The Shen family’s banquet was held in the manor’s garden.
In accordance with Zhou Yu’s tastes, the entire birthday celebration was arranged with elegant grandeur.
A twelve-tier birthday cake stood at the center of the venue.
At the very top sat a giant peach-shaped longevity bun, alongside sugar figurines representing a family of four.
The red cake, decorated with pearls, shimmered brilliantly beneath the lights of the venue.
The banquet tables were arranged in a circle around the cake, while countless lights illuminated the garden.
Under the pitch-black night sky, this single area looked as bright as daytime.
Shen Nanyue looked at Zhou Yushen.
The night breeze stirred the strands of hair across his forehead, and beneath them, his deep eyes glimmered faintly like rippling water.
His tone was as relaxed and casual as his posture, yet the chill hidden in his gaze revealed a hint of seriousness.
“About the engagement…”
Before Shen Nanyue could finish speaking, Zhou Yu’s voice rang out through the hidden speakers in the garden.
“Thank you all for attending my birthday banquet. It is truly my honor, and I am deeply grateful…”
Her announcement interrupted Shen Nanyue’s reply.
Turning her head, Shen Nanyue saw Zhou Yu standing before the cake, holding the dark green microphone specially custom-made a few days earlier, smiling as she delivered her speech with graceful elegance.
Lin Shu and Lin Siwan stood beside her.
At a glance, the family of three looked harmonious and perfect.
Shen Nanyue sat there quietly, her gaze passing over the luxurious decorations before landing on the very top tier of the cake.
Among the sugar figurines of the family of four, only hers had been placed at the edge.
The slanted lighting cast it partly into shadow.
“Taking advantage of today’s joyous occasion, I’d also like to announce some good news.”
Zhou Yu turned her head toward a certain direction and spoke with a slow smile.
“My eldest daughter, Shen Nanyue, will be getting engaged to Meng Yan, the young master of the Meng family. The wedding date has yet to be decided, and I hope everyone will honor them with your blessings in the future.”
The moment her words fell, shock spread across the banquet guests.
“Shen Nanyue really is lucky in romance. She just got rid of one Young Master Zhou, and now she’s immediately getting engaged to Young Master Meng.”
“I heard Zhou Yu practically begged for this marriage arrangement. The Meng family is one of Fengcheng’s top elite families. If the Shen family manages to latch onto them, their status will probably double overnight.”
“Isn’t this basically selling off her daughter…”
“…”
The murmured discussions drifted into Shen Nanyue’s ears.
Aside from Zhou Yushen, everyone else at the table looked at her with varying degrees of sympathy and disdain.
Sympathy for having a mother driven solely by profit.
Disdain because, despite already being “damaged goods,” she had still managed to marry into the Meng family.
Shen Nanyue ignored them all completely.
Her cold gaze remained fixed on Zhou Yu.
Just then, Meng Yan had already stepped onto the stage and taken the microphone from Zhou Yu.
His clear, low, magnetic voice carried through the speakers into every corner of the garden.
“Everyone, there’s no need to be surprised. Miss Shen Nanyue is exceptionally beautiful, kind, and filial. I became engaged to her because I genuinely like her. As for all the rumors surrounding my fiancée before this, I hope that after tonight, none of them will reach my ears again.”
Meng Yan smiled as his azure eyes casually swept across the crowd.
The aura of authority ingrained in him from birth made the guests involuntarily shiver.
Yet he still wore a harmless smile on his face.
His gaze crossed over the crowd and landed on Shen Nanyue in the distance.
Shen Nanyue looked at him coldly, her eyes calm as stagnant water.
At some point, a string of Buddhist prayer beads had appeared in Zhou Yushen’s hand.
The smooth, polished red sandalwood beads rolled between his pale pink fingertips, their soft luster accentuating the man’s noble elegance.
Unfortunately, the dangerous glint hidden deep within his eyes caused that composed elegance to crack for a brief moment, leaking threads of chilling coldness from within.
He watched as Shen Nanyue rose from her seat and walked step by step toward the center of the banquet.
