"Alright."
Old Jiang nodded and walked onto the stage.
Butler Wang found a sofa and sat down.
A hotel staff member passed by.
Butler Wang inquired, "Excuse me, do you have any sunflower seeds?"
The hotel staff couldn't help but glance at Butler Wang.
Cracking sunflower seeds at such a high-class banquet?
But these were VIPs, and the guests here were of high status. He had to ensure they were well taken care of.
"Of course, sir. Please wait a moment," the hotel staff replied respectfully.
Soon, he returned with the sunflower seeds as requested.
Butler Wang began cracking the seeds, thoroughly enjoying himself.
What’s a good show without some snacks?
He crossed his legs, eyes fixed on the stage, wearing an expression of eager anticipation.
Everything was set—now they just had to wait for Young Master Lin to make his move.
On stage, Old Jiang held the microphone and smiled. "Today, we welcome you all to this banquet hosted by the Jiang Family to recognize a long-lost relative."
"My daughter left the Jiang Family due to various circumstances. Now, I wish to bring her son—my own grandson—back into the family."
Hearing this, the guests below murmured among themselves.
"What’s really going on? Why did Old Jiang’s daughter leave the family?"
"I’ve heard rumors that his daughter was obsessed with love. She kept taking money from the family to fund her boyfriend’s business ventures. When his business failed, and the Jiang Corporation was in crisis, she still insisted on draining the family’s resources. Old Jiang was so furious that he cut ties with her."
Of course, this was just hearsay—no one knew if it was true.
"If that’s the case, and Old Jiang’s surname is Jiang, and Lin Li’s mother, Jiang Shuqin, also shares the surname… could Jiang Shuqin actually be the Jiang Family’s daughter?"
"That can’t be right. Every member of the Jiang Family is well-mannered. How could they have a daughter as ill-tempered as Jiang Shuqin?"
Those familiar with Lin Xuan and the Lin Family’s affairs immediately thought of Jiang Shuqin’s lack of upbringing.
Favoring her adopted son while treating her own flesh and blood worse than a stranger—what kind of upbringing did that reflect?
And her shrewish behavior? They had witnessed it firsthand at the Lin Family’s banquet for Lin Li.
"Right, I think it’s more likely that Lin Li’s birth mother is the Jiang Family’s daughter. Speaking of which, if the Lin Family raised Lin Li all these years, why hasn’t a single member of the Lin Family shown up for this recognition ceremony?"
The guests exchanged puzzled looks.
If Jiang Shuqin’s son was truly being recognized, shouldn’t it be Lin Xuan, not Lin Li?
But if it was Lin Li, then why weren’t the Jiang Family members present?
Jiang Shuqin, wearing a mask, entered the banquet hall.
Noticing her, some guests frowned. "Who is that? Why is she wearing a mask?"
"Her eyes look familiar… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before."
From the moment she stepped inside, Jiang Shuqin’s gaze remained locked on Old Master Su.
It really was her father.
He had aged so much.
Then again, it had been twenty years since they last met—no, just a few months ago, they had briefly crossed paths, but she hadn’t gotten a good look at him then.
Of course he would look older now.
So, this really was a recognition banquet—to acknowledge a grandson, and to mention her, the daughter.
Jiang Shuqin recalled Lin Li preparing a suit for tonight’s banquet, as well as the words Lin Xuan had spoken to her.
Could it be… they were recognizing Lin Li?
No. Impossible.
Jiang Shuqin clenched her fists.
Lin Li knew how strained her relationship with the Jiang Family was. He wouldn’t betray her like this.
Maybe the Jiang Family was recognizing Lin Xuan instead.
Yes, it had to be Lin Xuan!
Only Lin Xuan would disregard her feelings like this, clinging to a powerful family like the Jiangs for personal gain.
Later, she would expose Lin Xuan and make it clear to the Jiang Family that Lin Xuan had severed ties with her.
Lin Xuan was no longer her daughter, and certainly not a member of the Jiang Family!
She would never allow Lin Xuan to exploit her identity for personal gain.
Butler Wang was the first to recognize Jiang Shuqin.
Well, well.
Just as Young Master Lin had predicted—Jiang Shuqin had indeed come.
Butler Wang approached her.
"Madam Lin," he said with a smile. "You’re here for Lin Li, aren’t you?"
"What did you say?" Jiang Shuqin reacted sharply. "Lin Li isn’t even here. Why would I come for him?"
Butler Wang pointed toward Lin Li’s direction. "Look, isn’t that the son you’ve doted on since childhood—Lin Li?"
Jiang Shuqin followed his gesture.
The moment she saw Lin Li, her pupils constricted.
It really was him!
What was going on?
Why was Lin Li attending the Jiang Family’s banquet?
Unless… the person the Jiang Family was recognizing was actually Lin Li?
Jiang Shuqin’s fists trembled.
No. It couldn’t be.
Once again, she denied the thought.
Lin Li was here, and so was Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan must have invited him.
Lin Li had always been kind-hearted. Despite all the terrible things Lin Xuan had done to him—stealing his belongings, framing him for theft, breaking his favorite toys, even pushing him into a lake when he couldn’t swim, nearly drowning him—Lin Li had never held a grudge.
If Lin Xuan had invited him, of course he would come.
Yes, that had to be it.
How despicable of Lin Xuan—using her son’s identity to cozy up to the Jiang Family, then flaunting it in front of Lin Li at the banquet.
Later, she would expose Lin Xuan’s scheme in front of everyone.
Jiang Shuqin scoffed. "I know you’re working with Lin Xuan. So what if Lin Li is here for the Jiang Family’s banquet? Did you really think this would break me? How laughable."
Did Lin Xuan really think such a petty trick could drive a wedge between her and Lin Li? What a joke.
"Then sit back and enjoy the show," Butler Wang said with a raised brow.
He could tell Jiang Shuqin already suspected the truth—she just refused to accept it, clinging to excuses to reassure herself.
"Fine, I will!"
Jiang Shuqin smirked coldly.
She’d see what other tricks Lin Xuan had up her sleeve.
Meanwhile, Lin Li stood below the stage, excitement written all over his face.
Almost there. The old man was about to introduce him to the upper-class elite.
After tonight, he would be a rightful member of the Jiang Family.
From then on, people would flock to curry favor with him.
No one would dare mock him to his face, calling him a eunuch.
Old Jiang continued his introduction on stage.
"Today, the grandson I wish to recognize is—"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
