This time, Gan Yuan didn’t come to enjoy the banquet, but with a purpose in mind. Having a bodyguard at her side would be inconvenient, and as for safety, she was capable of protecting herself.
Gan Yuan turned her face and raised an eyebrow, her gaze as assertive as Huangfu Jue’s, causing the bodyguard Charlie to stop his entreaties. He took something out of his pocket and presented it to her.
"This is an emergency call bell. Keep it with you, and if anything happens, just press the button on it, and I’ll rush in to protect you."
With the lesson learned from the past, Charlie naturally didn’t dare take it lightly.
"Alright." This time, Gan Yuan didn’t refuse and smiled at him, "I’ll take good care of myself."
"I’ll escort you to the door."
Charlie lifted his hand, and Gan Yuan lightly placed her gloved palm on his arm, allowing him to lead her to the front door of the Duke Residence.
When the servants at the door saw a guest arriving, they immediately descended the steps to greet her.
After taking out the invitation and handing it over, Charlie’s tone was once again colored with pride.
"This is Miss Gan, a friend of the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing the words "Crown Prince," the servant’s eyes filled with even more respecting, and he took the invitation with both hands, bowing his body and raising his arm.
Gan Yuan stepped up the stairs, and Charlie watched her enter the corridor before retreating back to stand guard outside the courtyard wall.
The mansion belonged to the Locke Family, with a history of over a hundred years, blending luxury with modernity yet retaining a sense of historical solidity.
The banquet was being held in the rear garden of the Duke Residence. Gan Yuan hadn’t arrived early, and the garden was already populated with guests holding glasses and chatting in small groups.
Following behind a servant entering the garden entrance, Gan Yuan quickly scanned the surroundings, not spotting Qian Xueying or Nancy.
"Isn’t Miss Qian here?"
"The lady is greeting guests and should be over soon," the servant stopped walking, "Please call for anything you need at any time."
Gan Yuan nodded and walked leisurely into the garden.
Taking a glass of champagne from a passing servant’s tray, she proceeded while observing the surrounding guests.
She had already researched many of A Country’s high-level figures on the computer and immediately recognized several familiar faces.
Someone approached, blocking her path.
Gan Yuan redirected her gaze to see a young man in his twenties standing in front of her.
An average height, pleasant-looking, but clearly with signs of excessive indulgence, his blue eyes were surrounded by dark circles.
The young man extended his hand, his eyes boldly sweeping over her chest before settling on Gan Yuan’s face, "I am Abel Rost."
The Rost Family, of equal renown as the Locke Family?
It seemed that this was the notorious playboy of the Rost Family, at the same level of prestige as the Locke Family.
With a status like Rost’s, who often interacted with high-profile figures, she might be able to gather some information from him as well.
Fully aware of his intentions, Gan Yuan still extended her hand with a smile.
"No need to be formal, you can call me by my name... Abel!" Abel Rost took her hand, his fingers gently caressing the back of it, "I haven’t seen you before, are you from Asia? You must be a friend of Qian’s, right?"
"Something like that!" Gan Yuan subtly withdrew her hand, "My name is Gan Yuan."