Chapter 97.2 : Besides Keeping an Eye on Your Daughter, Be Careful Not to Play with Fire and Burn Yourself (Part 2)
"It's fine."
Lu Tianren changed the subject and introduced the man beside him to Tang Qingmo.
"Oh right, Young Master Tang, let me introduce you—this is the son of an old friend of my father. His name is Li Wei."
"Hello, Young Master Tang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Li Wei took out a business card and handed it over.
"Hello, Mr. Li."
After accepting the card, Tang Qingmo casually glanced at it. Seeing the words 'journalist' printed on it, he immediately understood—this man had been sent by Lu Rongsheng!
Then, noticing the small black object hidden among the fastenings of Li Wei's clothing, Tang Qingmo's smile instantly became warmer.
Tang Qingmo asked, "Mr. Li, is this your first time visiting the Liu family today?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd recommend checking out the pond outside, as well as the garden the Liu family maintains. They're great places to go alone—very comfortable for a stroll~"
Li Wei smiled. "…I'll consider it."
Lu Tianren: ...
They were all seasoned players—naturally, they understood what Tang Qingmo meant.
Only Lu Zhaozhao was still completely confused, her tone impatient.
"The banquet is about to start. Why would you tell someone to go to those places for no reason? That's so weird!"
Tang Qingmo replied slowly, "It's nothing. Just a recommendation."
Lu Zhaozhao was about to say more, but Li Wei immediately cut in.
"It seems Young Master Tang is quite familiar with the Liu family."
"More or less. I used to come here to see my fiancée," Tang Qingmo said with a smile.
Strictly speaking, every time the original owner came to the Liu residence, it was only to see Liu Ruyin. After being rejected, he would leave quickly, never truly learning the layout of the place.
The reason Tang Qingmo could now describe those areas so easily was simply because the system had provided him with a floor plan of the Liu residence!
As the three continued chatting, the lights in the hall suddenly went out.
Everyone looked toward the stage in surprise. Liu Xueye was holding a microphone, and the lights quickly converged on him.
"Everyone, thank you for attending the banquet hosted by the Liu family!"
...
Seeing that the banquet had officially begun, Tang Qingmo exchanged a brief farewell with Lu Tianren and the others before leaving.
Liu Xueye's speech was no different from any other banquet speech, and Tang Qingmo quickly grew bored.
But soon, Liu Xueye continued,
"Our Liu family is extremely honored to have obtained a research specimen, which we will publicly unveil to everyone in one hour!"
A research specimen…?
What a self-destructive choice of words!
"And today, we have also invited the Tang family, who maintains a close relationship with the Liu family, to attend this banquet!"
With that, Liu Xueye invited Tang Jianren up on stage to give a speech together.
They joked with each other about their children's engagement and business collaborations…
Unexpectedly, Liu Xueye did not call Tang Qingmo or Liu Ruyin onto the stage to publicly announce their status as an engaged couple.
Perhaps it had something to do with Liu Ruyin…
But none of that mattered to Tang Qingmo, because he noticed the hall was filled with hostile gazes directed at him.
Logically speaking, today was his first time attending a high-society banquet. Aside from the Tang, Liu, and Lu families, no one else should even recognize him!
Which meant those unfriendly looks were most likely a "gift" Liu Ruyin had prepared specifically for him.
Tang Qingmo glanced at Liu Xueye and Tang Jianren, who were still chatting animatedly on stage. Bai Hualian and Tang Ruoling had gone off to socialize on their own, completely forgetting his existence.
Thus, Tang Qingmo slightly curved his lips, turned around, and walked out of the banquet hall…
He arrived at the pond outside the Liu family estate.
The pond wasn't very deep, but the water still reached an adult man's waist.
Tang Qingmo looked over the surface of the water as if sightseeing, a handsome smile on his face.
But at that moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Isn't this my brother? Why aren't you inside?"
Tang Qingmo turned his head and saw Tang Xianxi standing there…
