They initially greeted Wang Ruixi with politeness, mainly because Liao Jianli was personally accompanying him.
Until the deputy director of Huaxia TV Station and a board member from ByteDance saw Wang Ruixi, both stood up in surprise mixed with joy and quickly walked over.
"Mr. Wang, it’s been a long time! You haven’t changed a bit!"
Director Zhou from Huaxia TV firmly shook Wang Ruixi’s hand, his tone unusually polite, with a hint of flattery.
"Hey, Old Zhou, you’ve been transferred to Huaxia TV?"
Wang Ruixi seemed somewhat surprised as he looked at Zhou.
"Embarrassingly, yes. I’ll be at the retirement age in a few years, thanks to the support of my old leadership, I’m here to fulfill a long-held dream from my youth, hahahaha... I can’t compare with you, Mr. Wang. Leaving the official system, one can truly be as free as a fish in the ocean and a bird in the sky!"
Director Zhou’s words raised curious expressions among those present.
So, this Mr. Wang was once an official figure too, and has now switched from politics to business?
Regardless, if Director Zhou’s attitude wasn’t enough to clarify, Jin Lu from ByteDance made it even more intriguing with her remarks.
"Mr. Wang, you’re not being fair. After our last meeting on Hong Kong Island, I thought we were already friends."
"Director Jin, what do you mean by that?"
Wang Ruixi was taken aback, clearly not understanding.
Jin Lu assumed Wang Ruixi was still acting and chided, "Mr. Wang, your equity has already fallen into your hands, what are you afraid will leak out?"
"Equity?"
"Our ByteDance equity, wasn’t it just today acquired in part by your Cloud Trust? Mr. Wang, your behavior is quite disappointing..."
What?
At this moment in time, someone could still acquire a stake in ByteDance?
While the others were shocked beside him, Wang Ruixi frowned, "Is there such a thing? I wasn’t aware..."
Just as Wang Ruixi was about to speak, he suddenly thought of something. If it was handled by that woman, it made sense.
Thus, he quickly changed his tone without altering his expression, "Sorry, you know our Cloud Trust handles so many investments daily, it slipped my mind at the moment."
"Then Mr. Wang, next time, please let me know in advance, otherwise, I’ll be clueless when the board asks about it, and I’ll be quite embarrassed as a director..."
As Jin Lu spoke with a smile, the other guests came to their senses and realized that the unassuming Wang Ruixi was likely a significant figure.
No wonder both Liao Jianli and Director Zhou showed such respect...
Very quickly, those who considered themselves somewhat important began to smile and exchange pleasantries with Wang Ruixi, hoping to get his business card.
Unfortunately, Wang Ruixi’s demeanor was too serious. Even in such a social setting, he barely smiled, but this didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.
It wasn’t until Wang Ruixi glanced at Liao Jianli that Liao realized Wang was getting a bit annoyed and quickly stepped in to save the situation.
"Alright, everyone, Mr. Wang just got off the plane, let’s give him some time to rest. The night is long, and later you’ll have plenty of chances to enjoy drinks with Mr. Wang."
Liao Jianli was in high spirits at this time; perhaps only Director Zhou and he knew what kind of person Wang Ruixi really was—
No, maybe even Director Zhou wasn’t as clear as he was.
Though he had left the official system, his influence had only become greater than before.
To be honest, during normal times, someone at Director Zhou’s level wouldn’t even have the chance to sit and chat with him.
Director Zhou had told him earlier that he would just make an appearance and leave, wouldn’t stay for the meal, but see now, after Wang Ruixi appeared, Director Zhou didn’t mention it anymore, and neither did Director Jin...
Just now, when Liao Jianli gave a slight hint, a few additional heavyweight figures, who might not have attended otherwise, were already on their way.
In fact, he himself hadn’t expected that Wang Ruixi would really show up today; he was banking on the thin acquaintance they had formed from their last interaction to boldly invite him.
So when he heard Wang Ruixi had really come, Liao Jianli was delighted.
Having someone like Wang Ruixi in attendance made Liao Jianli feel truly proud.
However, just as Liao Jianli was warmly inviting Wang Ruixi to take a seat, Wang Ruixi suddenly shook his head, "I won’t sit, Mr. Liao, I wish your business prosperity, but I should probably be on my way."
"What?"
As soon as he heard the other was leaving, Liao Jianli panicked, "Mr. Wang, you just got here..."
Beside him, Cao Meijuan and Wang Yaolong also became anxious; now that they knew Wang Ruixi wasn’t an ordinary person, they hadn’t had the chance to really connect with him yet, and now he wanted to leave?
"I have a flight to catch tonight, so I really can’t stay long."
Wang Ruixi shook his head, "Mr. Liao, I came here not just to offer my congratulations, but there’s something else I’d like to ask you..."
"Mr. Wang, please go ahead."
Aware of the other’s ulterior reason, although Liao Jianli wanted to persuade him, he had to suppress his thoughts and replied reluctantly.
"I heard you went back to Yunan Province a while ago, can you tell me about..."
As Wang Ruixi was talking, his eyes suddenly caught something, and his words stopped abruptly.
Liao Jianli, who was attentively listening, noticed the absence of sound and looked up curiously, only to see Wang Ruixi staring in a certain direction with a somewhat astonished expression.
He turned his head and saw that with the passage of time, the stage lights were now shining down, illuminating that once dark area.
There, the band members who came to perform were preparing, and nearby, a handsome young man in casual clothing was leaning against the stage, chatting and laughing with an extraordinary girl.
And Wang Ruixi seemed to be looking in that direction.
At this moment, Wang Ruixi was indeed surprised.
That person... why were they here?
He had been seeking Liao Jianli to inquire about Zhou Wang, because through another channel, he heard that the two had met once in Yunan Province.
Why had this figure given strict orders, not allowing him to contact that woman—
And he couldn’t help but wonder... how was his recovery going.