324 Commander Zhang (1/2)

The previously bustling gala fell silent as everyone held their breath. It was as though they were waiting for someone to break the silence.

A servant accidentally knocked down a champagne tower on a table due to his nervousness and broke the silence with the shattering of glass. A group of servants frantically cleaned up the area while the guests heaved sighs of relief.

With the collapse of the champagne tower, the tense atmosphere was finally broken.

Someone asked, ”Third Uncle, was that the representative from Stronghold 178 just now?”

Yang Yu'an handed the champagne in his hand to a subordinate beside him. He was no longer in the mood to drink. ”Yes, that's Xu Xianchu.”

Everyone knew the main guest tonight was actually Xu Xianchu. The war in the Southwest was very intense, yet Stronghold 178 remained standing amid the fighting. It was as though they were not the least bit interested in the war happening in the Southwest.

But while they remained quiet, it did not mean others could disregard them.

As the older people knew, there was a group of ferocious beings hiding behind the walls of that fortress.

The other strongholds were all simply known as strongholds. Only Stronghold 178 was sometimes referred to as a fortress by people in private. It also seemed like it was the only stronghold that was qualified to be named as such.

When an all-out war arrived, that magnificent fortress would turn into a sophisticated war machine. With its gigantic and strong gears working together, it could destroy any targets that were a threat to the fortress.

Of course, a lot of people had not seen it for themselves. Stronghold 178's status in the Northwest had long become a thing of legends.

Therefore, compared to the Zong Consortium's Zong Cheng, Yang Yu'an was far more concerned about Stronghold 178's stance. But the problem now was that Stronghold 178's representative had left before the function could even begin.

”That young man called Ren Xiaosu, were you the one who invited him?” Someone asked, ”What's his background, and why does that Xu Xianchu care so much about him?”

Yang Yu'an frowned. He knew from the intelligence reports that Ren Xiaosu had traveled alongside Xu Xianchu on an expedition to the Jing Mountains. But as Ren Xiaosu was just a refugee, he didn't think much of him. He only treated that young man as a refugee who had been accidentally embroiled in the situation.

But to his surprise, his niece had a different view of Ren Xiaosu, and even Xu Xianchu saw him as a good friend.

He must be a very important friend, a best friend he really wanted to see. Why else would Xu Xianchu leave such an important gala just to go and meet him?

However, Yang Yu'an did not say anything else. He smiled at the guests and said, ”There's been a small incident at the function, but I hope this matter will not affect everyone's mood. Please continue to enjoy yourselves here.” His words meant he did not want to continue talking about the matter.

The guests were very understanding. After all, everyone worked for the Yang Consortium, and Yang Yu'an was now the second most important person of the entire Yang Consortium. As such, no one would want to set themselves against him for the sake of some gossip.

However, after tonight, Ren Xiaosu's name would probably become widespread. Some people would even add their own narratives of what happened here and make the story even more bizarre than it really was.

Yang Yu'an looked at Zong Cheng beside him and said, ”I was planning on introducing you to Xiaojin tonight, but unfortunately, she left with her friend first. I think she must have something important to attend to. However, there's no need to rush things. After all, you two will be heading northwest next week. There will be more opportunities for you to get to know her.”

Zong Cheng had good facial features with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes and exuded a strong aura from head to toe. He smiled and said, ”Don't worry, Uncle Yang. I'll get along great with Xiaojin.”

…

When Ren Xiaosu returned to his residence at night, he saw Xu Xianchu standing at the doorstep like he was waiting for something. Ren Xiaosu understood the moment he saw Xu Xianchu here. So the representative sent by Stronghold 178 to the Yang Consortium was him!

When Xu Xianchu saw Ren Xiaosu, he got excited. He raised his arm and waved. ”Xiaosu! Xiaosu!”