Chapter 94: Sharing in Good Fortune (First Update)...

The banquet venue tonight is quite far from Mao'er Hutong, at the Ren family's old residence, sixty kilometers away.

Most of the food at this banquet was not enough to fill everyone's stomachs. Halfway through the journey, Yan Qian asked the bodyguard in the passenger seat to get out and buy sandwiches and milk so that Jiang Mingyue could have something to eat first.

Jiang Mingyue accepted it without a second thought and slowly finished the sandwich.

There was no need to be polite with Yan Qian. Considering the scale of the mural project at the film and television city, she had to turn her grief and indignation into strength.

We'll bankrupt him!

After a short rest at a highway service area, the group arrived at the Ren family's old residence around 7 p.m.

At the foot of Qiyun Mountain, there is a self-built villa. Judging from the imposing gate and the endless wall, it occupies a considerable area.

Ren Kai and his father, Ren Zhongbei, were waiting at the door. When they saw Yan Qian's car drive in from the intersection, the father and son stopped talking and hurriedly greeted him with smiles.

After the car came to a stop, the bodyguard in the passenger seat went around to the front of the car and opened the car door for Jiang Mingyue first.

Jiang Mingyue raised her left hand, placed it on the bodyguard's arm, and got out of the car with an air of grandeur.

I have to say, it feels pretty good to be a little pretentious sometimes.

This place is different from the city center. The evening wind is chilly. Jiang Mingyue pulled her coat tighter, not because she was afraid of the cold, but simply because she didn't want the wind to lift her skirt.

When the Ren father and son saw Jiang Mingyue wearing a cheongsam, their eyes lit up.

The father and son could tell at a glance that Jiang Mingyue's cheongsam was very valuable, purely handmade, and not made by a master craftsman in Beijing.

The embroidered flowers on the hem of this cheongsam must have been made by a master of intangible cultural heritage, since their own grandmother also loves wearing cheongsams, and they have been influenced by them to some extent.

The two dared not speculate whether Jiang Mingyue's outfit was provided by Yan Qian, because there was absolutely no ambiguous relationship between Yan Qian and Jiang Mingyue.

Yan Qian respected Jiang Mingyue even more than they did.

The father and son quickly gathered their scattered thoughts and greeted her with smiles, "Good evening, Miss Jiang."

Ren Kai took the initiative to introduce Ren Zhongbei to Jiang Mingyue, "Miss Jiang, this is my father."

Jiang Mingyue calmly observed Ren Zhongbei.

Ren Zhongbei was in his sixties, about 1.75 meters tall, with a long face, a slender figure, and the air of a refined businessman.

Jiang Ming spoke softly, "Hello Mr. Ren, I'm sorry we're late."

Up close, the girl in front of me was young and beautiful, with flawless skin, but her clear eyes made it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Although Ren Kai had informed him beforehand that Miss Jiang was very capable and that he must be humble when meeting her and never offend her.

Ren Zhongbei initially dismissed the claim, thinking his son was exaggerating. Now, facing the man in person, he realized he had underestimated him.

Having navigated the world of fame and fortune for many years, Ren Zhongbei had never seen a girl with such a powerful aura. Even female celebrities who achieved fame at a young age in the entertainment industry had never been like her.

This is truly a rare occurrence in the world.

"It's alright. It's already a lot of trouble for you to make the trip. I originally wanted to book a hotel in Beijing, but my father thought that would be inadequate for our hospitality, so we changed it to the old house. I hope Miss Jiang won't mind the long journey."

"No." Jiang Mingyue looked at the distant, faintly visible mountains and smiled. "The Ren family's old residence is a place with excellent feng shui. We'll come tonight to soak up some of its auspicious energy."

Jiang Mingyue's words instantly made Ren Zhongbei and Ren Kai smile. The old house was the foundation of the Ren family, and the selection of the site was quite complicated.

It's worth it to receive a compliment from Jiang Mingyue.

