Abel was sitting diagonally across from her, talking to a young woman beside him. Upon seeing her, he immediately sat up straight and winked at her.
There were several other new acquaintances of note at the table. Gan Yuan smiled and nodded to each in turn. Her gaze landed on Qian Xueying, seated near the end of the table. A flicker of peculiarity passed through Gan Yuan’s eyes, but her lips still curved upwards. Qian Xueying responded with a nod and a smile.
The little one was seated diagonally across from her, next to Huangfu Jue, smiling and waving at her. Gan Yuan smiled back.
Moses steadied himself on the back of the chair, then turned and walked away, circling to the opposite side. He whispered a few words to a couple seated beside Gan Tang. The pair immediately rose with smiles and made their way around the table to Gan Yuan’s side as she hastened to her feet.
"These are the Marquis and Marchioness of Xisi," Moses said with a smile as he introduced the two parties. Then he pulled out chairs for the couple, inviting them to sit down.
"I’ve already discussed it with them; we can exchange our seats," Moses said, thanking them before gently taking Gan Yuan by the arm and leading her to the opposite side of the table. Like a gentleman, he pulled out the chair next to Gan Tang for her, "Sit!"
The little one beamed happily, and Huangfu Jue turned his face towards Moses, his deep blue eyes intent upon Moses’s face.
Moses felt his gaze but acted as if he hadn’t noticed, reaching out to gently pat the little one’s shoulder.
"Xiaotang, Uncle Moses will take you out to play another day, okay?"
"My son is very busy; he doesn’t have time," Huangfu Jue spoke coldly.
"I was talking to Xiaotang, Duke. Please do not interrupt," Moses countered sharply, shooting Gan Tang a smile before turning to sit back down.
Huangfu Jue snorted, sitting upright, while Gan Tang turned to his mommy with a smile, to which Gan Yuan responded with one of her own.
At that moment, a slight disturbance emerged at the entrance, and soon, everyone rose to their feet.
"The President has arrived!"
At the sound of the master of ceremonies, all stood up from their chairs as a sign of respect.
Shortly after, an utterly ordinary middle-aged man entered the hall. This was none other than the current President of F Country, who smiled and nodded to the gathered guests. The President made his way to his seat, his gaze sweeping past those at the table, pausing on Gan Yuan’s face, glancing at Huangfu Jue, and finally settling on Gan Tang.
"Duke, this must be the young prince!"
"Yes, this is my son," Huangfu Jue replied, stabilizing his son’s shoulder, "Xiaotang, greet the President."
"Hello, Mr. President," the little one replied with composure, his voice youthful yet polite.
"Hello," the President said warmly. "I hope you enjoy tonight’s meal."
"We’ll only know after we taste it," the little one said.
The President laughed heartily, "Indeed, one can’t conclude without trying. Well... please take your seats, everyone, let’s see how tonight’s cuisine fares!"
These few words, seemingly without significance, nevertheless conveyed a message.
The President had only engaged in dialogue with Huangfu Jue and one child amongst all the guests present—a clear indication of his particular regard for these two.
Since the coup d’état years ago, F Country had been in a state of tumult, a situation exacerbated six years ago by an assassination attempt on the President. Throughout these turbulent times, the President had found governing particularly challenging, brimming with desires for retribution yet hindered by a fragmented power structure within the country, which he hadn’t significantly mended even after four years.
Now, with the opportunity to collaborate with the powerful A Country at hand, he naturally had considerable interest in Huangfu Jue, as evidenced by Huangfu Jue’s prominent placement at the head of the table to the immediate left.