Two days later, at daybreak, the entire Lin family household was bustling with activity.
Today marked the eightieth birthday of Old Madam Jiang. Although the celebratory feast wouldn't begin until the evening, there was no shortage of preparations to be made.
This was especially true for Gao Min, as this would be her first public appearance as a member of the Lin family, so nothing could be left to chance.
Jiang Lu had prepared several custom-made gowns for her to choose from, covering everything from head to toe, inside and out.
As for Liu Yutong, she had already prepared her own gown, so she didn't need Jiang Lu's help.
At that moment, she was curled up alone on the sofa in her room, handling company matters.
For this operation to capture Jiang Yuan, she had mobilised nearly five hundred core members of the Wanlong Society, deploying them all across the imperial capital, just waiting for that big fish, Jiang Yuan, to show himself.
From Qiu Ciyun, another report of success came in: the 90-nanometre production line for the LoongCore chip was running steadily, with a yield rate exceeding eighty percent. Full-scale mass production was within reach.
Su Mansu also sent an update, saying that Zeng Jin had poached two more engineers from Taiji Electric and was currently negotiating the terms of their contracts.
Lin Muyang's project was likewise progressing smoothly. The preparations for The Voice of Loong were in their final stages, all four judges had been confirmed and signed, and the auditions were about to begin.
The imperial capital would be one of the first cities to hold auditions, after all, it was home to numerous arts schools and many singers.
Just as Liu Yutong finished processing a personnel deployment list, her phone vibrated. It was a call from Cloud City.
"Young Lady, we've spotted a tail."
"For the past few days, someone's been following us. They're very cunning, switching shifts with three or four different teams. They have strong counter-surveillance skills—they must be old hands."
Upon hearing this report, Liu Yutong's first thought was Jiang Yuan.
That old fox was certainly cautious, sending people to watch her so quickly.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
She had caused quite a stir at Yuntu a couple of days ago, and given Jiang Yuan's paranoid nature, there was no way he would ignore her sudden appearance in the imperial capital.
What's more, she was with Gao Min. Even if he didn't care about Liu Yutong, he would certainly care about Gao Min.
After all, in name, he was the man who had killed Gao Min's father.
"Keep watching them, but don't alert them."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Liu Yutong began to think.
Jiang Yuan, Jiang Yuan. Do you really think you can figure me out by sending a few flies to keep an eye on me?
You probably never dreamed that in Pearl City, on my own turf of the Wanlong Society, the thugs you sent were already under my control.
By now, the smoke bombs that Liu San and the others set off should have reached your ears, haven't they?
Whether you believe them or not, you'll have to show your face at tonight's banquet.
As long as you dare to come, I'll make sure you can't escape even if you had wings!
Out of those five hundred Wanlong Society members, aside from a few assigned to tail Jiang Yuan's men, most were deployed at places like the airport, train stations, and bus depots.
To prevent anyone from slipping away by chance, she even coordinated with delivery riders in the city. If any target was spotted at those locations, they were to notify her team immediately.
It was a fallback plan she had kept in reserve.
If that guy was shameless enough to just cut and run, and she hadn't prepared for it, then things would really be a mess.
The other reason she arranged things this way was that it wouldn't be easy to make a move during the banquet itself.
After all, it was Old Madam Jiang's eightieth birthday, attended by numerous dignitaries and influential figures. Making trouble at the banquet would have terrible consequences.
Even she might end up in serious trouble.
Just as she was wondering if there were any other weak points in her plan, there was a knock at the door from Gao Min.
"Yutong, we're here."
The door opened, and Gao Min walked in together with Lin Yi.
Gao Min was already dressed in her custom-made gown.
It was a white silk long dress, the fabric impossibly smooth. The collar was a modified high Mandarin collar, and the hem trailed slightly on the floor. Around her waist was tied a sash of the same colour, perfectly accentuating her slender waist.
Her shoulder-length hair was pinned up, secured by a white jade hairpin, revealing her long, fair neck.
She exuded both the gentle elegance of a southern woman and a certain spirited air of a martial artist.
"How do I look in this?" Gao Min asked, turning around in front of Liu Yutong.
After a careful look, Liu Yutong praised her generously, "Sis, this dress really suits you. You look incredibly beautiful!"
"I think you should try wearing this style more often."
Gao Min was also very fond of the dress. "I'd like to, but it's hard to find the chance on ordinary days."
Lin Yi laughed from the side. "Xiao Min's dress was specially custom-made by Third Aunt. The fabric was hand-woven. I heard that only two pieces were ever made from this material—one was sent abroad for an exhibition, and the other is the one Xiao Min is wearing."
"Third Aunt really went all out for this dress."
Liu Yutong nodded. She thought to herself that her so-called obliging mother had certainly put in the effort.
"Speaking of which, Yutong, where's your dress? Hurry up and show us." Lin Yi suddenly remembered.
