The atmosphere at the scene suddenly froze.
Liu Changhe, who was rebuked, had his old face turn red, and because of his irritable mood, he had wanted to scold them a bit to assert his presence as an elder.
In his view, Yang Hao, the older man, was just the “new son-in-law” meeting family and friends for the first time. Since he was so much older than Chen Ruohan, he should have been courteous to their relatives. However, Yang gave him no face at all.
Niece Chen Ruohan was also chiming in on the side, which made him very passive. After all, she was right—what did her dating have to do with her second uncle-in-law!
“Ruohan, my dad is just looking out for you!”
“The age gap between you two is quite large, and my dad is worried about you being deceived. He has good intentions, yet you talk to him like this!”
Liu Yuanyuan stepped forward to defend her father.
“For my good?”
Chen Ruohan scoffed. Don’t assume the Little White Flower is always so frail and fragile. Her tough personality was shaped by her unique upbringing, and this Little White Flower, in fact, had thorns all over. She had long understood what her relatives’ attitudes towards her family were.
Therefore, whether it was her cousin Liu Yuanyuan or her second uncle-in-law Liu Changhe, in her heart, they were merely relatives by name.
“Some people just like to butt into other’s business under the pretext of being helpful or to satisfy some personal desire!”
“Keep that kind of help to yourself. I don’t need it!”
Chen Ruohan retorted with a cold face.
“That’s enough, let’s all say less.”
“It’s a joyful day; let’s not ruin the harmony.”
Her third uncle, Chen Maosheng, stepped in, trying to mediate the situation. He too thought it was rather outrageous that his niece had a boyfriend 16 years her senior.
But what Liu Changhe, the second brother-in-law, said was indeed too much. It’s inappropriate to talk like that upon first meeting.
“Ruohan, come sit by me.”
Chen Yali pointed to the chair next to her. She took good care of her cousin Chen Ruohan, occasionally visiting her at Jiangcheng Finance and Economics College. She had also just sent Chen Ruohan a message on Weixin asking if she was coming.
Chen Ruohan nodded, then pulled Yang Hao over to sit next to Chen Yali.
“Big brother, what kind of work do you do?”
Once Yang Hao was seated, Wang Shuai jovially made conversation and casually passed him a Hua cigarette.
He was quite interested in the older man who had won over Chen Ruohan.
“I run my own business,”
Since the man’s own Little White Flower hadn’t introduced him, Yang Hao gave a perfunctory response.
“Yang, this is my boyfriend, Wang Shuai.” Chen Yali introduced him from the side.
Yang Hao nodded slightly and greeted Wang Shuai.
“What kind of business do you run?”
“I’ll come support you if there’s a chance!” Wang Shuai asked cheerfully.
Liu Changhe and his daughter Liu Yuanyuan also perked up their ears. They were naturally curious about this man who was sixteen years older than Chen Ruohan, especially since there had been a displeasing encounter at first sight, they were eager to know the background of the man they had offended.
“I own a hot pot restaurant…”
Yang Hao deliberately started by mentioning the business with the smallest scale.
Relieved, the Liu father and daughter who had had an unpleasant exchange thought he was merely a small-time boss. He might have some money, but offending him didn’t seem like such a big deal!
“Big brother runs a restaurant? I used to have a barbecue shop. We’re kind of in the same line!”
Wang Shuai laughed as he exhaled a puff of smoke, thinking that since the other party was just a small-time owner, he might still have a chance to woo Chen Ruohan over.
Whether it was to make her an internet celebrity in his own company or to play some games with the unspoken rules, he felt there was an opportunity.
Just then, a burst of firecrackers sounded outside the hotel. Those chatting stopped and instinctively looked outside.
This banquet hall was on the ground floor, with a row of French windows on the left side allowing a clear view of the outside.
Once the smoke from the firecrackers cleared, a red Rolls-Royce Cullinan came into view, followed by two Mercedes and several Audi A6s.
“A red Cullinan!”
“It’s my first time seeing one in Jiangcheng!”
Wang Shuai exclaimed.
Liu Changhe, on the other hand, instinctively glanced at his niece Chen Ruohan. Part of the reason he had kept silent during her retorts was because he remembered what Chen Haiou said that morning.
His niece had greatly changed her status—she had signed with a major entertainment company and bought a luxury car like Rolls-Royce. Naturally, he had some apprehensions.
“Why is Aunty the one driving?”
Liu Yuanyuan muttered softly. She had gotten up late and came directly to the hotel, and it was only recently that her mother Chen Haiying had started to tell her a bit about Chen Ruohan’s situation.
But before she could finish, Chen Haiying had gone to help at the hotel entrance.
“Ruohan, why has Aunty become a chauffeur?”
Chen Yali asked curiously.
“My mom is helping by lending her car!” Chen Ruohan replied.
“What?”
Chen Yali was startled and asked, “Did Aunty borrow the car?”
“It’s my car,”
Chen Ruohan said, instinctively wrapping her arm around Yang Hao’s and resting her head on his shoulder, “It was a gift from my Uncle Yang!”
“What??”
Not just Chen Yali, but Liu Changhe, his daughter, and Wang Shuai were all shocked. Six pairs of eyes stared at Yang Hao.
If what Chen Ruohan said was true, then this man’s wealth could only be described as terrifying.
A casual gift to his girlfriend was a Rolls-Royce Cullinan of this caliber; his net worth must be in the billions!
