Chapter 473: Banquet Bonds and Evening Encounters

At the family banquet back home, guests were toasting and chatting amid a lively buzz.

Xu Zhiquan was flushed with excitement, having already gone through several rounds of drinks and toasts.

He glanced at the Spring Festival Gala on the big TV nearby, then focused on the athletes featured, including Xie Bingran.

Old Xu puffed on his cigarette, beaming with pride and chuckling to himself.

The others at the banquet kept toasting and joking, oblivious to the TV show.

Xu Zhiquan cleared his throat deliberately, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

Finally, the rest of the family turned to look at the TV.

“That girl on TV—she’s the Asian Games champion from our city, right?”

“What’s her name again?”

“Xie Bingran! She’s all over TV these days!”

“The city rewarded her with a house too. What an amazing young woman!”

“She’s from South River Village in our town, and now she’s a big celebrity.”

“Who’d have thought she’d make it to CCTV? Incredible!”

“Didn’t she go to Tiancheng No. 1 High School? That means she’s a classmate of Xu Chen’s!”

“From South River Village, so she must have been in middle school with Xu Chen too…”

“Hey, second brother, does Xu Chen know her?”

The question landed on Xu Zhiquan, who smiled proudly and said:

“Oh, of course he does! They’re classmates, after all!”

Xu Zhiquan hadn’t mentioned his son’s relationship with Xie Bingran to the family yet.

After all, she was a celebrity, and he didn’t want to spread it around and cause her unnecessary trouble.

But thinking of her as his future daughter-in-law made Old Xu feel even happier and prouder.

He just couldn’t brag about it openly yet, so he kept his pride tucked away for now.

…

…

On Revival Road, outside the CCTV building.

In 2007, the CCTV ‘Big Pants’ structure was still under construction.

Meanwhile, the ‘Color TV Center’ built in the 1980s at 11 Revival Road remained the headquarters.

Daily news broadcasts and annual Spring Festival Galas were all produced here…

Xu Chen headed toward the side door on the east side of the building to pick up Xie Bingran.

Along the way, he saw staff members exiting, many still in their Gala performance outfits, hurrying off.

They were clearly done with the show and rushing home for family reunions on New Year’s Eve.

Xu Chen scanned the crowd carefully but didn’t spot any familiar big stars.

At the east side door.

Before he even reached it, Xu Chen spotted Xie Bingran in the distance.

She was chatting with two others, a white Toyota Alphard parked nearby.

Xu Chen looked closer and realized he recognized the other two.

One was Guo Jingjing, known as the ‘Diving Queen,’ who had just appeared on the Gala with Xie Bingran.

The other was dressed in a sharp dark suit with stylish black-rimmed glasses—Ho Qigang, Guo Jingjing’s boyfriend from the Hong Kong Ho family.

The Hong Kong Ho family was famously a ‘red-top business dynasty,’ true elite.

Xu Chen didn’t follow sports gossip much, but he had heard about Guo Jingjing and Ho Qigang in his past life.

Earlier, Guo Jingjing’s romance with Tian Liang was a sports fairytale, the ‘golden couple’ of diving.

Later, they split, and she married into the Hong Kong elite Ho family, making headlines everywhere.

Xu Chen watched from afar as Xie Bingran chatted with them, feeling a mix of emotions.

Bing Ge’s circle of friends had become seriously high-end.

Truth be told, what Xu Chen knew about Xie Bingran was just the tip of the iceberg.

Her influence in the sports world probably surpassed even his imagination…

Xu Chen paused for a moment, not wanting to interrupt, and just waited nearby.

He couldn’t hear what Xie Bingran, Guo Jingjing, and Ho Qigang were saying, but Guo Jingjing seemed warm and polite toward her.

As Xu Chen stood there, Xie Bingran suddenly turned her head and spotted him.

Xu Chen smiled at her.

She gave him a strange look.

Xu Chen hesitated.

That look— it felt like she was asking for help again?

Confused, he decided to walk over anyway.

Suddenly, a fourth person joined their conversation.

So Guo Jingjing and Ho Qigang both turned to look at Xu Chen.

Xie Bingran cleared her throat and quietly introduced:

“This is… Xu Chen.”

As soon as she said it, she stepped closer and took hold of Xu Chen’s left hand.

