It was one thing to be blatantly uncooperative, but they actually used this method to completely steal the limelight from Luan Yecha's return, leaving Luan Lizheng standing in the shadows with his cane, completely helpless.
Although he was angry, he couldn't bring himself to do something as undignified as yelling and interrupting the band's performance.
Luan Lizheng remained silent, and Luan Yecha was even more speechless, unsure of what to do. He could only stand beside the old man and whisper, "Grandpa, what should we do?"
Luan Lizheng's face was ashen, and he did not speak.
Luan Muqin, the second daughter of the Luan family, who only appeared on the second floor after a night of investigation, specially dragged her husband to wear gold and silver today, thinking that after so many years of forbearance, she finally had a chance to show her face.
In the past, Luan Lizheng would only look at Luan Muyin with respect. He doted on her, but only when she was a child. He never gave her any real power, nor did he ever groom her as his successor. Sure enough, he did not give her any real power in the company when she grew up.
This opportunity has finally come along after so many years.
But not only herself, even the son she raised had his limelight stolen. She stood at the top of the stairs in the dark, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked at the center of the dance floor.
In a discreet corner of the banquet hall, another interest group was also gathered.
With the Qin family at its core.
Qin Yuancheng, the second generation of the Qin family.
The male Omega was impeccably dressed and the object of everyone's flattery. Now, he stood by the table, holding a wine glass, and let out a hearty laugh.
"As expected of my sister's daughter, she's nothing like the rumors suggest. Perhaps those rumors were even spread by the Luan family themselves, trying to tarnish Ye Nan's reputation. Whatever happens, protect Ye Nan today, and don't let Luan Lizheng get away with it."
Standing next to him was a tall, handsome male Alpha.
Everyone knows that the eldest son of the Qin family has had two marriages. His first marriage was to a foreign husband he met while studying abroad. He was madly in love with him, but his husband tragically passed away while they were doing extreme sports together, leaving him all alone.
He hadn't been able to get over it for many years, and it wasn't until now that he found his second marriage.
I heard that her husband dotes on her a lot, and knowing that her family is wealthy, he offered to move in with her.
He hasn't made many public appearances in recent years; people only know his name is Ji Liangquan, but have never actually seen him.
I imagine it's the person sitting next to me right now.
Ji Liangquan pressed Qin Yuancheng's hand and said, "Yuancheng, drink less. If you drink too much, you'll only end up feeling bad."
Qin Yuancheng happily grasped Ji Liangquan's hand and said with a smile, "It's alright, I'm happy today, I won't be unhappy. Look how well this dance is performed, why don't we go up and do a bit too?"
Ji Liangquan simply held the person tightly in his arms, preventing him from moving, his eyes fixed on the stage: "The dance is beautiful, but it's too dangerous."
"I'm not drunk. It's just a dance. What danger could there be? It's fine to let Ye Nan meet his uncle. Over the years, our ancestors have come to terms with it. Even if the Luan family is unjust and heartless, Ye Nan is still our own bloodline..." Qin Yuancheng said, but he looked tired. He wasn't drunk, but he was already mostly confused.
He came here today just to watch the show. When he arrived at the banquet and saw Luan Muyin, he got angry. But he also knew that Luan Muyin had done her best to seek medical treatment for his sister.
Luan Lizheng is truly despicable; all he knows is kicking someone when they're down.
Today, however, he looked robust and radiant. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he drank.
Seeing the state of the person next to him, Ji Liangquan led him to sit down on the sofa next to him and made himself invisible.
The lively atmosphere of the banquet continued.
Luo Yun, in particular, was immediately intrigued when she saw Luan Yennan and Zuo Baixuan looking determined to cause trouble.
He quickly grabbed Zhang Wanjun: "If you don't drink, dancing is fine, right?"
"You've already got a goal in such a short time?" Zhang Wanjun seemed to have seen through Luo Yun's behavior and logic long ago.
Unexpectedly, Luo Yun smiled and pulled Zhang Wanjun towards the dance floor, saying, "Then I'll take that as a yes."
Caught off guard, Zhang Wanjun almost stumbled, but was caught by Luo Yun.
Seeing Zhang Wanjun, who was usually so composed and calm, looking so disheveled, Luo Yun couldn't help but laugh. However, her makeup was plain today, and even her laughter lacked its usual carefree charm.
Zhang Wanjun was quite tolerant: "You're planning to invite me? I can't dance."
"Don't pretend. I've seen you dance before. You just don't want to dance with me, right? You're my partner today. No one else would dare to invite you. You're dressed so beautifully. It would be a waste if you didn't dance." Luo Yun said, putting her arm around Zhang Wanjun's waist and joining the dance.
Zhang Wanjun neither refused nor rejected the idea. Although she and Luo Yun had never practiced together before, they still cooperated.
Among the rich second generation, there are quite a few people who enjoy themselves, or those who don't understand the intrigue and are just there to watch the fun. They also start inviting their companions, or finding someone they like on the spot to deepen their relationship.
Fan Jianian felt utterly deceived upon seeing this scene. It turned out that the couple had given Luan Li the hint that he was about to deal with Luan Ye Nan just to get rid of him.
Look at the scene now, who cares who Luan Yecha is? Isn't Luan Yenan the undisputed star of tonight's banquet?
However, he remembered his family's instructions: if Luan Yenan really rejected him, he should wait and see.
Their family may not have much else, but they have plenty of money and real estate. They'll get involved in anything that Luan Yenan can use.
With so many people in the banquet hall, there must be at least eight thousand schemes among them.
Among them, the two most shrewd, Luan Yenan and Zuo Baixuan, were aware of the changes in the surrounding crowd, but their gazes remained fixed on each other.