“Big brother, aren’t you the owner of a hot pot restaurant?”
After a moment of stupor, Wang Shuai couldn’t help but ask.
The same question was on the minds of Liu’s family, who were both eagerly awaiting Yang Hao’s reply.
“Yes.”
Yang Hao nodded, “However, besides the hot pot restaurant, there are some other businesses.”
“Um, what kind of businesses?”
“Fitness centers, kindergartens, Jiangcheng Newspaper Group…”
“Wait a minute.”
“Jiangcheng Newspaper Group??”
When Wang Shuai heard about fitness centers and kindergartens, he was confused; although these businesses were numerous, it seemed unlikely that they could facilitate giving away a Cullinan, until he heard about the Jiangcheng Newspaper Group and it clicked.
“Are you the new boss of Jiangcheng Newspaper Group?”
Recently, Jiangcheng Newspaper Group had changed its president and had started paying attention to new media. The local media companies, who were already established, had initially scoffed at the move, as traditional media and new media operate differently.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Jiangcheng Newspaper Group’s new media operation had rapidly developed, now incubating the “Jiangcheng Observer” account with a fanbase of five million.
The presenter Li Manni also became a hot internet celebrity.
Only then did companies like Youhe Media, where Wang Shuai worked, realize that traditional media actually had inherent advantages when entering the new media industry, such as having excellent anchors.
The new media accounts of Jiangcheng Newspaper Group featured not only Li Manni but other presenters as well, each of whom had a high level of overall quality.
“I’m not exactly the boss.”
“Jiangcheng Newspaper Group belongs to the state; I’m just managing it!”
The government held fifty-one percent of shares in Jiangcheng Newspaper Group, so Yang Hao was entirely correct.
“Mr. Yang, you’re too modest!”
“Jiangcheng Newspaper Group listens to you, doesn’t it!”
Wang Shuai stood up from his seat, switching from calling him ‘Yang’ to ‘Mr. Yang’, his face plastered with a fawning smile.
As a department head at Youhe Media, he was nowhere near the same league as a big shot like Yang Hao.
Liu’s family, overhearing the conversation, were stunned!
The president of Jiangcheng Newspaper Group!
People of such status weren’t whom they could afford to offend!
But they already had!
Liu Yuanyuan, who had been searching for a job, was even more frustrated; she had interviewed for a position at the new media department of Jiangcheng Newspaper Group not long ago.
With the rapid expansion of its new media business, the new media department at Jiangcheng Newspaper Group had been hiring, offering very attractive salaries.
Liu Yuanyuan had passed the first round of interviews but got eliminated in the second round.
To fresh graduates like Liu Yuanyuan, a company with government backing like Jiangcheng Newspaper Group was the prime choice for employment. To most people, getting a job there was equivalent to securing an iron rice bowl!
So, when she passed the first round, Liu Yuanyuan was extremely excited and even started fantasizing about working at Jiangcheng Newspaper Group. However, the competition in the second round was fierce, and she didn’t make the cut.
She had been quite heartbroken over this for a while!
If she had a “brother-in-law” who was the president, getting into Jiangcheng Newspaper Group for work would have been a breeze!
At this moment, the bridegroom, bride, the contingent receiving relatives, and the bride’s family guests entered the banquet hall.
Zheng Qianqian was a local of Jiangcheng, and quite a few relatives and friends showed up, filling up the previously empty tables for the bride’s family.
Having completed their tasks, sisters Chen Haiou and Chen Haiying arrived at Yang Hao’s table.
“Yang, you’re here,” Chen Haiou waved to Yang Hao immediately, then took a seat next to him.
“Haiou, is this Ruohan’s boyfriend?” Chen Haiying asked curiously, looking at Yang Hao. She had heard from her sister that her niece, Chen Ruohan, would bring her boyfriend to the wedding.
And according to what her sister, Chen Haiou, implied, Ruohan’s boyfriend seemed to be quite wealthy, so Chen Haiying was speaking very politely.
What she didn’t know was that during the brief time she had been gone, her husband and daughter had already offended Mr. Yang.
“Yang, this is Ruohan’s second aunt,” Chen Haiou promptly introduced.
Yang Hao did not say anything, just nodded symbolically, which served as a greeting.
Chen Haiying thought he seemed rather aloof, but considering many wealthy people were like this, she kept a smile on her face, “Yang is really handsome and talented!”
“You’re truly a perfect match for our Ruohan. At closer look, you even share a resemblance to each other!”
Chen Haiying was someone who could bend or stand as required. Even though Yang Hao was rather cold, she remained very enthusiastic, even flattery ensued.
What she did not realize, however, was that her husband’s face had turned extremely sour, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
Liu Changhe had just criticized Yang Hao, implying that he was an old man getting involved with a younger woman without self-awareness.
Now his wife was fawning all over Yang Hao, which was almost like giving him a hard slap in the face!
“Second aunt, one can’t fault your appreciation!”
“I think so too; Mr. Yang and Ruohan really are a perfect match!” Wang Shuai immediately chimed in, not wanting to miss the opportunity to suck up.
And just then, there was a sudden commotion at the entrance of the banquet hall.
Immediately after, exclamations from guests could be heard.
“Damn, it’s Xiong Xiaoyan!!”
“It really is Xiong Xiaoyan!”
“My goodness, why is Bear here? She’s my idol!!”
“…”