Xu Chen was baffled, but it reminded him of that Louis Vuitton ad shoot in Shanghai.

Back then, when that French woman Camille hit on Bing Ge, she did something similar.

But Xu Chen had no idea what was going on now.

He kept his expression neutral and just smiled warmly.

He didn’t rush to greet Guo Jingjing and Ho Qigang, since they hadn’t officially met and he wasn’t sure how to address them.

Guo Jingjing noticed Xie Bingran holding Xu Chen’s hand and seemed to get it right away.

She gave an awkward smile and said:

“Sorry if I overstepped, Bing Ge!”

“I had no idea you had a boyfriend…”

She turned to Xu Chen and extended her hand:

“Hi, I’m Guo Jingjing.”

Xu Chen politely shook her hand:

“Nice to meet you, I’m Xu Chen.”

Ho Qigang, ever the gentleman, also shook Xu Chen’s hand:

“Hello, I’m Ho Qigang.”

“Hello, Mr. Ho. Just call me Xu Chen.”

Xu Chen still wasn’t fully clear on the situation, so he kept things light and left the main chat to Xie Bingran and Guo Jingjing.

Guo Jingjing smiled at Xie Bingran, her eyes crescent moons:

“You’ll be in Beijing for training after the New Year, right?”

“I’ll come by the Athletics Team to hang out!”

She called Xie Bingran ‘Bing Ge’ too—it seemed the nickname was popular in sports circles.

Xie Bingran: “Sure, and I’ll visit the Diving Team after the New Year.”

Guo Jingjing: “No way, I should come to you!”

Xu Chen was surprised at how enthusiastic Guo Jingjing was toward Bing Ge.

Guo Jingjing glanced at Xu Chen and added with a smile:

“If you two ever visit Hong Kong, look me up—I’ll handle everything.”

Ho Qigang chimed in with a few agreeable words.

Xu Chen, still puzzled, just smiled along.

After a bit more small talk, Guo Jingjing and Ho Qigang said goodbye and got into their van.

They even rolled down the window to wave at Xie Bingran and Xu Chen.

…

The New Year’s Eve night in Beijing wasn’t too cold, with a faint scent of fireworks in the air.

Xu Chen held Xie Bingran’s hand as they walked toward the hotel.

He’d figured it out and turned to ask:

“They weren’t trying to set you up, were they?”

Xie Bingran said flatly:

“They wanted to introduce me to Ho Qigang’s brother…”

“…”

Xu Chen looked speechless.

A rival? Seriously?!

Ho Qigang’s brother must be Ho Jishan, the famous Hong Kong playboy.

Ho Jishan had a string of rumored girlfriends, the most notorious being that so-called ‘international star’ Zhang Ziyi…

Xu Chen felt a strange twist in his gut.

Was this playboy eyeing his Bing Ge?!

“Ho Jishan’s a real ladies’ man—switches girlfriends every month,” Xu Chen joked.

“Oh.”

“And he’s from Hong Kong, so his lifestyle and eating habits are different from ours on the mainland…”

“Plus, he’s spent time overseas, which means he might have picked up some bad habits…”

Xu Chen rambled on oddly.

Xie Bingran glanced at him, narrowing her eyes:

“You’re not worried, are you?”

Xu Chen: “Worried? About what?”

“Even if he’s a rich kid, I’m a wealthy second-gen too!”

“And looking ahead, my family’s business might not be smaller than his!”

His tone sounded a bit forced.

Xie Bingran saw through it but didn’t call him out, finding it amusing.

Xu Chen cleared his throat and continued:

“Aren’t you guys swamped with training? Why make time to visit the Diving Team?”

“Guo Jingjing’s being way too friendly—there’s got to be an angle! Better stay clear.”

“Just keep your distance.”

Xie Bingran blinked: “It’s not that over the top—I did save her life once.”

Xu Chen: “Save her life? What do you mean?”

Xie Bingran frowned, thinking:

“I just saved her life…”

Xu Chen: “?”

Xie Bingran: “So her introducing me to Ho Jishan was just her being nice.”

Xu Chen: “The moon’s really round tonight!”

Xie Bingran turned to him with a mischievous smile: “And I’ve met Ho Jishan before, last year at an event in Beijing…”

Xu Chen: “The buildings in Beijing are so square!”

