Chapter 211 The Banquet
The castle’s main dining room was in the basement. Upon learning that they were willing to stay for dinner, the fourteenth Brissac heir and his wife went upstairs to greet them and personally led them to the dining room.
On the way, he introduced the dinner: "It's just my wife and me and a few friends, no strangers here. I hope you enjoy your dinner tonight. Oh, by the way, I've also prepared a lounge for you, with some entertainment. If you're tired, you can go there and rest."
At this point, Brisak revealed a mysterious smile. Xia Mian suppressed his discomfort; he had dealt with white people quite a bit before and instantly understood what the so-called "entertainment" meant.
Drug use, prostitution, sadism, racial discrimination, cult rituals... Beneath their arrogant exteriors lie unimaginable filth and evil.
"Xia, welcome to our home. Have a wonderful evening."
"Merci (Thank you)," Xia Mian said, only offering a simple thank you and not bothering to say anything more.
After escorting them to the restaurant and personally showing them around, the butler came to announce that another guest had arrived.
The Brissacs greeted them, instructed the housekeeper to take good care of Xia Mian and her companion, and hurried towards the stairs. Clearly, this guest was very important to them.
Xia Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
To ensure the safety of the auction items and guests, the castle is under complete armed lockdown tonight, with only the main entrance open. He chose to attend the banquet to avoid running into Zhou Pingchuan at the exit.
He's not really in the mood for socializing; he just wants some peace and quiet right now.
"Xia, are you tired? Do you need to rest?" the second young master asked, noticing his absent-mindedness.
“No, I was just recalling the auction just now,” Xia Mian said, perking up. “If I had persisted, I might have been able to get what I wanted.”
"Don't worry about it. There are countless beautiful ornaments out there, you're bound to find one you like. But it's strange, the guest in the east VIP room has the same taste as you, he wants everything you want to photograph."
Xia Mian forced a smile and casually poured herself some juice: "I've always had good taste."
After saying that, Xia Mian picked up her juice glass, a signal to stop talking. The second young master wisely didn't say anything more and turned to chat with the butler.
Finally, all was quiet. Xia Mian slowly sipped her juice, trying to clear her mind for a moment, when the Brissacs returned with their guests.
Upon seeing each other, the Second Young Master and Xia Mian froze on the spot.
The second young master was surprised, while Xia Mian was embarrassed.
—Another very important friend of the Brissacks was Zhou Pingchuan!
What a coincidence!
"...Xia, why didn't you and your husband come together?" The second young master quickly returned to the table and asked Xia Mian in a low voice.
Perhaps wanting Zhou Pingchuan to choose a bar himself, the Brissacs didn't take him to a seat, but instead led him directly to the wine cellar.
Xia Mian glanced around but didn't see Xia Mingzhao. Perhaps to maintain his image and the stock price, Zhou Pingchuan wasn't planning to reveal his relationship with Xia Mingzhao for the time being.
“We have different jobs, times, and places, and we were all busy with our own things. It was purely coincidental that we came to the auction. After we were seated, it wasn’t convenient to change seats, so we arranged to meet again during dinner.”
The second young master clearly didn't believe it. If the two really did arrange to meet at dinner, Xia Mian should at least tell him in advance, or go with the Brisaks to pick up Zhou Pingchuan.
Most importantly, the Brissacs didn't seem to recognize Xia Mian at all. If Zhou Pingchuan wanted to dine at the castle, he would definitely have had to make arrangements in advance; how could he not know who the guests were?
The more the second young master thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Could the media's speculation be correct? Was this a marriage of convenience, and everything that happened tonight was just a coincidence?
Or perhaps... their marriage is already on the verge of collapse?
By then, the wine pairings for the evening had been chosen, and the Brissacs led Zhou Pingchuan back to the restaurant. The two were incredibly enthusiastic, chatting and laughing. Zhou Pingchuan listened politely, occasionally offering a word or two in response.
The second young master had never been alone with Zhou Pingchuan, only encountering him a few times in public places like forums and conferences, and couldn't recognize his voice. Now that they were closer, he suddenly realized that Zhou Pingchuan's voice was highly similar to that of the "mysterious man" in the east VIP room.
They are practically identical.
Zhou Pingchuan didn't bring Xia Mian to the auction. After Xia Mian went through a lot of trouble to sneak in through a friend's invitation, Zhou Pingchuan started a price war with her, not letting her take even one of her favorite collectibles.
Tsk.
The second son became even more determined, and the two were about to get a divorce.
Although he befriended Xia Mian for the Zhou family's resources and connections, in just half a day, he discovered that Xia Mian had a genuine and straightforward personality, a strong sense of style, and expressiveness, and he liked her very much.
"Xia, don't worry, I won't tell anyone about tonight's events. I hope you can..."
Just as the second young master was about to state his position, a dark shadow suddenly loomed behind him.
"When did you two meet? I've never heard Mianmian mention it," Zhou Pingchuan paused, then turned to Xia Mian, "Mianmian, come here."
***
The Brisak family's table manners differ from those in China. The seat facing the door and furthest from the door is for the hostess, and the seat to her right is for the first guest of honor.
The couple reserved the first seat of honor for Zhou Pingchuan, and Zhou Pingchuan called Xia Mian over to sit next to him.
Zhou Pingchuan spoke French, which the second young master could understand. All his previous speculations were instantly shattered by this summons. Of course, he didn't dare ask the person in question why they weren't in the same private room at the auction, and stammered, "We just met today."
Zhou Pingchuan: "I'm too busy during the day to spend time with Xia Mian. Thank you for taking care of me."
Second Young Master: "We had a great chat, it's alright, hahaha."
The streetlights dimmed, the roar of the sports car engines grew fainter, and the guests attending the auction gradually left.
The banquet began, and the dishes on the table were quite luxurious. Moreover, in order to entertain Zhou Pingchuan, they specially prepared Chinese cuisine, which tasted quite authentic. It is estimated that they specially hired a chef from China for this meal.
Today was also the first time the Brisaks had learned about the relationship between Zhou Pingchuan and Xia Mian. They were more focused on politics and rarely paid attention to business news, so they were both surprised and delighted.
"I've known Zhou for a long time, and I always thought he wouldn't get married so soon. I wish you both happiness and a long and happy marriage!" Mrs. Brissac said sincerely.
Xia Mian had no choice but to put on a happy expression: "Thank you, Madam."
The couple were very talkative and friendly. When they came out after dinner, the moon was high in the sky and the dark streets were deserted.
The car was waiting by the roadside. Xia Mian got in before Zhou Pingchuan, turned her head to look out the window, and remained silent.
"Do you have work tomorrow?" Zhou Pingchuan asked.
Xia Mian continued looking out the window, answering a completely different question: "Do you know where I live?"
Rosewood Hotel.
“But I didn’t know where you were, or even that you were coming to Paris,” Xia Mian said calmly.
Zhou Pingchuan could tell that Xia Mian was not happy. He paused for a moment and said, "Xia Mian, come back to District Six with me. Let's talk."
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