The man uttered a light "hmm" and walked into the elevator without glancing elsewhere.
The hotel manager quickly followed him.
Seconds later, the elevator stopped on the eighth floor.
The man exited the elevator, his long legs moving unwaveringly toward the banquet hall.
By this time, only a few people from the Qin family and the prospective groom, Bai Yuchen, along with his parents, remained in the banquet hall.
The man entered the banquet hall, his cold eyes, sharp as frosty stars, scanning the chaos, his handsome face slightly furrowed.
"Fourth Brother," he called out, his voice deep and pleasant.
Bai Yuchen, who was busy with the hotel staff, heard the voice and couldn't help but show a trace of surprise.
He turned around quickly.
"Brother Jiu?!" Bai Yuchen rushed to Xi Jiu's side in a few quick steps, staring at him incredulously, "Aren't you abroad?!"
Upon hearing the words "Brother Jiu," the expressions of the hotel staff present all changed.
In the Imperial Capital, the only person whom Bai Yuchen, the son of the Bai family, would call "Brother Jiu" was none other than that member of the Xi family.
Xi Jiu: "I just got back an hour ago."
A warm current surged through Bai Yuchen's heart.
Brother Jiu was so busy with work; he must have hurried back this time especially for his engagement ceremony.
"What happened here?" Xi Jiu asked again.
Bai Yuchen: "There was a little accident. My father-in-law has a competitor who managed to bring a knife into the banquet hall today, nearly hurting Xiao Di.
Old Master Qin was frightened and had a heart attack. Luckily, Miss Ruan, who is skilled in medicine, not only saved Grandpa Qin but also subdued the assailant.
Oh right, I'm about to go to the hospital to see Grandpa Qin now, Brother Jiu, will you come with me?"
"Alright."
——*——*——*——
Ruan Qi rode away from the hotel on her little electric scooter.
It was now noon, and the road was busy with cars and pedestrians.
At the red light, Ruan Qi propped herself up with one foot on the ground, waiting at the crosswalk with everyone else.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared above her head.
Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Ruan Qi looked up.
A white object grew larger and larger in her vision, and then, with a crash—
A loud noise!
Pain rapidly spread from the top of her head.
Before losing consciousness, Ruan Qi saw the culprit that had knocked her out—it seemed to be... a chamber pot.
——*——*——
Imperial Capital First People's Hospital.
An ambulance came to a swift stop at the emergency entrance, and several nurses brought out a stretcher.
"Doctor, come quickly, this young lady has been knocked unconscious!"
There was chaos.
After a while, the person on the stretcher was pushed into a ward.
"It's just a concussion, she'll wake up soon. Contact her family to come and make the payment."
The doctor and several nurses left one after the other, quietness settling in the ward.
They were unaware that after they left, the person on the bed twitched her limbs, and her gentle breathing gradually ceased.
"Huh? Did I kill her?"
A voice inaudible to ordinary people sounded in the ward.
"Oh dear, modern humans are so fragile. Alright, young lady, your luck's in. Activating the Star-making System, host binding initiated!"
"Five, four, three, two, one—vital signs restored."
The voice faded away, and the person on the bed fluttered her eyelids, opening her peach blossom eyes.
Ruan Qi stared blankly at the pristine ceiling.
Who was she?
Where was she?
What was going on?
A triplet of soul-searching questions whirled through her mind.
Just then, the door to the ward suddenly opened.
"Xiao Qi!"
The familiar voice snapped Ruan Qi back to reality. She blinked, about to sit up, but was pushed back down onto the bed by the newcomer.
"...Brother, I'm fine."
Xu Xiangyang, with an anxious face, scrutinized her for a while, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Good, no amnesia.
"What happened? How did you end up in the hospital all of a sudden? I had just arrived home when I got a call from your mother, nearly scared me to death."