Nan Siya gritted her teeth before reluctantly following with heavy steps.
The banquet was held in the hotel's second-floor ballroom, with the Du Family having reserved the entire level. The Nan Family members were only allowed entry after presenting their invitations.
As soon as Grandpa entered, he warmly greeted the Du Family’s head: "General Manager Du."
General Manager Du quickly extended his hand for a handshake. "Grandpa, you’ve come in person today. Please, come right in."
"With the Du Family showing such sincerity, of course the Nan Family takes it seriously," Grandpa replied cheerfully.
"You’re too kind," General Manager Du said.
The two families acted as though no previous unpleasantness had ever occurred.
Only Du Yao, upon seeing Nan Sangning, still carried a trace of regret in his eyes. Now, he had no choice but to begin courtship discussions with Chen Zhihan. Though the Chen Family was more respectable than the Nan Family, Nan Sangning was far prettier than Chen Zhihan.
He didn’t care about respectability—he just wanted beauty.
The thought that Nan Sangning had dressed up so meticulously to see him last time suggested she had already begun to develop feelings for him. Yet, fate had twisted things so unfairly. What a shame!
Mrs. Du shot him a warning glare, forcing him to awkwardly avert his gaze and behave.
The previous scandal had only just been smoothed over, and tonight’s banquet doubled as a launch event for a new project. With so many journalists present, any misstep caught on camera would undo all their efforts to suppress the earlier rumors.
Grandpa, Nan Zhenming, and General Manager Du walked ahead, discussing project-related matters, while Wen Meiling engaged in lively conversation with Mrs. Du, maintaining a harmonious atmosphere.
Sang Ning trailed behind, surveying the venue’s setup. Unlike previous private gatherings, this banquet was open to the media—both to promote the film project and to rehabilitate the Du Family’s image.
Upon entering, she noticed the Chen Family had already arrived.
Chen Zhihan’s gaze at Nan Sangning was venomous.
"Mrs. Chen," Wen Meiling greeted with a smile.
Mrs. Chen responded with a forced smile. "Mrs. Nan, you’re looking quite glamorous today."
"Not at all. Today is Zhihan and Du Yao’s moment to shine," Wen Meiling replied, softening her tone out of consideration for Chen Zheng and Nan Siya’s engagement. "After all, we’re all involved in the Du Family’s film project now, aren’t we?"
Mrs. Chen sneered. Yes, they were all involved—but it was the Chen Family’s daughter being sacrificed, not the Nan Family’s!
How could the outcomes possibly be the same?
She had painstakingly groomed Chen Zhihan, hoping she would marry into a prestigious family—preferably the He Family. Instead, she was now stuck with that worthless Du Yao!
Even if the marriage didn’t go through, Chen Zhihan’s reputation was already tarnished. What respectable family would want her now?
The Chen Family should have been the ones to benefit, yet in the end, the Nan Family gained access to the project without lifting a finger—just because Nan Sangning posted a single tweet!
The injustice made Mrs. Chen seethe with fury.
While the Chen Family suffered, the entire Nan Family shielded that little wretch Nan Sangning and opposed them at every turn. And now they had the nerve to act friendly?
Nan Siya scanned the crowd until she spotted Chen Zheng.
As usual, he was impeccably dressed in a suit, holding a wine glass while chatting with friends.
She hurried over and called out softly, "Zheng."
Chen Zheng frowned, turning to her with a displeased expression. "What is it?"
Her heart ached at his coldness. "I... I haven’t been able to reach you these past few days. There’s something I wanted to say."
Chen Zheng had no patience for it. The Chen Family had suffered enough because of the Nan Family—just seeing them irritated him.
"I’m busy right now."
"I’ll only take a moment," Nan Siya pleaded, her eyes reddening.
"Zheng, you’d better go console your little girlfriend before she starts crying and embarrasses us all," Zhan Yijun mocked.
Wuyou Media, owned by the Zhan family, had also invested in the Du Family’s film project, so Zhan Yijun was naturally present.
She glanced at Nan Siya’s teary eyes with disdain.
Nan Siya’s face flushed with humiliation.
Others chimed in with laughter, "Yeah, with all these reporters around, if they catch you making her cry, the headlines will say you bullied the Nan Family’s heiress. You’ll never hear the end of it."
Chen Zheng’s expression darkened further. Not wanting another scandal, he strode out of the ballroom.
Nan Siya hastily followed.
Sang Ning, her feet tired from the high heels, settled onto a sofa near the floor-to-ceiling windows.
From a distance, she watched Nan Siya trailing timidly behind Chen Zheng as they exited the ballroom. At least this time, she wouldn’t have to witness their dramatic love-hate saga up close.
"I never thought the Nan Family would dare bring a wild girl like you to such an event."
Sang Ning looked up to find Zhan Yijun standing before her, flanked by a few others.
She recognized them all—they were the same people she had crossed at that auction banquet.
Zhan Yijun scoffed. "Then again, the Nan Family are just nouveau riche upstarts with no class. Bringing a daughter like you along isn’t surprising—peasants will always be peasants."
Her companions laughed. "Yijun, why even bother with her? You’re just lowering yourself."
Zhan Yijun lifted her chin haughtily. "Of course I don’t take this kind of person seriously."
Sang Ning leaned back on the sofa, silently observing them.
They rambled on, but when Sang Ning refused to engage, their taunts grew increasingly hollow.
Finally, one of them snapped, "What, cat got your tongue?!"
Sang Ning blinked. "Didn’t you say I wasn’t worth your attention?"
"???"
"Does my silence bother you that much?"
Zhan Yijun fumed. "You really are shameless, thinking so highly of yourself!"
Sang Ning glanced at her wrist. "Why aren’t you wearing that gold-inlaid gemstone bracelet anymore?"
Zhan Yijun’s face turned beet red at the mention of the heirloom bracelet Sang Ning had exposed as a fake.
"None of your business! Unlike your petty Nan Family, I have enough jewelry to wear a different piece every day for three years!"
Sang Ning ignored her outburst, instead remarking meaningfully, "It seems my well-intentioned advice wasn’t wasted. You actually listened."
She smirked. "How obedient."
Zhan Yijun’s eyes bulged in outrage. "Who do you think you are?! Since when do I take orders from you?!"
Sang Ning crossed her legs, arms folded, her gaze lazily sweeping over the group.
"Then by all means, keep wearing your counterfeit jewelry."
"You—!"
Zhan Yijun was livid.
A man in a white suit stepped forward, glowering. "Nan Sangning, do you realize Wuyou Media is the biggest investor in this film project? Your Nan Family should be grateful just to be included! And yet you dare provoke Yijun?"
Sang Ning arched a brow. "Oh?"
Zhan Yijun lifted her chin with arrogant pride.
Compared to the Zhan family, what was the Nan Family? Nothing!
Sang Ning smiled faintly. "Then why doesn’t your father kick the Nan Family out?"
"Is it because he doesn’t want to?"
"Or is it because the Zhan family isn’t yours to command?"
