The first floor of the Emperor Grand Hotel was already teeming with guests, all of them influential figures from Jiangbei and the nearby cities. Those of lesser wealth or status had no place here. The Shen Family was an exception, and they felt incredibly out of place and anxious, terrified of being looked down upon or gossiped about.
Indeed, many people took notice of them, but this was because Shen Youling's peerless beauty was simply too eye-catching. All the other won present were impeccably dressed, a glorious display of a hundred flowers blooming, yet she outshone them all. So n approached her directly, asking for her contact information, which caused her a great deal of annoyance. Her expression was impassive, like an iceberg, keeping everyone at a distance. However, this only seed to attract even more unwanted attention, like moths to a fla.
"I told you I didn't want to co, but you all insisted on dragging here..." she complained softly to Dong Mingfeng and Shen Jiayue.
Her grandfather is in a vegetative state. How can her family still be in the mood to join in on this spectacle, acting as if nothing has happened?
"What the hell do you know! Our family fought hard to get this invitation. Of course we have to seize the opportunity and see if we can latch onto President Wei!" Dong Mingfeng snapped back. "And stop pouting. Take a good look at all these talented young n and choose a reliable one to get to know!"
Having missed their chance with Mo Zhongyuan, and with Wang Shouzhen's attitude suddenly turning cold, Dong Mingfeng felt both disappointed and anxious. Her daughter had been qualified to marry into a great family, but she'd thrown it all away by getting married once so recklessly. She had played a perfect hand terribly, and Dong Mingfeng wondered if she could ever find another high-profile young master for her daughter.
Seeing Shen Youling's resistance, Dong Mingfeng sneered, "You're not still pining for that damn ex-husband of yours, are you? Not after he hard your grandfather so terribly..."
"I am not thinking about him!" Shen Youling denied emphatically.
"Then you... Huh? Look! Who is that over there?!" Dong Mingfeng suddenly pointed.
"What is it?" Shen Xin, who had been about to shalessly cozy up to a nearby tycoon, turned his head. Shen Jiayue and her husband, Lu Zizheng, also turned to look.
"...Lin Tang?!"
"It really is him!"
"How did that damn liar get in here, and dressed all prim and proper!"
Shen Youling's head snapped up, her delicate body trembling slightly. She watched Lin Tang step into the hotel, her expression an incredibly complex mask. As if sensing her gaze, Lin Tang looked toward her. Their eyes t in midair, locking for several seconds.
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Tang's face. Wei Shanhe had specifically sent the Shen Family an invitation, but he hadn't ntioned it to him. He scanned the crowd but didn't spot Shang Yuenong, so he started walking toward the elevators by himself.
He had no intention of dealing with them, but they were not about to let him go.
They imdiately dragged Shen Youling along, rushing over to block his path and unleashing a torrent of abuse.
"You goddamn bastard! How dare you show your face to us after bringing such disaster upon the Shen family?"
"And to think my father-in-law treated you so well, even wanting my daughter to marry you! Is this how you repay him, you ungrateful beast? Why did you deceive us with fake dicine?"
"You're just a country bumpkin! What right do you have to be here? Where did you steal that suit? Ugh, it reeks of greasy barbecue smoke!"
"Do you have any idea what today is? It's the victory banquet for President Wei of the True Martial Association! You assaulted his n and stole his granddaughter's villa key! After committing such a heinous cri, you dare to just walk in here? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Seeing them spitting and spewing their vile words, Lin Tang covered his nose and ignored them completely. He looked only at Shen Youling. "Where is your 'best friend'?" he asked, his tone laying heavy, sarcastic emphasis on the words 'best friend.'
Shen Youling's fists clenched, and she bit her lip. His words made her face turn frosty as she retorted, "To think you'd attack a defenseless woman, even try to kill her to keep her quiet. Are you disappointed you failed?"
"Kill her to keep her quiet? Is that what she told you? And you just believed her?" Lin Tang chuckled. "I am truly disappointed in you..."
He didn't spare her another glance and continued toward the elevators, which were guarded by mbers of the True Martial Association.
Seeing this, Shen Jiayue imdiately started shouting for the guards to seize Lin Tang. It would be best if they crippled him on the spot and dragged him out so he wouldn't be such an eyesore. Fearing she'd be implicated, Dong Mingfeng quickly clarified to the surrounding guests that she had already made a public announcent severing all ties with Lin Tang. Any trouble he caused had nothing to do with them.
Hearing this, the other guests finally understood. It turned out that the stunning Shen Youling had already been married—and to a country bumpkin, no less! That sll of barbecue... had he just co from working his street stall? What was he doing here? When they also heard he had made an enemy of the True Martial Association, they were amazed at his audacity and began to speculate maliciously.
"Could he have co here specifically to cause trouble?"
"That's like lighting a lantern in an outhouse—courting death!"
All eyes were on Lin Tang as he approached the elevator, expecting a conflict to erupt. Instead, the guards imdiately stepped aside. They even pressed the button for him, bowing slightly with a smile and gesturing for him to proceed, their deanor exceedingly respectful!
