Chapter 380 - 381: Shining Debut (1)
Qin Zhiyou, as stingy as he was, took part in this event not only to maintain relationships but for another vital reason too. The event was organized by the government; donations would be pooled into a government-designated charity fund and managed collectively. The top donors of the night would not only get the honor of opening the subsequent ball but also receive some tax relief in the following fiscal year. That’s why there were hardly any film or TV stars present – attending came with a high cost and slight benefit, and hence was not worth it for them.
However, today as Lu Weixi walked in, she felt the atmosphere was perhaps a bit too lively. There had never been such an array of cars and reporters outside the banquet hall; it didn’t seem like a charity banquet but more like a celebrity award ceremony.
Luckily, the organizers weren’t foolish enough to roll out a red carpet or anything of the sort. The reporters and stars were confined to the main entrance. The hall was still solemn. Even the showbiz personalities who were boisterous outside maintained decorum as soon as they stepped inside.
Every attendee was a prominent figure in Yan City, even across China. Even those high-profile influencers and wealthy heirs, who usually have millions or billions of followers on Weibo, must behave properly here. And there were cameras being set up; it looked like they’d be filming the event.
This made Lu Weixi anxious. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to accompany Qin Zhiyou to the event, she just didn’t want to reveal her identity. They had discussed this beforehand and agreed on it.
Though the event was crowded and she might not get caught on camera, there would be many people from the entertainment industry there. So, what if she ran into Qin Zhiyou’s exes?
She had no intentions of catching up with that crowd or discussing him. How would those conversations even go? “Oh, how’s it going with Qin Zhiyou? Don’t you find him annoying?”
She turned to Qin Zhiyou, her face displaying her annoyance, “This is a public event. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Qin Zhiyou had no idea either; he hadn’t planned to put Lu Weixi in such a situation. He turned to his secretary, “What’s going on here?”
After looking up some information, the secretary explained, “There has been a once in fifty years flood around Yan City recently, and it just so happens that it’s the charity banquet’s 10th anniversary. It was decided to make it slightly larger. Nothing else was mentioned, everyone was simply instructed to proceed as usual.”
So, it was a larger event, primarily to raise more funds for the flood. That’s why they invited people from the entertainment industry and even called in the television teams, right?
With a slight frown, Qin Zhiyou turned back to Lu Weixi.
This was actually unimportant to him; regardless of it being a massive or small event, or whether there were reporters, he would have dressed the same. The only tricky part was explaining it to Lu Weixi, as she did not wish to face the people or the cameras.
But now, the car had already reached the venue, and it was too late to back out. She knew she couldn’t just leave.
Especially since she caught a glimpse of the host greeting the guests upfront, who seemed to be Liu Yiyi..