingting have him all to herself!’
Mu Ziquan, sitting in his wheelchair, watched Li Xiaoliang exuding an icy aura and chuckled with schadenfreude.
Before the banquet began, all those young women had been fawning over him, but now they had turned their attention to latching onto Li Xiaoliang.
A smile bloomed on his handsome face, dazzling the finely dressed women in the hall.
"Pfft~" Gu Jiaojiao let out a mischievous laugh. Having finished her meal, she was now leaning over the railing of the second-floor corridor, watching the spectacle below.
"Jiaojiao, what are you laughing at?" asked Mr. Mu, who was also leaning on the railing.
He was the host of the Mu family, and while he didn’t need to go around making toasts, he still had to make an appearance.
So he joined Gu Jiaojiao, leaning on the railing to watch the lively scene in the hall below.
Old Sir Han and a few others were standing in the second-floor sitting area. They watched Gu Jiaojiao’s back but didn’t step out onto the corridor.
"I was just thinking how wonderful it is to be young. Occasional recklessness, acting on impulse, daring to love and hate... those are never bad things. That’s what being young is all about."
Gu Jiaojiao replied to Mr. Mu with a smile, but her words were also a heartfelt reflection.
Li Xiaoliang, who was on the verge of exploding, looked up curiously and saw the beautiful doctor.
Her skin was fair, her hair jet-black, and her features were stunning. Deep dimples made her look sweet and lovely, and she possessed an incredible air of elegance.
After just a couple of glances, all of Li Xiaoliang’s hostility vanished into thin air. He took the glass Wang Chengyao handed him.
He raised the glass toward Gu Jiaojiao on the second floor, then tipped his head back and downed it in one gulp.
Wang Chengyao was in charge of attending to the guests. He had seen Bao Tingting boldly down her drink, but Li Xiaoliang remained completely unmoved.
He felt Li Xiaoliang was being utterly unchivalrous, so he poured a glass of wine and insistently offered it to him.
But Li Xiaoliang accepted the glass only to raise it in a toast toward Mr. Mu on the second floor before drinking. It was clear this man had no regard for the Bao Family whatsoever.
Wang Chengyao pretended he hadn’t seen a thing and quickly moved on to pour drinks at other tables.
Bo Zhao Feng, however, didn’t see it that way. He believed the Li family’s heir was toasting the young woman standing beside Mr. Mu.
He knew the Li family’s heir looked down on his daughter, but to embarrass a young woman so publicly spoke volumes about the Li family’s upbringing—or lack thereof.
He glanced up unhappily at Gu Jiaojiao on the second floor, but that single look sent a tremor through his very soul.
’Isn’t that my mother’s savior?!’
This tough, middle-aged man wasn’t stunned by Gu Jiaojiao’s peerless beauty, but frozen in sheer joy.
He immediately picked up his glass, raised it high toward Gu Jiaojiao, and then downed it in one go.
Everyone, like Wang Chengyao, assumed that both men were toasting Mr. Mu.
So, one after another, everyone else raised their glasses to toast Mr. Mu as well.
Mr. Mu whispered to Gu Jiaojiao, who was standing beside him, "Jiaojiao, it seems I’m basking in your glory. Shall we go down and have a drink with them?"
"Alright," Gu Jiaojiao agreed readily.
And so, she took Mr. Mu’s arm and slowly descended the stairs.
Everyone put down their chopsticks, their eyes fixed on the beautiful girl who appeared before them, arm-in-arm with Mr. Mu.
Her long, dark hair was tied up in a cute bun, revealing the pale, elegant line of her neck.
Her eyes were stunning, as bright and captivating as starlight. She wore a simple black crew-neck T-shirt and skinny jeans.
Yet she wore the simple outfit with an air of effortless chic that, in contrast, made the Bao daughter and the Bao family’s granddaughter, Lin Sisi, look rather gaudy.
Lin Sisi in particular, dressed in a frilly dress, patent leather shoes, and even a flowered hat, looked over-the-top.
Her face was caked with all sorts of strange makeup, making her look like a painted doll.
How to put it... she exuded a sort of exquisite ugliness.
Her clothes seemed completely at odds with her.
Bao Tingting’s reaction to Gu Jiaojiao was more subdued; she knew Gu Jiaojiao was just a caregiver, so she didn’t give her a second thought.
But Lin Sisi and the other young ladies didn’t know this. They saw how everyone’s gaze was now fixed on Gu Jiaojiao.
The girls who were better at managing their emotions maintained their fake smiles, but several others had faces twisted with rage.
Gu Jiaojiao enjoyed the sight of their fury, remaining as cool as a cucumber.
"It really is you! Allow me to offer another toast." All of Bo Zhao Feng’s attention was focused on his mother’s savior, Gu Jiaojiao.
Gu Jiaojiao calmly sized up the square-faced, middle-aged man before her, whose face was crinkled into a wide, beaming smile.
She knew he had been looking for her, so she raised her glass and took a token sip.
Gu Jiaojiao was already stunningly beautiful, and her gorgeous eyes seemed to send sparks flying with every glance.
The way she tipped her head back to drink—bold and cool—was devastatingly beautiful, with a hint of cocky swagger.
Then she turned to Li Xiaoliang, a half-smile playing on her lips. "I’ll return your toast as well."
Gu Jiaojiao’s voice was poised and pleasant, clear and crisp.
Just as Li Xiaoliang was about to take another drink, he was met with the harsh death glare of a middle-aged woman.
"Where did this little seductress come from? Seducing men in public?" a sharp voice suddenly cried out.
All heads turned toward the source of the voice. The speaker was a daughter of the Bao family—Lin Sisi’s mother.
Having been married into the Lin Family for over twenty years, she had been thoroughly assimilated. None of the Bao Family’s integrity remained in her.
Seeing that all eyes were on her, she became even more impassioned. "Tsk, tsk. Look at you, with the face of a hussy.
Everyone is mesmerized by your pretty face, but a woman like you is clearly trouble.
"Young man, I don’t mean to interfere, but I’ve seen it all. I can tell a person’s true nature with just one look."
As Third Aunt Lin spoke, she looked Gu Jiaojiao up and down with contempt, her expression a mask of theatrical disdain.
Li Xiaoliang felt a surge of embarrassment, as if his private thoughts had been exposed. Suppressing a bellyful of rage, he snapped, "And who are you? What gives you the right to speak to me?"