Shen Jiayue, Dong Mingfeng, and all the other guests on the first floor stared in astonishnt. So even rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were deceiving them. It wasn't until the elevator doors opened, Lin Tang stepped inside, and the doors closed again that the crowd snapped back to reality.
"What's going on?"
"How did he just get in?"
"I thought we couldn't go up until the banquet started?"
Everyone's eyes collectively turned toward the Shen Family, but Shen Jiayue and the others were just as bewildered.
"Sir, why did you let him go?" Shen Jiayue asked one of the guards.
The guard was about to answer when he pressed a finger to his earpiece, listening to a ssage. He then announced to the room, "Esteed guests, the banquet is about to begin. Please present your invitations, form an orderly line, and proceed upstairs. Thank you for your cooperation!"
"So, they only let him pass because the banquet was about to start?"
"But he didn't even show an invitation just now, did he?"
The crowd remained curious, but the guards were now busy checking the authenticity of the invitations and had neither the ti nor the inclination to answer.
"This..." Shen Jiayue and her family exchanged uneasy glances. They sensed sothing was terribly wrong, and a hint of panic began to set in. "Don't tell ... Lin Tang was personally invited by President Wei? With special privileges?"
"Jiayue, are you sure about him stealing the villa key from President Wei's granddaughter? Was that true?"
"I..."
Once their invitations were verified and they arrived at the banquet hall, they eagerly searched for Lin Tang.
"He's over there!"
Lin Tang was seen chatting with Lee Encai's family. The Shen family had a sudden realization. The Li Family must have been allowed inside early. That made sense. As one of the four great families of Jiangbei, it was only logical for them to be admitted first.
"Youling, didn't you say Lin Tang once saved the head of the Li Family? They must have brought him along as a way to repay the favor."
"Yes, that must be it. He was already up here before, then went out for a bit, so he didn't need to show his invitation again!"
"So the Li Family must have smoothed over his troubles with the True Martial Association, too? Damn, what kind of insane luck is that!"
They were simultaneously envious and perplexed. They were jealous that Lin Tang had managed to latch onto the Li Family's coattails and successfully infiltrate high society. But they were baffled as to why the Li Family would repay him so handsoly when a paynt of a few tens of thousands of yuan should have been enough to send him on his way.
Shen Jiayue scoffed, "Once he's used up that favor from the Li Family, he'll be right back where he started. He's still fundantally just a penniless nobody from the bottom rungs of society."
Shen Youling's gaze was dark and distant as she stared at him. Why did the fake dicine he fed Li Weihai have no effect, yet it put Grandpa into a vegetative state?
Soon, all the guests had arrived. The last to enter were the families of Wang Shouzhen and Zhou Rushan.
"Brother Shouzhen!" Shen Jiayue greeted him with a radiant smile, about to start flirting.
"Get out of my way! Don't hold up!" Wang Shouzhen shoved her aside. He pointed toward Lin Tang and whispered a few words to his father, Wang Dengke, then hurried in Lin Tang's direction.
Shen Jiayue assud he was going to make trouble for Lin Tang and moved closer, eager to watch the show. To her disbelief, the mont Wang Shouzhen reached Lin Tang, he bent into a deep, ninety-degree bow and spoke respectfully.
"Young Master... Young Master Lin, hello. It's , Wang Shouzhen. Do you still rember ?"
Shen Jiayue stumbled, nearly falling flat on her face. She couldn't believe her eyes! Dong Mingfeng and the others were also frozen in shock. What was going on? Was Wang Shouzhen out of his mind, or had he gone blind? Why was he bowing to a country bumpkin like Lin Tang?!
"Ah, it's you!" Lin Tang seed to have forgotten their previous unpleasantness. He smiled and clapped Wang Shouzhen on the shoulder. "I was just thinking I had so business to discuss with your Wang Family."
"Ah—" Wang Shouzhen's scalp prickled. He felt that Lin Tang's smile was both sinister and terrifying.
"Master Lin!"
Before the Shen family could even process that shocking scene, they watched dumbstruck as the families of Zhou Rushan and Song Chaohu also approached Lin Tang, bowing and greeting him with the utmost warmth.
"No! Impossible! I must be dreaming! This is all fake, it has to be!" Shen Jiayue murmured, staggering backward. The jaws of Lu Zizheng, Dong Mingfeng, and Shen Xin all hit the floor.
The guests who had been in the lobby just monts before, secretly mocking Lin Tang and wondering if he'd just co from his street stall job, were now completely silent.
What the hell? *That's* what they call a country bumpkin? What kind of bumpkin commands such deep respect from both the Wang and Zhou families?!
Then, in near unison, they all turned their heads to look at Shen Youling, their expressions utterly bizarre. They all clearly rembered the Shen Family declaring that she had severed all ties with Lin Tang.
Could there be a more biting irony?
Shen Youling: "..."
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