…

…

They had just returned to their hotel room when a server rang the bell and wheeled in a cart.

This was the meal Xu Chen had ordered ahead.

On the cart was an electric hot pot and a large plate of freshly made dumplings.

For northerners, New Year meant dumplings.

“Shall I turn on the pot for you, sir?”

Xu Chen: “Just plug in the stove for me—that’s fine!”

…

Ten minutes later, steam filled the air from the hot pot.

Xu Chen and Xie Bingran sat at the table, dropping the big plate of dumplings into the pot.

“These are ‘family fortune’ dumplings with all sorts of fillings!”

“I had the hotel restaurant make them fresh.”

Xie Bingran nibbled on her chopsticks, looking like a hungry kid.

“Hungry?” Xu Chen asked.

“Yeah… I skipped dinner during the rehearsal.”

Xu Chen: “CCTV’s out of line—how could they let an Asian Games champion go hungry?”

On the TV, the Spring Festival Gala continued playing.

Xu Chen glanced back; it was Zhao Benshan’s sketch airing.

He remembered this one was called ‘Planning,’ with that line about the ‘egg-laying rooster, the fighting rooster among roosters…”

Xu Chen thought of something else and asked:

“You must have seen a ton of stars at the Gala broadcast hall!”

Xie Bingran hummed in agreement and handed him her phone—the iPhone he’d just given her.

Xu Chen scrolled through the photo album, amazed.

It was full of selfies with stars: Han Hong, Sun Nan, Zhao Benshan, Song Dandan, Tao Zhe, Cai Yilin…

A real who’s-who lineup.

The photos looked like they were taken with different cameras and phones, probably sent over after each shoot.

Besides the big names Xu Chen knew, there were plenty of Gala staff posing with Xie Bingran.

A few looked like high-ranking officials, maybe from CCTV or Beijing.

There were also shots with the other champion athletes, and extra ones with Guo Jingjing—she seemed to really like Bing Ge, hugging her in several.

As Xu Chen flipped through Guo Jingjing’s photos, he felt that odd twinge again and quickly skimmed past.

…

The dumplings were ready, steaming hot.

The little rich girl puffed her cheeks to cool them, looking adorable as she ate.

She popped a dumpling in her mouth and chewed with that bold ‘Bing Ge’ flair.

Xu Chen sipped his red wine, watching her, lost in thought.

Xie Bingran: “What? Why are you staring like that?”

Xu Chen: “I just remembered the first time I shared dumplings with you in middle school.”

Xie Bingran blinked, recalling: “The locust flower ones—that was my first time, and they were sweet.”

Xu Chen: “My dad made them.”

Xie Bingran: “They were delicious. I haven’t had them since.”

Xu Chen thought about the timing:

“Locust flowers will be in season soon. Just wait.”

“My dad will definitely pick some and make dumplings.”

Every year around Qingming, when locust flowers bloom, that’s the tradition.

According to Xu Zhiquan, Xu Chen’s mother loved dumplings made with locust flowers when she was alive.

So Old Xu would grab a pole, collect the flowers, and bring them home for dumplings…

Xu Chen added:

“If we can’t get back, I’ll have him freeze some and send them over.”

Xie Bingran smiled happily: “Sounds good!”

Xu Chen considered: “Or he could send fresh locust flowers, and we can make them ourselves at home!”

Xie Bingran, with a dumpling in her mouth: “Yes!”

…

After eating, they cleared the table together.

Then they settled on the sofa, relaxing as they watched the Gala.

Xu Chen held his glass of red wine, with Xie Bingran nestled in his arms, looking content.

When the hosts—Li Yong, Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, and Dong Qing—appeared on TV, Xu Chen paused.

“What is it?” Xie Bingran asked.

“Oh, nothing.”

Sure enough, that infamous ‘black three minutes’ broadcast glitch from his past life happened again.

Awkwardness poured out of the screen.

Xu Chen winced, feeling secondhand embarrassment for the hosts.

Xie Bingran frowned: “They rehearsed this so many times—how could there still be issues?”

…

After the countdown, the midnight bells rang in the new year.

Xu Chen gently tilted Xie Bingran’s chin and turned her face toward him.

“You look so tempting right now…”