Liu Xinyao glanced at Fan Zijian and Yu Haohan, and said calmly,
"He is my classmate, Chen Yang."
Classmate? A huge question mark rose in both Fan Zijian and Yu Haohan's minds.
Chen Yang looked at the two playboys he knew very well from his past life with a faint smile. He could tell from their expressions that these two had relapsed into their old habit of "relying on their fathers' connections." Of course, in the eyes of those playboys, this was perfectly normal; Chen Yang himself had this trait to some extent in his past life.
This is reality. My grandfather is a national leader, your father is just a minister, so you have to behave yourself in front of me. This is the simple yet realistic unspoken rule of the playboy circle.
Sure enough, Fan Zijian's face broke into an overly enthusiastic smile. He pulled out a business card and handed it to Chen Yang, saying,
"Hello, Mr. Fang, I'm Fan Zijian. This is my business card."
Unlike other spoiled brats, Fan Zijian rarely mentioned his father's name in front of others. This wasn't out of modesty, but rather extreme confidence, even arrogance. In Beijing, the name Fan Zijian was a golden brand. Who didn't know he had a father who was the Executive Vice Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and a grandfather who was a founding father of the People's Republic of China? Introducing his family name to everyone he met would only make him lose his composure.
Chen Yang took the business card, glanced at it symbolically, and casually put it away, saying indifferently,
"Brother Fan, I've heard so much about you!"
Fan Zijian immediately felt a little smug. Although this oddly dressed Fang was somewhat unfamiliar, he immediately recognized his family ranking, so he must be someone in the industry! Fan Zijian, with a slightly insincere smile, asked:
"Mr. Fang, you're Xinyao's classmate, so you must be from Southeast Province, right? May I ask which leader your father is in Southeast Province?"
As he asked this, Fan Zijian's mind was racing. He'd never heard of a leader surnamed Fang in Southeast Province! Of course, Fang Hongda was an exception; this Chen Yang couldn't possibly be from the Fang family, otherwise Fan Zijian wouldn't be unfamiliar with him.
"Third Brother Fan, you misunderstand. My father passed away a long time ago!" Chen Yang said calmly.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Fan Zijian showed a hint of apology, but at the same time, he suddenly realized that it must be his mother who was a provincial leader. He had been searching for leaders surnamed Fang, of course, to no avail. Fan Zijian then began to think about which female leaders existed in Southeast Province.
Chen Yang saw through Fan Zijian's thoughts and, before he could ask again, said directly:
"My mother isn't some leader, just an ordinary vegetable farmer living in a small county town in Southeast Province. Brother Fan, if there's nothing else, I'll go in first!"
Fan Zijian and Yu Haohan couldn't help but show expressions of utter surprise. Liu Xinyao remained noncommittal about Chen Yang's words; judging from her expression, this young man surnamed Fang didn't seem to be lying, and judging from his bizarre attire, he certainly didn't seem like the child of some high-ranking official.
While the two were still stunned, Chen Yang nodded slightly in greeting, gave Liu Xinyao a wink, and the two walked side by side into the house.
After a long pause, Fan Zijian finally came to his senses, turned to look at Yu Haohan, and said,
"Do you know this kid?"
Yu Haohan shook his head somewhat blankly, then said,
"He doesn't seem to be lying. He might really just be an ordinary farm boy. Third Brother, look at how he's dressed; he doesn't look like someone from our circle at all."
Yu Haohan paused, then guessed,
"Third Brother, do you think this kid might be Liu Xinyao's boyfriend? Otherwise, there's no way to explain him appearing at a banquet like this!"
Fan Zijian said decisively,
"Impossible. Liu Xinyao has never been polite to men. Besides, even if she had a boyfriend, she wouldn't bring him out so openly, especially someone like this. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the Liu family elders?"
"Third Brother is right!" Yu Haohan agreed. "Third Brother, that's not necessarily true!" Qu Yi, who had been watching the drama unfold, said with a grin. "That Miss Liu seems like a very strong-willed person. Maybe she likes this poor boy? But if she brings that pretty boy to the banquet, then there'll be a good show!"
Qu Yi's words carried a hint of schadenfreude. As the saying goes, like repels like, and Qu Yi felt a subtle hostility towards Liu Xinyao from the first moment she saw her. Perhaps she sensed Fan Zijian's deeply hidden desire to conquer, which made her feel threatened! However, she was just an ordinary artist, and compared to Liu Xinyao, their status was far too different. She didn't dare to do anything in front of Liu Xinyao, so after she left, Qu Yi began to make sarcastic remarks.
"You know nothing!" Fan Zijian glared at Qu Yi mercilessly, emphasizing, "Don't say anything out of line when you go inside! Be careful what you say!"
Fan Zijian gave Qu Yi a timely warning. Ever since sleeping with him, this girl had slowly become a bit too carried away, harboring ambitions of becoming the young mistress of the Fan family, and showing great interest in family gossip.
