The Invitation to the Banquet

Allie was also quite surprised.

Just then, Ryan seemed to notice their gaze. He looked up, his eyes meeting Allie's. A flicker of surprise passed through Ryan's eyes, followed by a gentle smile.

"Allie, Ryan is looking at you," Fiona gently nudged Allie with her elbow, her eyes twinkling mischievously, "I bet he's stunned by your beauty today."

Allie felt her face grow hot, and she lowered her head, trying to hide her unease. "Come on, Fiona, can you stop saying these things?"

Fiona shook her head with a smile, "Oh, please, Allie. Look around, how many people are secretly looking at you."

Indeed, many people in the ballroom had their eyes drawn to Allie. The boys were amazed by the beauty suddenly blossoming from this usually low-key girl, while the girls curiously examined her outfit.

Just then, Fiona's father noticed their arrival. He waved at them, gesturing for them to come over.

"Come on, Allie," Fiona said, "Meet my father. Don't be nervous, he's a very kind person, except to me."

Allie nodded and followed Fiona towards that corner. She could feel Ryan's gaze following her, which made her both nervous and strangely comforted.

As they approached, Fiona's father displayed a gentle smile. "Fiona, is this Allie you've mentioned?" His voice was deep and powerful.

Fiona proudly introduced, "Yes, Dad. This is my best friend, Allie."

Allie politely nodded to Fiona's father, "Hello, Mr. Martinez. It's nice to meet you."

Mr. Martinez smiled kindly, "Allie, I've heard Fiona talk about you. Your meeting was quite interesting."

"Dad, are you being sarcastic?" Fiona questioned.

Mr. Martinez suddenly burst into laughter, "I didn't expect you to be like-minded with Fiona. I'm glad you both can do the right thing, just don't put yourselves in such dangerous situations again."

"Dad, is that what you think? Then why did you punish me?"

...

Allie felt a wave of warmth, she hadn't expected Fiona to mention her to her father. Just then, Ryan stood up and walked over to them.

"Good evening, Allie, Fiona," Ryan's voice was still steady, but Allie noticed his gaze lingering on her.

Allie felt her heart rate quicken, and she responded softly, trying to maintain her composure. Fiona, on the other hand, said with a smile, "Ryan, I never expected to see you here. Don't you usually dislike attending such parties?"

Ryan smiled slightly, "Some occasions require attendance." His gaze returned to Allie, "Besides, today's party seems particularly interesting."

Allie felt her face grow even hotter, and she lowered her head, not knowing how to respond. At that moment, the principal spoke up, easing the subtle atmosphere.

"Come, let's raise our glasses together," the principal lifted his glass, "To the future of Mars Speed Academy!"

Party guests gradually arrived, including schoolmates, teachers, politicians, and business elites. Some of them, seeing Ryan at the party, had their eyes light up, seizing the opportunity to get close to him.

Fiona introduced Allie to many of her good friends. They were all of similar age with shared interests and quickly engaged in conversation.

"Fiona, is Amir coming today?" A rich young lady suddenly approached their circle.

"Amir? I don't know. I sent him an invitation, but he didn't reply," Fiona answered.

"Oh, I see." The girl seemed a bit disappointed.

"You know how popular he is, always busy. He might be on a date somewhere right now..."

"Who's talking about me behind my back?"

Suddenly, there was a stir in the crowd. The girls seemed to become excited, and everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.

A tall figure was walking towards Fiona's group.

"Hi, Amir, you came. I wasn't talking bad about you, just saying you might be on a date with your mechanical engineering course!" 

Amir had light brown hair, and his skin tone was neither the pale red of Martians nor the fair complexion of Mercurians, giving him a somewhat exotic look. He had chiseled features and bright eyes with a hint of playfulness. Dressed in a light beige suit with a dark blue shirt, he attracted the attention of many girls behind him.

"Nonsense, you might as well say I was on a date..." Amir pretended to look displeased.

He suddenly noticed Allie and paused for a moment, "And who is this beauty?"

"Allie Raine, a new student. You should have heard of her, right? The new member of Coach Jackson's team."

Fiona gently patted Allie's back, "Allie, this is Amir, from the third-year speed skating team. He often participates in international competitions, so he's not often at school."

"Really? Then you're a professional roller skater, that's amazing." Allie showed an admiring expression.

"It's nothing special, I don't really like roller skating," Amir replied casually, "I prefer dancing with beautiful ladies," he grabbed Allie's hand, "May I, Allie? I hope I have the honor."

Allie stepped back in surprise, not expecting his sudden invitation, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to dance."

"Really? That's a shame, but I can teach you. I'm a very good teacher, you know~"

Seeing that he wouldn't let go of Allie's hand, Fiona came over and swatted his hand away, "Amir, that's not right. Your dance partner is over there." She used her eyes to signal Amir to look behind him.

The girl who had just been asking about Amir was looking at him with anticipation, looking so pitiful it could melt one's heart. Amir smiled knowingly, "Alright, being popular can be troublesome sometimes. Excuse me for a moment, Allie, don't go anywhere, I'll come find you later." Then he leisurely walked towards the beautiful lady.

"Don't mind him, Allie. He's a notorious playboy, using his professional skills and good looks to take advantage of many people. Stay away from him, let's have our fun."

"Mm, I can see that," Allie responded, "But he doesn't look like he's from the binary star system, does he? His skin tone is a bit unique."

"Who knows, he claims he's from the moon. Come on, why doesn't he say he's from the Earth? Even if it was the moon from tens of thousands of years ago, there were no people there," Fiona rolled her eyes in his direction, "He just wants to make himself look mysterious, a common tactic for picking up girls, you know? Don't be fooled by his appearance!"

"Fiona, you don't need to be overly worried. Don't forget I'm from the Third District. I've seen far worse people than him. I know how to take care of myself."

"I know, but I can't help wanting to protect you. After all, I'm the one who brought you here."

"Thank you, Fiona." Allie gently grabbed Fiona's hand.

"Allie," Ryan's deep voice came from behind.

Allie turned around, "Ryan." At some point, Ryan had walked to Allie's side. The mature man's presence made the young girls around them restless.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Uh, much better. I've returned to normal today."

"Have you tried the shoes? How are they?"

"Yes, I tried them. They fit well and feel smooth when skating. Thank you, Ryan."

"If anything doesn't fit, adjust it early..."

"Oh my, always talking about shoes. Ryan, haven't you noticed Allie looks very different today?" Fiona suddenly interjected, giving Allie a little push.

Allie almost bumped into Ryan's chest. A faint blush spread across her face, her purple pupils slightly widened, as clear as crystal.

"Mm, very beautiful today," Ryan smiled at Allie.

Fiona smiled smugly on the side, "How about that? My masterpiece is not bad, right?"

"Not bad, for once you've done something proper," he teased Fiona.

"Allie, do you have any plans after this?" Ryan suddenly asked Allie.

"Me? No, nothing planned."

"Good, come with me to a place."

"Where?"

"I'll wait for you outside." With that, Ryan strode out of the ballroom. A trail of gazes followed him as he walked.

"Uh, has this guy finally come to his senses?" Fiona was a bit shocked. She looked at Allie, "Are you going, Allie?"

"Can I not go?" Faced with such an invitation, Allie was unprepared. Where did he want to go?

"Want to hear my advice?"

"Yes."

"Go. You won't lose anything anyway." Fiona smirked.

"..."