Yan Zhan took a seat, exchanged a few pleasantries with some familiar faces with a smile, and didn't make a point of chatting with Emperor Quan. However, the fleeting trace of gloom in Emperor Quan's eyes upon seeing Zhan Se quickly turned into an untraceable smile on the corner of his lips.
"President Yan arrived fashionably late today, were you tripped up by a beauty?"
The man's characteristically aloof and wickedly enchanting voice entered her ears, causing Zhan Se to instinctively tighten her grip.
"Not at all!" Yan Zhan replied with a light and breezy laughter, effortlessly parried, "Mr. Yan here is a lone wolf, unlike His Highness, who is so fortunate to always have beautiful company wherever he goes?"
Her heart unexpectedly warmed at his measured riposte. It felt as if someone was standing up for her, leaving her with a particularly satisfying sense of relief.
Emperor Quan narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled, though his voice dipped a few notches.