Chapter 5: The Engagement Banquet Begins
"Thank you, Dad, but this one is too old-fashioned. It's only suitable for old men. I don't like it."
Xia Mian threw the watch back into Xia Dongbo's arms and went upstairs to sleep.
Xia Dongbo was so angry that he smoked several more cigarettes.
The engagement banquet was scheduled to begin at noon, but Xia Mian asked the maid to wake him at 10:00. When he opened his eyes, the clock had already struck 11:00.
The maid didn't wake me up at all.
I went downstairs but didn't see any other members of the Xia family.
He quickly grabbed the housekeeper: "Where are my parents?"
"The master, madam, and young master Mingzhao have already set off."
Didn't you wait for him?
"Where is the address?"
The butler, looking down at his nose and inwardly silent, said, "Young Master Mian, I don't know either."
Oh, Xia Mian suddenly realized.
Last night, he refused Xia Dongbo's "bribe," so Xia Dongbo deliberately made him oversleep so that he couldn't expose Xia Mingzhao!
Unfortunately, despite the Xia family's meticulous planning, they hadn't anticipated that he had read the original novel. Moreover, because this was a crucial scene where Xia Mingzhao met the villainous boss, the author meticulously described everything from Xia Mingzhao's subtle facial expressions to the time and place.
Xia Mian was no longer in a hurry and took a good shower.
After all, it's a formal occasion like an engagement banquet, so we have to dress up a bit so as not to embarrass the Xia family.
Meanwhile, inside the Licheng Hotel, a platinum five-star hotel in Beijing.
The three-story banquet hall was decorated entirely with fresh flowers in Xia Mingzhao's favorite French style, with orchids hanging from the ceiling, filling every corner with their fresh fragrance.
Waiters and servants from the Zhou family moved between the front and back of the hall, carrying gold-woven bottle sleeves. Inside the sleeves were limited-edition crystal champagne and vintage wines bearing the seal of European royalty, available for guests to choose from.
Just after 11:30, relatives from both sides had begun to arrive.
Although it was just an engagement banquet, both the Zhou and Xia families were prominent clans with numerous descendants, making it even more extravagant than a formal wedding banquet for ordinary people.
Every relative who came in looked on with envy at the grand display.
"Wenhua, the Zhou family really values Mingzhao. They've even put on such a grand engagement banquet. When the wedding comes, won't the streets be packed with people?"
Xia's parents were standing at the door welcoming guests. Upon hearing this, Tang Wenhua covered her mouth and laughed, "It's all because of that kid A-Ting. He said he wanted to give Mingzhao a grand engagement banquet. In my opinion, we should just have a simple meal. We're all family, why make such a fuss?"
"The young couple has such a good relationship... By the way, where are Zhou's parents? I haven't seen them."
Xia Dongbo paused for a moment: "My father-in-law is probably busy backstage."
"Oh, congratulations!"
A close relative who knew that the Xia family had reunited with their son asked, "Second sister-in-law, where is your Xia Mian? Let me see her."
“Mianmian wasn’t feeling well and needed an IV drip, so we didn’t bother him.”
"It's hot lately, and it's easy to get heatstroke. Drink more refreshing sweet soups. You can bring Xia Mian to my shop to play sometime."
Tang Wenhua smiled and replied, then instructed the waiter to lead the guests to their seats.
At noon, all the guests were in their seats, and seeing that the banquet was not yet starting, they were inevitably getting restless.
"The hosts have all arrived, why haven't we started yet?"
"Yes, I've been sitting here for half an hour."
"I heard that the Zhou family member might come; we're probably waiting for him."
"Zhou Pingchuan? I've never seen him in public before, and I don't know what he looks like, whether he's ugly or handsome."
"Regardless of whether one is ugly or handsome, the mere title of Zhou family head is enough to command respect."
"Oh my goodness, keep your voices down! Third Master isn't someone we can just talk about..."
