However, this Mr. Xu still held Chen Xiao in high regard. Chen Xiao's family had fallen on hard times, and he had lost both his parents. This young man had managed to survive all by himself, and even in a place like Kidd Academy, where he faced constant scorn and remained composed, his attitude was something Mr. Xu greatly admired. He had once told his son: "This boy has the character to achieve great things! Although your family is wealthier than his, you are not as good as him."
Therefore, the old man still strongly supports Xu Ershao and Chen Xiao becoming friends.
When I met Old Man Xu today, he was chatting with a few friends, one of whom was none other than Lu Bancheng, Lu Chengzhe, one of the two richest men in K City, alongside Old Man Xu.
Lu Bancheng naturally recognized Chen Xiao, and was slightly taken aback when he saw him here, but he didn't show it. He stood quietly to the side and quietly gave Chen Xiao a friendly smile.
"Since you're here, have fun. I'll introduce you to some elders later." Old Xu smiled kindly at Chen Xiao, but when he turned to look at his son, his eyes widened: "You! Stop hanging around the girls, behave yourself tonight!"
When Xu Ershao saw the old man, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, giving a couple of awkward laughs and not daring to say a word.
Old Master Xu was a prominent tycoon in the area, so he naturally didn't have much time to talk to the two youngsters. He simply greeted them and went to exchange pleasantries with the other VIPs. Chen Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and quietly pulled Young Master Xu aside.
He actually disliked this kind of place, although he was touched by Young Master Xu's thoughtfulness. But... he knew very well that although these wealthy people in this place all appeared polite on the surface, they were all arrogant at heart. It wasn't that they didn't know how to be humble—but this humility was only shown in front of those who were wealthier than themselves.
This society is very realistic: millionaires are very humble to multi-millionaires, and multi-millionaires are very humble to billionaires.
As for Chen Xiao... who does he think he is?
At the previous banquets, although Xu Ershao tried his best to introduce his friend to some tycoons of the uncle and elder generation, after they found out that Chen Xiao was not from a wealthy family, they still maintained their politeness, but only hypocritical formalities remained.
Even those who occasionally struck up a conversation with Chen Xiao were mostly small-time wealthy men who saw him as Xu Ershao's lackey. These people believed Chen Xiao was Xu Ershao's henchman and hoped to use him to climb the social ladder and become the future heir of the Xu family.
Knowing it was a waste of time, Chen Xiao simply played the role of "follower." After a few minutes of being well-behaved, Xu Ershao immediately sprang into action as soon as his father left. He grabbed a glass of wine and began patrolling the area in search of prey.
There were quite a few female guests tonight, including many girls from wealthy families—that's the real reason why Young Master Xu was willing to attend such an event.
Chen Xiao obediently found a sofa around the banquet hall and sat down, sipping a glass of expensive red wine whose price he didn't know.
Finally, when the clock struck eight o'clock in the evening, the important guest of the banquet arrived.
The side door of the banquet hall opened wide, and Xu Ershao, his father, and Lu Bancheng, accompanied by a blond, blue-eyed middle-aged man, emerged. The three chatted and laughed, seemingly in good spirits. Chen Xiao noticed that the middle-aged man, a white man, possessed an elegant demeanor, clearly cultivated in high society. His attire, while not extravagant, was remarkably dignified and appropriate. His clothes appeared simple, but anyone in the know could discern their considerable value—a person with slicked-back hair and ten or eight gold rings on their fingers would hardly be seen at such an event.
This was a business banquet. The middle-aged white man, as the guest of honor for the evening, quickly stepped forward to give a thank-you speech. He raised a glass of wine and spoke in a pleasant baritone voice, saying some seemingly sincere but actually high-sounding polite words, while subtly revealing some promising prospects for investing in K City—that was roughly the gist of it.
Chen Xiao sat on the outermost edge, somewhat bored, lazily drinking his wine. He then looked at the time—hmm, he should go back before ten o'clock. Although he had told Ya Ya to go to bed early, if he didn't go back, the little girl would probably still be sleeping on the sofa waiting for him.
Lost in thought, Chen Xiao's eyes glanced around unintentionally, and suddenly his expression changed!
As if without warning, Chen Xiao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine! An almost instinctive premonition of danger made his heart race!
This feeling came suddenly, yet it was so intense!
Chen Xiao almost jumped up, but just as he stood up, he heard a gasp from in front of him!
"ah!!!"
Looking up, the middle-aged white man standing there, holding a wine glass and giving a speech, suddenly went limp without warning and collapsed!
Before the gasps of the surrounding people had even subsided, two loud thuds were heard, and Lu Bancheng and Xu Ershao's father, who were standing on either side, simultaneously closed their eyes and collapsed to the ground!
The scene immediately descended into chaos. Experienced attendants quickly surrounded the three, separating them from the crowd and swiftly checking their identities.
Xu Ershao was also stunned. He rushed to his father's side first, but the old man's eyes were closed and a faint black aura quickly enveloped his face!
Chapter Sixty [The Viper]
"Doctor!! Doctor!!!"
At this moment, Chen Xiao had already rushed through the crowd and squeezed to Xu Ershao's side. Xu Ershao's eyes were already red, and the old man's breath was rapidly weakening, and it was clear that he was about to breathe more out than in.
"doctor!!!"
Chen Xiao immediately shouted, but pulled Xu Ershao away and yelled, "Don't touch him! The situation is unclear, touching him might worsen it!"
Chaos had broken out, with many guests staring in astonishment at the sudden turn of events. The hotel's private doctor rushed in, attending to the three unconscious individuals, and within ten seconds made his diagnosis: "Poisoning!!"
After saying that, the doctor immediately turned around, stared at the wine glass lying on the ground, and his expression changed: "Everyone, stop drinking! Someone has poisoned the wine!!"
The entire room erupted in uproar! Many people screamed, and some, even those who weren't poisoned, felt their bodies go limp and collapsed to the ground, crying out, "I...I'm poisoned too..."
Screams and gasps filled the air, chaos reigned, and some people were even trying to run outside...
Xu Ershao was completely stunned. After a few seconds of hesitation, he grabbed a hotel waiter beside him and yanked him hard, his eyes bloodshot: "Speak!! What happened with the alcohol!!!"
The waiter was so frightened that he was completely stunned and could not utter a single word.
As Chen Xiao watched the doctor quickly unbutton Lu Bancheng's shirt, his expression suddenly changed, and a thought seemed to flash through his mind!
"Let him go!!!"
Chen Xiao suddenly roared, clenched his fist, and punched the doctor hard in the back!
"Are you crazy?!" Young Master Xu was still holding onto the waiter's collar when he saw Chen Xiao's sudden movement. He exclaimed in surprise and was about to let go of the waiter to stop him, but it was too late!
A cold glint flashed in the doctor's eyes. Just as Chen Xiao's fist was about to hit him, he suddenly turned around and twisted his waist, blocking with one hand...
Bang!
The doctor's body flew out, but landed lightly on the ground some distance away, his eyes cold and glaring at Chen Xiao!
With a whoosh, he flicked his wrists slightly, revealing two sharp, thin blades from his sleeves.
"Chen, Chen Xiao..." Young Master Xu was also stunned.
Chen Xiao quickly took two steps forward, shielding the three people lying on the ground behind him, and shouted, "He's not a doctor!"
Even without Chen Xiao's orders, upon seeing this scene, the attendants of the Xu and Lu families rushed forward and immediately protected the three of them in the middle.