After dancing with Wade, Lina tried to look for her other brother and found him dancing with Stacy only a few feet away from them.

When Wayne had rushed inside to stop Reuben, he found him being dragged away by Mrs. Ming.

Knowing that she would definitely not let him wreck the pleasant atmosphere here, Wayne caught hold of Stacy and danced close to Lina to make sure that Reuben doesn't get close to her.

He was having so much fun with Stacy that he forgot what his initial mission was.

When Lina noticed that her cousins were enjoying themselves she did not want to disturb them so she made her way towards her uncles.

'I feel like I'm some exhibit at the museum with so many people watching my every step.' She smiled at a random stranger who was looking at her and then walked away.

Wade walked beside her but before they could reach her uncle, Lina's eyes fell on someone she instantly recognized.

She stopped in her tracks when she noticed those broad shoulders and slightly taller physique of her favorite college senior.

"Senior Huo?" Not being able to stop herself, she excitedly called out to him.

Hearing his name being called out, Louis Huo turned around and looked at the woman now standing before him.

Lina stared at the man whom she had known for quite a few years now.

The same brown eyes with the same mature and intellectual aura surrounding him.

They both looked at each other's faces and immediately broke out into a wide smile.

"Junior Yang, so you finally decided to move back to your homeland." He raised his hand and patted her head gently.

Lina blushed when she saw that he still petted her the same way as he did back when they were in college.

The Huo couple glanced at each other and then at the pair who stood in front of their eyes.

They were confused because they had never heard their son mention anything about being friends with the child from the Yang clan.

'Looks like Louis is already acquainted with the Yang family's daughter.' Moira Huo held her husband's waist as she glanced at her son and Lina standing together.

Noticing their curious gaze, Lina then turned to his parents and respectfully greeted them before looking back at her senior's handsome face.

"You haven't changed a bit, Senior! The only difference is now you've got bigger muscles!" She glanced at his body from top to bottom and checked him out without any restraints.

Ralph Huo choked on his wine when he saw her bold actions while Moira giggled silently.

'She isn't like your usual mild and innocent heiress.' She looked at her husband's wide-opened eyes and couldn't stop her laughter from slipping out.

Wade rolled his eyes when he heard her shameless words and gently knocked his fist on the crown of her head.

"Stop that! Get your mind out of the gutter and behave in a decent manner." He chided her and harrumphed when he saw her pouting face.

Louis chuckled after observing that this pair of cousins was still the same.

"I see that you still have that boy crazy brain." He shook his head and took a sip of his drink.

"But Senior is hot! There's nothing to deny in that, isn't it Mrs. Huo?" She turned to Moira and asked earnestly.

Moira was about to nod her head in agreement when she felt Ralph's hands tightening around her waist.

He bent down and brushed his lips against her ear and whispered in a low voice that the others couldn't hear.

"You dare to call another man hot in front of me?" His hot breath fanned over her ears which made Moira's face burn with embarrassment.

She pushed him away and glared at him.

'No wonder they looked familiar! They are the same couple that I had seen at the auction who was flirting on the dance floor.' She recalled how nice she felt while watching this old couple being so in love with each other.

Lina and the others stood at the side in silence as they watched them flirt with each other.

She recalled the times that her own parents had force-fed her dog food.

"I guess you too get fed with dog food for breakfast, lunch and dinner?" She moved closer to Louis and whispered in his ear.

Louis bent his head closer to her because she was standing on her toes to reach his ears.

He then glanced down at her and was about to say something when he was disturbed by a certain someone.

"So Lina, you turned out to be a Yang, huh?" A sarcastic voice came from behind them.

'I recognize that voice!' Lina whirled around and flashed a radiant and bewitching smile to her friend.

"Ruby!" She called out his name in joy and was about to move closer to him when she noticed his frowning face.

Reuben glared at her and then turned to Louis with an even more fierce glare.

'Why is he standing so close to her?' His eyes were fixed on the almost negligent space between them and then back at Lina's face.

"Is everything alright?" She stepped forward once again which created a distance between hers and Louis' body.

'Why does he look like I borrowed a million dollars from him but never returned it?' She tilted her head and gazed at his black irises which somehow looked even darker today.

"We need to talk." He uttered those words completely devoid of any emotions that could have helped Lina in gauging his mood.

"Sure. Let's talk after the party ends. I have a lot of people to meet today." She chuckled when she thought of the multitude of people she had to greet before the night ended and she hadn't even started yet.

"No. I need to speak to you right now!" He answered with a straight face and held onto her hand.

Lina frowned as she glanced at her wrist that was tightly held in his hand and then back at his face.

Without giving her a chance to speak, he gently tugged on her hand and began leading her away from the banquet hall.

Wade and Louis stared at their backs in total confusion of what had just happened.

'Reuben Ming seems to have a soft spot for my dear junior sister.' Louis smirked as he watched them disappear from their sight.

'What the heck just happened? How does Nana know Reuben?' Wade's mind was in disarray as he tried to comprehend what was going on.

'Wait! Where did he take her!?' His eyes widened when this thought entered his brain.

His senses came back when he realized that he had just let that monster take his little sister away without him so much as moving a muscle to stop that from happening.

Wade realized his folly and hastily took a step towards the door when a hand gripped his shoulder.

In his frustration, he tried to shrug it away and turned around to face the person who had stopped him.

"Uncle Ming, can you let go? I need to be somewhere." He gave Felix Ming a forced smile and tried to move away but Felix just increased the pressure on his shoulder.

"Stay boy. They have some things to talk about." He gently patted his shoulder after letting go.

Though Wade was annoyed with this subtle command, he knew that he shouldn't disobey this man's words.

So he took a deep breath and tried to calm his anxious heart.

'She just got out of the hospital, I hope he doesn't stress her out too much.' Wade hoped that Lina would be alright out there.

Understanding his anxiety, Renee smiled at him and nodded to show that everything will be okay.

"Using your seniority as an excuse to bully the kids, I see." Moira quipped after watching what had just transpired.

She was happy to see that her son knew Lina Yang and was in hopes of bringing them together but her plans were thwarted when Reuben had interrupted them so rudely.

'Who does he think he is to drag Lina away?' She glared at Renee and there were sparks flying in the air once again.

The husbands shook their heads while the wives narrowed their eyes at each other.

'Here they go again!' Ralph and Felix thought the same thing and then turned in the direction that Lina and Reuben had left in.

Both of them had a frown on their faces and surprisingly it was for the same reason.

'I think she would make a great couple with Louis. Maybe I should call Simon and discuss this matter with him.' Ralph decided to have a long chat with Lina's father as soon as he got back home.

He just hoped that Reuben and Lina did not have any questionable relationship between them that could hinder his matchmaking plans.

'Reuben should just stay away from her after tonight.' Felix wished and then turned to face the Zheng family who was also looking at the door that Reuben had exited from.

'Poor Talia.' He sighed after observing her heartbroken face.

----

Outside the banquet hall, on the terrace garden that Reuben had been just a few minutes ago.

Two figures were hidden in a dark corner where there was no sight of anyone else to be found.

The woman's body was pinned to the wall while the tall man hovered dangerously close to her.

"R-Ruby? What's wr-rong?" Lina stuttered nervously.