The guests whispered among themselves. Backstage, Xia Mingzhao nervously fiddled with the hem of his white suit jacket.
"Ah Ting, do you think we can successfully complete the engagement ceremony?" Xia Mingzhao asked the man beside her.
The other person seemed lost in thought and didn't respond.
"Ah Ting?" Xia Mingzhao called out again.
Zhou Ting then came to his senses: "What's wrong?"
"……nothing."
Xia Mingzhao bit her lip, then changed the subject after a moment: "Is Third Master really coming later?"
Zhou Ting told the truth: "He's very busy, and I don't know either."
"I heard that Third Master is still unmarried. I really don't know what kind of person could catch his eye."
Zhou Pingchuan was the posthumous son of Old Master Zhou. He lost his parents at a young age and was raised outside the family, rarely interacting with his relatives.
In addition, he came to power early and his methods were extraordinary. Those aunts and uncles who loved to play matchmaker didn't dare to persuade him to get married. He himself didn't seem to have any intention of starting a family. Now he's over thirty and, despite the Zhou family's status, he's still single.
"It's not appropriate to comment on matters concerning our elders," Zhou Ting said.
For some reason, ever since we met at the hotel yesterday, Zhou Ting has been absent-minded, as if he's thinking about something.
Xia Mingzhao had been worried since last month that Xia Mian would disrupt his engagement ceremony. Recently, he had been unable to eat or sleep properly.
Last night, his anxiety reached its peak, and he didn't sleep a wink. Now he really wants his boyfriend to talk to him.
"Never mind, maybe it's because of work pressure lately," Xia Mingzhao thought silently.
Suddenly, the hall fell silent as the guests craned their necks to look outside. Xia Mingzhao followed suit and saw the man strolling towards them.
He was in his early thirties, extremely tall, and wore only a black silk shirt on his upper body, the hem of which was tucked into his suit trousers along his waistline, outlining his tight waist and back.
His features were deep-set, possessing a mature and handsome beauty, and he held a deer antler staff in his hand.
Due to family feuds, Zhou Pingchuan, the head of the Zhou family, suffered a slight leg disability and usually likes to use a deer antler cane.
The head of the Zhou family... actually came!
The guests whispered among themselves:
"Mingzhao is so lucky. Even Jay Chou came to congratulate her on her engagement."
"My God, the head of the Zhou family is so young and so handsome."
"What's wrong with being young? He presided over the acquisition of Yue Lai right after graduating from university at the age of 22. At 25, he used Wanhua Capital's shell company to list the subsidiary directly on NASDAQ. At 27, he won his third Outstanding Youth Award. In recent years, he has been behind the construction of several economic development zones. He has the courage and the skills. For someone like him, age is not a standard for measuring ability."
"Of course I know he's amazing. It's precisely because he's amazing that I didn't expect him to be so young and good-looking... Anyway, he seems to be single. You guys should hurry up and ask him for his contact information."
"There are so many unmarried socialites and heiresses in Beijing's elite circles, it's probably not even our turn..."
Zhou Ting's father—the eldest son of the Zhou family—had already vacated the seat of honor for Zhou Pingchuan and was waiting beside him at the moment.
Zhou Pingchuan embodied the word "indifference" to the extreme. After taking his seat, he slowly and deliberately spoke: "Brother, congratulations."
Boss Zhou, who had kept a straight face since he appeared, responded with a smile.
As soon as he sat down, the Zhou family relatives crowded around the main table, vying to squeeze into the crowd and offer him a toast, hoping to make an impression on the patriarch who rarely appeared in public.
What should have been a proper engagement banquet turned into a pilgrimage for the Zhou family, while the Xia family was forbidden from saying anything—if they had the chance, they would have liked to exchange a few words with the Zhou family patriarch.
The Zhou family, being a prominent and respected clan, were well-mannered and observed proper etiquette. After a round of toasts, they all returned to their seats. The host, invited from Beijing and Taiwan, then took the stage.
The engagement party—and so it begins.
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