Yan Qian happened to walk up to Jiang Mingyue and greeted Ren Zhongbei first, "Third Master, good evening."

Ren Zhongbei quickly reached out to shake hands with Yan Qian. Yan Qian addressed him as Third Master instead of President Ren, clearly out of consideration for the fact that Old Master Yan and Old Master Ren had known each other before.

"Yanqian, it's been a long time. Our old man always praises you, saying that Xiaokai should learn more from you."

Yan Qian smiled modestly, "Third Master, you flatter me. Ren Kai is very outstanding."

Jiang Mingyue remained silent, and Yan Qian, being eloquent, made no mention of Ren Zhongbei's other son.

The group exchanged pleasantries and walked towards the Ren family's old residence.

Upon reaching the gate, Yan Qian raised his left arm and whispered a reminder to Jiang Mingyue, "Mingyue, watch your step."

Jiang Mingyue glanced at him. He was good at putting on airs in front of others, but he wouldn't have dared to call her that before.

Yan Qian winked at her, implying that it was just an act.

Jiang Mingyue casually placed her hand on his left arm and they climbed the steps.

The real skill lies in the details. Every flower and plant in the Ren family's old house was worth a fortune. The two stone vats placed at the entrance alone cost tens of thousands of yuan.

Ren Zhongbei and his son led Jiang Mingyue and the other two through the covered corridor, directly from the first courtyard into the third courtyard.

The corridors twisted and turned, and the steps were crisscrossed. Jiang Mingyue held Yan Qian's arm and casually looked around at the surroundings, but in reality, she was probing the aura of the person behind Ren Zhongtian.

If it's not in the front yard, it must be hiding somewhere in the backyard.

"Miss Jiang, Mr. Yan, we've arrived."

Ren Zhongbei's voice pulled Jiang Mingyue back from her wandering thoughts. She let go of Yan Qian's hand and looked up ahead.

Songquan Hall.

Songquan Hall is built in the middle of the lake. Across the lake is a stage. The lake is brightly lit, and there are faint shadows of people inside the hall.

The feng shui of the Ren family's old house is truly excellent, with a mountain behind it and flowing water in the garden.

The stone bridge leading to the center of the lake was slippery, so the Ren family had specially laid out a non-slip carpet. Ren Zhongbei led the way, and Jiang Mingyue slowly stepped onto the stone bridge, followed by Yan Qian and Ren Kai.

Upon reaching the hall, someone came out to greet them. A woman in her fifties, wearing a black silk dress, stepped across the threshold.

The woman had long, wavy hair and was adorned with jewels. She smiled before speaking and her gaze met Jiang Mingyue's.

The woman was momentarily stunned upon seeing Jiang Mingyue, a flash of amazement crossing her eyes, before quickly regaining her composure.

"Hello Miss Jiang, I am Du Manlin, Ren Kai's second aunt. I'm so sorry I couldn't meet you at the gate in person. My legs hurt so much on rainy days that I can't walk."

Du Manlin smiled and immediately placed Jiang Mingyue on a moral high ground.

Faced with Du Manlin's insincere words, Jiang Mingyue smiled and said, "Chairwoman Du, you're too kind. We were the ones who were late, so we should apologize."

No matter how perfunctory Langham Hotel's statement may be, at least for now, they still have to say something to maintain appearances.

Du Manlin then looked at Yan Qian and praised him with a smile, repeating the same old words about being young, promising, and handsome.

Ren Zhongbei indicated that it was getting late, so everyone moved into the hall to eat and chat.

Songquan Hall is a single-story building with antique-style interior decoration. The antique shelves on both sides are filled with various jade ornaments.

Jiang Mingyue glanced at them; half were genuine articles and half were handicrafts. The genuine articles weren't very old, at most a hundred years old.

After passing the screen, we arrived at the inner dining room, where Old Master Ren had already taken his seat at the head of the table.

On the way here, Yan Qian revealed some information about the Ren family's members.

