Li Manjun waved her hand, her gaze falling on Shen Nianxi, her eyes full of admiration: "Nianxi, do you remember me? I was one of your judges during the competition in Beijing."

Shen Nianxi nodded, a shy smile on her face: "Commander Li, I remember you! Thank you for giving me a score."

"Silly child, your achievements are the result of your own hard work." Li Manjun smiled and patted her head, then took out an exquisite gift box from her bag. "This is a gift for you, a professional dance outfit. I hope you can create more excellent works in the future."

"Thank you, Commander Li!" Shen Nianxi accepted the gift box, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

Everyone crowded around, exchanging pleasantries and conversations with Li Manjun, making the atmosphere even more lively. Lin Wanqiu watched this bustling scene with great satisfaction. She knew that this celebration banquet was not only to celebrate her daughter winning the gold medal, but also to let her daughter feel everyone's love and support, and to build connections and resources for her future path.

Just then, a discordant voice came from the doorway. "Oh, this celebration banquet is quite lively! We're late, do you mind?" Old Mrs. Shen's sharp and sarcastic voice broke the harmony of the scene.

Lin Wanqiu's smile froze instantly, a surge of disgust rising within her. She had long anticipated that Old Madam Shen and Zhang Lan would come to join the fun, and might even cause trouble, but she hadn't expected them to arrive at such an inopportune time. Shen Tingzhou's expression also darkened, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

Old Mrs. Shen was wearing a drab gray cotton-padded jacket, her hair was combed slicked back, and she was holding the hand of Zhang Lan, who was also wearing old clothes. Both of them had fake smiles on their faces, but their eyes were scanning the hall, greedily looking at the food and drinks on the table and the guests' clothes.

"Mother, sister-in-law, you've arrived." Shen Tingzhou spoke first, his tone calm and unreadable. "Please come in."

Lin Wanqiu suppressed her anger and forced a polite smile: "Please sit down. There is tea and snacks on the table. Please help yourselves." She specially arranged for someone to lead them to the table in the farthest corner, the one furthest from the main table, hoping they would behave themselves.

Old Mrs. Shen, however, was unmoved. She walked straight to the main table, her eyes fixed on the chicken, duck, fish, and meat on it. She swallowed and said, "Wanqiu, Nianxi has received such a great honor; she is the pride of our Shen family. This celebration banquet should at least have someone from our old Shen family sitting at the main table, shouldn't it?"

Zhang Lan chimed in, "That's right, Wanqiu. We are Nianxi's paternal grandmother and aunt, so it's only right that we sit at the head table."

The surrounding guests stopped talking and all turned to look at them, their faces showing surprise. Lin Wanqiu's face instantly turned ugly. She suppressed her anger and said, "Mother, the main table is already full of distinguished guests, all important people who have come to congratulate Nianxi. If you don't mind, please sit over there. The dishes are all the same."

"What distinguished guests? Can they be more important than the people of our Shen family?" Old Mrs. Shen persisted, hands on her hips, striking a tantrum. "Let me tell you, Lin Wanqiu, if you don't let us sit at the head table today, you can forget about having a proper celebration banquet!"

The guests began to whisper amongst themselves, their eyes filled with amusement. Lin Wanqiu was both angry and anxious, her cheeks flushed red. She knew that Old Madam Shen had deliberately come to cause trouble, wanting to embarrass her in front of everyone.

Seeing this, Shen Tingzhou stepped forward, blocking Lin Wanqiu's path, and looked at Old Madam Shen with icy eyes: "Mother, today is Nianxi's victory celebration banquet, not a place for you to cause trouble. If you want to make trouble, please leave!"

Old Mrs. Shen was intimidated by Shen Tingzhou's imposing manner and took a step back, but she quickly recovered and cried out, "How could I have given birth to such an unfilial son! You've forgotten your mother after getting married, and you won't even let your own mother sit at the main table. How am I supposed to live with myself in the village now!"

Zhang Lan chimed in, adding fuel to the fire: "Yes, Uncle, how could you treat Mother like this? Is this how Wanqiu taught you? It's outrageous!"

Just as things were at a stalemate, Li Manjun walked over. She had a faint smile on her face, and her tone was calm but carried an undeniable authority: "Old lady, today is your child's celebration banquet. Everyone is here to congratulate you. Why make things unpleasant? The main table is indeed full. Why don't I find you a comfortable seat so you can enjoy your meal and taste the delicious food here?"

Seeing that Li Manjun had an extraordinary demeanor and was dressed in luxurious clothes, Old Mrs. Shen knew that she was no ordinary person, so she dared not throw a tantrum anymore. She just muttered, "I just want to benefit from my granddaughter's presence. What's wrong with sitting at the head table?"

“Mother, Director Li is the head of the provincial song and dance troupe, Nianxi’s mentor, and our honored guest,” Shen Tingzhou said in a deep voice. “If you continue to make trouble, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Looking into Shen Tingzhou's cold eyes, Old Mrs. Shen felt a little scared, but she reluctantly followed the people Lin Wanqiu had arranged to the corner table. Zhang Lan didn't dare to say anything more and followed with her head down.

The commotion finally subsided, and Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief, thanking Li Manjun: "Commander Li, thank you for getting us out of that predicament."

"You're welcome," Li Manjun said with a smile. "Such an outstanding child shouldn't be bothered by these trivial matters. Let's continue celebrating."

Lin Wanqiu nodded, suppressing her displeasure, and smiled again as she continued to greet the guests. Shen Tingzhou held her hand and whispered comfortingly, "Don't take it to heart. That's just how they are. It's not worth getting angry over them."

"I know," Lin Wanqiu sighed. "I just don't want them to spoil everyone's fun, especially Nianxi's."

“Nianxi is very sensible and won’t take it to heart.” Shen Tingzhou looked at his daughter and saw that Shen Nianxi was playing with several children, with a bright smile on her face, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened.

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