"Qingya, happy birthday!"
"Miss Xu, may you have many happy returns of the day!"
"Sister Qingya, you look so beautiful today! Like a bride!"
The young people, unlike the officials who were so formal and reserved, immediately livened up the atmosphere. However, some people were tactless, bringing up sensitive topics, which made Xu Qingya's face darken slightly.
She mechanically accepted the gifts, offered a perfunctory thank you, and casually handed them to the waiter behind her.
These scions of wealthy families were all very generous. Giving a low-class gift on such an occasion would be a huge loss of face. Besides, spending tens or hundreds of thousands on a gift not only made them look good but also helped them cultivate a good relationship with the Xu family—it was a very worthwhile deal.
Fan Zijian gifted her a pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets. The jade was extremely white and delicate, smooth and lustrous, with a solid texture and an oily sheen, occasionally adorned with a touch of delicate sugar-colored hue. They were undoubtedly top-quality mutton-fat jade bracelets, easily worth three to five hundred thousand yuan.
Qu Yi, standing beside him, felt a pang of envy. She had been with Fan Zijian for some time, practically pandering to him in bed, serving him exceptionally well, even tolerating his somewhat perverse fetishes. Yet, even so, Fan Zijian had never given her such precious jewelry!
Yu Haohan was equally generous, gifting her a Vacheron Constantin ladies' watch, naturally also quite valuable.
Others presented gifts such as jewelry, jade, and handbags, turning the banquet into a veritable luxury goods exhibition. Xu Qingya, receiving birthday gifts worth millions, felt no joy whatsoever. Seeing everyone's smiling faces and the grand scale of the banquet, her heart felt like a stagnant pool.
At this moment, Fan Zihong straightened his already perfectly wrinkle-free suit and walked up to Xu Qingya with a smug smile. Everyone knew Fan Zihong was Xu Qingya's fiancé, so they all made way for him. Fan Zihong pulled a car key tied with a red ribbon from his pocket and handed it to Xu Qingya with a beaming smile, saying:
"Qingya, happy birthday! Three months ago, I personally went to Italy and had this Ferrari custom-made for you as a birthday present!"
The guests immediately gasped in amazement. The exorbitant price of Ferrari sports cars was well-known, and the custom-made car service was a top-tier service offered exclusively to the elite. Customers could make many personalized requests, and Ferrari would fulfill them all.
To paraphrase Ferrari's slogan, everyone has a red horse in their heart, and what we can do is perfectly turn that red horse in your heart into reality! Of course, enjoying a certain level of service comes with a price. Because many components cannot be mass-produced and even require handcrafting, the price of a custom sports car is exorbitantly high.
Fan Zihong's extravagant gesture astonished everyone, while many female guests cast envious and jealous glances at Xu Qingya, the absolute star of the banquet.
Xu Qingya's expression grew even colder, showing no intention of accepting the gift. She simply said:
"Young Master Fan! Your gift is too valuable; I cannot accept it!"
Fan Zihong's face darkened slightly at being rejected by Xu Qingya in front of so many people, but he quickly forced a smile and said:
"Qingya, you're being too polite. What kind of relationship do we have? Giving you a car is nothing!"
Xu Qingya lowered her eyelids and didn't respond, creating an awkward silence. At this moment, Xu Zhiyuan, standing next to Xu Qingya, said in a low voice:
"Qingya, so many people are watching, don't be stubborn..."
Xu Qingya bit her lower lip, standing there stubbornly, while Fan Zihong's hand holding the car keys was still stubbornly extended in front of her. Even the guests attending the banquet in the distance noticed something was amiss. Seeing this, Liu Xinyao stepped forward and took the car keys, saying:
"Young Master Fan, I'll accept them on behalf of my cousin..."
Fan Zihong's face turned very ugly; he felt embarrassed that Xu Qingya had publicly humiliated him. Seeing that his uncouth cousin seemed about to act recklessly, Fan Zijian quickly stepped in to smooth things over:
"Zihong, look at the expensive gift you prepared! You've scared Qingya half to death! Haha! Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd already sent out betrothal gifts!"
Although Fan Zihong was Fan Zijian's cousin, Fan Zijian didn't think much of this good-for-nothing who only knew how to play around with women, and never called him cousin. Today, for the sake of the family's interests, he had no choice but to step in and smooth things over, while also subtly reminding Fan Zihong not to lose sight of the bigger picture.
The other scions of prominent families also began to flatter him.
"Young Master Fan is truly remarkable! Impressive!"
