Diagonally across, Abel stood up with a smile.
"Queen, do you know why I always attend the National Day banquet punctually every year? It’s because what I like most is the part after the banquet!"
"I never doubted that," Leng Xiaoye clapped his hands, "Now, everyone can leave the table and go play your favorite games. I suggest you hurry up, or once I finish my dessert, you’ll have no chance left!"
The guests burst into laughter, even Duke Rost—Abel’s father, who had just been looking rather stern, laughed along with the crowd.
"Elroy, care for a game?" Abel took the initiative to invite.
Huangfu Jue rose from his chair.
He wasn’t a fan of socializing, but considering his status, some networking was essential.
The festival after Leng Xiaoye’s annual banquet might seem a bit unorthodox, but in fact, it was an attempt at innovation.
The future belonged to the young. If he wanted his son to truly stand on his own two feet, relying solely on their status and authority was not enough.
To truly dominate the country, Huangfu Jue needed his own management team, and such banquets were the perfect opportunity for him to mingle with the young elites.
Both Huangfu Yaoyang and Huangfu Jue were well aware of this. Hence, Huangfu Yaoyang was always indulgent toward Leng Xiaoye, and this indulgence was not merely for the sake of pleasing his wife.
Gan Yuan rose naturally along with Huangfu Jue, and by this time, the young people at the banquet had already left their chairs.
Rather than sitting elegantly at the dining table, they would, of course, prefer to engage in some exciting new activities—should they manage to befriend the key figures of the country, rising to high positions was not out of the question.
Thus, a group of young people soon gathered around Huangfu Jue, with those familiar with Abel jokingly teasing him.
"Abel, be careful not to lose your shirt like last year!"
"Mind your own business," Abel replied, utterly unconcerned, "There’s a saying in China, ’Lucky at love, unlucky at gambling.’ I’ve been sleeping alone for two weeks, maybe tonight I could win a couple of rounds!"
"Two weeks?" someone immediately questioned, "I bet you count your weeks in hours, don’t you?"
With Abel’s reputation for being a ladies’ man, changing girlfriends more frequently than women change clothes, no one was willing to believe that he was sleeping alone.
"Believe it or not, that’s up to you!" Abel glanced at Gan Yuan and raised his hand to cover his heart, letting out a sigh in a chant-like tone, "I’m heartbroken, going through a really tough time... right here, it hurts!"
No one took him seriously; they just laughed even harder.
In the midst of the laughter, everyone had made their way to the staircase.
Gan Yuan was about to follow Huangfu Jue upstairs when an arm reached from behind and gently tugged on her sleeve. Puzzled, she turned around to see Qian Xueying smiling at her.
"Gan Yuan, let me introduce you to a few friends."
Not far behind her stood several young girls, all about the same age as the two of them.
Seeing her stop, Huangfu Jue naturally paused as well.
"Wait a moment," Gan Yuan smiled at everyone and turned back, withdrawing her arm from Huangfu Jue’s, "You go ahead, I’ll be up in a little while."
Having decided to be with Huangfu Jue, she should have the consciousness of a future Princess Consort. Socializing was a very important part of high society.