Chapter 326: Chapter 326: Masked Kiss (6)
 

The object, covered in red cloth, was two meters tall and had a diameter of one meter wide. Judging by the way several security guards strained to move it, it must have been very heavy.

The object entered through the back door of the Yancheng Hotel. When it arrived, someone specifically requested a huge kitchen trolley designed for moving goods. Using the largest freight elevator, it was barely transported to the venue.

At the venue, with half an hour left before the banquet started, many guests had already arrived. Fortunately, Bo Yan and Xia Siyu took the service corridor, because if they had entered through the main entrance and walked the red carpet, considering their current status in the entertainment industry, it’s likely that the traffic at the front door would have been paralyzed within minutes.

When the object was finally delivered, Bo Yan paid the fee and the freight charge, and the item was brought up to the floor. The security guards continued to push the object forward. Although it was covered with a red cloth, its large size couldn’t be completely concealed; it appeared to be a very large piece of wood.

Bo Yan instructed the security guards to push the object into the live event area. On the way, a crowd of onlookers were amazed, but Bo Yan was not in the mood to deal with them. Instead, he turned his head, “Will you attend with me or not?”

Xia Siyu pondered for a moment, “Better not, let’s stick to the old rules.”

“The old rules” were that she wouldn’t attend with him, not presenting herself as the Bo Family’s daughter-in-law, nor interfering with the Xia Family’s affairs.

Bo Yan nodded. Sometimes, going public with such matters wasn’t solely their own decision to make. Behind them stood two major talent agencies with teams of over a hundred people revolving around the two of them. They could go public on a whim for the sake of happiness, but it would be very unprofessional and irresponsible not to notify their teams beforehand.

A reckless disclosure could have a significant impact on both their commercial endorsements, their personal brand value, film and television invitations, variety show engagements, and the agencies that managed them.

Once they’d turned themselves into commodities to be scrutinized and commented on, they needed to be prepared to sacrifice certain aspects of their personal lives.

If Xia Siyu loved him, he would claim her even at the cost of offending the entire industry and wouldn’t let her suffer the slanders of fans.

But since she was not willing, he wouldn’t force her.

Moreover, just as they stepped out of the elevator, Xia Siyu’s phone rang. She glanced at the sender, hesitated for a moment, then turned around, “I’ll go deal with something on my end first.”

Her “end” naturally referred to: her father Xia Youbiao, her brother Xia Ju’an, and her dear sister Xia Sicai.

Bo Yan nodded, and the two parted ways in the vicinity of the service kitchen.

Before getting out of the car, Xia Siyu had already switched her sneakers for high heels.

After parting with Bo Yan and turning a corner, she untied her trench coat’s belt, tore off the coat, pulled up the hood, and yanked off the mask, casually tossing it into a trash bin. With one hand holding her trench coat and hood, and the other pulling off her hair tie, she threaded her fingers through her dark hair, casually flinging it about.

Without the need for makeup or additional color, Xia Siyu at that moment was the domineering ‘big sister’ often captured by the paparazzi: tall, with an indifferent expression, a commanding aura,

as if answering a battle cry, a warrior heading off to war, she strode confidently in her high heels across the hotel’s red carpet, arriving in front of the Xia Family’s resting room.

Inside, there were faint voices speaking. She could make out the slightly weary voice of a middle-aged man, as well as a young woman’s voice tinged with resilience and mirth. There was also a young man’s voice chiming in occasionally.

But the content of the discussion seemed to be related to her.