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The car slowly drove toward the hotel where the banquet was held. The hotel was rather huge, and
there were now flower stands by the entrance.
They’d even laid out a red carpet, so with the exception of the media and spotlights, there wasn’t much
difference from celebrities walking the red carpet. When the car slowly came to a stop beside the red
carpet, the driver came over to open the car door.
Sophia went in with a hand on John’s arm. Indeed, there were already many people inside who were
now gathered in small groups, and their arrival caused quite a stir although Sophia wasn’t certain
whether it was because of John himself or the rumors revolving around him.
Anyway, many heads turned and stared at them. Her expression was utterly calm, while the corners of
her lips were curved. In fact, she was even more unruffled inwardly. Putting it bluntly, such an event is
merely an occasion for everyone to bring out their best outfits and contend with others. It’s simple, so
there’s nothing to fear.
Subsequently, someone came over with a female companion to greet John. Sophia merely put on a
smile. I don’t know anybody here, so I don’t need to say anything but smile. John is a veteran in the
business world, so he’s more than capable of handling them.
A server came over with a tray, from which John took a glass of red wine, while Sophia took a glass of
champagne after a moment’s contemplation. She’d drunk almost a whole bottle of red wine back at the
Constance Residence, but its taste was just meh. Hence, she wanted to try something else. Aware that
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtshe had a low alcohol tolerance, John whispered to her, “Don’t drink so much.” Then, he continued
making small talk with the other person.
Smiling, Sophia leaned close to him. “I naturally know that. Did you think I’m an idiot that I’d again
leave myself vulnerable to you?” When these words reached his ears, both their expressions froze for a
brief moment, probably recalling the incident that night. Sophia pursed her lips, knowing that she’d
misspoken. It was a bit too crazy that night, so much so I’m feeling inexplicably shy when recalling it
now. After that, she kept silent, saying nothing unless she had no other choice.
After making his rounds in the banquet hall, John finally led Sophia to the garden behind the hotel. The
garden was incredibly vast and divided into several sections, with artificial rocks and cascades to boot.
This hotel mainly catered to banquets, so the décor was quite lavish.
At this time, Sophia’s feet were hurting from the high heels, so she wanted to suggest taking a rest, but
someone again approached with a glass of red wine. Forcing a smile, she continued performing her
duties as a companion. I now know that it’s actually not easy to entertain people. Why, my face is going
stiff from this perpetual smiling!
After John had made small talk for a while, the host made an appearance in the banquet hall, so he
then took Sophia over. The host was a charitable organization that targeted educational institutions in
remote mountainous areas. This time, they were urging the various companies to donate money and
materials to the schools in remote mountainous areas.
As Sophia stood with John within the crowd, she remarked in a whisper, “They invited you here to eat
and drink, then have you paid?”
Murmuring his agreement, John also lowered his voice to a whisper. “There is no shortage of such
charity dinners every year.” Since Constance Company had a vast business, there might be negative
press right away if they didn’t attend despite having been invited. After all, it was very easy to get
criticized and boycotted if one failed to do charity after making money. Thus, it was an obligation most
times.
Sophia tut-tutted. “It’s fine if the money is truly used for its intended purpose, but who knows whether
certain people will pocket some during all the bureaucracy and red tape involved.”
“It’s definitely not all that transparent, but the companies that donate merely do so for the sake of their
reputations, so no one cares about the flow of funds after having given the money out,” John scoffed.
Pursing her lips, Sophia listened as the host began to talk about the deplorable conditions of those
children in the remote mountainous areas as they attended school. The images projected on the
screen behind him were now those of the mountainous roads and hills the children had to traverse just
to attend school. The classrooms were extremely dilapidated, the tables lacking legs, and blackboards
cracked; even the lectern was of dirt ground. At the sight of these pictures, even the most hard-hearted
person would probably be moved for a moment.
Sophia inhaled deeply, for she couldn’t quite bring herself to continue looking at the pictures as she
recalled the village in which she lived back then that was of a similar state. Averting her gaze, she only
managed to catch sight of Isabelle who was standing a near distance away.
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