Amid cheers and blessings, Bai Zhijin, her face filled with emotion and a touch of shyness, reached out her hand and let Huo Junyang put the ring on her ring finger.
Huo Junyang put on the ring and gave her a princess carry. At that moment, colorful fireworks soared into the night sky, illuminating the entire venue in a dreamlike atmosphere.
The banquet was lively. Everyone thought Huo Junyang would once again display his usual cocky and unruly style. However, to everyone's surprise, with Bai Zhijin by his side this time, he became much more restrained. He did nothing but giggle and stare at his wife. He stopped arguing with his friends and instantly transformed into a quiet, composed, and sunny handsome man.
The task of entertaining guests naturally fell to Huo Junyu and Jiang Mianmian.
The couple, a harmonious and well-mannered pair, stood out among the guests.
Lin Zhaojiang stood in the corner, the bustling scene before him seemingly belonging to a different world. He watched it all with a detached expression, the red wine sliding down his throat, leaving a slightly bitter taste.
Bai Ruogu had also flown back from abroad for this banquet. He was standing next to Song Wan, gently draping a shawl over her shoulders and replacing her red wine with grape juice.
Lin Zhaojiang saw Song Wan smiling at him; her eyes seemed to hold the stars.
His heart felt like it was being gnawed by ants; under that starlight, he was all alone.
The banquet was a stage for the young people, while the elders each had their own plans. Huo Zhixing and Jiang Can were having tea and chatting with Bai Jingyuan and his wife, while some people who wanted to curry favor with the Huo and Bai families took the opportunity to begin their skillful flattery and social interactions.
After a few rounds of drinks, Lu Lishan became more talkative, chatting and laughing with a few friends, and even discussing going to a small room to play cards.
Lin Yuqing helped him deal with those people and settled them in. After that, she saw Lin Zhaojiang standing in the corner.
“A lot of people from the political world have come today.” She walked over and said softly, “You’ll need their support to establish yourself in the central city.”
“Heh,” Lin Zhaojiang chuckled, “Even without their support, I could still move freely in Yangcheng.”
Lin Yuqing glanced at him; that was indeed the truth. Lin Zhaojiang was a very shrewd and resourceful man. He had made several small investments in Yangcheng before, and surprisingly, they had yielded considerable profits. He was the behind-the-scenes investor in the Lixing Hotel in the south of the city. Although it couldn't compare to the Huo's Hotel in scale, it was still one of the most well-known hotels in Yangcheng.
“I don’t need to worry about you when it comes to doing business,” Lin Yuqing said in a low voice. “However, you still need to learn a lot about how to conduct yourself as a person.”
Was that man good to her?
"What?"
Lin Yuqing frowned and followed his gaze. He was staring coldly at Bai Ruogu.
She immediately tensed up, "Zhaojiang! What do you want to do?"
"I don't think that guy treats her very well," Lin Zhaojiang sneered, with a nonchalant attitude. "Red wine replaced with grape juice? Ha, doesn't he know Wanwan hates grapes the most!"
Lin Yuqing was furious, fearing he would cause trouble. "Lin Zhaojiang, I'm warning you, don't mess with Song Wan again! She's long forgotten about you. Besides, we've been friends with the Bai family for years, and I don't want to offend them for your sake!"
Lin Zhaojiang remained silent, a chill emanating from his deep eyes.
Lin Yuqing was so anxious that she wanted to raise her hand to hit him.
"Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble!" Lin Zhaojiang said, then turned and left.
Where are you going?
I'm going out for a smoke!
Lin Yuqing rolled her eyes at his retreating figure, feeling helpless.
Lin Zhaojiang was smoking outside when he got choked by the smoke and coughed several times. The more he thought about Bai Ruogu's hand on Song Wan earlier, the more agitated he became.
He cursed under his breath, "Damn it," and was about to leave when he suddenly saw a pale white figure in front of him.
Lin Zhaojiang's heart skipped a beat. He was stunned for a few seconds before hurriedly throwing the cigarette on the ground and stomping it out.
He remembered that Song Wan didn't like the smell of smoke on him.
But... she probably doesn't like him littering either, right?
So Lin Zhaojiang hurriedly picked up the extinguished cigarette butt from the ground, frantically searched for a trash can, and accidentally knocked over a flowerpot on the stairs. He quickly righted the flowerpot.
Having finally finished everything, he breathed a sigh of relief, and when he looked up again, he met Song Wan's slightly surprised gaze.
Did he look like a fool in her eyes after all those actions he just did?
Lin Zhaojiang bit his lip, feeling extremely annoyed.
Song Wan broke the awkward silence with a light laugh: "Hello, Uncle."
"Oh...heh, you, you're good too."
"I just saw Huo Jiayuan. She looked so beautiful today, like a little princess," Song Wan said softly. "It seems there's a bouquet toss later, and little Huo Jiayuan will be the one to deliver it!"
"Yeah……"
When Song Wan saw his hands, she nervously put them in her pocket and then nervously took them out again, as if these two hands were all she had on her body and she didn't know where to put them.
“Uh… Uncle,” she said, “I’ll be going now, goodbye.”
"Huh?" Lin Zhaojiang finally regained some of his senses. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going home."
"So early?" He was surprised. "The banquet just started, and besides, your boyfriend is still..."
"He's already gone." Song Wan forced a smile.
This was something Lin Zhaojiang hadn't expected.
Is this boyfriend just for show? He appears for a few minutes, tells everyone that Song Wan has a boyfriend, and then the mission is over?
"Why did he leave?" Lin Zhaojiang asked. "Wasn't this his sister's engagement party?"
“He has other things to do.” Song Wan lowered her eyelids, clearly somewhat disappointed. “He’s very busy with work and has to catch his flight tonight.”
Lin Zhaojiang suddenly became somewhat annoyed.
At this moment, he had already mentally torn Bai Ruogu to pieces. Half of it stemmed from his hostility towards him, and the other half from Bai Ruogu abandoning Song Wan for a job that caused her to suffer.
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and uttered a single word: "Go."
Song Wan was stunned. "What?"
Lin Zhaojiang raised his face and smiled gently at her, "Come on, I'll take you to a fun place."
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