Chapter 431  : Birthday Banquet, Large-scale Blind Date Scene

Duan Linbai wanted to settle the score with Xu Jiamu. After eating lunch at the Jing residence, he drove straight to the Medical University. But he heard that she had left with the professor to attend a seminar.

She really ran away.

If not for the fact that Old Master Fu’s birthday banquet was soon, with his petty temper, he would have definitely chased after her.

***

This month, the two most discussed matters in the capital were the Qiao family’s Jade Hall of Spring’s plagiarism incident and Old Master Fu’s 80th birthday.

During this season, the scent of ginkgo and cinnamon was strong.

The birthday banquet was held in an international hotel in the capital. It was said to be a grand affair, but the number of invited guests was still very limited. Those who were invited naturally felt very proud.

The hotel was brightly lit, and there was a beautiful champagne glass tower. Even though it was late autumn, the female guests were all wearing exquisite evening gowns and exquisite makeup. The men were mostly dressed in suits and leather shoes. Everyone was chatting happily.

Those who could attend the Fu family’s birthday banquet were naturally the more prestigious people in the capital. But there were also many of Old Master Fu’s old acquaintances and subordinates, who were mostly ordinary people.

In addition to inviting a small band to perform, the Fu family had also rented a large hall and specially invited a few famous actors from the Pear Garden to perform Beijing opera. It was very lively.

The Fu family gave all kinds of gifts, but Old Master Fu didn’t lack anything. When he heard the blessings of his children and grandchildren and saw that his family was full, he was naturally happy.

Duan Linbai gave him a white jade tea set, which was very precious.

“You’re giving this, but I won’t be able to bear drinking tea with it,” Old Master Fu said with a smile.

“What’s there to be reluctant about? If you like it, the next time I see something similar, I’ll give it to you.”

Duan Linbai and Fu Chen had grown up together, so he was naturally close to the Fu family. Even if he didn’t give anything, Old Master Fu was happy that he could come.

“Are your parents here?”

“Yes, they’re talking to people in the front hall.” Duan Linbai found a seat, sat down, and munched on the melon seeds on the tea tray.

“Why don’t you go play?”

“Why would I go there? People will keep introducing me to their daughters, granddaughters, and nieces. If I go there, they’ll eat me up.” Duan Linbai was speechless.

Old Master Fu smiled and took a sip of tea. “Sinian and Little Yu aren’t here yet?”

“I just called. He said they’ll be here soon.” Uncle Zhong stayed by Old Master Fu’s side to serve him all the time. Old Madam Fu was an opera fan and was watching the performance in the side hall. Dai Yunqing and Sun Qionghua were both busy greeting guests.

“What about Third Son?”

“He went to pick up the Qiao family. Old Master, you asked Third Master to pick them up personally. Your memory…” Uncle Zhong smiled.

“I’ve been busy and forgot.”

Duan Linbai lowered his head and munched on the melon seeds.?This old man shouldn’t know about Third Fu and Little Sister-in-Law, right? He even helped them once.

Fu Chen had just brought the Qiao family and Yan Wangchuan to the hotel.

Old Master Qiao’s second disciple, Tang Wangjin, and his daughter had already taken a flight back to M Nation the day before yesterday. After all, they had no relationship with the Fu family, so they didn’t join in the fun.

Qiao Xiyan was sitting in the front passenger seat and chatting with Fu Chen.

In the back row, Song Fengwan had Yan Wangchuan on her left and Qiao Wangbei on her right, looking like they were guarding her. Fu Chen even had to think twice before speaking to her.

But seeing her like this made him feel much more at ease. At the very least, those people with ideas about her at the birthday banquet wouldn’t dare to approach her easily.

Although it was a birthday banquet, most people came to expand their connections. Most of them wanted to establish or consolidate their relationships through marriages. Therefore, unmarried bachelors like Fu Chen and Duan Linbai became the focus of many people’s attention.

Few people dared to have ideas about Fu Chen.

This was because everyone said that Third Master Fu looked kind on the outside but was ruthless on the inside. Moreover, he was devoted to Buddhism, so he ate vegetarian food and didn’t get close to women at all. All the rumors said that Third Master Fu might become a monk in the future. There were even some who directly said…

He didn’t like women at all!

Moreover, Fu Chen had a strange temper, and Fu Sinian already had someone in his heart.

This made Duan Linbai even more popular. The moment the Duan parents appeared, they were surrounded by many people. After exchanging pleasantries, they all asked about Duan Linbai’s recent situation.

“Our Linbai’s personality is rambunctious, and he can’t calm down for a while. He might not have any plans to get married yet.” Mrs. Duan smiled bitterly.

“It’s alright. My niece just came back from overseas. She also studies music, and she’s twenty-four years old this year, so she must have a lot of common topics with him. The two of them can become friends.”

