CHAPTER 266: CHAPTER 247: REFUSING A TOAST ONLY TO BE FORCED TO DRINK?

Time: 10:30

Location: Dressing room on the fifth floor of Jinfuk Hotel

A woman in her fifties was currently gazing at the lady in the mirror, her face full of worry as she said:

"You say you chose not to pick a distinguished young man from Yuanfeng City and instead picked someone who’s addicted to games and has no proper job. Are you trying to drive your mother crazy?"

At this moment, reflected in the mirror was a beautiful woman with delicate features, a rosy complexion, and dressed in a white wedding gown.

A touching smile slowly appeared on her face.

Looking at the worried woman reflected in the mirror, Jiang Jiaying suddenly said lightly:

"Mom, I’ve said it many times!"

"I’m not going to live with money for the rest of my life, what do I need so much money for?"

"What I need is someone who understands me, loves me, and whom I love."

"Life might be a bit harder this way, but it’s fulfilling!"

Thinking that from today onwards, she would bid farewell to her girlhood and become a wife.

Jiang Jiaying turned around, looking directly at the mother who had raised her for over twenty years, and said sincerely:

"From now on, I am Huage’s wife, but at the same time, I’m still your beloved daughter."

"I hope I can be a good wife and also a daughter you are proud of."

The woman tenderly caressed the girl’s delicate face and hair, feeling emotional:

"Silly child!"

"Which mother in this world doesn’t want their child to have a better life?"

"We have such high expectations for him because we don’t want you to suffer with him!"

"Mom!"

Seeing the tears welling up in those wrinkled eyes, Jiang Jiaying could no longer suppress her feelings and, with red, tear-filled eyes, embraced her mother and choked:

"Don’t worry, Huage treats me very well."

"And I also believe in Huage. He will surely become successful and not embarrass you."

The woman gently patted the girl’s back, sighing:

"Things are already like this, what can disbelief do?"

"Alright, stop crying, your makeup is all smudged."

"Oh dear!"

Jiang Jiaying suddenly snapped back to her senses, hurriedly stopped her tears, and looked at her slightly swollen eyes in the mirror.

At this moment, the woman wiped her tears with a handkerchief, stood up, walked behind the girl, and playfully scolded:

"My daughter is so pretty, that lad really lucked out!"

"Mom~"

"Hehe~"

"Come, let Mom fix your makeup."

"Mm."

While carefully helping the girl with her makeup, the woman said:

"Don’t hold it against your dad for being strict all these years. He loves you more than anyone else."

"All the money he asked from you over the years is saved up only for your wedding... Don’t move."

"He planned to give it back as your dowry, a little something for you to have as your ’private money’."

"Regardless, every woman should have some money on her, so she doesn’t have to look at her husband’s face when buying things she likes after marriage."

...

Jiang Jiaying stared blankly at herself in the mirror, suddenly feeling the urge to cry again, murmuring to herself:

"Dad."

......

Meanwhile, in a VIP lounge on the fifth floor of Jinfuk Hotel, several middle-aged men and women were having a lively discussion.

At that moment, the tightly closed door was unexpectedly pushed open, stunning everyone inside.

In the room, a well-dressed middle-aged man frowned and asked:

"Who’s there?"

The once lively room fell silent as everyone turned toward the door.

Shortly after, a handsome young man walked in from the entrance.

Once everyone saw who it was, the leading middle-aged man was slightly surprised:

"Little Song?"

Then he frowned:

"Why are you here?"

At this point, others in the room also recognized the young man, showing surprise:

"Isn’t this the little celebrity of Yuanfeng City, Song Tianyang?"

"Why is he here?"

Someone whispered:

"I heard this guy liked our Yingying, but nothing came of it in the end. What a pity."

"Really? Then why is he here today..."

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Song Tianyang walked up to the leading middle-aged man and said:

"I heard Yingying is having her engagement banquet here today, so I came uninvited. Uncle Jiang, you don’t mind, do you?"

The leading man was Jiang Jiaying’s father, Jiang Zhenguo.

As soon as Song Tianyang finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

His words seemed like a question, but the underlying meaning was quite clear.

The people present, uncles and friends of Jiang Jiaying’s family, could easily hear the implications in his words.

However, as the saying goes, one doesn’t hit a smiling face, so Jiang Zhenguo didn’t make it difficult for him and pointed to an empty seat:

"Guests are guests, please sit."

"Thank you, Uncle Jiang."

Song Tianyang was not polite at all, turning around and sitting down directly as the others watched, looking at each other in confusion.

No one understood what this scene was all about.

With the arrival of Song Tianyang, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat strange and unusual.

Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, remaining silent.

However, at this moment, there wasn’t a trace of awkwardness on Song Tianyang’s face as he sat there with an air of calm self-assurance.

It was as if he was the host, and everyone else were merely guests.

Suddenly, an older man sitting below Jiang Zhenguo suddenly praised Song Tianyang:

"I heard that young Song is about to be selected by Yuanfeng City as one of the top ten outstanding young entrepreneurs. Truly admirable!!"

To this, Song Tianyang merely responded with a slight smile:

"That’s all thanks to the praises of my seniors. I still have much to learn."

"Look at this child, he’s truly a man of talent with a boundless future!"

A middle-aged man on the right of Jiang Zhenguo concurred:

"To achieve such accomplishments at such a young age is rare in our country, isn’t it?"

"There’s no denying that the Song Group has truly nurtured an outstanding successor!"

Just as he finished speaking, another person chimed in with a sigh:

"Yes, yes! Just think about how many people will benefit once young Song takes over the Song Group in the future!!"

"Alas, it’s a pity our Jiang Family isn’t so fortunate!"

"And then there’s Yingying. Leaving aside a talented young man like Song and choosing a poor boy, what on earth was she thinking?"

"And you know, I heard that silly girl Yingying even sold her jewelry to raise 480,000 for that poor boy’s dowry. Truly... oh, let’s not talk about it."

After saying his piece, this person didn’t forget to glance at Jiang Zhenguo’s reaction.

...

Jiang Zhenguo sat at the head of the table, listening to the conversation of these people with a composed demeanor, neither interrupting nor expressing an opinion.

From the outside, it was impossible to discern what Jiang Zhenguo was thinking.

Of course, as the "protagonist" of the praises, Song Tianyang’s smug expression said it all.

As for those who were unaware, they kept quiet and sat silently on the side, watching this unexpected ’drama’.

Seeing that the conversation had reached this point and Jiang Zhenguo showed no reaction, a middle-aged man suddenly shifted the topic towards Jiang Zhenguo:

"In my opinion, we might as well cancel this engagement party, and then have a talk with Yingying."

"Everyone can see young Song’s sincerity towards Yingying."

"No matter what, we should give the young people some time to seriously consider this. I’m just worried that Yingying’s current decision is impulsive."

"For her lifelong happiness, we can’t just watch her jump into the fire pit, don’t you agree, big brother?"

At this point, Song Tianyang suddenly turned his head, casting his gaze towards Jiang Zhenguo to see his reaction.

"Oh, right!"

But in the next moment, as if remembering something, Song Tianyang stood up.

Then everyone saw him take out a check from his pocket:

"I didn’t know what would be appropriate to get, so I thought I shouldn’t come empty-handed."

Then Song Tianyang handed the check to Jiang Zhenguo respectfully:

"Here’s a million, just a small token from a junior. I hope Uncle Jiang won’t mind."

However, Jiang Zhenguo merely nodded in response, showing no intention of accepting the million-dollar check.

Without feeling awkward, Song Tianyang placed the check on the table next to Jiang Zhenguo, carefully pressing it down with a cup:

"I’ll just leave it here for you."

After that, Song Tianyang returned to his seat.

Only then did Jiang Zhenguo speak up:

"You don’t need to put on an act in front of me. Do you think I don’t know what’s on your minds?"

Amidst the awkward gazes of the others, Jiang Zhenguo turned his head towards Song Tianyang:

"Although I don’t quite like that boy, I don’t want to strain the relationship between my daughter and me because of him."

"I’ve given you plenty of time and opportunities, but unfortunately, you couldn’t change Yingying’s mind. I am powerless in this matter."

Then Jiang Zhenguo stood up, picked up the check from the table, and walked over to Song Tianyang:

"After all, you count as Yingying’s friend. This gift is too valuable. I accept your sentiments, but this..."

Jiang Zhenguo placed the check back on the table next to Song Tianyang:

"You should take it back."

Having said that, Jiang Zhenguo walked towards the door, saying:

"It’s about time. Let’s head out."

Once everyone followed him out, only those few who had earlier praised Song Tianyang remained behind.

"Young Master Song, what do you think?"

Song Tianyang cast a glance at them, impatiently saying:

"Get out of my sight!"

Seeing this, those few didn’t dare linger and quickly made their way out.

Once everyone had left, Song Tianyang picked up his phone and dialed a number.

As the call connected, a sinister smile appeared on Song Tianyang’s face:

"Have them prepare. This year, I must give them an unforgettable engagement party."

After hanging up, Song Tianyang sneered:

"Old man, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit, ha."

..............

Today’s update is complete.