There were many guests present at the ceremony. Besides the elites from various industries, the entertainers of FX International Group were the most dramatic. Dressed to kill, they drew the admiring gazes of men and aroused jealousy in women.
Then some military officers showed up at the ceremony too, which had never happened before. They were no ordinary soldiers. The epaulettes on their uniform told people that they were of high military rank. Their appearance provoked speculation. People were wondering if FX International Group had gotten into huge trouble.
Kevin was surprised to see these officers. He wasn't informed that any officers were coming to the ceremony. He wondered whether they had been invited or they were here for the matter concerning Daisy. His heart grew heavy. Then he nodded to the people beside him and walked quickly toward the officers.
"Army Commander, Commander, why are you here?" Kevin said to his two superiors and then nodded to the other officers. He frowned at seeing Hank among them and wondered why the commander had brought him along.
"Hello, Kevin. Fancy seeing you here. I was just wondering why your commander didn't keep you, the dark horse, at his side. It turns out that you got here ahead of us. I heard that you did a great job in the war games." The Army Commander was much younger than the Commander. They were of the same military rank and their posts sounded similar. But the Army Commander led the group army while the Commander commanded an army base of the group army. So there was an essential distinction between their posts.
Thank you, sir. It's the outcome of the concerted team work of the soldiers. I'm just a member of the team." Neither the Army Commander nor the Commander answered Kevin's question. Underneath his superficial calmness, he became worried. He kept casting looks at the Commander, hoping he could give him a hint.
"Kevin, you are being modest. Your father hopes you can go back to the capital city. What do you think?" The Army Commander looked around and wondered why the CEO of FX International Group invited them to the ceremony. When they were negotiating about the sponsorship for military equipment, Edward didn't engage in it at all. During the whole process it was Mr. Rain that had negotiated with them on behalf of Edward. As to the reason why they were invited here, the Commander was confused too. That morning, he had just heard that the CEO of FX International Group was Daisy's husband. An invitational phone call came before he could report the news to his superior. He saw Kevin's inquiring eyes, but he had to shrug to indicate that he was clueless.
"I talked with my father about it. I prefer to stay in the city, " Kevin replied. In the capital city, people would only regard him as the son of some authority. If he stayed here, he would be away from that atmosphere, be himself, and lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
Ow, really? Your father will be disappointed. He looks forward to you going back to the capital city." The Army Commander patted Kevin's shoulder significantly. Its implication was self-evident. Back in the capital, Kevin would have more opportunities to put his skills to good use and get promoted, because that was his father's territory, after all.
Kevin gave a faint smile and said nothing in response. He understood what the Army Commander meant, but he was too proud to rely on his father. It was an approach he loathed. He'd be frustrated, because his image as a self-made soldier would be shattered, and people would see him as a guy who got promoted through his father's connections, and not his own skills.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? I realize we're all having fun, so... thank you very much for coming to our company's anniversary ceremony. Now I give you Aaron, the personal assistant to the CEO. He's going to address the ceremony, so give him a little applause." The MC's sudden remarks quieted the guests down. Everyone started to look toward the rostrum, and then the room erupted into applause.
Aaron hated making long speeches. He felt it a waste of time. But since Edward hated it too and Aaron was his assistant, he had to do it for him.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Aaron. I'll do away with the formalities. On behalf of our company, I would like to thank you for your concern and support for our company." Aaron raised his head to look around, but Edward was nowhere to be seen.
He was always late for everything.
"This year's cocktail party will be a little different from previous ones. The model employees will be awarded a prize and a generous bonus. The special guest who will give the prize to them will be a big surprise. Be prepared to be amazed." Aaron's announcement sparked the room into cacophony. Everybody wondered what kind of novel activity FX International Group came up with this time. Was it related to the military? The officers' arrival couldn't be just a coincidence.
Jessica's face darkened to hear Aaron's words. She assumed that the mysterious special guest must be Daisy. She pursed her mouth in scorn and thought, 'Edward, how much on earth do you care about this woman? You have made such a brilliant plan for the cocktail party just to introduce her to everybody. You would think it beneath you in the past. What do you see in her that makes you change so much?'
