Dinner
Wen Xubai withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the stage.
Looking up from afar, my eyes met those of Wen Xushi, who was playing the piano on stage.
Wen Xushi smiled and nodded at him, but his long, smooth hands kept moving. The stage lights reflected on his glasses, making his eyes a little glaring.
Wen Xubai quickened his pace and rushed backstage.
Just as the song ended, Wen Xushi bowed and stepped off the stage.
Upon seeing him, her smile widened: "You're back."
Wen Xubai was a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Second Brother, I just... ran into an acquaintance, and we got so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot the time..."
He was supposed to be the one to perform the opening piano recital today.
"It's alright, brothers should help each other out."
As he spoke, the waiter handed Wen Xushi his original suit jacket, and Wen Xushi took off his white jacket and put on his own blue-black jacket instead.
"Making more friends is a good thing, don't feel too guilty..." Wen Xushi said while buttoning his shirt.
Judging from his expression, Wen Xubai could still detect a hint of disappointment.
Wen Xubai was puzzled and wanted to ask, but was interrupted by Wen Xushi.
"Hurry up and get on stage, don't keep the guests waiting."
"elder brother······"
As he spoke, Wen Xushi seemed not to have heard his call, gently patted his head, turned around and went straight to his seat in the audience.
Wen Xubai was full of questions, knowing that Wen Xushi must be acting strangely today. He frowned and thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. Seeing that the time for the next song was up, he could only temporarily put aside his chaotic thoughts, straighten his clothes and go on stage.
The last piece is the third movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, which is also commonly known as the Funeral March.
This piece of music is used to mourn the souls of those who died in the disaster.
When the song ended, he bowed in thanks, but did not leave the stage.
Today, he is the protagonist.
The most important parts of a charity gala are the speeches and donations.
The media had been allowed in, but were kept off the stage by bodyguards and red tape. Long lenses and cameras were pointed at the crowd on stage, and the sound of shutters clicking was incessant.
Wen Xubai forced his eyes, which were stinging from the blinding flashes of the cameras, to remain smiling and polite.
The host and Wen Tingyi pulled him onto the stage one after another to give a speech. Qin Yalin even burst into tears halfway through her speech, hugging Wen Xubai and choking back sobs.
Wen Xubai suppressed the urge to vomit, skillfully squeezed out a tear, and patted the other person's shoulder comfortingly.
What a touching play...
It must be said that the Wen family truly possesses an innate talent for acting. Their words were deeply moving, and the way they wiped away tears brought tears to the eyes of many media members in the audience. It's such a pity they're not actors...
Fortunately, the performance didn't last too long. After the guests had finished donating and Wen Tingyi announced the amount of the donations, the event came to an end.
Most of the media were asked to leave the venue, leaving only a few reporters who were focusing on "secrets of the elite families" and had not yet put away their cameras.
According to what the housekeeper said during the day, Wen Tingyi would announce a major event in public, but it would no longer be related to him.
Wen Xubai closed his sore eyes and stepped off the stage, unable to resist rubbing his aching neck.
At this point, many guests were already preparing to leave. They had only come to get some screen time in front of the media and, incidentally, to gain public sympathy; they didn't care at all what Wen Tingyi said.
Therefore, in the end, only a few prominent families closely related to the Wen family remained at the scene.
He glanced discreetly at Ruan Xing not far away.
The Ruan family was also there.
The other person seemed to notice his gaze, raised a hand at him, and smiled.
Wen Xubai withdrew his gaze and nodded in response.
"What's wrong?"
Wen Xushi asked from behind.
"It's nothing." He shook his head.
"Let's go."
Next up is a "family dinner," where everyone will move to the open-air restaurant in the garden for a shared meal.
Halfway there, Wen Xubai felt something was amiss. At the other end of the garden, in the distance, he saw a hunched, thin figure.
The man had a wrinkled face, his white hair was braided with a hairpin, and the fabric he wore was obviously expensive, yet he seemed out of place at the banquet full of young and middle-aged people.
She was an unfamiliar old lady.
The old man's weathered hands gripped his cane, and he walked with a trembling gait. Whether he was lost or something else, his droopy eyelids reflected a deep sense of helplessness.
Wen Xubai frowned and went through the names and appearances of all the invited guests in his mind, but he couldn't find the old lady.
After hesitating for a moment, she quickly stepped forward, carefully took the old woman's trembling hand, and whispered, "Grandma, why are you here alone? Where are your family members?"
The old woman was startled at first, but after she realized what was happening, she immediately grabbed Wen Xubai's sleeve as if it were a lifeline, her cloudy eyes shining with expectation.
"I...I...I'm looking for myself..."
Her voice trembled noticeably, and her speech was somewhat unclear. Wen Xubai listened for a long time but couldn't understand. He asked several times, but the old lady got a little anxious and kept repeating, "Hongji... Hongji... I Hongji..."
Wen Xubai felt completely overwhelmed, having guessed several words without getting it right. Finally, he tentatively asked, "Is it your... grandson?"
The old lady's eyes lit up instantly, and she tightened her grip on his sleeve, nodding frantically.
That means you guessed correctly.
Wen Xubai finally breathed a sigh of relief, then asked softly, "What's your grandson's name? I'll go find him for you."
The old woman tremblingly reached out her hand, "His name is... his name is..."
Before he could speak, he was interrupted.
"What's wrong?" a deep male voice asked, tinged with impatience.
Upon hearing this voice, Wen Xubai instinctively stiffened.
Sure enough, when I turned around, I saw Wen Xuyuan striding towards me.
The man's brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed undisguised displeasure. It was clear at a glance that he hadn't come voluntarily; he must have been instructed by someone and was so annoyed that he had come out of the banquet hall to find someone.
