Yang Yue was absolutely certain that these country bumpkins, who had never seen the world before, were just pretending to be something they weren’t by hosting a banquet at such a high-end hotel.
And really, what right did they have to dine at the same hotel as her?
She had made up her mind—when the banquet began, she would have the hotel manager find some excuse to kick them all out, or simply refuse to serve them, humiliating them thoroughly.
Then, she would force that little bitch to kneel and apologize to her personally. Only then would her hatred be satisfied.
Though she wasn’t particularly close with the hotel manager, her family had deep connections with Master Jin.
Even if the manager wouldn’t give her face, he’d have to show some respect for Master Jin, wouldn’t he?
Yang Yue wasn’t part of the underworld, but since their families had dealings, she had heard a thing or two about Master Jin.
In Wushui County these days, those who dared to disrespect Master Jin could be counted on one hand.
Take Niu Ben, the former underground king, for example. Rumor had it that most of his businesses were now being taken over by Master Jin. What did that tell you?
It meant even Niu Ben was no match for Master Jin now.
Master Jin was currently the most influential business figure in Wushui County. If he so much as stamped his foot, the entire business and underworld circles of the county would tremble.
Thinking of this, Yang Yue became even more determined to teach that ignorant little girl a lesson she’d never forget.
But before that, there was one more thing she had to do.
“Later, I’ll go see the hotel manager. If I find out you were the one who paid for their banquet, don’t even think about stepping into my room tonight, tomorrow night, or for the next week!”
Yang Jianren’s heart secretly leapt with joy. “Is that a promise?”
He even had the impulse to rush to the front desk and pay the bill in advance.
But outwardly, he maintained an innocent expression. “Honey, you have to believe me—where would I get that kind of money?”
“You’d better not!” Yang Yue pressed the elevator button and stepped in first, then turned to glare at him. “Get in here already!”
Yang Jianren reluctantly dragged his feet, hanging his head as he slowly entered the elevator.
......
Second floor, banquet hall.
As the crisp ding of the elevator sounded, Liu Yutong’s grandparents stepped out and were immediately stunned by the sight before them.
Two rows of dozens of young men in black stood neatly on either side of the hallway, all standing tall with solemn expressions.
The moment they saw the elderly couple, they bowed in unison.
“Good afternoon, Grandpa! Good afternoon, Grandma!”
“Good afternoon, Grandpa! Good afternoon, Grandma!”
Their voices were loud and full of energy, creating an impressive atmosphere.
Grandpa, despite his age, had seen his fair share of grandeur in his youth and remained composed.
Grandma, however, was startled by the spectacle. She instinctively patted her chest and muttered under her breath, “Why are there so many people? What’s all this about? It’s a bit scary.”
Though she didn’t understand why these people were here, seeing Grandpa straighten his back and walk forward reassured her. They probably weren’t bad people.
As they walked down the hallway, Grandpa asked, “Are these the hotel’s staff?”
Liu Yutong nodded, lying smoothly. “Yes.”
Grandpa nodded approvingly. “Not bad, very spirited!”
“Though they do look a bit like gangsters.”
Liu Yutong: “......”
Then, as if struck by a thought, Grandpa turned to his granddaughter. “Yutong, you must be careful when you’re out there. There are a lot of troublemakers around these days—don’t let anyone bully you.”
Liu Yutong nodded obediently. “I understand, Grandpa.”
Perhaps influenced by the grand display, Grandpa unconsciously straightened his posture even more, clasping his hands behind his back and walking with the dignified air of a general inspecting his troops.
Clearly, he was quite satisfied with the hotel’s reception service.
As the three of them entered the banquet hall, all eyes turned toward them.
There was no denying it—after changing into formal attire, Grandpa and Grandma looked years younger, radiating an air of vitality.
The banquet hall was divided into two sections: the left for Liu Yutong’s relatives, the right for Yu Xin’s maternal relatives. The atmosphere was lively and bustling.
Once everyone was seated, the clock ticked closer to noon.
But when 12 PM arrived, there was still no sign of the waiters bringing out the food.
Liu Yutong subtly glanced at Yun Cheng, who was seated beside her at the main table.
As the person responsible for her safety, Yun Cheng had naturally been placed at the head table. Ma Da was also there, chatting cheerfully with Grandpa and making him laugh heartily.
Noticing Liu Yutong’s gaze, Yun Cheng immediately understood. He tapped Ma Da, who was busy buttering up Grandpa, and pointed at his watch to indicate the time.
Ma Da caught on at once. Standing up, he said to Grandpa, “I’ll go check on the food.”
Grandpa waved him off with a smile. “Go on, don’t keep everyone waiting.”
Ma Da nodded and strode out of the banquet hall.
Aside from Liu Yutong and her companions, none of the other guests—or her grandparents—noticed anything amiss.
After all, this was their first time dining at such a luxurious hotel, and they were too engrossed in conversation to mind the delay.
Some were starting to feel hungry, but they assumed the kitchen was simply busy preparing multiple banquets.
Moreover, theirs wasn’t the only event happening on the second floor.
A few curious guests had peeked into the neighboring hall, where nearly a hundred tables were set up for a grand wedding. The procession of luxury cars alone numbered in the dozens, rumored to belong to some high-profile family.
Unaccustomed to such extravagance, the guests were too busy gossiping about the spectacle to complain.
Ma Da stormed up to the front desk and slammed his hand on the counter. “What’s going on? Why hasn’t Qingyun Hall been served yet? Trying to starve us?”
The receptionist stammered, unable to give a clear answer.
Ma Da demanded to speak to the manager, but even the manager couldn’t be reached.
Only after Ma Da revealed his identity did the receptionist nervously explain the situation.
Someone had given orders not to serve Qingyun Hall—and it was connected to Master Jin, a powerful figure in the county.
Ma Da’s eyes narrowed. That old man was getting bold, daring to cross the young mistress.
Was it just because she hadn’t accepted his invitation?
What he didn’t know, however, was that he had misunderstood Master Jin.
Master Jin had no idea his name was being used without his knowledge. Today, as the father of the groom, he was too busy hosting his own guests to pay attention to anything else.
Besides, Liu Yutong had emphasized keeping a low profile—she didn’t want her grandparents getting the wrong idea.
Even the members of the Wanlong Society had been disguised as “waiters” for the occasion.
If not for safety concerns, she wouldn’t have even planned to let anyone other than Yun Cheng and Ma Da attend.
The event was kept so low-key, and with the guests at Qingyun Hall appearing to be country folk, the hotel manager was too busy overseeing Master Jin’s son’s wedding to notice. His staff had no idea that Qingyun Hall was actually the venue for the Dragon Assembly’s gathering.
Even Master Jin, though he recognized the dozens of Dragon Assembly members in the hallway, assumed Liu Yutong had sent them as a gesture of respect—since she couldn’t attend herself—never imagining she’d host a celebration banquet here.
Once Ma Da found out the reason, he didn’t hold back.
As soon as he returned to the second floor, he gave orders to the Dragon Assembly members guarding the hallway outside the banquet hall.
From then on, no matter which hall the food carts were headed for, the Dragon Assembly would intercept them—all dishes would be redirected to Qingyun Hall.
If you dare to make the first move, don’t blame me for retaliating!
Ma Da had no intention of notifying Master Jin beforehand.
In his eyes, the young mistress’s status was above Master Jin’s. There was no reason for them to extend courtesy first.
