Chapter 229: Steering with the Wind
At the mere mention of a connection to Xiao Ye, smiles immediately spread across the men's faces.
One of them stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Hello. You must be Miss Chu and Mr. Huo, right?"
"I'm from the He Family. Say, you've been with Mr. Xiao for a while now. He'd probably agree to a partnership if you brought it up, wouldn't he?"
Chu Yan offered a polite smile. "We wouldn't know. We may work for Mr. Xiao, but we never ask more than we need to."
The man's expression showed he understood. "In that case, how about this? Why don't we cooperate first?"
'If I can get on good terms with the Xiao Family, a Hidden Clan, by going through the Chu and Huo Families, that would be perfect.'
'If it doesn't work the first time, I'll try a second. I'll succeed eventually.'
Chu Yan and Huo Wenhao exchanged a glance and both took a step back in unison.
"Sir, if you're trying to build a connection with Mr. Xiao, then I'm afraid we can't help you."
Xiao Ye was always exceptionally good to his own people. If Chu Yan and Huo Wenhao were to actually ask, he would surely agree to help.
But they had no intention of wasting such a valuable favor on a shameless opportunist like the man before them.
The expressions of the men from Shanghai darkened.
Yuan Tiancheng immediately tried to smooth things over. "Miss Chu, that's not what he meant. Please, don't misunderstand, and more importantly, don't mention this to Mr. Xiao."
"Yes! Don't tell Mr. Xiao!"
The man finally snapped back to his senses.
He had been furious a moment ago, ready to make a threat after being so bluntly rejected by Chu Yan and Huo Wenhao.
But Yuan Tiancheng's words made him instantly lose his nerve.
'What if these two really report me?'
Just then, the gift announcer's voice rang out again from outside.
"From the Ouyang Family of the Imperial City, a set of heirloom jewelry, valued at two hundred million!"
The entire hall erupted in shock.
"From the Fifth Clan of the Imperial City, a sports car, valued at one hundred and seventy million!"
"From the Zhu Family of the Imperial City, a plot of land on the Third Ring Road, valued at... one billion!"
BANG!
Someone's wine glass had fallen to the floor.
Everyone stared blankly toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
They had never imagined the great families of the Imperial City would send such extravagant gifts!
This wasn't one million, or even ten million—it was one billion!
The Ouyang Family was willing to offer so much because Ouyang Di had previously offended Xiao Ye; this was their apology.
The Fifth Clan, on the other hand, simply wanted to build a good relationship with Xiao Ye.
After the incident at the racetrack, the rough-and-tumble members of the Fifth Clan had come to greatly admire Xiao Ye.
'A man who is not only a formidable fighter but also intelligent is definitely someone worth befriending.'
'Even if it later turned out Xiao Ye wasn't worth the investment, they wouldn't have to worry about the loss being too great.'
Relationships between the great families had always been sustained by mutual benefit.
Since the Fifth Clan had made such a grand, public gesture by sending such an expensive gift, the Xiao Family would have to find an opportunity to return the favor.
To do otherwise would be a huge loss of face; word would get out, and people would criticize the Xiao Family behind their backs.
The gift announcements had just ended, but before the crowd could even catch their breath...
...they began anew!
"From the Maurice Clan of Country Y, a famous painting, valued at eighty million!"
"From the Furo Clan of Country E, a pair of luxury watches, valued at seventy million!"
"From the Jin Family of Country H, a golden Buddha statue, valued at twenty million!"
"From the Kawashima Clan of Country R, a pair of koi, valued at twenty million!"
The guests had thought they would no longer be surprised by any amount of money announced.
But this was no longer about the money!
It was about the givers themselves—they were from the Royal Families of various nations, and world-famous ones at that!
Following the announcement, a group of beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed women entered.
They were dressed in dazzling, expensive haute couture evening gowns.
"They're actually foreigners! It looks like the announcements were real!"
"I just snapped a picture and searched it online. The one in the middle is from the Maurice Clan! There are pictures of her online from an interview; she's the real deal!"
"Just who is this Xiao Ye? To have even foreign families come to congratulate him... it's just... too unbelievable!"
Even the Ouyang Family and the Fifth Clan were astonished.
They were also Hidden Clans, and arguably more powerful than the Xiao Family, yet no matter how significant their own events were, they had never had these foreign nobles visit in person to deliver gifts.
Yet for Xiao Ye's mere engagement—not even his wedding—they had come in person!
The two families exchanged a look, their expressions unreadable. Only they knew what was going through their minds.
The banquet hall was abuzz with chatter as everyone discussed the gift announcements.
Unlike the men, who were focused on the implications of power and profit, the women in the room were one and all green with envy.
"How did that Lin Chuyue get so lucky? Marrying an incredible man like Xiao Ye!"
"Exactly! Besides her looks, what makes Lin Chuyue worthy of Xiao Ye?"
"Lin Chuyue must have known his true identity all along. I refuse to believe she'd have willingly stayed with a pauper!"
They had all conveniently forgotten how they themselves had once slandered Xiao Ye and ridiculed Lin Chuyue.
They had even mocked Lin Aoshan, saying he was pushing his own granddaughter into ruin.
The time was approaching eleven o'clock.
Finally, Xiao Ye appeared.
All eyes immediately turned to him, and for a moment, the hall fell silent.
Xiao Ye smiled faintly. "Everyone, welcome to the engagement ceremony for Lin Chuyue and me."
Because they were in Jiangcheng, the engagement ceremony followed local customs.
Only the groom-to-be would be out greeting guests; the bride-to-be would not make her appearance until the ceremony began.
Xiao Ye had already made all the arrangements; all that was left was to seat the guests.
The seating was arranged according to the power of the families. The Hidden Clans, like the Ouyang Family, were naturally seated at the first table closest to the stage, on the left-hand side.
From ancient times, the left has always been the side of honor.
The other top-tier families were seated on the right.
It was an honor for them to be seated on the same level as the Hidden Clans.
Although the Ouyang Family had some reservations, feeling the other families were unworthy, they said nothing since it was Xiao Ye's arrangement.
Only after the guests from the Imperial City were seated was it Shanghai's turn.
While Shanghai was wealthy, it still fell short when compared to the Imperial City.
Power was more important than money.
With power, money would naturally come to you.
But with only money, you had to use it to pay tribute to others and were still forced to obey them.
Once all the guests were seated, the master of ceremonies took the stage.
Lin Aoshan walked onto the stage wearing a Tang suit, his face beaming. "Everyone! I will be presiding over today's engagement banquet!"
Thunderous applause erupted from below the stage.
Lin Aoshan was clearly overjoyed. His face was glowing, and his voice boomed with even more vigor.
"Everyone, before the ceremony begins, I'd like to say a few words. My granddaughter Chuyue and Xiao Ye were actually betrothed to each other as children."
"For them to find their way to each other is fate. It was destined by the heavens!"
"The two of them are in love, and that is what's most important. I believe they will surely find happiness together!"
"And now, let the engagement ceremony begin!"