Brian sneered at the announcement. He was waiting to see how this woman would amaze the guests. By her beauty or her identity of Edward's lover?
"Are you curious about our mystery guest already? Then let's welcome the model employees. If you'd come up to the stage, please." Aaron seemed calm. but he was actually terribly worried, because Edward still hadn't showed up yet. Aaron didn't know what to do next. This kind of thankless things kept falling into his lap. He got impatient.
Watching the employees coming up one by one, Aaron felt desperate. Edward had called to tell him that he was here, but where was he? Aaron hoped that Edward hadn't run into some snag. Otherwise, he would be screwed, because he wouldn't be able to find another important guest in such a short time.
"We all know that our CEO has a cute son. But do you know the CEO's wife?" Aaron paused. Then he saw a figure approaching steadily. He exhaled deeply. 'Boss, thank God you're here. You scared the hell out of me, ' he thought. The guests were all intrigued by Aaron's remarks. Was the CEO of FX International Group really married? That was the one thing the guests were dying to find out. They all gazed at Aaron and waited for an answer, but he kept them in suspense. The guests all felt annoyed but couldn't do anything but hold their breath and wait.
"Now please Mr. and Mrs. Mu, come to the rostrum to award the prize to the model employees." When Aaron finished, he felt greatly relieved. The guests shifted their gaze from Aaron to the entryway.
Aaron's announcement took Daisy by surprise. Sensing everyone was watching her, she paused for a few seconds, then collected herself and calmly walked in with Edward, arm in arm.
Everybody was amazed to see how perfect they looked together. Daisy was wearing a long white strapless dress, patterned in diagonals with big sparkling sequins. Her skin was snow white. She looked like a fairy in that mermaid-shaped dress. Daisy's fair skin and the dress were of the similar color. She seemed to be glittering. Together with her aloof bearing, she looked sacred and distinguished. She walked elegantly and all eyes followed her. The guests gasped with admiration at her grace.
Edward and Justin were in dark blue mercerized clothing, which served as a soft and elegant foil for Edward's perfectly-proportioned sexy figure. The colors and the materials of his shirt, tie and suit reflected his delicate features and elegant bearing well. Together with Daisy, they became a picturesque image, having a visual impact on the guests.
Edward gloated inwardly over the dress he had picked out for Daisy. The white color and her aloofness blended well in a distinctive style on her. Instead of innocence which white color usually reminded people of, it now set her cold gorgeousness off to advantage, mixed with her uncompromising and heavenly temperament. Edward was stunned at her charm.
Before they set off, Daisy wasn't informed that tonight was the anniversary ceremony of FX International Group. She was confused when Edward asked her to put on this beautiful dress. When Tom and Leena indicated that they would see her at night, she was really puzzled. So she had refused to put it on until Edward explained the reason to her. Aaron's introduction had shattered her plan to stay low-key. All eyes were on her now. She was even more nervous than when she was facing tens of thousands of soldiers.
Mrs. Mu is not only the wife of the CEO, her other role will make the teenage girls scream in excitement. We all know that there's a young legendary female colonel in the city, who is an idol to many young women. However, since the colonel always keeps a low profile, few have seen her. She is our mystery, our urban legend. People talk about her all the time. Tonight, this mysterious colonel is right here -- Mrs. Mu! Now let's warmly welcome the CEO and his lovely wife to award the prize to the model employees.
People started applauding them as soon as Aaron finished the sentence. Meanwhile, someone was deeply frustrated and resented Daisy even more.
Usually, Justin behaved himself today. He looked here and there. Hearing Aaron say his parents were going to confer awards, he let go of his dad's hand and ran toward his grandparents. Edward and Daisy were a little bewildered. Seeing the guests around them, they looked at each other and smiled, which was caught by the media at the scene. They started taking pictures eagerly, making the affectionate smiles everlasting, immortalized.