As the music played, Zuo Baixuan reached out and gently stroked Luan Yenan's cheek.
Luan Yenan moved to the side and came behind Zuo Baixuan. His breath swept over the back of her neck. The glands were protected by the barrier patch and were not disturbed by the breath, but it still made Zuo Baixuan shrink her neck because of the itch.
The effects of that sip of red wine finally kicked in, and her skin took on a rosy hue from its whiteness.
Luan Yenan's hands made many more movements, poking at that reddened skin, their intimacy bordering on inappropriate.
Instead of swatting her away, Zuo Baixuan used even bolder actions on Luan Yenan.
As his hand traced Luan Yenan's waist and then swept across her bare back, it seemed to be asking: Who really suffered the loss?
Luan Yenan's eyes were deep and dark, with a hint of fire in them. He reached out and lifted Zuo Baixuan's chin, not caring at being taken advantage of by his wife.
Zuo Baixuan wrinkled her nose at her shameless behavior.
Luan Yenan looked down at her, his smile silent but intense.
As the band played the last two notes, Zuo Baixuan hooked her arm around Luan Yenan's shoulder, taking advantage of Luan Yenan's bent-over posture as he finished his move, unable to exert any strength.
She straightened herself up with a forceful push, and breathed on Luan Yenan's neck.
Then I saw Luan Yenan's neck muscles twitch slightly, as he tried to lower his head.
Zuo Baixuan arrogantly placed a kiss on her.
The suddenness of the event caught Luan Yenan off guard, leaving him stunned.
Zuo Baixuan stood up, hooked her arm around her neck, and whispered in her ear, "You don't even care about this?"
Follow the fox's path, and the fox will have nowhere to go.
Fueled by alcohol, Zuo Baixuan did something she had always wanted to do but never dared to.
The band's music stopped, and the lights in the banquet hall went from dim to bright.
Zuo Baixuan stepped back and stood in front of Luan Yennan, wanting to see what expression Luan Yennan would have.
What kind of expression will it have?
The fox then revealed a cunning expression, as if it had caught a little white rabbit that had jumped into its arms.
Luan Yenan naturally didn't think that being kissed by a girl who was also sweet and soft was something like being taken advantage of.
What's more, this sweet and soft girl is Zuo Baixuan!
The light kiss that landed on her neck just now felt more like a breath of air blowing on her. She felt like a balloon being injected with hydrogen, not only inflating but also becoming light and airy.
She wanted to tie Zuo Baixuan up and float away with her.
This dinner party is pointless; it's better not to attend.
But Zuo Baixuan obviously wouldn't agree. She turned her head and realized that she had just crossed the line.
If it's just dancing, just complete the practice moves; there's no need to add so much intimacy that makes onlookers blush and exclaim they're shipping it.
When someone crosses the line, that's crossing the line.
Two people crossing the line together, what does that mean?
Luan Yenan stared intently at Zuo Baixuan.
Yeah, what's wrong with two people crossing the line together?
I'm interested in you.
So, are you interested in me now?
Luan Yenan looked into Zuo Baixuan's peach blossom eyes.
When peach blossom eyes are reddened, they always look so affectionate, and when they gaze at you, they give the illusion that your affection is only for one person.
Who is more like a "bad girl"?
Zuo Baixuan used those eyes to entice her to begin to relinquish control over her sense of confusion, yet she always maintained the attitude of the other party, only testing the boundaries again and again, and then pushing herself away.
Zuo Baixuan pursed her lips and grabbed Luan Yenan's hand: "Alright, stop looking. If you keep looking, you'll see right through me."
"If you want, I can never see through you." Luan Yennan held Zuo Baixuan's hand in his own, saying something that was hard to understand.
Zuo Baixuan felt that her words seemed to have some deeper meaning, but also seemed like she was just talking nonsense.
While she was still thinking, Luan Yennan led her back to the table where the Luan family was located.
Luan Li was gripping his cane, his eyes cold.
Luan Yenan seemed oblivious to the look in her eyes, glancing straight past it, and instead spoke to her unfortunate cousin: "Yecha, why didn't you dance earlier? Everyone was having so much fun. This segment was originally prepared for you; we were just joining in the fun."
Luan Yecha's face looked grim.
Just joining in the fun?
You stole all the limelight!
Grandpa originally wanted me to speak first, and after I finished, he invited a beautiful lady in the audience to dance with me. He even said that he had already found a girl from the Wen family for me, and she was actually looking at me!
Luan Yecha was raised to be an obedient and docile person since childhood. Even after spending so much time abroad, she was still able to express her own opinions under the guidance of her professor.
But once back in China, the problems she had since childhood resurfaced in front of her grandfather.
He was overly cautious, wondering if these words he was about to say would affect his grandfather's opinion of him.
He could only smile and pretend to be magnanimous and indifferent: "I didn't expect my cousin to like dancing so much. She's definitely a playful person. I've learned my lesson."
The painless attack, however, made Luan Yennan look at Luan Lizheng. He couldn't understand what the old man saw in this kid—was it simply because he was obedient enough?
Luan Yenan could now understand why, in the plot that was only briefly mentioned in the outline, such a large company as "Frontend" ultimately went bankrupt.
Luan Yennan didn't answer Luan Yecha, but Zuo Baixuan leaned against Luan Yennan and said with a smile, "Oh dear, I didn't expect that my cousin really only studied abroad and didn't develop any social skills at all. Yennan and I racked our brains trying to figure out what gift to give you, so we practiced this dance, thinking you would like this kind of atmosphere."
"It's okay, he doesn't like it, but we like it quite a bit." Luo Yun pulled Zhang Wanjun over as well.