As time went on, guests began to arrive one after another.
Lin Meizhu put on a warm smile and, despite Yun Xiyue's reluctance, pulled her to stand at the main entrance of the villa to personally greet the guests.
Most of the guests were her superficial friends from her socialite circle, as well as some Yun Family relatives.
While she forced a smile and dealt with the polite greetings of these relatives, she kept craning her neck and looking expectantly towards the road outside the villa's main gate.
Her heart was filled with a mix of excitement and anxiety, like someone waiting for lottery results!
"Young Master Lu... will he really come?"
"He wouldn't have forgotten about our family, would he?"
"I knew I should have sent Young Master Lu a few photos of my daughter!"
And what about our "god of war live-in son-in-law" Su Yang?
He was sent to the kitchen by his mother-in-law, bustling with activity, without even a chance to show his face in the living room.
Su Yang, however, didn't care about this at all.
While skillfully preparing the tableware, he pricked up his ears, carefully listening to the sounds from outside.
At this moment, his heart was also filled with anticipation!
He was looking forward to the arrival of that man, to change his status in the Yun Family!
...While the Yun Family members harbored their own thoughts but were equally anxious, a rolls-royce phantom, like an emperor in the dark night, slowly stopped at the Yun Family's entrance!
The car door was respectfully opened by the driver.
Immediately after!
A tall, slender figure, like a prince, slowly stepped out under the incredulous gazes of all the guests!
The person who arrived was Lu Cheng!
He simply stood there, but the powerful aura he exuded, as if innate, instantly brought the previously somewhat noisy Yun Family Villa to complete silence.
All the guests' gazes involuntarily converged on him!
"Is this the Young Master Lu from the Lu Family, the legendary Lu Cheng?"
"I think I've seen him in the news!"
"How could he condescend to come to the Yun Family's birthday banquet?"
"Lin Meizhu, what incredible luck did she have? To actually be able to invite such a powerful figure?"
"It's over! I was just saying that Yun Zhenxiong's broken factory was about to go bankrupt! Now I've really offended the Yun Family badly. Zhenxiong, my brother! If you ever get rich, please don't forget your third uncle!"
...In the kitchen.
Su Yang, who had been listening intently to the sounds from outside, felt his long-suppressed and somewhat numb heart suddenly pound when he heard the uncontrollable gasps of surprise from the hall.
He's here!
The distinguished guest he invited had arrived.
He cautiously peeked out through the crack in the kitchen door.
When he saw the figure who had descended like a king, surrounded by the guests as if they were stars orbiting the moon—
Yes, it was him!
Young Master Lu, Lu Cheng!
He believed that his hard days, his in-laws' constant criticism, and Xi Xi's perpetually furrowed brows due to family difficulties!
All of it would finally end today with the arrival of this man.
"That favor was indeed useful!"
"With his appearance and support, the Yun Family's crisis will be easily resolved!"
"Xi Xi, I can finally let you see with your own eyes that I, Su Yang, am not a good-for-nothing!"
Just as Su Yang was filled with excitement, in the center of the crowd, Lu Cheng was also searching for the god of war live-in son-in-law.
Lu Cheng's eyes pierced through the crowd, sweeping towards the kitchen.
His gaze met Su Yang's expectant eyes with precise accuracy!
The moment their eyes met, a meaningful smile appeared on Lu Cheng's lips, and he even nodded slightly towards the figure in the kitchen.
This signal completely put Su Yang at ease!
...After the initial shock and ecstasy, Lin Meizhu immediately became as energetic as if she had been injected with a stimulant.
She grabbed her daughter Yun Xiyue's hand and rushed forward without hesitation!
Her face was plastered with a fawning smile.
"Young Master Lu! Your esteemed presence truly makes our humble abode shine with brilliance and glory!"
"Xi Xi! Xi Xi, why are you still standing there? Hurry and greet Young Master Lu! This is Lu Cheng, Young Master Lu, whom I mentioned to you before!"
Yun Xiyue was dragged by her mother like a chick, forcefully brought before Lu Cheng, feeling an unprecedented sense of embarrassment and helplessness.
Although she was deeply awed by Lu Cheng's handsome appearance and the seemingly innate charisma he possessed,
deep down, she felt an instinctive resistance and disgust towards her mother's blatant act of'selling her daughter.'
She simply nodded politely at the man in front of her.
"Young... Young Master Lu, hello."
Mom, what exactly does she want to do?
Although he is indeed very handsome... but I am already married.
Mom, this is really not good... Lin Meizhu completely ignored her daughter's expression.
She continued to 'promote' her precious daughter to Lu Cheng, speaking endlessly!
And, after a round of flattery, she very naturally mentioned a small problem her daughter was currently facing at work.
"Young Master Lu, our Xi Xi is currently a new media business supervisor at an internet company."
"Sigh, to put it plainly, she manages internet celebrities and streamers. It sounds quite fashionable, but in reality, the performance pressure is terrifyingly high!"
"Recently, their company's performance hasn't been good either, and they're laying off people every day, which makes our Xi Xi look worried all the time."
As she spoke, she kept nudging her daughter with her elbow, forcefully winking at her, urging her to quickly take the initiative, tell Young Master Lu about her difficulties, and seek the help of a benefactor.
If Yun Xiyue could still make excuses for her mother just now,
now, she completely understood!
Her mother's elaborate dressing up today, and the grand birthday banquet she organized,
the ultimate goal was not to celebrate her birthday at all!
But rather, it was truly to make her curry favor, to please, and even to sell herself!
Her heart was instantly filled with intense struggle.
On one hand, there was her dignity as an independent, modern professional woman who had received higher education, which could not be violated.
And on the other hand... there was the cruel reality of the Yun Family's impending complete bankruptcy, and her mother's words telling her to abandon Su Yang and marry into a wealthy family.
"Do I really have to beg a stranger for the sake of my family?"
"But if I don't do this, my father's lifelong efforts will truly be completely ruined."
...Lu Cheng watched Lin Meizhu's undisguised small actions and Yun Xiyue's fluctuating expression.
He did not respond immediately; instead, he was more like a chess player in control of everything, scrutinizing and evaluating the pieces before him with great interest.