"Big brother..." Wen Xubai was about to explain when, before he could utter a sound, the old lady behind him suddenly found the strength to push him away!
The old lady seemed excited, muttering something, but because she used too much force, she accidentally lost her cane and stumbled forward!
Wen Xubai was startled and tried to help, but it was too late. Wen Xuyuan, however, was faster and grabbed the old lady's arm.
He clearly saw Wen Xuyuan's eyes narrow, as if he was also frightened.
The next second, the old lady became even more agitated, grabbing Wen Xuyuan's arm and crying out in disbelief.
This time, Wen Xubai heard her clearly; she called out, "Xiao Yuan..."
Not only Wen Xubai, but even the usually decisive Wen Xuyuan was stunned. His deep brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his eyes were cold, as if he would throw the old lady away at any moment.
The frail and short old woman looked like a thin old quail in front of the tall and strong Wen Xuyuan, yet she still tried her best to get closer to him. Her emotions became more and more agitated, and she gripped Wen Xuyuan's hand tighter and tighter, even leaving finger marks on Wen Xuyuan's bulging veins on his arm.
"You've mistaken me for someone else." Wen Xuyuan frowned and withdrew his hand.
The old lady seemed not to hear her at all, continuing to call out "Xiao Yuan... Xiao Yuan..." while reaching into her pocket to rummage for something.
The fact that this old lady was able to get in meant she must know someone here. Just as Wen Xubai was debating whether to call security to find her, he suddenly heard a deep, anxious voice coming from afar.
"mom!"
A somewhat overweight man in a suit ran up quickly, stopped in front of the two of them, and was covered in sweat.
"No... I'm sorry, this is my mother. She's old and mistook me for someone else." Before he could even catch his breath, the man saw his mother's actions and quickly apologized to the two of them while forcefully prying the old lady's hands away.
But no one knew how a woman in her seventies could possess such strength; not only did she not let go, she actually flung the man away! She raised her rough, wrinkled hand, reaching to touch Wen Xuyuan's face…
Wen Xuyuan frowned. He wanted to dodge, but when he saw the man's shocked look, he froze and let the old man's hand touch him.
"You...you are Xiao Yuan?"
The man pointed incredulously at the person in front of him, his eyes instantly reddening.
"You...you really are Xiao Yuan?" The man took a few steps forward, suddenly hugged Wen Xuyuan tightly, and cried, "I'm your uncle, I'm your uncle! Don't you recognize me?"
The two people, one fat and one thin, one male and one female, one old and one young, hung on Wen Xuyuan's tall and large "tree" like two "koalas," looking somewhat comical and eerie.
Wen Xuyuan was clearly dumbfounded, and for once he was at a loss for what to do, a look of astonishment showing on his usually serious face.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Xubai understood what was going on.
No wonder he clearly heard that people from the Song family were coming, but he didn't see them. So this is where they are.
He just didn't understand why Wen Tingyi would invite an old lady.
This is unlike his usual style.
The old lady didn't care about anything else and was still holding Wen Xuyuan, tears streaming down her face, sobbing so hard she couldn't speak clearly.
Since his daughter Song Yuxin died, Wen Tingyi has refused to let her see his grandson again.
"Xiao Yuan... Xiao Yuan... you've grown so much... so tall..."
The old lady lovingly stroked Wen Xuyuan's face again and again, holding her grandson's hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
Wen Xuyuan visibly swayed, seemingly not expecting the other person to be his maternal grandmother. But seeing the old lady struggling to reach out, he hesitated for a long time before bending down.
Wen Xuyuan has always been a person who dislikes physical contact.
Looking at his expression, Wen Xubai knew how complicated his heart was at this moment. However, this matter had nothing to do with him. In order to avoid getting into trouble, he could only choose to remain silent, take a step back, and leave them some space.
It wasn't until the two of them had been crying in Wen Xuyuan's arms for an unknown amount of time that a servant came to urge them, saying that the master was looking for them, that the two of them finally let go of each other's arms.
Upon hearing the word "Master," he clearly saw the fat man tremble slightly. He then reached out to pull his mother along, saying, "Mom, alright, alright, we should go now. Xiao Yuan and the others need to eat... It's good to see them... It's good to see them..."
As he spoke, the man wiped away a tear.
The old lady, however, was reluctant to leave and refused to move for a long time. She stubbornly stayed in the same spot, looking at Wen Xuyuan as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would disappear.
Seeing the sweat dripping from the fat man's forehead, Wen Xuyuan hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Uh... I... I'll come see you again in a while..."
He wasn't good at saying such things, and his tone was flat and even a little stuttering, but the old lady seemed to have heard some great news and finally smiled.
The next second, as if suddenly remembering something, she trembled and took out something carefully wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom, and placed it in Wen Xuyuan's palm.
Wen Xuyuan wanted to refuse, but he was the kind of person who neither accepted nor refused, so he could only watch the other person walk away without being able to utter a single word.
It wasn't until he saw the two figures gradually disappear at the end of the banquet hall that Wen Xuyuan came back to his senses, his expression changed, and he instantly became the serious "Young Master Wen" again.
As he passed Wen Xubai, he suddenly stopped, his sharp gaze sweeping across Wen's eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Don't tell anyone about what happened today." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
There was no discussion, no request; this was an order.
Wen Xubai slowly lowered his gaze and looked in the direction the two had left, pondering for a moment.
Why are people who have been strictly forbidden to be seen for over twenty years now being allowed to be seen?
He didn't believe that Old Mrs. Song and that man had sneaked in.
In the Wen family, Wen Tingyi was like a god; without his tacit approval, not even a fly could get in…
Wen Xubai's gaze darkened, and he finally turned and walked towards the garden.
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