Chapter 16: Nervous, I Needed to Use the Restroom

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Xiang Zhihua raised an eyebrow. "A fine way to have the best of both worlds."

That old scoundrel was indeed cunning.

"What about the old Xiang family residence?"

This jewelry banquet Xiang Zhihua was hosting was no whim. Beyond warning the Huang family and putting them to shame, it was also a move to reclaim the five percent stake of An Corporation held by Xiang Zhenhai.

Before she passed, Xiang Zhihua's mother had left a will stating that this five percent share would be handed over to Xiang Zhihua once he came of age.

It was meant to secure his future.

But Xiang Zhenhai had not only failed to do this; he had kept the five percent stake for himself all these years.

Now that Xiang Zhihua was already twenty-nine, he had reclaimed everything the Xiang family was entitled to—except this.

How could he just sit back and let Xiang Zhenhai continue to reap the dividends?

It was time to demand what was rightfully his.

“Old Master Xiang said there would be too many people and too much noise, so he won’t be coming," Cheng Gang replied verbatim. "As for Mr. Xiang…”

Xiang Zhihua tilted his head toward Cheng Gang. “He doesn’t want to come, does he?”

An embarrassed expression flickered across Cheng Gang’s face.

Xiang Zhenhai not only refused to attend but had spoken harshly about it right in front of Cheng Gang, behaving like a shrew, utterly lacking the dignity of a man in his youth.

“That’s precisely his style,” Xiang Zhihua said, unsurprised.

Like when he was twelve and was kidnapped—the first thing Xiang Zhenhai thought of was not rescuing him but how to play the hero and capture the kidnappers.

In the end, he became the casualty of that battle.

Years later, he was still so self-centered, thinking that because he controlled five percent of An Corporation, Xiang Zhihua would be helpless.

“If that’s the case, send two people to personally invite him,” Xiang Zhihua said lightly, but each word was like a blade, sending a chill through the air.

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“And find an excuse to quietly bring along his beloved Fourth Madame,” he added, a shadow flickering briefly in his eyes.

He wanted to see just how far the old man would go for that precious Fourth Madame.

Would he give up the five percent stake in An Corporation?

Time flew by until the day of Old Master Huang’s birthday banquet.

Early in the morning, Lu Yao donned the outfit and accessories chosen by Mrs. Xu and, after being made up by the stylist, left with Mr. Xu.

At this moment, the Eastping Hotel was bustling with people, luxury cars and wealthy tycoons gathering at its entrance.

They were all attending Xiang Zhihua’s jewelry banquet.

This made Old Master Huang’s banquet unusually quiet.

But no one could blame the guests. They all knew Huang had scheduled his birthday banquet for the morning, but upon arrival, they found Xiang Zhihua’s jewelry event was set up to last the entire day.

When comparing the two, everyone immediately knew which was more important.

After greeting Old Master Huang and presenting their gifts, everyone rushed over to Xiang Zhihua’s banquet.

This infuriated Old Master Huang tremendously.

“Chairman, what do we do now?” his long-time assistant asked anxiously.

Xiang Zhihua was clearly trying to embarrass Old Master Huang, so there was no chance for a counterattack.

The guests were all bigwigs of Gang City, some of whom Old Master Huang had met at auctions before.

He never expected to see them again, and yet it was because of Xiang Zhihua’s influence.

The thought made him both angry and embarrassed.

Who had ever held a birthday banquet so lonely and cold?

There wasn’t a single acquaintance in attendance.

Besides him, his assistant, and a few staff, no one else was there.

If word got out, it would be a laughingstock.

“Have the Xu family arrived?” Old Master Huang asked, calming himself.

He no longer cared much about the other guests.

As long as Xu Shenghai and his daughter showed up, it would suffice.

After all, he had invested so much time and effort in this day, hoping to secure a good granddaughter-in-law for his precious grandson.

One who would bear them a great-grandson.

If this fell through, he’d lose face forever in the Gang circle.

“Mr. Xu and Miss Xu are already on their way,” the assistant glanced at his Rolex and said slowly, “They should be arriving soon.”

“Good. Send someone to wait at the entrance,” Old Master Huang nodded in satisfaction.

He wouldn’t let this cooked goose fly away.

The car arrived at the Eastping Hotel entrance at exactly ten o’clock.

Wearing a pink qipao, Lu Yao stepped out under the urging of Mr. Xu.

This was not her first time at the Eastping Hotel.

In a previous life, Xu Feng had sent someone to bring her here, but she hadn’t escaped; she was forced into another’s bed and drugged.

Now, standing here again, Lu Yao felt an indescribable sense of déjà vu.

It was as if it had all happened just yesterday, haunting her still.

“Why are you standing there like a wooden post?” Mr. Xu frowned, displeased to see her motionless.

“The Huang family is already inside waiting. Today you represent the Xu family’s face. Don’t embarrass us in front of outsiders.”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but sneer inwardly: did the Xu family even have any face left?

She wanted to ask Mr. Xu this outright but held back, knowing that if she angered him now, he might immediately drag her to Old Master Huang’s birthday banquet.

So she endured silently.

“I’m a little nervous, Mr. Xu. Could I use the restroom first?”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xu frowned sharply. “What were you doing before leaving?”

His words clearly showed he didn’t trust her.

At this critical moment, when it was just a few steps to the elevator and then a chance to sit with the Huang family and discuss investments, Mr. Xu wouldn’t let Lu Yao cause trouble.

Lowering her head, Lu Yao said, a bit aggrieved, “Before leaving, I was in the room being styled by the makeup artist and Mrs. Xu arranging my outfit, so I didn’t have time.”

She wasn’t lying.

Mrs. Xu had made her try on over a dozen outfits to ensure she shone at Old Master Huang’s banquet and pleased both him and his grandson.

Finally, the pink qipao she wore was chosen.