usatvline Chapter 512 The Xu Family's Only Gold
Chapter 512 The Xu Family's Only Gold
She was frozen in place as if under a spell, the noise around her seemed to have faded away, leaving only those few words echoing repeatedly in her mind, making her dizzy.
My younger sister... the only daughter of the Xu family...
How can it be? !
Fang Li, whom she had always regarded as a potential rival and even secretly mocked for being "too shallow in foundation," was actually Xu Fangye's younger sister.
She is the beloved granddaughter of Xu Qingrang, the patriarch of the Xu family who controls most of the industries in Haicheng.
All those calculations I made before, that self-righteous sense of superiority, those secret comparisons...
It's such a huge joke!
Looking at Fang Li on the stage, and at her standing next to Xu Fangye, she noticed a resemblance between them. Seeing the undisguised affection in Xu Qingrang's eyes as he looked at her, she felt a chill run from her feet to her head, instantly freezing her to the bone.
It turns out that the circle she had been trying so hard to climb into was one that Fang Li had been in since birth.
It turns out that the person her father spoke of with such confidence, someone even their Shengshi Group couldn't reach, was, to Fang Li, nothing more than a blood relative.
Sheng Qianrui's legs went weak, and if she hadn't grabbed the pillar behind her in time, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.
Her face was ashen, her lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word. She could only watch helplessly as the three generations of grandmother and grandchildren on the stage looked at each other with a sense of utter despair, feeling like a clown abandoned by the world, utterly plunged into an endless ice cellar.
The sound of orchestral music filled the air at the banquet, and the long table under the crystal chandelier was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, with silver cutlery and wine glasses clinking together.
Xu Qingrang stood on the stage for a moment, his hand, which was holding a cane, began to tremble slightly.
As soon as he stepped off the stage, two bodyguards in black silently pushed a wheelchair covered with cashmere cushions towards him.
"Grandpa, sit down and rest for a while."
Xu Fangye naturally took the wheelchair handle, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cool metal armrest, as if silently comforting it.
Xu Qingrang patted Fang Li's hand and took her hand, saying, "Come here. You've always been reluctant to attend these kinds of occasions. Tonight, Grandpa will introduce you to some people. These are all uncles and elders who have cooperated with our Xu family for many years. In the future, the Xu family will still need you young people, so we'll inevitably have to deal with you."
Fang Li nodded and stood obediently to the side of the wheelchair.
Xu Qingrang lightly tapped the ground with his jade cane, and his wheelchair slowly moved among the guests.
"This is Uncle Zhang from Hengtong Group. When my grandfather started his business, his father was the first to invest money."
Xu Qingrang pointed to a slightly overweight middle-aged man, his tone familiar.
Mr. Zhang immediately stepped forward with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Fang Li's face. He clicked his tongue in amazement: "Uncle, you've kept this a secret for a long time! Such a beautiful granddaughter, and you're only revealing her now! Fang Li, right? If you need anything in the future, just come to Uncle Zhang!"
Fang Li nodded and smiled slightly: "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."
"And this is Uncle Tan from Tan's Real Estate. His son and Fang Ye have been fighting since they were kids."
Xu Qingrang then pointed to a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses next to him.
Immediately, a young man in his early twenties jumped out from behind Uncle Tan. He was wearing a floral shirt and a leather jacket for the occasion, and his hair was slicked back. He took a few steps closer to Fang Li, smiling broadly.
"Fang Li, right? My name is Tan Hao, and I'm your brother's childhood friend! If you want to go shopping or see a movie in Haicheng, just let me know anytime. I know this place very well!"
As he spoke, he tried to move closer to Fang Li, the gold watch on his wrist making people dizzy.
Fang Li turned slightly to avoid his overly eager approach, her face still bearing a polite smile, but her tone was indifferent: "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Tan, but I don't usually like to go out."
Fang Li heard Xu Fangye's suppressed noise behind her. She turned around and saw him raising his eyebrows and suppressing something with his lips.
Xu Fangye saw through his sister's aloofness, but deliberately didn't call her out on it. He slowly added, "My sister is shy."
Tan Hao's enthusiasm froze on his face. He awkwardly touched his nose, forced a dry laugh, and stepped aside.
Without turning her head, Fang Li pinched Xu Fangye's hand hard. The force wasn't strong, but Xu Fangye immediately grabbed her hand, making her unable to move.
The brother and sister were secretly competing, but no one saw it.
Xu Fangye only let go when the next person came over, and Fang Li pulled her hand away abruptly.
A man with a small mustache approached, holding a glass of champagne: "Miss Fang Li, I have a 50-year-old Bordeaux in my collection. Would you do me the honor of treating me to one?"
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Fangye subtly interrupted him: "President Li, I had my assistant send the information about that piece of land you mentioned last time to your email."
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable aura. Mr. Li immediately changed the subject, and his gaze towards Fang Li softened somewhat.
Fang Li glanced at her brother and saw that he had a smile on his lips, as if he wasn't the one who had calmly "driven away the wolf" just now.
He finally managed a helpless smile.
As they were talking, a group of young girls dressed in haute couture gowns suddenly surrounded them.
Leading the group was Zhao Manqi, the daughter of the Zhao family, with a warm smile on her face: "Miss Xu, we rarely see you. We can't just stand here with Grandpa Xu for the rest of the time. Can we let you chat for a while?"
Xu Qingrang looked at the group of chattering girls and waved his hand: "Go ahead, play with them for a while. You've known them since you were little, so don't be shy."
Fang Li was led to the rest area near the terrace. As soon as she sat down, a girl handed her a glass of juice: "Fang Li, your dress tonight is so beautiful! What brand is it? I've never seen it before."
"And those earrings of yours, they're practically collector's items! They're so beautiful!"
"We've all heard that you're Mr. Xu's younger sister! My goodness, you kept it so well hidden! We grew up in Haicheng and we had no idea!"
They chattered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity, probing, and deliberate flattery.
After all, Xu's status as the daughter of a wealthy family is enough to make any girl who wants to establish herself in Haicheng's social circles dare not be negligent.
Fang Li, holding the juice, occasionally responded with a gentle yet distant tone: "The dress was custom-made by my family, and the earrings were a gift from my grandfather."
As for "why she hid for so long", she just smiled faintly and said, "I don't really like these kinds of occasions; I always feel uncomfortable."
This nonchalance actually piqued the girls' interest even more.
Other young ladies would love to show off in such an occasion, but she seems to find it troublesome.
Zhao Manqi's eyes darted around, and she casually brought it up: "Speaking of which, Brother Xu is getting on in years, and he's never had a companion. Sister Fang Li, you must know what kind of person he likes, right?"
As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent. The girls all pricked up their ears and even held their breath.