"Haha! Second Brother's gift is worth more than all of our gifts combined! Truly a man of great stature!"
...
Fan Zihong, hearing Fan Zijian's words, felt a chill run down his spine. Hearing everyone's praise, his face finally returned to its smug smile, as if Xu Qingya's rejection of him had never happened. Xu Zhiyuan, standing beside him, breathed a slight sigh of relief, but couldn't help giving Xu Qingya a deep look, his eyes containing a hint of warning.
At this moment, Chen Yang squeezed to the front. Ignoring Fan Zihong's unfriendly gaze, he walked straight to Xu Qingya and the others, first politely nodding to Xu Zhiyuan and saying:
"Mayor Xu, hello!"
Xu Zhiyuan was slightly taken aback, not recognizing the ordinary-looking young man before him. Whose son was this, dressed like this to attend the banquet, and greeting him so abruptly? Seeing this, Xu Qingya quickly said,
"Dad, this is Chen Yang."
Xu Zhiyuan suddenly realized, remembering how he had spontaneously suggested a few days ago that Xu Qingya invite Chen Yang to a banquet. After all, this young man had saved Xu Qingya's life, so he put on a friendly smile and said,
"You must be Xiao Fang! Hello! Qingya was in an accident on the highway last time, and it was all thanks to you! I've been wanting to thank you in person, but I've been too busy with official duties, so I had Qingya invite you to Beijing. Thank you, Xiao Fang!"
Chen Yang smiled and said,
"Mayor Xu, you're too kind! Anyone in that situation would have saved Qingya without hesitation."
Xu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, saying nothing more. For the mayor of Beijing to personally thank Chen Yang was already giving him ample face. As a ministerial-level official, he couldn't keep talking to a young man indefinitely! It wouldn't be good if the Fan family misunderstood. After Chen Yang finished speaking, he turned directly to Xu Qingya, took out his gift box, handed it to her, and said with a smile, "Qingya, it's your birthday today, you must be happy!"
Seeing Chen Yang's bright smile, Xu Qingya's heart warmed, and her agitated state instantly calmed down. She reached out and took the gift box, revealing a sincere smile, and said, "Thank you, Chen Yang!"
Fan Zihong, standing to the side, was filled with jealousy. Xu Qingya had been looking gloomy ever since she came out, even forcing a smile when receiving the gift. But Chen Yang's smile was so genuine; there was definitely something fishy going on!
"Oh! Mr. Fang's gift is quite unique!" Qu Yi, who had just been snubbed, seized the opportunity when she saw the simply wrapped gift box Chen Yang had given out and immediately made a sarcastic remark. The guests present all turned their attention to the unassuming Chen Yang, their gazes tinged with disdain. Everyone there was wealthy and powerful; their birthday gifts were all worth at least 100,000 yuan. The gift box Chen Yang presented was clearly worthless, and his attempt to conceal it only made things worse.
Chen Yang, however, completely ignored the mocking and disdainful looks and said calmly,
"This gift is quite special. I believe Qingya will like it."
Yu Haohan chuckled and urged,
"Really? Qingya, why don't you open it right now? Let us all see Mr. Fang's special gift! What do you all think?"
"Yes! Miss Xu, just open it!"
"Yes! Qingya! We all want to see it!"
The scions of wealthy families, always eager for a good stir, joined in the jeering as soon as Yu Haohan started.
Xu Qingya hesitated. She knew Chen Yang came from an ordinary family and couldn't afford many gifts. Besides, a birthday gift was just a token of friendship; she didn't want Chen Yang to become a tool for comparison or ridicule.
Honestly, whatever Chen Yang gave her was far more precious than Fan Zihong's custom sports car.
Friendship is about sincerity, not money!
Chen Yang immediately saw Xu Qingya's protective intentions and felt a warmth in his heart. He smiled and said,
"It's okay, Qingya, just open it and see! I promise you'll like it."
Xu Qingya looked at Chen Yang, seeing affirmation and encouragement in his eyes, and nodded, gently tearing open the gift box.
Xu Qingya secretly resolved that whatever the gift was inside, she would appear genuinely delighted and not hurt Chen Yang's pride.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the gift box in Xu Qingya's hands, holding their breath. Xu Qingya unwrapped it slowly, further fueling everyone's curiosity. Finally, the wrapping paper was completely torn open, revealing the cardboard box inside.
Xu Qingya gently lifted the lid of the box, and the gift inside was fully exposed to everyone's view…