Arriving even earlier than Chu Lingfeng was Momo, who was welcoming guests alongside him but was ignored and overlooked by everyone. He was also Shin's younger brother.
This younger brother was a bit chubby, with foolishness and a sense of humor appearing on his face at the same time, making him seem somewhat simple and honest.
But when he walked closer, a trace of hatred appeared on Momo's simple and honest face. "Second Brother, that guy Chu Lingfeng is simply too audacious. It was clearly my job to receive those guests and take the opportunity to show my face and presence."
"Yet he actually stole my thunder. This is our clan uncle's birthday banquet. Anyone who didn't know would think it was held for him, Chu Lingfeng!"
His wronged expression looked exactly like an elementary school student complaining to their parents.
Shin pulled this little fatty aside and gave Inari a meaningful look.
Inari nodded slightly; he understood Shin's meaning.
He would handle family matters first and temporarily leave this Divine Doctor to him.
The three continued walking towards the villa's main entrance, while Chu Lingfeng also extricated himself from the guests and had been waiting there for a long time. "Master Oriental, I've long heard of your great name and wanted to meet you. Unfortunately, I've been in Kyushu City for two months and haven't had the chance."
He showed a warm smile and introduced himself, "We might not have met, but you should have heard of my name. My name is Chu Lingfeng, but more people call me Dr. Chu, though that's just an empty title."
He said so, but the words 'arrogance' were practically written on his face.
Without some skill, unless one possessed Intermediate Acting like Haruko, it would be impossible to feign this arrogant appearance.
The words Divine Doctor immediately made Ichiko think of Haruko, who was still lying in bed, causing her to feel a little anxious subconsciously.
Just as she was about to step forward and say something, Miss Qian, who was beside her, tugged at her sleeve.
Only then did she calm down.
Her originally leaning body returned to its normal elegant posture.
Inari was in front, hands in his pockets, his attitude quite amiable. "I've also long heard of Dr. Chu's great name. There's no better day than today. Haven't we just met?"
Perhaps because of Inari's attitude, Chu Lingfeng was both surprised and a little smug. "Haha, Brother Oriental is right. If I didn't still need to greet guests right now, I'd immediately go in and have a couple of drinks with Brother Oriental."
"There will be a chance later. You don't need to look at my invitation, right?"
"Of course." Chu Lingfeng adjusted his tie in a pretentious manner and first looked at Miss Qian. "May I know who these two are..."
"Akina, Inari's female companion."
Chu Lingfeng suddenly understood. "So it's Miss Qian from the Qian Family. Your father invited me over for dinner some time ago. It's a pity you weren't home at the time, Miss Qian."
After the pleasantries, he looked at Ichiko and extended a hand. "And this lady is..."
He left a little suspense in his words, but the hand he extended was clearly waiting for Ichiko to shake it.
And his feigned serious gaze was constantly sizing up Ichiko's beautiful face.
Getting to know Miss Qian was just out of politeness and a pretense.
The sharp-eyed Chu Lingfeng saw at a glance that the girl behind them, who seemed protected and was dressed very modestly, was the ultimate prize among the best!
However, this gesture of extending his hand was somewhat presumptuous.
He didn't extend his hand to Inari or Miss Qian, only to Ichiko.
Sima Zhao's intentions were clear to everyone.
Inari, who originally had a good impression of him, subtly frowned for a moment.
Then he reached out and shook Chu Lingfeng's hand, smiling, "She is my younger sister, Ichiko. I brought her to see the world; she's a bit shy."
"I see." Chu Lingfeng reacted quickly and apologized, "I was presumptuous. Please go in first. After I greet these guests, I will definitely get to know you well, Brother Oriental."
"Alright, then I will wait for Dr. Chu inside. I also have something I'd like to discuss with the Divine Doctor."
"No problem."
After a brief chat, both sides said goodbye.
Chu Lingfeng turned his head and watched Ichiko's departing back, a hint of possessiveness and infatuation appearing in his eyes.
However, as he watched, he felt a chill down his spine.
A gust of wind blew, rustling Ichiko's beautiful hair and skirt.
It also blew the small doll tied around her waist to face another direction.
Its eyes, emitting a red glow, stared motionlessly at Chu Lingfeng.
The young man shivered. "This little doll, why does it look a bit creepy? Does that Miss Ichiko like this kind of thing?"
He didn't think much of it and continued to welcome the arriving guests.
After Ichiko and the others went in, she and Miss Qian began to mingle freely.
Inari also needed to socialize and couldn't constantly look after the two of them.
Although there were many women present, very few were dressed as ostentatiously as Miss Qian.
Many men's attention was drawn to her.
And girls without male companions were seen as a signal by some people.
Therefore, there was a continuous stream of people coming up to strike up conversations.
Ichiko was a bit uncomfortable with such a scene. Miss Qian also noticed this and used Inari's name to fend off everyone who came to chat.
Until someone related to the Qian Family came over.
As the Miss of the Qian Family, she inevitably had to chat with others for a few words.
When the clouds covering the moon dispersed.
The moonlight was able to shine everywhere.
Ichiko had crammed some knowledge about banquets, so even alone, she didn't seem too nervous. However, sitting alone in a corner made it impossible for her to be ignored.
Some people were specifically there for 'hunting beauties'.
A young man with a buzz cut, wearing a suit, walked towards Ichiko with two glasses of red wine.
He offered one glass, making a gentlemanly gesture. "Miss, are you alone? Would you do me the honor of having a drink together?"
Ichiko showed a polite smile. "Sorry, I have a companion, but she's not with me at the moment."
This young man had been observing from the side for a long time. If Ichiko had a companion, they should have come over by now.
He sneered inwardly and persistently pushed the red wine closer.
"Miss, if your companion isn't here temporarily, you always need someone to protect you, right? Or we can chat, so you won't be bothered by other people trying to pick you up."
As he spoke, he also lowered his head, intending to admire the girl's figure from bottom to top.
But as soon as he moved his head.
He met the gaze of a doll tied around Ichiko's waist.
Not only were there those terrifyingly crimson eyes, but the young man even clearly saw that this straw doll moved!
Originally, it was expressionless.
When it faced him, it... it was actually smiling!
The young man swallowed, the red wine held in the air frozen. With his other hand, he rubbed his eyes.
"It... it must be an illusion, right?"
He opened his eyes and looked at the straw doll again.
And now, the straw doll's expression had changed from smiling to being incredibly malevolent!
Its hands were gently raising, as if it was about to pounce in the next second.
The young man had no intention of striking up a conversation anymore.
His hand trembled, and he didn't hold the red wine steady.
With a 'bang,' it fell to the ground.
If Ichiko hadn't dodged in time, the wine would have spilled onto her evening gown.
However, what attracted even more attention from the guests present was the young man's reaction—he had been scared speechless.
He fell to the ground in a sorry state, continuously muttering two words.
"Ghost!"
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