It's not time for the engagement ceremony yet, and the bride and groom haven't appeared.
The host, carrying a camera, first walked around the venue and gave a general introduction to the venue layout.
Although it might not sound very interesting, especially for Ruan Bei and others who were eagerly waiting for the show to begin, quite a few people were actually curious to see what a rich person's wedding was like.
The two hosts came with a mission, and Feng Haoran made up a random excuse to fool his mother in order to start the live broadcast.
The deception was so successful that General Manager Feng instructed the company's publicity department to create a comprehensive publicity plan, determined to turn the engagement ceremony into a half-corporate advertisement and give his company a good boost.
And then there's the Hua family; after all, they're the marriage partners, and without the bride, the engagement banquet can't be held.
There are many other families, some of which they can't afford to offend, and others with whom they have too close a relationship to refuse, such as the Lu family and the Feng family, who are now their closest in-laws. They certainly can't miss out on such a good thing.
Then the two hosts, who had memorized a lot of advertising copy, walked around the venue, explaining whose venue it was, which company's team planned the event, which famous restaurant's chefs prepared the banquet, what kind of wine it was, and which country the flowers were flown in from, etc.
Of course, when introducing these things, it's inevitable to "casually" mention their value. The two hosts worked together, writing humorous and witty scripts, and the female host would occasionally "make a fuss" to express her envy.
Surprisingly, the audience didn't find the introductions boring at all; the barrage of comments was so intense that it almost made Ruan Bei's eyes water.
Bai Miaomiao muttered, "Is it really necessary?"
It's just flowers and wine; a lot of it is flashy but impractical, just for show.
"As for it..." Zeng Peng's face clearly showed his envy.
Bai Miaomiao choked up for a moment: "I don't think you're the kind of person who likes these fancy things. How can you be so superficial? Look at Xiao Bei and Qin Gu, how calm they are."
Ruan Bei smiled. He had seen it all before. In his previous life, he had attended many banquets. In fact, they were all pretty much the same.
For example, many banquet meals are not very tasty because they are presented nicely; nobody attends a banquet to eat.
Qin Gu was just watching for the spectacle. Like Bai Miaomiao, he also thought it was too flashy and dazzling.
Zeng Peng stared at the computer screen and muttered, "So what if I'm superficial? Who doesn't like being surrounded by so many pretty girls? I like it too. You well-fed men don't know the hunger of starving men. You're always showing off your love in the dorm. Have you ever thought about how I, a single dog, feel?"
Bai Miaomiao: "???"
Qin Gu: "..." It's so unfair, I'm hungry too.
Ruan Bei looked at the screen carefully and smiled.
Since the main characters haven't appeared yet, we'll only introduce the venue and the guests when they're caught on camera.
After all, the guests were of high status, which also served to highlight the size of the Feng and Hua families' businesses and their wide network of connections.
Besides, if they're going to do a live stream of their engagement, they definitely need to notify the guests and get their consent first. They also need to make sure that those who don't want to appear in the photos aren't caught on camera.
However, most guests would be unwilling to appear on such occasions. The way the Feng family organized it made the ceremony seem like some kind of high-profile business event, where only people with status and prestige could attend.
They dressed impeccably for the engagement party, and when the cameras shone on them, they simply smiled modestly and nodded. There was no loss to them, and it even served as publicity.
No matter what the inside of a high society banquet is like, it must always be glamorous and attractive on the outside.
Putting everything else aside, let's just talk about people.
Every young man and woman appearing on the screen was handsome.
That makes sense. As for waiters and waitresses, they wouldn't be selected if they weren't good-looking.
The other young ladies who actually attended the engagement ceremony had money and time, and as long as they weren't so ugly that they were universally disliked, they were all above average after dressing up properly.
Besides, most of them aren't ugly; some are even quite beautiful. Since these bosses are rich, why don't they marry beautiful wives? If they marry beautiful wives, their children will become more and more beautiful.
So at a glance, those who were older were out of the question; the young men and women were all handsome and elegant, just as Zeng Peng said, the whole place was full of beautiful young ladies.
It's no wonder he's sour; there are many similar comments in the live stream now, and the atmosphere in the chat is filled with sourness.
Suddenly, the screen was flooded with a series of "Ah ...
