190: Chapter 190 Charity Gala

The tourmaline-red AMG slowly drove into the circular driveway of the Chengdu International Hotel, its body gleaming with a bright red luster under the refraction of the crystal lights.

Su Ye pushed open the car door and instinctively took Gu Qingyan's wrist; the warm, soft sensation against his fingertips softened the indifferent lines on his face.

Gu Qingyan wore a champagne-colored mermaid dress that accentuated her slender waist. Her long hair was tied into a low bun, revealing her swan-like neck, and her eyes were filled with love as she looked at Su Ye.

Su Ye lowered his head to straighten her hem, his voice low.

"Are you nervous?"

After all, this was Gu Qingyan's first time attending such a formal occasion. Su Ye knew his own worth and naturally wouldn't be nervous, but the same couldn't be said for Gu Qingyan.

Gu Qingyan shook her head, her fingertips gently squeezing Su Ye's palm:

"I'm not nervous when you're here."

Su Ye smiled nonchalantly. It was true—as long as he was there, the people he cared about didn't need to be nervous in any setting. Su Ye had the confidence to hold up the sky for them.

As soon as the two walked into the banquet hall, they became the focus of many people's attention—not because of Su Ye's aura, but because most of the wealthy guests present knew each other, and Su Ye's young, unfamiliar face was truly somewhat out of place.

"Who is that? He looks quite extraordinary in terms of temperament and appearance."

"Never seen him before. His attire looks sophisticated, but he looks so young; could he be some rich second-generation heir here to get recognized?"

"That girl is quite pretty—"

"Behave yourself and don't go looking for trouble. Everyone here is either wealthy or noble; if you run into some big shot, I won't be able to protect you."

"Got it, got it. You old people are so long-winded. If you hadn't promised to buy me a Ferrari, I wouldn't have wanted to come—"

The whispers drifted through the air and reached Gu Qingyan's ears. Countless gazes focused on her, making Gu Qingyan feel somewhat uncomfortable, and a light sheen of sweat appeared on her fair, tender palms.

Su Ye gently squeezed Gu Qingyan's small hand and said softly:

"Head up, chest out, smile. This is a vanity fair, but as long as I am here, don't be afraid of anything. Just bloom in your most beautiful form."

Hearing Su Ye's words, Gu Qingyan looked up at him. Seeing his gaze fixed forward while his lips were slightly curled into a smile, her heart steadied. She then nodded at a socialite not far away who had been eyeing her. The socialite was stunned for a moment, then responded with a friendly smile.

Recently, Qin Qitian could be said to have returned to his former high-spirited self. Now that the Qin Family had hitched a ride on the Liu Family's big ship, although their actual strength had declined significantly, they still looked good on the surface. Many big shots who previously looked down on the Qin Family now smiled and called Qin Qitian "worthy nephew."

At this moment, Qin Qitian was holding a wine glass, talking loudly with several rich second-generation heirs, his face full of arrogance. He also noticed Su Ye. When his gaze landed on Su Ye, his pupils suddenly constricted. The hand holding the wine glass shook involuntarily, spilling a few drops of red wine onto his expensive suit.

Those around him noticed his abnormality and quickly asked.

"Young Master Qin, what's wrong?"

Qin Qitian did not answer; his eyes were fixed tightly on Su Ye, his face gradually turning pale.

It's him, it's him, it's definitely him!

That face that would make him wake up in a cold sweat at night—Su Ye—the person who almost cast the Qin Family into the abyss. He remained still until he moved, and when he did, it was like a storm; the Qin Family had absolutely no power to fight back.

Su Ye seemed not to notice Qin Qitian's loss of composure and led Gu Qingyan to the donation desk. The staff member smiled and handed over the donation register:

"Sir, how much would you like to donate?"

People around looked over, their eyes filled with a sense of watching the show. In their view, a young, unknown person like Su Ye would donate, at most, a few hundred thousand just to go through the motions. Although this charity gala was by invitation only, that didn't mean some minor rich second-generation heirs or even influencers wouldn't spend tens of thousands to buy an invitation just for the sake of appearances, as it would become a topic of conversation and "face" for them for a long time.

Su Ye picked up the pen, his tip pausing on the register. Gu Qingyan beside him asked softly:

"How much is appropriate to donate?"

Su Ye smiled, the pen tip fell, and he scribbled a few words.

"It's charity, just follow your heart."

After seeing the amount, the staff member's eyes went round. They looked closely at the young man in front of them, their voice trembling: "Mr... Mr. Su, are you sure you want to donate... ten million?"

"Ten million?!"

This sentence exploded in the banquet hall like a bomb. Everyone was stunned, crowding around to stare at the eye-catching number on the register, then looking at Su Ye, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

You have to know that this charity gala was jointly organized by the famous singer Teacher Han and the Sichuan Province Chamber of Commerce. The guests who came were worth at least tens of millions, and there was no shortage of billionaires worth hundreds of millions or even billions. However, most real donations were only a few hundred thousand or a million to go through the motions, and that was still out of respect for the Chamber of Commerce. After all, nobody's money just blows in on the wind.

Qin Qitian stared blankly at that figure. His heart held both confusion and understanding. The confusion was why Su Ye would actually donate ten million; as far as he knew, for this kind of charity gala, the total donations for the whole night might only be around ten million. Su Ye was maxing it out directly. The understanding was because he had investigated Su Ye before; ten million might only be a few days or ten days of income for Su Ye.

Su Ye seemed not to feel the scorching gazes around him. He handed the pen to the staff member, took Gu Qingyan's hand again, and whispered in her ear:

"After this is over, I'll take you to eat that dessert you love most."

Gu Qingyan's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded, her eyes filled with adoration as she looked at Su Ye.

After taking out his private bank card and finishing the transaction, as the receipt slowly slid out, Su Ye took the bank card back from the respectful staff member.

Su Ye was no fool, but he still had a rather sentimental heart. This donation was for children's diseases. Whenever Su Ye saw such information online, he was deeply moved. "When poor, one should improve oneself; when rich, one should improve the world." Su Ye quite agreed with this saying. Ten million was a very small amount of money for him, but it could potentially save dozens or hundreds of children, or families.

Su Ye had money now and didn't mind doing some meaningful things. This was also why he hadn't attended various other galas or summits before, but had come to this charity gala today. Of course, part of the reason was that the funds were going to Teacher Han, a person of true, great love for humanity. Otherwise, for some other charity organizations, it would be good if Su Ye didn't spit on them twice.

After all, charity is something that those who know, know. For many so-called organizations, if you donate one million, it's not certain if even one hundred will reach the people who actually need it. Even some earmarked donations can end up in their own pockets.