The Card Apprentice

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yu asked in slight surprise after regaining his composure and discovering Luo De’s anomaly. Rong Ming had also noticed the visitor. Thus, when he turned his face and saw the white mask, his heart couldn’t help but shake slightly!

Sure enough, it was him!

Jiang Yu also noticed the people behind him at that time. He suddenly realized why Luo De had such a smitten expression. Xu Jia’s temperament was one of the best in Dongrui, and Luo De had always liked such mature beauty.

But who was the man beside Xu Jia? A trace of suspicion flashed through Jiang Yu’s heart. He knew that woman. As the chief secretary of Tai-shu Cheng, she had enough freedom. Her relationship with Tai-shu Cheng’s wife and daughter was excellent, which was difficult to achieve. He’d never heard of her viewing anyone with special respect, so who was the man next to her?

He calmed down when he realized the other party had appeared in public with a mask. It was impolite to wear a mask at that kind of dinner, but the other party still insisted on it, which was somewhat interesting.

He glanced at Luo De, who had completely lost his earlier oafish look and had returned to his usual lazy appearance. If one was deceived by his lazy appearance, the end would be absolutely miserable; that had been verified numerous times. How could those two be such simple-minded characters if they were the chosen heirs?

Xu Jia whispered in Chen Mu’s ear, “Do you see those three? They were supposed to be the most important guests at the party tonight. The fatter one is Luo De, the second-generation heir of the Luo family.”

“Luo family?” Chen Mu was shocked. “Thousand Lakes’ Luo family?”

Xu Jia smiled and lowered her voice. “Of course not. The Luo family in Thousand Lakes is a really magnificent family. Dongrui’s Luo family should be regarded as a sideline of the Thousand Lakes Luo family. It seems there is still some contact between the two sides. Dongrui’s Luo family is the strongest household in Dongrui, followed by the Jiang family. That slightly skinny one over there is Jiang Yu. You’ve met his sister, Jiang Ling. The Jiang family is second only to Dongrui’s Luo family. It is amazing they are here tonight!”

Chen Mu listened carefully. He knew small details may sometimes determine a situation. Xu Jia was familiar with the upper circle of Dongrui and thus spoke frankly in measured tones. “See that man in the guards division uniform? He’s Rong Ming, director of the guards division. Don’t underestimate him. He’s a master with level-seven perceptual strength!”

“Oh!” Chen Mu was suddenly interested. A perception of level seven could definitely classify one as a master. Notably, even Sang Hanshui’s perception was slightly less than level seven, and Chen Mu’s was even worse. Perception was not necessarily strong, but for perception to reach level seven would mean it was quite strong! To reach that level, the master’s talent, opportunity, and diligence were indispensable. That was enough to attract Chen Mu’s respect. In that age of power, the strong always won respect.

“Let’s go over to say hello.” It was rare for Chen Mu to speak.

“Say hello?” Xu Jia almost stopped short when she heard those words. Only by Chen Mu’s hand did she not stumble. When she regained her balance, she said in an unhappy tone, “Our rank is not enough, and he wouldn’t pay attention to us even if we went. Even if the third young master came, he may still not give face.”

“Is there such a thing?” Chen Mu was somewhat incomprehensible; he saw the guests with wine glasses looking as if they could chat with anyone for a long time.

“Yes.” Xu Jia explained in a low voice, “At a dinner like this, there are many guests and classes. Everyone has their own circle. Showing good will to guests who are too senior to you will only get the cold shoulder of others. Do you want to be looked down upon by others?”

“No.” Chen Mu immediately dispelled the idea.

“I don’t want to, either.” Xu Jia glanced at Chen Mu. “Here. Let’s walk toward the right.”

Before they could change directions, however, Rong Ming strode toward them with a glass of red wine. Even before arriving in front of them, Rong Ming’s voice rang in their ears. “Ha ha! How can Miss Xu leave as soon as she sees us? Are we so disgusting?”

The two didn’t respond until Xu Jia obediently smiled and said, “Director Rong’s words make me afraid. I saw Director Rong talking happily with Young Master Jiang and Young Master Luo, so I did not dare to disturb you.”

“It’s rare to see Miss Xu. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Rong Ming made a serious salute before turning to face Chen Mu, smiling and raising his glass as a sign. “This gentleman looks unfamiliar. How am I to address you?”

Chen Mu raised his glass and said, “My surname is Bai. I am the chief guard of Mr. Tai-shu Cheng.”

Rong Ming expressed his surprise. “I’ve heard the third young master has recruited a top-notch chief guard. Turns out it’s Brother Bai! Nice to meet you! I am Sergeant Rong Ming.”

“Nice to meet you!”

