As the City Lord of Wanzhou, Li Shen's every move was closely watched. Therefore, before the banquet began, Li Shen did not appear directly but observed the event from backstage at the hotel. He had begun observing the guests as soon as the banquet started, intending to select a suitable successor. A gentleman is cautious when alone, so one's true caliber might not be revealed in public. Thus, it was crucial to observe people when they were alone, as this offered the closest glimpse of their true selves.
The hall was equipped with numerous surveillance cameras, allowing observation from various angles. Li Shen nodded repeatedly as he saw many young talents from Wanzhou on the screens. These youths were all excellent, handsome, possessed an air of luxury, and, most importantly, were locals of Wanzhou. He felt assured that his daughter would not be bullied if she were to be entrusted to any of them.
"Hmm, who is this person here? Did I invite him?" Just then, Li Shen spotted a young man in a corner, eating and drinking with abandon, not even wearing a suit and behaving crudely. He immediately became annoyed.
"Quickly go find my third uncle! Hurry! Honestly, he was in charge of welcoming guests, and he made such a huge mistake!" Li Shen said angrily.
Upon hearing the City Lord's command, his subordinates dared not delay and immediately fetched the hotel's manager from the entrance to the backstage monitoring room.
"Third Uncle, I have always regarded you as an elder and entrusted you with most of the family's affairs. But now, how could you do something like this? Look at this slovenly man; how could you let him into the banquet? You know, this banquet is being held for Lili's sake. Letting someone like this in is not only embarrassing for us but also a disgrace!" Li Shen began to reprimand his third uncle as soon as he saw him.
The third uncle felt wronged at this moment and quickly replied, "Li Shen, why would I harm you? It's just that this person is not simple. He is an ability user, and he's from the Qinghong Gang!"
There wasn't a single ability user in Wanzhou City. Although there were over a thousand soldiers, they were insignificant in the face of a powerful ability user!
"Since he's an ability user, why didn't you tell me earlier? I should have gone to greet him personally!" Upon hearing that the other party was an ability user, Li Shen's attitude immediately changed. He had previously wanted to kick the scruffy young man out, but now he was prepared to flatter him.
The third uncle quickly said, "I asked just now. He only wanted to enter the banquet to eat; he wasn't here to see the young lady. His destination is Yuzhou, so I didn't inform you about this matter!"
"Even if he's just passing through, he shouldn't be treated carelessly. If we offend them, it will surely bring disaster to Wanzhou. Without further ado, I will go and warmly entertain him immediately. We absolutely cannot let anyone provoke him!" Li Shen said earnestly.
However, at this moment, the man who had been eating and drinking in the corner seemed to sense something. He suddenly raised his head, looked at the camera in the corner of the hall, and then placed his index finger on his lips, making a "shushing" gesture. His true face was revealed, instantly stunning everyone in the monitoring room.
When Li Shen saw the young man's true face, he was shocked. "Isn't this the City Lord? How did he get here?"
"Li Shen, this doesn't seem right. I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before. I remember now, he is..." At this moment, the third uncle also recalled this, and a look of horror appeared on his face.
"Third Uncle, don't say anything else!" Li Shen shouted sternly.
Next, Li Shen looked at the others in the monitoring room and threatened them severely, "All of you, shut up. Whatever you've seen today, do not speak of it without my permission. Hand over your phones!"
Li Shen had never expected someone he never thought of to appear. Wasn't the legendary Shen Feng already dead? His body was said to have sunk into the Yangtze River, and no trace was ever found. Yet, now, Shen Feng was standing before him. This was something he could never have imagined.
Li Shen was unsure if the people at the banquet were real or not. But whether they were real or fake, he couldn't afford to offend them. He felt uneasy, wondering how he should handle the situation if this was indeed the true City Lord of Yuzhou.
"What should we do? Should I go and admit my mistake now? But if I do, Shen Feng's identity will be exposed. This is so worrying!" Li Shen was unsure of Shen Feng's intentions or how he had appeared, and he didn't know how to handle the situation.
Li Shen began to doubt himself, muttering, "Could it be that the City Lord never died? He recently heard about the danger in Yuzhou and couldn't help but reveal himself? Or is this a fake?"
The people in the monitoring room could not answer this question. They were also completely unaware of why the City Lord had appeared here. At this point, it was the third uncle who offered a suggestion: "Since we can't figure it out now, why don't we ask the Half-Immortal? How about letting him divine a hex?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go find the Half-Immortal. The Half-Immortal can definitely give me advice. I'll go right away. Third Uncle, I'll leave this place to you. You preside over the meeting first, and I'll be back soon!" Li Shen, reminded by his third uncle, suddenly had a realization. Since he didn't know what to do at the moment, the only option was to consult the Half-Immortal, who could at least provide some advice!
Li Shen immediately set off, his face wearing a solemn expression, leaving through the hotel's back door.
Third Uncle, Li Mo, also clearly did not expect Li Shen to entrust the banquet to him. Not knowing how to support the meeting, he could only think of delaying. After all, the purpose of tonight's banquet was to select a husband for Li Zhenli, and it was unlikely to offend the City Lord. As long as he could delay until Li Shen returned, it would be fine.
