In the elegantly dressed banquet hall, An Moxue casually sat on a sofa in a corner, watching the glamorous figures.
Today is the engagement banquet between the Lu family and the Fourth family, and all those attending are among the most prominent figures in the Xiahe Kingdom.
She deliberately wore makeup today to soften the features of her face, making her look like an unremarkable girl from a modest family. She was neither particularly beautiful nor from a prominent family, and she seemed like the kind of person who got in through connections. So, in the half hour since she came in, not a single person has come to greet her.
She fully enjoyed the solitude amidst the hustle and bustle, looking at this and that, very busy—the kind where her body was idle but her eyes were busy.
With ten minutes to go, the engagement banquet was about to begin, and the crowd began to gather in the banquet hall. An Moxue followed the crowd to the center of the hall and found a good viewing spot.
People whispered among themselves, discussing this powerful alliance, especially the young master of the Lu family, who was described as a womanizer, receiving all sorts of praise. The men, on the other hand, had varying expressions.
As time passed, the banquet officially began. The head of the Lu family stood by the stage early, but he did not see the head of the fourth family. He only saw the second master of the fourth family, who was the father of the eldest daughter of the fourth family.
Compared to the Fourth Family, the Lu family was ultimately inferior. The Lu family head was unhappy not to see the Fourth Family's patriarch, but he still smiled and acted as if he was happy for the family's younger generation. He showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever. An Moxue judged him to be an old fox without a doubt.
When the host came on stage, he first showered the two families with compliments, and then praised the two newcomers to the skies.
Then the head of the Lu family went on stage and announced the engagement between the two families to the guests below. The main characters, the young master of the Lu family and the young lady of the fourth family, went on stage to receive everyone's blessings and exchanged engagement rings. They looked so sweet that everyone envied them.
The whole place was filled with joy and laughter.
An Moxue glanced down at her watch, counting the time, wondering how things were going with Zhuang Zhou.
The crowd dispersed, and the first dance began, naturally with today's protagonists, the young master of the Lu family and the young lady of the fourth family, taking the stage to start the dance.
Music began to play, and the center of the hall went dark, with the only light shining on today's fiancé.
The melodious music paired with the beautiful waltz made it a grand feast, but An Moxue knew it was a death banquet. She only hoped that the apparent liveliness could last a little longer, so that the extreme contrast between joy and despair would be the most interesting.
She wandered aimlessly through the dance floor, searching for every face of the Fourth Family, imagining their beautiful faces after they learned of the Fourth Family's misfortune.
expect!
I'm really looking forward to it!!
With each face she saw, she silently uttered, 'The Nalan family is here to collect their debts. Don't try to deny it! Blood debts can only be repaid with blood!'
As the third piece of music began, someone rushed in and whispered something in the ear of the second master of the fourth family. His expression changed slightly, but An Moxue would not have noticed if she hadn't been paying close attention to the changes in the room.
Then they saw that person go and find a few more people, all of whom were core members of the Fourth Family. They all left the scene quietly. Some people noticed, while others knew nothing at all and were still having a great time.
An Moxue got tired of walking around the venue, found a corner, took a drink and gently swirled it in her hand. Looking at everything in the venue, she inexplicably recalled a scene - the final feast!
She took a sip of her drink, and a man came over and politely asked, "Miss, would you mind if I sat down for a moment?" He pointed to a single sofa next to her.
An Moxue glanced at him casually and said, "Do as you please."
The man gave An Moxue a gentle look and thanked her, saying, "Thank you!"
An Moxue gestured to him with her cup, then looked towards the center of the arena, as if watching a very interesting show!
He found her interesting; it was the first time he'd met a woman who didn't fawn over him!
He didn't say much, just sat there, looking towards the center of the arena with An Moxue.
The two of them didn't bother each other and were quite content and at ease.
Only after the song ended, during intermission, and the lights came on, did the man speak: "Miss, why didn't you go dancing?"
An Moxue looked at him suspiciously, and the man said somewhat awkwardly, "I saw you wandering around in the middle of the dance floor by yourself."
"Oh!" An Moxue answered him with just one word before turning her head away again.
The man thought she would say something, but she remained indifferent. Her eyebrows curved slightly, but she didn't say anything more. After sitting for a while, she left.
Despite her seemingly casual demeanor, An Moxue subconsciously observes and guards against anyone or anything that appears close to her. Although this person's appearance was abrupt, his behavior was not annoying, so she didn't take it to heart.
The banquet was still going on, and she figured there wouldn't be much change or any more excitement, so she walked out of the banquet hall.
Just then, a man ran frantically and stumbled towards the banquet hall, and she lifted her skirt and followed him.
The younger generation of the fourth family glared resentfully at the young master of the Lu family, looking as if they shared a common hatred, while the young lady of the fourth family wept with tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful.
An Moxue, curious, asked a woman next to her, "What happened?"
"I don't know. I just saw someone come in." The woman pointed to the person, the same one An Moxue had seen at the door. "He whispered something to the young lady of the fourth family, and then this happened."
By this time, a number of people had gathered in the hall, all stopping to wonder what had happened.
The young master of the Lu family looked completely bewildered and pressed, "What are you all doing? This is supposed to be a joyous occasion, everyone should be happy. What did you say that made them look at me like that and made Jiaojiao cry so sadly, and I won't even let her touch me?"
The fourth person to enter said, "The patriarch has already investigated. This crisis was orchestrated by your Lu family, all for the sake of our fourth family's company. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Young Master Lu said with absolute certainty, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Our patriarch even presided over this wedding banquet. How could he do such a thing? You must have misunderstood the information. Besides, the Fourth Family is so powerful and influential, who could possibly harm them?"
If An Moxue didn't know his true nature, she would have believed what he said, which sounded so certain.
The man from the fourth family said, "It's no use trying to argue. Our company's current stock is the best proof. The head of the family has said that this engagement is invalid."
Then, he looked at the members of the Fourth Family and said, "The head of the family said to go home and discuss matters."
The fourth family all left in a flash, leaving only the somewhat pitiful-looking young master of the Lu family and the younger generation of the Lu family, along with a crowd of onlookers who seemed to be watching a grand spectacle.
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