Luo De and Jiang Yu had also come along. The two of them looked at each other and saw the doubt in each other’s eyes. Who was Tiger Rong? He was always unkind to people and looked at them differently but also a little coldly. But he was so earnest toward the masked man! Brother Bai—he even addressed the other as brother? They had never seen Rong Ming so polite, and doubt arose in their hearts at the same time. What was the origin of that fellow?

“Young Master Jiang and Young Master Luo!” When Xu Jia saw the two men, she saluted them with neither overbearance nor servitude. Naturally, the two guys didn’t want to lose their cool in front of a beautiful girl. They bowed politely as they said, “Miss Xu.” Luo De even praised, “Miss Xu’s demeanor has overshadowed the whole venue!”

Xu Jia pursed her lips and smiled. “I really don’t deserve so much praise from Young Master Luo.”

Jiang Yu didn’t know why Rong Ming showed such enthusiasm, but he believed there must be some reason for it. Was there something wrong with Chief Bai? Did Rong Ming happen to know his identity?

While his thoughts were running, his face was already full of smiles. “When my little sister came back, she kept boasting about how powerful Chief Bai was. Now that I have seen you, you really have a unique temperament that did not fade away among the crowd.”

Chen Mu pointed at his mask and his incompatible clothes and said, “If you were referring to this and this, maybe I cannot be considered as lost in the crowd.”

The group immediately burst into laughter.

Luo De was not happy with Chen Mu, but it was because he was Xu Jia’s escort, of course. But Chen Mu’s half-ridiculous reply made him feel he was not so annoying. He himself was not the kind of mediocre material who would be impulsive because of beautiful women. At that time, he also regained his calm and went up to him and said, “Didn’t the ancient philosophers say that? Independence is a virtue!”

Jiang Yu stared at Luo De innocently and said, “No wonder I always thought you were so virtuous!”

There was another burst of laughter from everyone.

Xu Jia was always smiling. In her heart, though, she felt that everything in front of her was so weird. It was reasonable to say a big shot like Rong Ming would never waste his time on small fry like them. Those people followed a realistic and utilitarian principle in their communication, and the people they associated with were always characters of value in their eyes.

They had come for Chief Bai. That was one point she could easily notice. Even Luo De, though slightly lost in his first glance toward her, had continued to place his focus on Chief Bai in the subsequent conversation. She was slightly confused as to whether the man beside her was really worth their association.

She noticed that many people at a distance had begun to take note of what was happening there, and they seemed to be discussing it in low voices. In that sensitive circle, if what was happening fell into the eyes of the people who cared, it would cause a lot of changes.

Beside her, Chief Bai seemed to not have the slightest timidity or nervousness but instead was chatting with Rong Ming and the rest leisurely. Even she could feel his casual and relaxed attitude, which shocked her! That attitude was not unknown to her, as it would only appear from those who were in high positions or had come from a genuinely old aristocratic family. Because they had enough trump cards, no fear, and not many scruples, they could be so calm and casual.

Only then did Xu Jia notice a question she had been neglecting. What was the real identity of Chief Bai? His identity had always been a mystery; even his nickname had been given by his staff’s card repairer. Who knew he would use the nickname as his own and without the slightest explanation for it? That attitude was just like the way he was speaking—casual and unhurried! How could he be so laid back?

Xu Jia felt like her mind was a mess. Numerous questions came up, and everything seemed to be complicated and confusing. For example, she still didn’t understand why Rong Ming would look at Chief Bai differently. Even the arm in her hand seemed to have become unreal, like an illusory fog.

It was almost time for the banquet to officially begin, which meant the chat was coming to an end. Xu Jia felt relieved for no reason. There were too many things she could not see through, which made her feel pressured.

Rong Ming suddenly looked solemn and said, “In a few days, it will be my daughter’s birthday. I wonder if Rong Ming has the honor to invite Brother Bai to attend.”

The others fell silent at once. The amount of astonishment in their hearts had accumulated to its maximum. How could they not be surprised when they heard such a formal invitation from Rong Ming, who had not even invited Jiang Yu and Luo De yet? Xu Jia was so shocked that she nearly lost her voice. Rong Ming’s invitation was of such magnitude that she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She was certain that when the time came, even the third young master would not be qualified to attend the party.

Seeing Rong Ming’s solemn expression, Chen Mu also nodded earnestly. “When the time comes, I will definitely thank you for your hospitality!”

Rong Ming’s face beamed with joy. “Good! I like such refreshing people like Brother Bai! The invitation will be delivered to Brother Bai tomorrow morning! Oh, our time is almost up. We should give some face to the master of the house as well. Let’s go see Tan Yumin, whom Jiang Yu has always been thinking about.”

There was another burst of laughter from the group. They then went to the meeting hall together. The eyes of the crowd gathered around Chen Mu and Xu Jia and were full of surprise, curiosity, envy, fervor, and speculation…

Jiang Yu and Luo De lagged behind. They looked at each other, and both saw the dignity and vigilance in the other’s eyes.

Where had that Chief Bai come from?