Chapter 228: The Engagement Banquet
Only three days remained until Xiao Ye and Lin Chuyue's engagement ceremony.
To ensure everything went smoothly, Lin Chuyue handed off her work in advance, allowing her to focus entirely on preparations for the engagement party.
It was the same for Xiao Ye.
The custom-made dress from the Imperial City had arrived.
Because it was just an engagement, the style was relatively simple.
It was strapless on top, with a high front slit and a train in the back.
Xiao Ye also had a white suit, and their outfits were a perfect match.
「Three days later.」
Jiangcheng Haoting Hotel.
This was the most luxurious hotel in all of Jiangcheng.
The entire hotel had been completely cleared out, exclusively hosting guests for the engagement party.
The engagement party was being held on the top floor, directly accessible by elevator.
The venue had been decorated according to Lin Chuyue's preferences, with pristine white roses blanketing the entire hall in a magnificent, dreamlike display.
A champagne tower stood ready, looking like a scene from paradise amidst the lights and mist.
In a room off to the side of the banquet hall, Lin Chuyue sat while a professional styling team flown in from the Imperial City did her makeup.
Lin Chuyue looked at her reflection in the mirror, very satisfied. "By the way, is Xiao Ye back yet?"
"Not yet. Mr. Xiao probably won't be coming in. He needs to greet the arriving guests."
Although the party was being held in Jiangcheng, the guests came from far beyond the city.
Starting from the day before yesterday, private jets had been steadily landing in Jiangcheng.
The high-end suites in the city's hotels had been filled overnight, and when those ran out, the later arrivals had to settle for luxury suites.
Lin Chuyue wasn't angry. "Many important people are attending this time, so it's only right for him to greet them. You all keep an eye on what's happening outside."
"Don't forget to let me know when it's my turn to make an appearance. I'm going to rest for a bit."
She was so nervous last night that she'd barely slept, and having to get up early this morning for all the preparations had left her completely exhausted.
"Of course, Miss Lin. Please get some rest. The ceremony won't start for a while."
Lin Chuyue nodded. To avoid messing up her styling, she could only lean back carefully in her chair, and she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Outside the top-floor banquet hall was a simple lounge area.
It was now packed with people.
At 10:15, the doors to the banquet hall finally opened, and the crowd streamed inside.
The first to arrive were, of course, the people from Jiangcheng; the true heavyweights always saved their entrance for last.
Staff at the entrance were responsible for registration. All engagement gifts had to be inspected before being passed to Xiao Ye's men.
They were then loaded into armored cars waiting outside to be transported back to the Lin Family's estate.
The banquet hall quickly filled with a lively buzz.
"It seems like only people from Jiangcheng are here. Where are the people from the Imperial City?"
"What do you know? The ceremony starts at eleven. It's only a little after ten now. They won't show up until 10:30 at the earliest!"
"Oh, right. I heard that gifts worth over ten million will be announced publicly. Is that true?"
"Of course, it's true. It's a tradition at Jiangcheng engagement parties, meant to show respect to the guests who give such generous gifts."
"But they haven't started announcing any yet, so I guess no one has given a gift worth more than ten million."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A loud voice called out from the entrance.
"The Chu Family of South City presents a pair of Jade Guanyin and Jade Buddha statues, valued at fifty million!"
The crowd was stunned.
"Holy shit, fifty million!"
"Isn't that Chu Yan's family, the Chu Family of South City? She's really splashing out!"
"The Chu Family already knew Xiao Ye, and now they've given such a huge gift. Looks like the Chu Family is about to rise."
The announcements continued.
"The Huo Family of Bai City presents a 'Many Sons' jade carving, valued at seventy million!"
The hall fell silent in an instant.
First a fifty-million gift, and now a seventy-million one.
That's over a hundred million combined!
Forget everything else—the Lin Family is going to skyrocket today from the gifts alone!
The crowd couldn't suppress their jealousy. "This Lin Chuyue is so damn lucky."
"No kidding. If I'd known how capable Xiao Ye was, I would've snagged him for myself back in the day!"
"Oh, give me a break. You're not as beautiful as Lin Chuyue. Don't forget, she's known as the number one beauty of Jiangcheng!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chu Yan and Huo Wenhao walked into the banquet hall together.
In a small place like Jiangcheng, they were considered major figures, but at a party of this scale, they were hardly considered top-tier.
So, both of them knew their place. They didn't try to find Xiao Ye and instead found a quiet corner to themselves.
Chu Yan shot Huo Wenhao a glare. "We agreed before that we'd both give a fifty-million gift, but you ended up giving seventy million!"
Huo Wenhao chuckled. "All's fair in love and war. You can't trust the words of a businessman. I've one-upped you this time. Maybe Master Xiao will like me more now!"
Their bickering was overheard by people nearby.
'They were even more astonished. Even people like them are sincerely trying to curry favor... This Xiao Ye is the real deal!'
After another moment, the announcements began again.
"The Yuan Family of Shanghai presents a pair of Golden Boy and Jade Maiden statues, valued at one hundred million!"
"The Xu Family of Shanghai presents a jewelry set, valued at thirty million!"
"The He Family of Shanghai presents sixty-six gold bars, valued at forty million!"
...
The string of announcements plunged the banquet hall into a stunned silence.
It wasn't until long after the voice had faded that they snapped back to their senses.
"Good heavens, how much is all that? Raking in hundreds of millions at a single engagement party... Is this the power and prestige of a major clan?"
"These are all true, great families from Shanghai. Any single one of them could buy all of Jiangcheng outright. I can't believe they all actually came today!"
Aside from the Yuan Family, the other great families from Shanghai didn't have much of a connection with Xiao Ye personally. However, that didn't mean they had no relationship with the Xiao Family of the Imperial City.
They had come this time not only to maintain that relationship but also to see for themselves just who this legendary Xiao Ye was.
He had actually taken charge of the Xiao Family—a Hidden Clan! The families of Shanghai were simply not in the same league.
It would be even better if they could take this opportunity to build a good relationship with the Xiao Family.
The lively atmosphere returned to the banquet hall.
The members of the great Shanghai families clustered together, showing no intention of mingling with the other guests.
If not for Xiao Ye, they would never have come to a small place like Jiangcheng. It was simply beneath them.
Yuan Tiancheng soon found Chu Yan and Huo Wenhao. He didn't mind doing them a small favor.
He beckoned them over. "Come, let me make some introductions."
"This is Chu Yan, the Patriarch of the Chu Family from South City, and this is the Huo Family from Bai City."
The people from the Shanghai families looked at the pair, their smiles not reaching their eyes. If it weren't for Yuan Tiancheng's sake, they wouldn't have even deigned to acknowledge them, let alone shake their hands.
Yuan Tiancheng, of course, noticed this, so he added, "These two are friends of Mr. Xiao."
"In fact, they've been by Mr. Xiao's side for a long time. Ever since he came down from the mountain, they're the ones who have been handling his affairs."