After much thought, Li Mo quietly went backstage and said to the chefs and service staff, "Immediately prepare more delicacies and send them to the man in the northeast corner. Also, no matter what you see, do not spread rumors!"
After speaking, Li Mo entered the banquet hall. Most of the guests had arrived, and it was time to start the banquet.
Upon entering the hall, Li Mo immediately walked onto the stage and addressed everyone, "Distinguished guests, thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this banquet. I am deeply grateful. Today's banquet is to celebrate the fifteenth birthday of the City Lord's beloved daughter, Li Zhenli. Furthermore, it is also an opportunity to meet the young talents of Wanzhou. As you are all young people, it would be best if you could find common ground!"
As Li Mo began to speak, the gazes of everyone in the banquet hall were immediately drawn to him. Clearly, they all attached great importance to the content of the banquet. The so-called meeting was merely a polite term. Who didn't know that City Lord Li Shen had no sons, only a precious daughter? In this era, marriage did not have to wait until one was in their twenties; marriage at fourteen or fifteen was permissible, especially given the current sparse population, and the marriage age had been relaxed.
"Butler, why don't we see the City Lord here?" someone suddenly asked, puzzled.
Upon hearing this question, Li Mo smiled and replied, "The City Lord cannot appear at the moment. Originally, the City Lord was supposed to preside over the banquet, but he suddenly had important official business to attend to, which is why he left for a moment. However, do not worry, the City Lord will be here shortly. Perhaps everyone could meet the young lady first!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was immediately diverted. Many had never seen Li Zhenli's face. The outside world was too dangerous, so Li Shen, to protect his daughter, had kept her confined at home, forbidding her from going out casually. Even when she occasionally went out, he would dispatch numerous bodyguards for protection.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng, with his back to the banquet guests, remained inconspicuous in a corner, eating various delicacies while listening to the sounds from the banquet. He knew his identity had been exposed; it was an intuition. After discovering he was being spied upon, Shen Feng immediately made a shushing gesture towards the camera, believing that the other party would understand his intentions.
After Li Mo finished speaking, he immediately sent someone to fetch the young lady from upstairs. The waiter promptly complied and went to the room above the hotel to find Li Zhenli, who had already finished dressing.
Li Zhenli was dissatisfied with her father's decision. Not only had she been kept hidden at home for protection for the past two years, unable to go out, but this public selection of a husband had been done entirely without her consent. Li Zhenli was forced to attend the banquet, a practice that was purely a political marriage, devoid of any freedom.
Li Zhenli had decided that on her fifteenth birthday, she would break free from her father's control. Ideally, she would cause the banquet to descend into chaos, thus nullifying the forced marriage.
Li Zhenli, wearing an off-the-shoulder evening gown, slowly descended from upstairs. As she reached the stage, she immediately captured everyone's attention. Almost all eyes were on her as she walked slowly. Her steps were light as she ascended the stage. Despite being only fifteen, she had already blossomed into a graceful and elegant young lady, her every movement captivating.
Even the older men present looked on with surprise. They believed that even if the City Lord's daughter were an ugly woman, their sons should still marry her. However, upon seeing her in person, they realized she was a maiden as pure as a water lily, with no concerns about her appearance.
The young men at the banquet blushed furiously. They had never imagined that the protagonist of this banquet would be so beautiful. Merely looking at her smooth arms and shoulders exposed to view already sparked their imaginations.
The married young men also regretted not marrying later, wondering if they too could have participated in this matchmaking event.
"Young lady, please say something. These are all the uncles and elders of Wanzhou. Their presence at your banquet shows their high regard for you!" Li Mo quickly said to his grandniece.
Li Zhenli nodded, took the microphone, and said softly, "I am deeply honored that all the uncles and elders could grace Lili's birthday banquet with their presence. We have never met in public before. Now, being able to know you all is a rare opportunity for me. Moreover, there are many brothers and sisters at the banquet with whom I haven't had the chance to connect. It would be good to get closer in the future."
These words were met with immediate praise from everyone. The guests in the banquet hall began to applaud. Although the young lady on stage was young, her speech was dignified and graceful. This demeanor was particularly pleasing; she was neither overbearing nor overly subservient.
"The young lady truly has a majestic bearing. In my opinion, you are truly the City Lord's cherished daughter!"
"Who wouldn't envy such a gentle and lovely young lady? You young fellows should learn more about how to conduct yourselves from the young lady."
A group of people quickly began to flatter her. Although they felt Li Zhenli's speech was rather ordinary and that she was merely performing as expected, this did not prevent their effusive praise. Under their adulation, Li Zhenli was immediately elevated to a status of being rarely seen on earth, with many saccharine words being showered upon her.
Li Zhenli, being young, found herself somewhat overwhelmed by the barrage of flattery and was momentarily at a loss for words.
At this point, Li Mo stepped in to smooth things over. The most important role of a host was to use words to drive the banquet forward. The rhythm of the banquet was entirely in the hands of the host.
"Distinguished guests, actually, the young lady has always been studying poetry. Perhaps you could all showcase your talents and see if you can engage in an academic exchange with the young lady? This is also a form of interaction, isn't it?" Li Mo said with a smile.