At the 20th birthday party of Lin Xiao's rich second-generation friend, Wei Changfeng was invited to sing.
The girl's surname was Shen, and her father and Lin Xiao's father, Lin Haitao, were business friends. Unlike Lin's father, who started from scratch and succeeded in business, the Shen family was a well-established family that had been wealthy for three generations. It was said that they were impacted during the Cultural Revolution, but after the Cultural Revolution, most of their assets were returned to them, and now they were a truly wealthy family with a grand and imposing presence.
The girl's birthday party was a grand affair, attracting many local celebrities and stars to perform.
It is said that her family originally planned to celebrate her 18th birthday in a big way, but she was studying abroad at the time and was having too much fun to come back to China, so there was no big celebration. This time, she came back to China to make up for the regret of that time.
Lin Xiao and she met through their parents' relationship and got along well. However, the girl was outgoing and enthusiastic by nature, while Lin Xiao was low-key and aloof, so they couldn't be considered particularly close friends.
Lin Xiao gifted Ms. Chen a limited-edition handbag, which made her very happy. At the time, this bag had a long waiting list in China, so Lin Xiao had put a lot of thought into it. The girl knew this, which is why she cherished it so much.
The host of the birthday party was a leading lady from the provincial TV station, and several of the other performing guests were popular celebrities.
It's said that they're also planning to invite a Korean singer. The Korean side has already made arrangements, and the Korean management company is very satisfied with the price offered by the Chinese side.
The ban on Korean entertainment was already in effect at the time. Although there was no public statement, the application process for various foreign artists to enter the country for performances had basically been halted.
Because the Shen family is very wealthy in the area, and Miss Shen's birthday party was extremely high-profile, it attracted attention and people demanded that all performers complete the relevant procedures, even if it was not a commercial performance. As a result, the Korean singer was unable to attend.
It was at this star-studded birthday party that Lin Xiao met Wei Changfeng for the first time.
He was tall and thin, very fair-skinned, and looked a bit more youthful than he does now.
She was dressed in a well-fitting dark suit and had the trendy Korean-style wavy hair of the time. She sang very seriously on stage, but seemed to be quite unfamiliar with interacting with the audience.
The older women at the table started gossiping while listening to the music, saying that the Shen family had really spared no expense in giving their daughter a belated coming-of-age ceremony, and that the cost of hiring celebrities alone must have exceeded 20 million.
"So many?" Lin Xiao was also surprised.
She didn't voice her surprise, but a girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "Aunt Hong, do you know how much these celebrities charge for their appearances? I heard that the Shen family hired a team of florists from Beijing who have won international awards to do the venue setup. The flowers alone cost more than 2 million yuan, not including the cost of hiring the master."
The person known as "Aunt Hong" must be quite close to the Shen family; she seems to be very well-informed.
She just pursed her lips and said, "It's not like it's a young lady's wedding, why make such a fuss? Even her grandfather's 90th birthday wasn't this grand."
Although Aunt Hong's tone was somewhat disdainful, what she said was partly true. Miss Shen's birthday party was indeed decorated in an extravagant way, like a top-tier wedding venue.
Then one or two women at the table, whose names Lin Xiao couldn't recall at all, started to chime in.
Lin Xiao's stepmother and sister were also sitting nearby. At this moment, the stepmother interjected, "It's not just a simple birthday celebration, it's probably about finding Miss Shen her true love. Sister Hong, look at the scale of today's event, all the decent families in the province have sent people to attend, and many of them have had their sons personally deliver their congratulatory gifts."
The girl who had just asked the question seemed to have suddenly realized something: "Oh, I understand now, this is basically a large-scale matchmaking event for a wealthy family!"
Lin Xiao turned his head and looked at the girl who was a few years younger than him. She spoke without restraint and saw through everything. He found her to be cute and interesting.
She didn't know the girl, but since she was a guest of honor at the Shen family's house today, her family background and circumstances should be similar.
As she watched Wei Changfeng sing on stage, she wondered about the little girl's background. Suddenly, she heard her stepmother say to her younger sister, "Xiaoxue, when you graduate, ask Dad to throw you a birthday party like this too, and find a good husband for our Xue'er."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoxue suddenly raised her eyebrows and glanced at Lin Xiao.
The stepmother noticed her daughter's gaze and said unhurriedly, "I'll get it done for your sister first, then for you. There's no rush, our Xue'er is still young."
Lin Xue pouted and snuggled into her mother's arms, saying coquettishly, "My sister doesn't need any. She has Jinglin brother alone, why would she need another ideal husband?"
Seeing the mother and daughter so affectionately entwined together in such a lively setting, Lin Xiao felt a sense of desolation.
Her mother had been away from home for several years, and although she occasionally sent greetings, the feeling of being separated by vast distances contrasted sharply with the conjoined mother and daughter before her.
This feeling of being stabbed in the heart made her ignore the obvious jealousy in her sister Lin Xue's tone and her inexplicable obsession with Feng Jinglin.
On stage, Wei Changfeng's voice pulled her back to reality from her painful past. His gentle singing was like a feather brushing against her troubled heart.
Lin Xiao looked up at the stage. Wei Changfeng, who was singing, was focused on his performance. He was tall and slender, and even from a distance, he could be seen to be a very handsome boy.
Aunt Hong raised her chin and gestured to the crowd: "Do you all recognize this celebrity? He was hired from Beijing for 2 million yuan to sing two songs."
Lin Xiao's eyes widened. She rarely showed such a shocked expression, but she couldn't help but be taken aback when she heard the price and what it entailed.
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