Liu Yutong pointed to her wardrobe. "It's in the wardrobe."
"Well, take it out and let us see!"
Liu Yutong walked over to the wardrobe, opened the door, and took out a dress wrapped in a dust cover.
When the dress was revealed, the room fell silent.
It was a gown of mist-green, the colour so pale it seemed like the early morning mist of the south in March, or the sky just after a spring rain.
The material was top-grade silk gauze, light and ethereal. Thanks to a cleverly layered design, it was elegant without being revealing.
The collar was a simple crew neck, perfectly showcasing the collarbone. The sleeves were a modified wide design that would gently ripple when moving, like drifting mist.
The skirt had no unnecessary adornments, only a wide sash of the same colour at the waist. Embroidered upon the sash were extremely subtle dark patterns that took close inspection to discern as trailing clouds.
This dress was simple to the extreme, yet also conceived to the extreme in its beauty.
Lin Yi's eyes lit up.
"Mist-green."
'After the rain, the sky clears to blue; what a colour for a robe to inherit anew.' Lin Yi couldn't help reciting a line of poetry.
"Yutong, was this dress custom-made too? It's so full of atmosphere! But this colour is hard to pull off. Anyone with even slightly darker skin would look sickly. With your complexion, though, it will be perfect."
Even Gao Min was stunned. "Yutong, your dress is absolutely beautiful, and it's so understated. I wish I'd asked you to get one made for me too. Suddenly, my own dress doesn't feel so special anymore."
Liu Yutong replied, "If you like it, I'll have another one made for you."
She had chosen this gown mainly because she wanted to keep a low profile for tonight's occasion.
Besides, she would be attending as the Chairwoman of the Board of both the Wanlong Society and LoongCore. Being too flashy would be inappropriate, so she had opted for a more understated, neo-literati style.
This was, in fact, her first time trying such an elegant look.
In the past, she most often wore black.
"By the way, have you prepared your birthday gift?" Lin Yi asked again.
Liu Yutong nodded. She turned and took out a long, slender box made of rosewood from a corner of the wardrobe.
The box was exquisitely crafted and seemed to contain a scroll of calligraphy or painting.
Lin Yi and Gao Min looked at the wooden box and couldn't help asking, "What is this? It looks like a painting? Is it some ancient calligraphy or artwork by a master?"
Liu Yutong shook her head. "It's not any antique, just a piece of calligraphy."
Upon hearing this, Gao Min and Lin Yi were both a little puzzled.
Old Madam Jiang's eightieth birthday—such a grand banquet for a top-tier aristocratic family—and they were giving just an ordinary piece of calligraphy?
Wasn't that too casual?
Liu Yutong didn't explain, just smiled mysteriously and kept them in suspense for now.
Last year's devastating earthquake that shocked the entire country—the Wanlong Group was one of the first companies to respond and donate.
Moreover, Liu Yutong's contribution was substantial, donating nearly two billion yuan.
This two billion yuan, without passing through any intermediary organizations, was entirely used for post-disaster reconstruction and designated specifically for building schools.
The children who had lost their school campuses had long since resumed classes in the new schools funded by the Wanlong Group's donation.
This piece of calligraphy was tied to those children.
Though it wasn't an antique, it was more meaningful than any antique.
Because it was a blessing from tens of thousands of students across hundreds of schools.
This was also a choice Liu Yutong had made after careful consideration.
For a family like the Jiangs, giving an expensive gift would not only be tacky but also easily invite criticism, especially given the number of high-ranking officials present.
Besides that, she had also found out that Old Madam Jiang had been a teacher in the countryside in her younger days.
That's why she chose this gift, whose significance far outweighed its monetary value.
Of course, she also hoped that this very meaningful gift would help minimize the Jiang family's hostility toward her when the time came, since she might stir up trouble at the banquet.
Seeing that Liu Yutong didn't want to say more, Lin Yi wisely stopped asking.
"By the way, Yutong, you have a separate invitation, right?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "That's right."
"Then we'll have to go separately later," Lin Yi said. "It's not convenient for you to go with us. Tonight, you're attending as the chairwoman of the Wanlong Group, so your seating arrangement will definitely be different from us Lin family members."
She paused, her tone turning slightly meaningful. "From what I know, tonight's seating at the Jiangs is arranged by rank. The children of aristocratic families will be seated in the side hall, but you'll probably be placed in the main hall at the VIP table."
That was where the truly influential people sat.
Top tycoons, key officials, celebrities from all walks of life...
Even she, Lin Yi, might not get a seat in that spot.
Liu Yutong didn't care much about that. "It doesn't matter where I sit; I'm there to offer birthday wishes anyway."
Of course, she had one thing she didn't say out loud: as long as that old bastard Jiang Yuan showed up, it didn't matter where she was seated.
Gao Min seemed to read her mind and nodded. "Exactly, it doesn't matter where we sit."
Then she added in a low voice, "Tonight, it's time to settle the score!"
