Soon, led by Liang Lihua, the group arrived at the banquet hall on the third floor of the hotel.
Because the identities of Young Master Qin and his companions were rather special, Liang Lihua specifically arranged a private room for them instead of having them dine in the main hall with the other guests.
The private room was quite spacious, featuring a very large round table that had more than enough room to seat Young Master Qin's group.
Not long after they sat down, an old man leaning on a walking cane walked in through the door, supported by a middle-aged woman.
It was Yuan Guoliang.
The middle-aged woman beside him was his daughter, Liang Lihua's wife, Yuan Cuilan.
Both of them had learned a few things about Young Master Qin from Liang Lihua, so they didn't dare to show any slight or neglect.
"Welcome, Young Master Qin. Your presence here truly makes me feel overwhelmed by the favor," Old Master Yuan Guoliang said with a hearty chuckle as he walked up to Young Master Qin and extended his hand.
Young Master Qin shook his hand and smiled, "You are too polite, Old Master. Please, have a seat."
After chatting for a moment, he found his impression of Yuan Guoliang to be quite good. The man had once been a high-ranking provincial official. Although he was now retired and eighty years old, his body was still robust, free from any major illnesses.
"Buzz!"
With a flip of his palm, Young Master Qin brought out a jade pendant. He smiled and said, "Old Master, I came in a hurry today and didn't specially prepare anything. Please accept this as a congratulatory gift, and I hope you won't disdain it."
"You must be joking, Young Master Qin. How could I possibly disdain a gift from you?"
Yuan Guoliang swallowed hard, receiving the jade pendant with a face full of burning excitement.
He had heard Wang Yousheng mention before that Young Master Qin's jade pendants were extraordinary. Wearing one not only prolonged life but also acted as an amulet, rendering one immune even to bullets.
This was a truly grand gift!
A gift that no amount of money could buy!
"Dad."
Right at this moment, two figures walked into the private room from outside.
It was a middle-aged man and woman.
The woman was named Yuan Cuiying, the younger sister of Liang Lihua's wife, Yuan Cuilan. She had married into 'Hang Province' many years ago.
The man who appeared with her was named Song Jianpeng. The Song Family was currently the wealthiest family in Hang Province. However, most of the family's businesses were still managed by Old Master Song. Song Jianpeng was only in charge of a small portion and hadn't truly taken over power yet.
"Cuiying, why are you only arriving now? Dad is celebrating his eightieth birthday; shouldn't you have come back a day early?" Yuan Cuilan frowned, expressing some dissatisfaction with the late arrival of Yuan Cuiying and her husband.
Today was the main banquet. Last night, the whole family had gathered at home to warm up the birthday celebration for the Old Master. Everyone had arrived except for this couple, who were nowhere to be seen.
"Sister, we were just too busy with business, please don't take offense. Aren't we here now?"
Before Yuan Cuiying could speak, Song Jianpeng stepped forward and let out a nonchalant chuckle.
He then pulled Yuan Cuiying over and greeted the Old Master and Liang Lihua respectively, "Dad, Brother-in-law."
The Old Master was an elder and today's birthday star, so naturally, Song Jianpeng had to approach him first.
Liang Lihua was the second-in-command of Dong Province. Even Song Jianpeng didn't dare to be negligent toward him.
"It's good that you're back. Being a little late is fine, take a seat," the Old Master smiled and nodded.
Just as he was about to direct them to the empty seats further down, he saw that Song Jianpeng had already turned to look at Young Master Qin and said, "Please make room."
As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire room instantly fell silent, and everyone frowned.
Yet, Song Jianpeng clearly failed to notice the shift in the atmosphere.
In his view, among everyone present, the Old Master sat in the seat of honor, and the second-in-command Liang Lihua sat on the Old Master's left. Therefore, naturally, only he had the qualifications to sit in the seat on the right.
He didn't recognize Young Master Qin, but he figured it must be some junior member of the family.
"You two, get the hell over there and sit!"
Old Master Yuan Guoliang instantly flew into a rage. Once he recovered from the shock, he hurriedly roared at Song Jianpeng and Yuan Cuiying.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
Song Jianpeng was momentarily stunned by the yell. Instead, it was Yuan Cuiying who reacted first, her face showing anger. "We came all the way back here to celebrate your birthday, and Jianpeng didn't do anything wrong. He just asked this junior to make room. Why are you getting so angry?"
Regardless, she couldn't understand it.
Was this junior deeply favored by the Old Master?
Otherwise, why would he be able to sit right next to the Old Master?
But in her memory, she couldn't recall ever seeing such a junior.
Could it be that she hadn't been back in so long since marrying out that she simply hadn't met him?
"Cuiying, this is Young Master Qin from Xi Province. He is not a junior of our family..."
Yuan Cuilan hurriedly pulled her younger sister aside, afraid that she might say the wrong thing and offend Young Master Qin, which would be disastrous.
"Young Master Qin?"
Both Yuan Cuiying and Song Jianpeng froze for a moment.
Was there such a prominent figure in the country?
Xi Province?
A remote backwater—what kind of top-tier young master could come from there?
Moreover, at the end of the day, this was just a young man. The Song Family was the wealthiest in Hang Province. As the future heir, Song Jianpeng didn't believe he couldn't even compare to a mere youngster.
"Dad, we are indeed a bit late this time, but there's no need for you to act like this. If we are truly not welcome, Cuiying and I will just leave."
Song Jianpeng cared deeply about his pride. He believed he deserved to sit in that seat; otherwise, he would rather leave than sit anywhere else.
In his eyes, this was the respect and treatment he rightfully deserved.
If Young Master Qin were some major leader, that would be one thing. But making him sit below a young man was something Song Jianpeng couldn't accept.
He felt this showed a lack of regard from the Old Master toward him, and even toward the Song Family!
"Then get the hell out right now!" the Old Master coldly snorted.
He was indeed somewhat angry, but mostly, he wanted to drive his daughter and son-in-law out first, saving them from saying anything else that might upset Young Master Qin.
"Fine, we'll leave!"
Yuan Cuiying's temper flared as well. She grabbed Song Jianpeng and turned around, walking straight out of the private room.
The Old Master gave Yuan Cuilan a look, signaling her to follow them.
Understanding his intention, Yuan Cuilan followed them out.
Outside the private room, Yuan Cuiying said angrily, "Sister, what exactly does Dad mean by this? We were just a little late..."
"It's not about that."
Yuan Cuilan shook her head sternly. "Dad is angry mainly because you two just offended Young Master Qin."
"Just what is the background of this Young Master Qin?" Song Jianpeng seemed to finally realize that something was wrong, his brow furrowing slightly.
"I don't know the exact details either; I only know a little bit. And it's not that I don't want to tell you, but Young Master Qin's identity is rather special, and I cannot disclose it without permission."
Yuan Cuilan spoke seriously, "But all you need to know is that even if the Song, Yuan, and Liang families were added together, we still couldn't afford to offend Young Master Qin!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