The head of the Ren family, Ren Junjian, is still alive. Ren Jun is eighty years old this year. Apart from having difficulty walking, he is otherwise in good health, in high spirits, and can eat and drink well.

He had four sons and two daughters. Tonight, only his third son, Ren Zhongbei, and his family, along with his deceased second son, Ren Zhongtian's ex-wife, Du Manlin, were present.

Yan Qian took the initiative to walk over and greet him, "Grandpa Ren, good evening. How have you been lately?"

Ren Jun patted Yan Qian's hand with a smile, "Little Yan, long time no see. I'm doing well, thank you for your concern."

Yan Qian turned around and gestured for Jiang Mingyue to come over and say hello. Jiang Mingyue cooperated and walked over, smiling as she said, "Mr. Ren, I am Jiang Mingyue. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Ren Jun has sharp eyes and good hearing. He smiled as soon as he saw Jiang Mingyue, a smart and beautiful young girl.

"Good boy, you've gone to a lot of trouble to make this trip. Are you hungry? Let's eat now!"

Jiang Mingyue is the main character tonight, and Yan Qian is a guest. She was arranged to sit to the right of Old Master Ren, and Yan Qian sat next to her.

The dining table, which can seat twenty people, only had six people at the moment, making it seem rather deserted.

The cold dishes were all served, and Ren Kai instructed the housekeeper to quickly notify the kitchen to prepare the food.

To warm things up, Ren Kai started by talking about how he received help from Yan Qian and Jiang Mingyue in Huai County, and how he wouldn't have been able to complete the task his grandfather had given him without their help.

Ren Kai knew that Jiang Mingyue didn't drink alcohol, so he prepared some fine tea for her and toasted her with tea instead of wine.

Jiang Mingyue picked up her teacup, accepted Ren Kai's offer of tea, and claimed that she hadn't done much work, even pushing the credit onto Yan Qian.

Ren Kai, being pragmatic, said, "I also need to toast President Yan; I'll toast him separately later."

Du Manlin, on the other side, smiled silently, but in her heart she resented the old man for being so meddlesome, insisting on transferring the Bishui Haoyuan residential complex in Huai County, which caused Xiaoxiao's good fortune to be delayed.

Her ex-husband's death ended everything, leaving her with a mess. The old man, considering she was Xiaoxiao's biological mother, didn't kick her out and even allowed her to receive the group's dividends every year.

Although she wasn't doing badly, what was the point of being happy when her son was lying there?

To save face, Du Manlin couldn't remarry. Married women really suffer.

Ren Zhongbei was quite proud. It was still unknown whether his second brother's son, Ren Xiao, would wake up. His eldest brother's family only had two daughters, and married daughters could not get involved in the group's affairs. His fourth brother's son was still in college. In the future, only his eldest son, Ren Kai, would inherit the family business.

As for the youngest son, he should just honestly distribute the family dividends and live a simple life.

Jiang Mingyue had a keen eye for the Ren family's hidden intentions. No wonder TV dramas and movies love to portray wealthy families; with so many members, there's always a lot of infighting, and just two random characters could make a whole show.

Ren Kai offered tea to everyone, and Ren Zhongbei followed suit. By the time it was Du Manlin's turn, the meal was already halfway through.

The Manchu Han Imperial Feast on the table was barely touched; everyone only ate a few pieces, busy chatting and talking.

Du Manlin first apologized to Jiang Mingyue on behalf of Langham Hotel for the poor hospitality, claiming that she had just flown back to Beijing that afternoon and only learned about the matter after seeing the statement.

“I have already dismissed the duty manager. He should have contacted me immediately. He was really incompetent. I hope Ms. Jiang will not be angry.”

They were trying to absolve themselves of responsibility through their words and actions.

If Jiang Mingyue hadn't been so good at divination, she might have actually believed Du Manlin's one-sided story.

Author's Note: I haven't stopped updating since I started writing, please give me some praise!

Too sleepy, will update at 2 PM.