Xu Zhaozhao had been closely monitoring the situation over there.

No one noticed that someone was missing from the table; most people just glanced over there.

Eat what you're supposed to eat, and toast when you're supposed to toast.

Gu Yulin returned quickly with Tian Yitian's bag and handed it to her.

Tian Yitian asked him to open his bag, and after taking a look, she thanked him with a big smile.

After placing the bag next to her, Gu Yulin returned to her seat, washed her hands with a wet wipe, and then picked up a crab.

Xu Zhaozhao looked around the scene again, and only after finding nothing unusual did she gradually feel at ease.

I was just overthinking it; it was just a normal little incident.

Reaching out, I grabbed a crayfish and started sucking on it. Just as I opened my mouth…

"Oh no!!"

The waiter's shrill, panicked voice almost made Xu Zhaozhao choke.

My heart started beating faster without my noticing.

The room fell silent after that shout, and everyone's attention turned to the waiter.

Yuan Li frowned slightly.

The banquet was going well, but her sudden intrusion ruined the atmosphere, which naturally made everyone unhappy.

"Hello, your cake was... ruined in the freezer!"

The waiter looked anxious, bowing deeply in front of Yuan Li, as if he were about to kneel down and apologize at any moment.

The cake was ruined?!

This is undoubtedly a worrying matter—everyone knows that this cake is of great significance today.

Yuan Li was the first to get up and walk towards the kitchen, followed by the guests who peered into the kitchen with curious eyes.

The atmosphere froze instantly.

The cake, which had just been adorned with three exquisitely crafted little figures, was slammed to the ground, its original shape now obscured.

"What happened? How did you fall to the ground?"

"What... how are we going to do this? This cake is no ordinary cake."

They must pay compensation!

...

Tian Yixin slowly put her arm around Yuan Li beside her. She silently looked at the mess on the ground without saying a word.

But everyone knew she was already angry.

There were several waiters standing inside, all with their heads down, looking extremely apprehensive.

How could you be so careless?

Sweetie spoke first, looking at the shattered cake on the ground, her tone full of regret.

"Miss, we can't take the blame for this!"

The implication is that they didn't ruin the cake.

Almost instantly, the standing waiters turned their gaze to Gu Yulin, who was standing next to Xu Zhaozhao.

Following their gaze, everyone's eyes fell on Gu Yulin.

"We just saw..."

The waiter lowered his head further as he spoke, saying, "This is the young master."

There was no other reason; it was just that Gu Qingyan's gaze was too frightening, and he couldn't say anything when he looked up.

No one left the table just now, except for Gu Yulin, who cannot prove it himself.

Moreover, there were so many waiters who identified the source.

It seems we can now conclude that he was the one who ruined the cake.

In the silence, Yin Qi's voice stood out, and his words were very pointed.

"Little Fish, were you here just now?"

However, everyone present was a shrewd person in the entertainment industry, and they wouldn't say a word without absolute evidence.

"Why did I come here?" Gu Yulin asked in return.

Yin Qi raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Then I don't know."

In this round, Yin Qi achieved his goal, increasing the suspicion against Gu Yulin.

Xu Zhaozhao's breathing was already erratic.

She had a premonition that something was going to go wrong, but she didn't expect the question to be so tricky.

Since it was a gathering of acquaintances, to make everyone feel less reserved, Yuanli had all the security cameras removed after booking the entire estate.

At the same time, even if it wasn't Gu Yulin who did it, there's no way to prove it.

"It's just an ugly cake."

Yuan Li forced a smile, "May you have peace in every little thing, and peace every year."

Clearly, Genkuri didn't want to pursue the matter any further.

The intention was good, but it seems to have inadvertently reinforced the notion that "Gu Yulin broke the cake."

Gu Yulin stared silently at the ground, motionless and without uttering a word.

"The meaning is good, but my son won't take the blame."

Following Yuan Li's words, Gu Qingyan, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

Even though he didn't speak loudly, his voice was so excellent that you could recognize him without even looking for him.

He took out his phone and operated it a few times.

Then he looked up and swept his gaze across the quiet room. "Everyone, please turn around."

His voice has a magical quality; you unconsciously obey his words and slowly turn around.

The projector on the coffee table in the living room lit up, and the 20-inch screen lowered, slowly projecting an image onto it.

This is surveillance footage; the time is 20 minutes before the current time.

Several waiters sneaked into the kitchen from the side, and after checking that no one was around, they carefully took the cake out of the freezer.

The surveillance footage didn't capture what happened next, but the sound of it "thud" hitting the ground was heard very clearly.

Although Yuanli asked them to remove all the cameras, the camera inside the freezer was fixed in place, so it wasn't removed.

But it's not usually turned on...

After the surveillance footage finished playing, the waiters looked both red and white, as if they had seen a ghost.

"besides,"

Gu Qingyan's voice remained calm, but for some reason, it sent a chill down one's spine.

“My son is a genius, not a strongman. He can’t lift it.”

Even though the air conditioning was on and the temperature was just right, it felt a whole degree colder inside.

The doorbell rang, breaking the eerie atmosphere.

A guest near the door opened it, and an exquisite three-tiered cake was pushed in.

It's structurally similar to the one they just made by hand, but the details are more refined.

There's also a big "8" written on top, wishing them a happy 8th anniversary.

"May all things be peaceful and perfect."

Gu Qingyan said two words, and everyone understood—this cake was a gift from him.

The atmosphere eased, and everyone started joking around.

"It's good that the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

Yuan Li said, "You can go out now, it's alright."

It's not really over yet, it just means things are more complicated now.

Everyone understands.

The waiters left with grim expressions, and the guests took their seats along with the cake.

Everything is the same as before, yet everything is different from before.

Gu Yulin and Xu Zhaozhao were still stunned. Gu Yulin had reacted too quickly, while Xu Zhaozhao hadn't reacted yet.

Gu Qingyan didn't intend to explain. He simply picked him up and, with his other hand, led Xu Zhaozhao to the dining table.

Yu Yu didn't resist; instead, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Although I hate to admit it, but..."

Gu Qingyan could hear him speaking in a low voice, right next to his ear, "Dad, you were so cool just now!"