Robert followed the shadow all the way to the first seat on the left of the main table and saw the woman who was the center of the topic tonight.
He greeted her very familiarly: "Long time no see, Your Majesty."
"Um."
Nie Qingru nodded slightly, seeming to be more gentle to him, and then glanced at him and said, "Why didn't your teacher come?"
Robert did not dare to underestimate her light-hearted question, and responded carefully with full alertness: "The teacher is in seclusion doing experiments and asked me to come."
He had used this excuse to others before, and no one had ever doubted its truth.
"Oh?" Nie Qingru glanced at him imperceptibly after he finished speaking. Her eyes were calm and without any warmth, yet full of oppression.
Robert's heart skipped a beat. His intuition told him that the other party had seen through his lame lie and might even know that Zhong Yilu was in the Independent Continent.
However, he quickly calmed down and didn't reveal any clues. He politely changed the subject: "What do you want me to do?"
Nie Qingru fiddled with the auction card in his hand: "I just asked you to come over and ask about Elder Zhong's situation. Since your teacher is in seclusion, you can convey my concern for him."
"OK."
Robert looked at his eyes and nose.
"I will convey the Queen's concern to the teacher."
Seeing that Nie Qingru seemed to have nothing to say to him, he looked up at the spotlight ahead and said politely, "The banquet is about to begin. Queen, I will return to my seat and not disturb you any more."
"Go ahead." Nie Qingru raised his thin lips, and his attitude became much more indifferent.
The lights in the banquet hall began to dim, a sign that the banquet was about to begin.
Robert was about to leave quietly.
Suddenly, a voice as cold as ice and with a hint of sinister intent came from behind.
"How come I didn't know that the Pharmacy Association has a laboratory in the Independent State?"
Robert's heart was pounding and he turned around in surprise, only to see Nie Qingru's sharp face sitting under the dim light.
The look she gave him was judgmental, contemptuous, and even mocking: "He trusts Qiao Nian so much that he doesn't hesitate to offend me for a little girl who hasn't even grown all her hair yet."
Robert's heart beat faster because Nie Qingru's pointed words stimulated his heart so much that it almost jumped out of his throat. If he hadn't pinched his palms tightly, he would probably have lost control of the expression on his face.
"The teacher is in the laboratory. As for what experiment he is doing, it is none of my business." Robert knew without looking in the mirror that his expression at this moment must be very strange, and definitely not calm.
Nie Qingru paused for a second after hearing this, and her sharp eyes swept across his face before she lost interest: "Well, go back to your seat."
Robert didn't stop for a second, he walked very quickly and went to the back row to find his seat in a blink of an eye.
After he left, the shadow floated out like a ghost and leaned over to whisper in Nie Qingru's ear: "Queen, do you want to find a chance to 'warn' the Pharmacy Association?"
It was almost seven in the evening and the banquet was about to begin.
Few people paid attention to the little episode on their side. They just thought that Nie Qingru had called the people from the Pharmacy Association over to say hello.
Now Robert went back to his seat, and Shadow went over to talk to her... To everyone else, it was all normal, nothing noteworthy.
However, when Nie Qingru heard the shadow's voice beside her ear, she keenly sensed a gaze falling directly on her back, like an arrow breaking through the wind to pierce her heart, and the whistling wind was filled with a sense of danger.
(End of this chapter)