“Yes, they can interact with each other first. Young people nowadays have a lot of thoughts, and many people don’t want to get married. This is very normal.”

“I have a niece who works at a bank. She’s very beautiful…”

How was this a birthday banquet? This was simply a large-scale blind date scene.

Duan Linbai really couldn’t stand this, so he went to Old Master Fu’s place to hide and get some peace. His place was full of old colleagues and old comrades. Some old men sat together to reminisce about the past and talk about the war-torn times. Duan Linbai listened with relish.

And the most anticipated person was Song Fengwan.

“… Old Master Qiao only has one daughter. Who wouldn’t want to marry such a granddaughter?”

“The two elders of the Fu family are quite good at judging people. They had already decided on an engagement between this girl and Second Master’s Fu Yuxiu early on. But this brat didn’t live up to their expectations and actually dumped her. I think the Qiao family won’t be nice to him when they come later.”

“Her stepfather is Yan Wangchuan, and her current status is really precious.”

“The main reason is that Yan Wangchuan treats her well. If someone marries her in the future, the Yan family will be a great help.”

“It’s still unknown if her mother is going to give birth to a boy or a girl. If a girl is born, we can’t wait for her to grow up either. Everyone who brings their sons and grandsons here tonight has their eyes on his family.”

…

Because Song Fengwan had been in the limelight a while ago, before she even arrived, there were already many discussions about it. In an instant, she had stolen all the limelight from the capital’s female socialites.

Naturally, she also attracted many jealous gazes.

“Cousin, I heard from Auntie that Song Fengwan is very ill-mannered. She actually used a knife to scare people. These people are used to acting pragmatically. When they saw the Qiao family rise, they swarmed over.

“When I was watching TV, I didn’t think that girl was very good-looking. She’s not even one-tenth as good-looking as you, Cousin.

“Who would want a girl that is so domineering?”

…

“She is indeed beautiful and capable. In some aspects, I’m not as good as her.” The person called cousin was the eldest miss of the He family, He Shiqing.

Although the Fu family and the He family didn’t have many interactions and had some old grudges, they didn’t show it on the surface. So they still invited her family over.

“How are you not as good as her? Besides, it’s already embarrassing for her engagement to be broken off. If it were me, I wouldn’t even dare to go out.”

“Don’t say such things!” He Shiqing scolded in a low voice. “What if someone with ulterior motives hears you?”

“I’m telling the truth. Fu Yuxiu is here too. If the two of them meet later, it’ll be so awkward. She can’t even keep a man. I really can’t tell what’s so good about her.

“These people are just praising her and making her look better.”

“He Xi!” He Shiqing frowned, clearly displeased.

He Shiqing’s father originally had two brothers. But one of them had died in the war, and the other had died from cancer. His wife had suffered a massive hemorrhage during childbirth, leaving their only child, He Xi, without parents.

She didn’t have her biological parents to discipline her, and Old Madam He doted on her a lot, so it was inconvenient for others to reprimand and restrain her. Thus, her personality was naturally arrogant and willful.

“Fine, I won’t talk about her anymore.” He Xi pursed her lips, feeling indignant.

Many young ladies and socialites around them heard what she said and naturally had different thoughts in their hearts.

At this moment, there was a commotion at the door. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. The first thing they saw was Yan Wangchuan and Qiao Wangbei walking side by side. One of them looked extremely cold, and the other was thin and harsh. It seemed exceptionally difficult to get close to them, so no one dared to go forward to greet them.

“Mr. Yan, Mr. Qiao!” Fu Shinan and his wife saw them and greeted them with a smile. “My father is at the back. I’ll lead you there.”

“Thank you,” Qiao Wangbei thanked.

Following closely behind them were Song Fengwan and Qiao Xiyan. Fu Chen had gone to park the car and would enter the venue through the back door, as he had no intention of passing through the hall.

Although it was called a birthday banquet, it was actually not a banquet. Song Fengwan was dressed relatively simply in a simple pink dress with a matching dress jacket. At her age, even without makeup, she still exuded a youthful aura.

His phoenix eyes were glittering. Even though she didn’t say anything, it seemed as though she was flirting.

Qiao Xiyan was walking beside her. He had phoenix eyes and thin lips, and he was wearing a black trench coat. He had an outstanding aura and didn’t speak or smile. He looked extremely unapproachable.

“That’s Song Fengwan! She’s beautiful!” someone exclaimed.

“Cousin, is the one beside her the young master of the Qiao family?” He Xi’s eyes landed on Qiao Xiyan and couldn’t move away. She liked any good-looking man. She was very fickle and promiscuous.

Just now, she had been shouting about wanting to see Duan Linbai.

He Shiqing sneered..?You like Qiao Xiyan? You have good taste, but he might not like you.