Gong Ning's pink lips parted slightly. "Oh? It seems you're still not quite satisfied. Yu Chen, do you see if there's any more red wine poured on that table? If not, ask the waiter for a few more glasses. Miss Feng Qing wasn't very satisfied with my apology, so I need to apologize to her again!"
Shen Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. "Okay, I'll go ask..."
“No need,” Feng Qing interrupted her abruptly. “I’m very satisfied. I felt the sincerity of Miss Gong Ning’s apology. No need!”
Gong Ning chuckled softly, "Is that so? Didn't you just say you wanted Yu Chen to apologize?"
“No need, I… I don’t need it. No, no, Miss Shen didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t need to apologize to me. I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry, Miss Shen. I’m sorry, Miss Gong! I was rude. I… could you let go of my hand? I… I want to go change into a dress…”
Gong Ning stared at Feng Qing for a few moments, then suddenly chuckled softly, "Oh, right, I haven't reimbursed you all for your dresses yet. I'll transfer the money to you right now, but..."
Feng Qing had been listening calmly to her, but when she heard the deliberately drawn-out "however," her body suddenly trembled. "No need, I accidentally knocked over the wine rack, it's not your fault!"
Gong Ning looked at her, a slight smile playing on her lips. "That's a pity. I was planning to transfer the money to you right now so you could take off your dresses and leave. But it seems you're not so lucky!"
Feng Qing: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Feng Qing and his group left in a hurry, as if fleeing.
Gong Ning slowly placed the decanter on the table and sighed softly, "Some people just don't know how to read the situation. They won't listen to reason and have to be disciplined before they'll behave!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Qing, who hadn't gone far, felt a chill run down his spine and subtly quickened his pace.
In a few fleeting moments, he vanished without a trace.
Seeing that the noise had subsided, Gong Ning turned to look at Shen Yuchen. "Even if you don't want to tell me anything, you shouldn't have shown me a completely different Shen Yuchen. Just a cowardly little girl. Would you have let yourself be bullied like this in the past? Or are you deliberately trying to annoy me?"
Shen Yuchen's cold and aloof eyes flickered slightly, and a few traces of warmth uncontrollably welled up in her eyes.
In just a few moments, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Thank you!"
I wonder what Shen Yuchen has been through recently that has caused such a drastic change in her...
Despite knowing that something might have happened that she was unaware of.
But seeing Shen Yuchen's evasive manner, Gong Ning suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable anger.
Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a commotion coming from the banquet hall not far away.
"My God, am I seeing things? It's actually Gong Xiangru, the second young lady of the Gong family!"
"My goodness! To see members of the Gong family at the Yan family's banquet is such a rare sight!"
"Wow, Miss Xiangru is so beautiful, and she has such a serene and gentle demeanor!"
"Of course! The Gong family is a prominent family. Girls raised in such a family of scholars and poets naturally have a refined air!"
"She looks so kind, I'd like to talk to her, but I don't know if I'll have the chance!"
"Stop daydreaming. People like us are nobody. Even if Miss Xiangru is very easy to talk to, it's not our turn. But..."
"But what?"
"Don't you find it strange? It's common knowledge that the Yan family and the Gong family rarely have any interaction. Why is Miss Xiangru here? Is she here to celebrate Old Master Yan's birthday?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember hearing not long ago that Old Master Yan specifically instructed that a separate invitation be sent to Miss Xiangru, saying that he greatly admires Miss Gong's talent and insists that she attend..."
"Miss Gong, Miss Gong? Oh, Young Master Yan's fiancée also has the surname Gong! Tsk, it really is the same surname, but such different backgrounds. Do you think Old Master Yan's actions indirectly indicate that he prefers Miss Xiangru as his daughter-in-law?"
"That's possible. After all, Miss Xiangru comes from a good family, is good-looking, and is a Harvard graduate. No matter how you look at it, she's way ahead of Gong Ning, who has no education and no background!"
"However, when Young Master Yan inherited the Yan Clan Chieftainship, Gong Ning, as the Clan Chief's wife, performed the initiation dance ceremony with him. This shows that she is already the future Clan Chieftain's wife. Besides, her name has already been written into the Yan Clan's genealogy. No matter how much Old Master Yan favors Miss Xiangru, that cannot change anything!"
"That's true. After all, a large family like the Yan family values family traditions the most..."
Amidst the buzzing of numerous discussions around her, Gong Ning's heart suddenly calmed down as if frozen.
Gradually, a chilling undercurrent seeped into the curve of his lips...
Gong Xiangru arrived at just the right time; the birthday greetings and congratulatory speeches had already ended, and the main event of the banquet was just beginning.
Gong Ning held onto Shen Yuchen's hand, preventing her from leaving, and went straight to the banquet hall.
As Yan Jingzhou's fiancée, she also had to be present for this part of the ceremony.
Although it was an elderly person's birthday banquet, the banquet ceremony also kept up with the times.
Gong Ning accompanied Yan Jingzhou as they pushed a large cake cart out.
Yan Jingzhou's cold and indifferent expression softened slightly, and a rare hint of gentleness appeared on his face. "Dad, happy birthday!"
Gong Ning smiled sweetly and said softly, "Uncle Yan, happy birthday! I wish you good health in the future!"
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