Chapter 191: Chapter 183 Consecutive Face Slapping
At this moment, everyone finally came to their senses. When they looked at Elder Xia, their gazes were different. Most of those present were elite members of high society, and many were descendants of distinguished families. At this time, they were all making calls to report to their elders at home.
The news of Secretary Hua Muyun attending Elder Xia’s eightieth birthday spread among the Yanjing elite within five minutes. Those who previously dismissed the Xia Family now had to take them seriously. Some even rushed over upon hearing the banquet hadn’t started yet, more than a dozen people stronger than the Xia Family both in business and politics, but with Hua Muyun’s arrival, their attitudes towards the Xia Family changed instantly.
Unless you’re at that level, you wouldn’t understand the terror of the Hua Family. In Yanjing, whether in business, politics, or even the military, the Hua Family is undoubtedly Yanjing’s number one family. There’s even a rumor that Hua Muyun might transfer into the central government next year, potentially ascending to the very top.
Such a figure coming to the Xia Family, along with Elder Chen, represents Yanjing’s two most powerful families. Even if it’s just sitting for a while at the Xia Family, anyone who wants to move against them in the future would need to carefully consider their actions.
Wang Zhantian and Wang Zhanting, the brothers, reacted the quickest, wanting to take a few steps forward to greet Hua Muyun and Elder Chen. With Hua Muyun’s status and Elder Chen’s prestige, they absolutely couldn’t just stand there without a response.
Therefore, according to the principle of reciprocity, since the two major figures from the Wang Family moved to interact with Hua Muyun and Elder Chen, it’s proper for Hua Muyun and Elder Chen to first greet the Wang brothers.
Yet, what surprised everyone even more was that Hua Muyun and Elder Chen saw Xiao Lin standing on the right side of the hall chatting with Secretary Luo. Hua Muyun and Elder Chen came here to back Xiao Lin. Upon entering, they scanned the hall and naturally noticed Xiao Lin and Secretary Luo together. After briefly greeting Elder Xia, they went directly towards Xiao Lin and Secretary Luo.
Secretary Luo naturally wouldn’t dare to stand still waiting for Hua Muyun and Elder Chen to come over. Xiao Lin had that privilege; Secretary Luo did not. He quickly stepped forward to greet Elder Chen and Hua Muyun.
"Xiaoxue, Xiaoxue, wake up, wake up!" As he looked at Xia Xue’s stunned expression, Xiao Lin found Xia Xue even more adorable and pure.
The shock in Xia Xue’s heart was immense. Even she had only seen Hua Muyun on television, though she often encountered Elder Chen and had a slight rapport with him. Otherwise, Xia Xue wouldn’t have had such a comfortable life these past few years, until now when the Xia family’s business was struggling, and she was pushed by the family to marry into the Wang Family.
Awakening from her shock, Xia Xue looked at Xiao Lin, then glanced at Hua Muyun and Elder Chen, who were already walking towards them, hesitating a bit before saying, "Xiao Lin, shall we go up to greet Secretary Hua and Elder Chen?"
"Okay," Xiao Lin smiled and said, "But can you walk by yourself?"
Xia Xue’s cheeks flushed slightly, then she glared at Xiao Lin. This guy always brought up embarrassing subjects—wasn’t this meeting with Secretary Hua a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her? Such a high-ranking individual could only be seen on TV, and now he was walking toward her alongside Elder Chen; not greeting them just wouldn’t be polite.
"Hold onto me a bit," Xia Xue whispered, then held onto Xiao Lin’s arm, leaning half her body’s strength on it.
"If you can’t walk, then don’t. Why force yourself?" Xiao Lin didn’t feel it was inappropriate to not go up and greet at all.
As they spoke, Hua Muyun and Elder Chen had already arrived. Hua Muyun glanced at Xiao Lin and then at Xia Xue, smiling as he turned to Elder Chen and said, "Elder Chen, Xiao Lin and this young lady are simply a match made in heaven!"
"I think so too!" Elder Chen smiled and nodded.
These words made Xia Xue feel a bit embarrassed, nervous yet excited. With Hua Muyun and Elder Chen both speaking like this, it seemed they might be able to change her grandfather’s mind. She tightly gripped Xiao Lin’s hand.
However, these words sounded different to others. Everyone knew today was the engagement of Fatty Wang from the Wang Family and Xia Xue from the Xia Family. When Xiao Lin first appeared, everyone merely thought he was here to stir up trouble. It wasn’t until Qu Yongbo and Qu Haobo entered that they saw some capability to compare to the Wang Family.
But they wouldn’t have thought that such capability would be enough to marry Xia Xue of the Xia Family, as they all knew why the Xia Family was anxious for an alliance with the Wang Family. Besides, the Wang Family’s foundation in Yanjing far exceeded that of the Qu Family—their strength was clear to anyone.
But now, they truly felt the young man not only had such power but also had the backing to invite Hua Muyun and Elder Chen to support him. The realization hit them: Hua Muyun and Elder Chen came not for Elder Xia’s eightieth birthday but for the upcoming engagement with the Xia Family.