But she didn't seem to realize that the dignified Third Brother Fan wouldn't have a real relationship with an actress. Fan Zijian had played around with countless minor stars like her before; once the novelty wore off, he'd just give them a sum of money and be done with it!
Qu Yi, scolded by Fan Zijian, immediately lowered her head and dared not speak again, but her hands tightened around Fan Zijian's arm, her soft breasts pressed tightly against his, a sight that stirred a lustful desire within Yu Haohan.
Fan Zijian gently patted Qu Yi's hand in comfort; a slap followed by a sweet treat was one of his usual tactic.
Then, smiling, he said to Yu Haohan,
"Let's go in too! Let's see who this mysterious classmate Fang really is!"
…
The first three courtyards of the Xu family mansion had been transformed into a banquet hall. The entire banquet was primarily a Western-style buffet. The courtyards had been newly decorated, adorned with many festive ornaments. Long tables were laden with a dazzling array of desserts and main courses, and beautiful champagne towers were scattered throughout.
Elegantly dressed guests chatted quietly, holding wine glasses, while elegant waitresses in red cheongsams moved among the crowd, ready to serve the VIPs.
This banquet was organized by C, the most famous Rose Rendezvous Celebration Company in Beijing. Their expertise was undeniable; they had perfectly combined the rich classical style of the old mansion with the Western-style buffet, creating a harmonious and seamless experience. However, both the bright red decorations and the waitresses in fiery red cheongsams created an illusion, making the scene feel more like a wedding banquet than a birthday party.
In reality, this was a deliberate arrangement by the Xu family.
In the north room of the third courtyard, Xu Qingya, dressed in a pearl-white evening gown, looked even more charming. Her beautiful pearl-embroidered headdress and crystal-clear jade earrings perfectly accentuated her elegance. However, Xu Qingya sat alone in front of her dressing table, gazing at her beautiful reflection in the mirror, a hint of worry on her face.
Today was her 24th birthday, a day that should have been joyous, but Xu Qingya was far from happy. Fan Zihong had also received an invitation and flown back from Rongcheng to attend the banquet. Normally, Xu Qingya wouldn't have objected too much to Fan Zihong's attendance as her nominal fiancé, but she had been informed that her father would announce her engagement to Fan Zihong at the birthday party.
Despite Xu Qingya's objections, the Xu family disregarded her feelings and proceeded with her marriage arrangements without hesitation. This time, they didn't even consult her before setting the wedding date for a month later.
A feeling of helplessness washed over Xu Qingya. No matter how much she insisted, she felt overwhelmed by the pressure from her powerful family. She had countless times fantasized about a peerless hero appearing to rescue her from this quagmire of trouble.
These past two days, whenever she thought of this, Chen Yang's image would involuntarily appear in Xu Qingya's mind. She remembered that day under the highway embankment, Chen Yang's broad back and warm smile, the sense of security she felt from being protected—it was still vivid in her memory. Chen Yang… could he save me?
Soon, Xu Qingya gave a bitter smile. Facing the two behemoths of the Fan and Xu political families, let alone Chen Yang, a penniless student, even the heads of other smaller families couldn't do it! Thinking of this, Xu Qingya couldn't help but sigh softly, gazing at her reflection in the mirror with self-pity.
When Chen Yang followed Liu Xinyao into the courtyard, he also keenly sensed the strange atmosphere. Seeing the bright red decorations everywhere, and even the soft, romantic piano music playing from the speakers, Chen Yang's brows furrowed slightly.
"Sit here for a while, I'll go see my cousin!" Liu Xinyao led Chen Yang to a corner, told him, and then left.
Liu Xinyao also knew about the engagement announcement. She and Xu Qingya were of one mind, so she was also very downcast. After bringing Chen Yang in, she left him aside and went to be with Xu Qingya.
Chen Yang sat alone in a corner, his brows furrowed in thought. He vaguely guessed the Xu family's intention in holding such a grand birthday banquet. Chen Yang absolutely could not allow this to happen. Once the Xu family announced Xu Qingya's engagement, stopping the marriage would become even more difficult.
Large families value their reputation; to take back a promise made would be a blatant embarrassment.
But how could he stop the Xu family from announcing the marriage at today's banquet? After much thought, he realized he could only try to influence the relationship between the two families, but Chen Yang couldn't find an effective breakthrough.
The Xu family had always been politically neutral, neither favoring the Fan nor the Fang family. However, this high-profile marriage alliance clearly indicated they were leaning towards the Fan family. Chen Yang couldn't accept this outcome, neither from a personal perspective nor from the Fang family's point of view.
Chen Yang racked his brains, recalling the past between the Fan and Xu families from his previous life, hoping to find useful information to sow discord between them. He didn't want to turn the two families against each other, but at least he wanted to put the marriage alliance on hold.
Just then, a sudden voice rang in his ears:
"Mr. Fang, why are you sitting here alone? Everyone else is over there, why don't you come and chat with them?"