Just as Ruan Bei was about to turn off the bullet comments, Bai Miaomiao stopped him and asked Zeng Peng to bring Ruan Bei's laptop over so they could watch on both at the same time. One would have bullet comments, and the other wouldn't, ensuring they wouldn't miss any of the hilarious comments from netizens and could keep track of the content in real time—perfect.
However, when he turned on his computer, Ruan Bei had already heard the host's narration.
Upon hearing the names Lu Siyuan and Lu Sibai, Ruan Bei quickly turned off the live chat.
Sure enough, it was the Lu family who appeared.
The Lu family came together. Although Lu Minghai and Feng Zhihui were middle-aged, Lu Minghai had long held a high position and his imposing presence was quite intimidating.
Moreover, he doesn't eat or drink much, and he maintains a good physique. He's not bald or has a beer belly. He has good facial features, and when he's dressed in a suit, he exudes a mature man's charm.
Feng Zhihui, who was standing next to him, was also very well-maintained and did not look like she was over forty years old. She had an elegant figure and a gentle smile, and they looked like a perfect couple as they held hands.
What really made netizens scream were Lu's two sons, who would definitely be dressed formally for this occasion.
Lu Minghai and Feng Zhihui were both outstanding in appearance, and their two biological sons, Lu Siyuan and Ruan Bei, were even better looking than their parents, just with different styles.
Lu Siyuan wore a luxurious haute couture outfit that perfectly showcased his broad shoulders and narrow waist. When the camera zoomed in, Lu's handsome face, which bore a striking resemblance to Ruan Bei, elicited screams from the online comments.
Zeng Peng took a closer look, pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Ruan Bei and suddenly realized, "No wonder this family looks familiar, they look a bit like you."
Ruan Bei calmly replied, "Didn't Miao Miao mention that when school started?"
“Yeah, right.” Zeng Peng said, trying to show his support for his roommate, “I think you’re better looking than him.”
But that young master Lu is more handsome and has more of a manly charm.
Ruan Bei glanced at his biological parents and brother on the screen, but felt nothing.
He really does look like them; even someone as careless as Zeng Peng could tell. When he stands next to Lu Siyuan, everyone would think they are brothers, related by blood.
In reality, Ruan Bei and Lu Siyuan are different. Ruan Bei's features are more like Feng Zhihui's, with an oval face and a pointed chin; Lu Siyuan's features are more like Lu Minghai's, with a colder and harder facial contour.
The two brothers share the most similar features, both inheriting Lu Minghai's charming eyes. However, Ruan Bei is naturally blessed with long eyelashes, deep double eyelids, and adorable under-eye bags when he smiles. His eyebrows are also not as dark and thick as those of the father and son, making him appear softer and more elegant.
“That guy in white, is that the one we saw the other day?” Zeng Peng stared at Lu Sibai standing next to Lu Siyuan and muttered, “He doesn’t seem to fit in with this family at all. You’re more like family to them.”
Ruan Bei sneered: "I don't think so at all. I'm more like my parents' child."
Bai Miaomiao, unusually, remained silent throughout. He secretly glanced at Ruan Bei, pursed his lips, and ultimately said nothing.
He wasn't stupid. He had been fooled by Ruan Bei before, but Ruan Bei's hostility towards Lu Sibai was so obvious, and his attitude towards the other members of the Lu family was also bad.
If it's really just about feeling sorry for him, then it's going too far. He was too eager to take advantage of Lu Sibai, and Zeng Peng's behavior is more normal.
Since Ruan Bei was unwilling to talk about it, he decided not to ask. In any case, he had already decided that Ruan Bei was his friend, regardless of his identity.
"It's so ugly, are these people blind?" Qin Gu muttered to himself, his disgust undisguised.
Ruan Bei glanced at the barrage of comments flashing by.
[That guy in the white suit is so handsome! He looks like the Little Prince!]
[His smile is so sweet! Is he being affectionate with his older brother? I love it!]
[Wait for me, you little prince up ahead! He really is a prince from a wealthy family, okay? Just think about the value of the Haiming Group, calculate his net worth, he's a real prince, I'm so jealous.]
[Young Master Lu's eyelashes are so thick, I could swing on them! Is he some kind of eyelash superhero?]
[Beautiful hands, hand fetishists can't resist, licking...]