The hand turning the prayer beads stopped, and the sandalwood beads trembled lightly between his fingers.
Shen Nanyue strolled lazily toward Meng Yan, her expression calm and the corners of her lips slightly raised.
She had always possessed a breathtaking kind of beauty, like a red rose that had wandered into a sea of white magnolias.
Simply standing still was enough to attract countless astonished gazes.
And tonight was no exception.
Under the crowd’s mixture of envy and jealousy, she walked directly up to Meng Yan.
A faint unease rose in Zhou Yu’s heart, but seeing Shen Nanyue’s calm expression, she forcibly suppressed it.
She forced out a benevolent smile and was just about to speak when Shen Nanyue’s mocking voice rang out first.
“Young Master Meng, are you that starved for love? Coming all the way to the Shen family begging for affection?”
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet through the microphone in Meng Yan’s hand, every single person at the banquet heard it clearly.
The smile on Meng Yan’s lips stiffened.
Before he could speak, Shen Nanyue continued,
“Besides, today is literally the first time we’ve met. How do you know I’m kind and filial? Everyone in Fengcheng knows I’m rebellious and unfilial. I even brought people to break my own uncle’s legs.”
“So what—you like me because you’re into masochism?”
Her words made the crowd collectively suck in a breath of cold air.
Could someone really say something like that in front of so many people?
Meng Yan’s expression darkened instantly.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yu was furious.
She stepped forward and raised her hand to slap Shen Nanyue.
Shen Nanyue dodged backward, causing the slap to miss entirely.
The anger Zhou Yu had been suppressing finally exploded.
Trembling with rage, she pointed at Shen Nanyue.
“Shen Nanyue! Is this the place for you to throw your childish tantrums? Apologize to Young Master Meng right now!”
Her face had gone pale with fury.
Beside her, Lin Siwan quickly stepped forward to support her.
She looked anxiously at Shen Nanyue.
“Big sister, I know you and Mom had a small disagreement a few days ago, but there’s no overnight grudge between mother and daughter. Today is Mom’s birthday banquet. Please stop deliberately making her angry.”
As she spoke, she secretly shot Shen Nanyue a meaningful look, pretending to act in her best interests.
Lin Siwan’s words helped Zhou Yu regain a bit of composure as well.
Clutching Lin Siwan’s hand, she took a deep breath and looked at Shen Nanyue.
“Nanyue, your mother was wrong about what happened a few days ago, and I apologize to you. Today is my birthday, so stop opposing me. Hurry and apologize to Young Master Meng, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”
She stared deeply at Shen Nanyue.
As though by lowering herself enough to apologize, if Shen Nanyue still refused to back down, then the fault would entirely lie with her as the daughter.
Shen Nanyue let out a cold laugh.
“What, should I kneel down and kowtow too? Thank you for your boundless generosity?”
“Shen Nanyue!”
No matter how furious Zhou Yu became, Shen Nanyue did not spare her another glance.
She snatched the microphone straight from Meng Yan’s hand and turned to face the crowd.
“To all you gossip-loving spectators here tonight: I, Shen Nanyue, will not be getting engaged to Young Master Meng. Everything was simply a joke Ms. Zhou Yu made with everyone. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
After saying that, she casually tossed the microphone behind her.
The microphone flew high through the air, and the rushing wind fed sharp static into the speakers.
The piercing electronic screech echoed throughout the entire birthday banquet.
The guests covered their ears.
Bang!
With a heavy thud, the microphone crashed down directly onto the top layer of the cake, knocking over the tiny sugar figurine labeled “Shen Nanyue.”
The microphone sank into the cream, leaving only the smiling family portrait of Zhou Yu, Lin Shu, and Lin Siwan standing beneath the lights, looking blissfully happy.
Shen Nanyue walked straight out of the banquet hall.
The expressions of the people on stage varied greatly, while Zhou Yu clutched at her chest, nearly fainting on the spot.
The entire venue fell into dead silence, and the invisible pressure hanging in the air left everyone feeling uneasy.
— The end of the Chapter–
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