The Wang Family were merely passersby.
However, from the perspective of Elder Xia and the Xia Family, they were even more surprised and didn’t know what to do. It seemed that Hua Muyun and Elder Chen were invited by Xiao Lin, a feat which indicated that Xiao Lin’s background was anything but ordinary. After all, both Hua Muyun and Elder Chen held very high positions, especially Hua Muyun, who at less than fifty had already become the Secretary of the Yanjing Municipal Committee, a key official at the ministerial level. In the next election, he might advance even further. For such a junior to invite such figures, how extensive must his background be?
Moreover, they noticed that the young man was always supporting Xia Xue and showed no signs of going forward to greet Hua Muyun and Elder Chen. Instead, it was Hua Muyun and Elder Chen who smiled and went ahead to greet him.
However, the Wang Family was not to be underestimated either. Although they ranked last among the four great families in Yanjing, today Yanjing’s Chen Family and Sun Family’s influence had shifted away, leading to a decline in power. The Wang Family, on the other hand, was deeply rooted in Yanjing, wielding enormous power both in business and politics.
Currently, only the Wang Family was willing to help the Xia Family in their predicament. If Xia Xue got engaged to that young man, although his background was strong, would he be willing to invest in the Xia Family?
The Wang Family promised that as soon as Fatty Wang got engaged to Xia Xue, they would invest a lump sum of one billion yuan in Huaxia into the Xia Family’s new energy research institute within half a month, in exchange for only twenty percent of the shares. This would essentially double the twenty billion yuan that the Xia Family had invested over the years.
Although this was merely an increase on paper with no tangible results yet, it certainly looked better in the reports.
Elder Xia was anxious to the point of not knowing what to do. Yet, looking at his second son Xia Yusheng, he noticed a slightly proud and content smile on his face. Elder Xia, being a shrewd old man, immediately guessed that Xia Yusheng might have already known about today’s events. Otherwise, everyone else showed signs of nervousness, except for Xia Yusheng who was smiling proudly.
"Yusheng, what exactly is going on? Did you know about Xia Xue’s situation beforehand?" Elder Xia, without showing any emotion, walked up to Xia Yusheng and almost whispered the question to him.
Xia Yusheng didn’t hear clearly what Elder Xia was asking, but seeing him approach, he understood what he wanted to ask. After thinking for a moment, he replied in a very low voice: "Let Xiaoxue choose!"
Elder Xia wanted to ask more, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. Today’s events were completely beyond his expectations. Earlier, when entering the hall, he also saw Qu Haobo being taken away by several special police officers and caught a glimpse of Qu Yongbo leaving. Although he didn’t know the details of what was happening inside the hall, it was clear that Qu Yongbo had conceded.
And now, witnessing this scene, Elder Xia felt truly powerless. Today, although it was supposed to be his eightieth birthday, he wasn’t in control at all. One event after another happened, making it somewhat overwhelming, and it even felt like a drama playing out, leaving him unsure of what would happen next.
The hall was quiet, with only Hua Muyun, Elder Chen, Xia Xue, and Xiao Lin exchanging pleasantries. All eyes in the hall were focused on them.
Wang Zhantian and Wang Zhanting were uncertain whether to go up and greet Hua Muyun and Elder Chen or wait until they finished exchanging pleasantries with Xiao Lin before approaching.
No matter what kind of conflict there was with the Hua Family, etiquette should be followed. However, when Hua Muyun and Elder Chen entered, they didn’t look in their direction at all and headed straight to Xiao Lin, leaving Wang Zhantian and Wang Zhanting speechless.
Who exactly was this young man to have two major figures from Yanjing personally greet him?
And this momentum made the Wang Family sense danger. Initially, they didn’t take Xiao Lin seriously, but with the appearance of Hua Muyun and Elder Chen, the situation changed a bit.
"Xia Xue, this is Uncle Hua!" After introducing Xia Xue, Xiao Lin said to Hua Muyun, "Uncle Hua, are you satisfied now? My girlfriend, Xia Xue, wants to get engaged tonight, but there’s no officiant available. I wonder if Uncle Hua and Elder Chen could be our officiants on my side?"
"Sure, I agree!" Elder Chen smiled at the couple, feeling delighted. Not only had Xiao Lin helped him gradually cure his heart disease, but for Xia Xue’s sake as well, he certainly wanted to be the officiant. He even added, "When you get married, I can also be the witness!"
"If you don’t mind, I can too!" Hua Muyun smiled slightly.
Just before, the four people from the Wang Family were merely worried that this outcome would occur. However, at this moment, Hua Muyun and Elder Chen’s stance was already clear. Despite being the head of the family, Wang Zhantian was repeatedly slapped in the face. Even Buddha can roar like a lion, let alone Wang Zhantian?
"Our Wang Family also wishes to invite Secretary Hua and Elder Chen to serve as the witnesses to our engagement. I wonder if we have the honor!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian () to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)