[Stop licking my lips! He's just getting cake for his little brother, why are you all so excited... I want some too!]
[Waaaaah, honey, come pick me up quickly! If you don't come soon, we'll miss the auspicious time for our engagement ceremony!]
[Everyone's gone crazy, calling me "husband"! Look closely, this is clearly my husband, it's our engagement ceremony, okay? Husband, when are you coming? I'm so anxious...]
[Even a single peanut...]
[To be frank, I'm just lusting after Young Master Lu's body. That waistline...]
Bai Miaomiao wrinkled her nose and muttered softly, "My brother looks much better in a suit than him. You have no taste."
Although his brother also came, he won't appear on camera. He doesn't want his brother to show up. These netizens are too unreserved; they call any handsome guy "husband."
Ruan Bei nodded in agreement. Young Master Bai was indeed very suitable for wearing formal attire. His serious and upright personality would make his lover want to strip him bare if they were in a relationship.
"W-what's wrong?" Ruan Bei stammered, feeling the burning gaze beside him as he nodded halfway through.
Qin Gu stared at the computer screen without saying a word, his lips pressed tightly together.
Bai Miaomiao chuckled, nudged Ruan Bei with her elbow, and whispered, "I'm praising my brother, why are you nodding? Are you jealous?"
Ruan Bei: "..." But he had never seen Kun Kun in formal attire, so how could they be compared?
Ruan Bei hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved closer to Qin Gu and mumbled, "You have the best figure, you look good in anything."
Qin Gu sneered: "How did you know?"
Ruan Bei: "...???"
No, you get upset when I praise others, but you argue back when I praise you?
How would I know? I've seen it.
Qin Gu looked at him without saying a word, while Ruan Bei simply didn't know what to say and stared at him blankly.
The two looked at each other for a while, then Qin Gu sighed and took his hand, placing it on his waist.
Ruan Bei felt as if he had been scalded, the heat instantly traveling from his hands to his ears: "W-what are you doing?"
Qin Gu said matter-of-factly, "Didn't you say I have a good figure? Let me touch it for you."
Ruan Bei: "..."
Bai Miaomiao: "yoooooooo!"
Zeng Peng reached out and touched his abs. They were very handsome, but unfortunately no one appreciated them. Touching himself didn't feel anything.
"Don't be ridiculous." Ruan Bei pulled her hand back, her ears turning red, her palm burning hot.
Qin Gu saw that Xiao Bei was determined to withdraw his hand and felt that there were too many people and Xiao Bei was embarrassed. He thought that next time it would be just the two of them.
Why don't he buy a formal suit too? If Xiao Bei likes it, he can wear it.
"Alright, you guys." Bai Miaomiao suppressed a laugh and pretended to be serious: "This is a public place, in broad daylight. If you have something to do, go to the bed and draw the curtains to settle it."
Ruan Bei: "How about I talk to your brother about you..."
"Ahem." Bai Miaomiao cleverly interrupted him: "Watch the live stream, the live stream, look, the important character has appeared."
"Where? Which one?" Zeng Peng was probably the most attentive audience member present.
“Look, this one.” Bai Miaomiao pointed. The newly appeared family was also quite good-looking, especially Qin Shen, so the comments section went crazy again.
Ruan Bei had met Qin Shen's parents. His mother's surname was Luo. The Luo family was once a prominent family in Jincheng, but unfortunately, it began to decline when Madam Qin was still young.
She was born beautiful and was fortunate enough to marry Qin Shen's father. However, it was also because Qin Shen's father was an illegitimate child and his maternal family was not presentable, which was known to all the prominent families in the capital.
President Qin is on secondment at the Jincheng branch of the Qin Group. That's right, on secondment; he hasn't even managed to become the branch general manager.
Actually, it's because Jincheng has a developed economy and an important strategic position. If it were a branch office in a second- or third-tier city, we would have given it to them.
However, President Qin wouldn't even consider such a place.
President Qin also has his own private assets, but his own abilities are average. He only runs small businesses with the backing of the Qin family. His companies sound impressive, but they can barely be ranked in the second tier at this wedding banquet.
But he is a member of the Qin family. As long as the head of the Qin family has no children, Qin Shen will be the sole heir of the Qin family.
Rumors circulated that the head of the Qin family had lost his fertility and could no longer have children, meaning the Qin family's vast fortune was destined to be passed on to his nephew.
That said, Qin Shen also inherited his parents' good looks, and he was in no way inferior to Lu Siyuan when standing next to him.
They were all elegant and noble young men, with tall and handsome figures. Standing together, they were quite eye-catching. Not only were the viewers on the live stream calling them "husbands," but many young ladies at the banquet were also watching them.
Madam Qin and Feng Zhihui were friends for many years. Their two families were arranged to be together. Lu Sibai was flanked by Lu Siyuan on his left and Qin Shen on his right. She was busy chatting with her brother one minute and giving her boyfriend a sweet smile the next.
[I'm so jealous, I'm dying of jealousy.]
[Screenshot taken. I'm planning to replace the young master's face with my own. Plan succeeds.]
[Hahaha, include me in the list, I want to too!]
Who wouldn't want that?
[You shallow people, you only care about looks! Didn't you hear the introduction? The Qin family, is that the Qin family we know? Holy crap, their young master, he's a real prince!]
[I think the Crown Prince would be more suitable, but if it really is the Qin family, my classmate might be the crown prince of any other country.]
[Crown Prince +1, kneeling before His Highness.]
[However, isn't the Qin family's main residence in the capital?]
[It only takes a little over two hours to fly from Beijing to Chengdu. Is that a big deal for wealthy people?]
[Is it really necessary for you to argue about this? Look at how affectionate His Highness is towards the young master. If they're not having an affair, I'll eat my keyboard!]
[I've wanted to say this for so long! I've wanted to say this for so long! That look in her eyes is definitely telling a story!]
[You bastards, you're all so horny, aren't you? All you do is get all lovey-dovey when two men get a little close, you bastards!]
[Weren't they supposed to be best friends who grew up together? They just introduced us...]
[The boy rode a bamboo horse.]
[Playing with a bamboo horse around the bed.]
[I'm good again!]
[Why are your comments in color...?]
"Tsk tsk, sure, sure, you won't be able to handle it in a minute." Bai Miaomiao let out an evil laugh.
"What are you looking at?" He nudged Ruan Bei.
"Huh? It's nothing." Ruan Bei shifted his gaze from the family next to the Lu family. The young man in the light-colored suit with a cold face was clearly Song Jiaxi, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
It seems he has already been taken back by the Song family; no wonder they haven't bothered him.
"Has anyone from the Chu family come?" Ruan Bei asked.
If the "victim" hadn't shown up, the scene would have been a bit less interesting.
"We're here," Bai Miaomiao said.
The entire Chu family arrived, including Chu Tianze, who had a dark expression and was not managing his facial expressions well.
"He even came all this way, isn't he embarrassed?" Zeng Peng asked incredulously.
He had heard Bai Miaomiao recount the background story and felt quite sympathetic towards this guy, since, based on the recording he had heard back then, Chu Tianze had been deceived by Lu Sibai.
“Even if it’s awkward, you have to go through with it, and the more awkward it is, the less you can back down, otherwise people will think you’re guilty.” Bai Miaomiao understands very well: “For people like them, as long as they haven’t completely fallen out, they still have to greet each other and keep smiling when they meet.”
Zeng Peng: "...The world of the rich is really complicated."
If he encountered something like that, he'd be lucky not to even hit him, let alone smile.
Now the engagement ceremony has finally begun. The heads of the Feng and Hua families brought their children to the event. Judging from their appearances alone, the man was handsome and the woman was beautiful; they seemed like a well-matched couple.
So even though everyone knew it was a business marriage, the comments section was still filled with things like "congratulations" and "blessings".
Mr. Feng and Mr. Hua gave their routine speeches on behalf of their respective companies. They also mentioned the viewers in the live broadcast room, saying that they hoped to use this relatively novel method to let the viewers know more about and pay more attention to their company's products, and also said some standard things about looking to the future.
The effect seems to be quite good. There are many praises in the comments. Many people who didn't pay attention to these two companies before have remembered their company names and their products.
This is already a very successful promotion. If the audience has a need to buy something, they will naturally choose what they are familiar with and remember.
Ruan Bei watched coldly, thinking, "It's good to have a memory; the clearer the memory, the harder you'll fall."
After the two finished speaking, the engaged couple engaged in some small activities. The emcee livened up the atmosphere and then announced that everyone should watch a video.
Images began to appear on the large screen suspended in the center of the banquet hall.
Bai Miaomiao's eyes lit up, filled with both anticipation and nervousness.
Ruan Bei stared intently at the computer screen, not wanting to miss a single good moment.
The first scene shown was of Feng Haoran and Hua Pingting getting to know each other and falling in love. It was probably a staged short video that looked beautiful, but everyone knows what really happened.
"Why is this being played? Is it a recording?" Bai Miaomiao asked anxiously.
He had just finished speaking when the big screen suddenly went black.
With a smile on his face, General Manager Feng gave a single glance, and someone immediately went to check the situation. The guests were quite composed; even when they were talking, they maintained their smiles, and no one could tell what they were saying from their facial expressions.
The comments section was even more lively, with everyone speculating about what was going on.
Just then, sound suddenly came from the big screen. The video was already quite loud during the live broadcast, and this sudden sound was also very loud, at least the viewers in the live broadcast room could hear it clearly.
Then they heard a strange conversation.
"Tianze, you're my brother's best friend..."
"Tianze is really amazing, he's handsome... everyone looks up to him..."
"Me? I'm just an ordinary person who looks up to Brother Tianze..."
"I can't let my little fans down..."
Perhaps to save time, the recording speed was increased, but the content was clear enough.
Ruan Bei glanced at the screen and saw that the comments section was already going crazy.
[Who's this? Who's Tianze? Is he his brother's friend? If I'm not mistaken, is this the younger brother flirting with his older brother's best friend?]
[I think so too.]
[Emmm, this tone... I feel like it's a bit...]
[Isn't the key point that there are two men?]
[No, the key point is why this was played at Young Master Feng and Miss Hua's engagement ceremony.]
So who are the two people in the conversation?
While the comments section was still speculating, the guests at the banquet had already turned their attention to the Lu family's area.
Even if I didn't recognize Lu Sibai's voice, Chu Tianze made his entrance with his name on it! And considering all the gossip lately…
Lu Sibai's face turned deathly pale, tears welling up in her eyes. Feng Zhihui, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, frowned and said, "Was it done by that child from the Chu family? The methods they used are truly..."
She refrained from uttering a single, despicable comment.
"Don't be afraid, your uncle must have already sent someone to turn off the monitor." She comforted her poor child, her face full of anger.
Lu Minghai and Lu Siyuan had already sensed something was wrong. Lu Minghai told Lu Siyuan to urge them to shut down that thing and the live stream as well.
Then he forced a smile at the Qin family members, who had dark faces, especially Qin Shen. He pushed Lu Sibai, telling Lu Sibai to explain properly to Qin Shen.
Lu Sibai was completely dumbfounded. What was there to explain? The most important thing now was to shut this down as soon as possible. He desperately tried to recall if he had said anything inappropriate that day.
These events actually occurred simultaneously during the recording and playback process, so before Lu Sibai's dazed mind could process what he was hearing, he had already heard the answer he wanted.
"Sibai, you are also very outstanding..."
"Many people like you too... Qin Shen... you guys..."
"no!"
"You and Qin Shen, don't you like him?"
"...Ah Shen is very good...I treat him like I would my older brother..."
"Aren't you two dating?"
"He's the young master of the Qin family, I...I..."
"You treat me like an older brother?" Qin Shen felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart, gushing blood.
The last time he saw Chu Tianze kiss Lu Sibai, he was almost furious. But Sibai said that Chu Tianze forced him, and he cried so sadly. So even though he was so jealous and angry, he held back and vented all his anger on Chu Tianze.
"Ah Shen, listen to me, it's not like that..." Lu Sibai really cried, cried very miserably, tears streaming down her face, and grabbed Qin Shen's sleeve and wouldn't let go.
"Tell me, tell me!" Qin Shen had completely lost control of his emotions and didn't care about the occasion: "Didn't you say you liked me? You liked me kissing you, liked me smiling at you, and wanted to be with me forever? Didn't you say these things?"
"You treat me like your brother?" He gave a bitter smile. "Do you say the same thing to Lu Siyuan?"
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