When I went home for Chinese New Year, I spent a million times more money on my foreign wife.

"The fish must be the freshest, and the meat must be killed on the spot!"

Chen Ma's voice still echoed in the living room, while Chen Yue had already sent the final version of the menu to the housekeeper, Su Ning.

Two days later, at 6 p.m. sharp, one of the banquet halls in the Snow Palace was fully open to the public.

When the lights in the nano-crystal dome illuminate from the inside, the entire back mountain looks like it's inlaid with a glowing egg.

The autumn wind swept the fallen leaves of the birch forest across the outer wall of the dome, striking the curved surface without making a sound.

Three shuttle buses dedicated to the Snow Palace drove up the slope from the main road of Kaoshantun.

The passenger seat in the first car was occupied by County Head Wang of Linhai County, while his secretary sat in the back, clutching a red gift box.

The two cars behind contained Tie Niu's family, the village secretary, and more than a dozen old neighbors who had a close relationship with the Chen family in the past.

The car stopped at the main entrance of the villa. County Chief Wang got out of the car and looked up at the dome.

The secretary leaned closer and lowered his voice: "County Chief Wang, this dome reportedly cost a billion yuan to build."

County Chief Wang didn't respond; he simply straightened his tie.

Chen Yue stood on the porch steps to greet people. She wore a black fitted suit dress with a silver Snow Palace badge pinned to her chest, and her hair was neatly styled in a bun.

"County Magistrate Wang, please come in."

"Young Master Chen, you're too kind." County Magistrate Wang reached out his hand, which Chen Yue gently shook before letting go.

Tie Niu squeezed up from behind, carrying two cases of homemade blueberry wine: "Yue'er, where's your brother?"

"They're upstairs, they'll come down in a bit."

Chen Yue led the group inside. The moment they passed through the front hall and entered the banquet hall, everyone slowed down.

The ceiling is six meters high, and three custom-made crystal chandeliers hang down from the dome.

The long banquet table was covered with a handmade linen tablecloth, and the silver cutlery gleamed softly under the light. The air was filled with the scent of white roses, not strong, but subtly intertwined with a hint of woody fragrance.

Tie Niu stood at the doorway, looking around, his voice unconsciously lowering as he asked, "So...we're just going to eat here?"

The village party secretary patted him on the back: "What are you standing there for? Come in and sit down."

The thirty round tables were arranged spaced far apart. Chen Yue arranged for County Chief Wang and the village secretary to sit in the front seats, while Tie Niu and the old neighbors were led to the tables in the middle.

Before sitting down, Tie Niu pulled Old Li next to him and muttered, "This chair feels like sitting on a cloud; I don't even dare to lean too hard against it."

Old Li didn't answer him, his eyes fixed on the cutlery on the table: "Is this fork silver?"

Chen Ma walked over from the direction of the kitchen.

A dark gray cheongsam, without any markings, but the cut and fabric accentuated her overall elegance.

Her hair was tied up in a bun at the back, and she wore a pair of pearl earrings.

Tie Niu's wife almost didn't recognize her: "Auntie?"

"That's me, isn't it?" Aunt Chen said with a smile as she walked to the main table and cleared her throat.

The banquet hall fell silent.

"I've invited everyone here today for two reasons." Aunt Chen held up two fingers. "First, we've moved to a new house, you could say we're moving."

A chorus of congratulations immediately erupted from below.

Chen Ma raised her hand and pressed it down, unable to hide the smile on her face.

"The second item—"

She paused for two seconds.

"Our Chen family has a new addition, my daughter-in-law is pregnant."

A moment of silence fell over the banquet hall, followed by thunderous applause and congratulations that nearly lifted the ceiling. Tie Niu was the first to stand up and slam his fist on the table: "Great news! Double happiness!"

The village party secretary raised his teacup in a respectful gesture from afar.

County Chief Wang also stood up and applauded, and his secretary followed suit.

Mr. Chen stood half a step behind Mrs. Chen, holding a glass of Moutai in his hand. He raised the glass slightly to everyone without saying much, but his eyes were red.

Chen Yue walked from the side door to Chen Ma's side and whispered something. Chen Ma nodded and sat down to the side.

The kitchen door opened.

Five chefs in white uniforms filed in, pushing food carts. The first cart carried traditional main dishes—matsutake mushroom soup, steamed sturgeon, and braised pork ribs.

The second cart unveiled a silver cover, revealing a whole piece of Kobe Wagyu beef laid out on a constant-temperature stone slab, its fine grain and glistening fat under the light. The third cart carried Alba white truffles, sliced ​​on the spot with a special shaving tool until they were translucent.

Finally, the last dish served was Beluga white caviar from the Caspian Sea, presented in chilled fritillary bulb dishes, one serving per table.

Tie Niu stared at the dish of black particles in front of him for five seconds.

"Is this caviar?"

Although Chen Yang, Tie Niu, and the villagers had made a lot of money during this period, their lifestyle remained as simple as ever, and they rarely saw or ate Western food.

Old Li next to him picked up a grain with the tip of his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and smacked his lips: "Salty."

As Chen Yue passed by their table, she stopped and said, "Use a mother-of-pearl spoon to eat the caviar, not a silver spoon, or the flavor will mix."

Tie Niu picked up the mother-of-pearl spoon, examined it from all angles, and carefully scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, he turned to Old Li and said, "It's alright, quite fresh, but there's too little."

Chen Yue couldn't help but laugh and continued walking towards the table in front of her.

Halfway through the banquet, a row of warm lights illuminated the top of the curved staircase on the second floor.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Chen Yang walked out of the stairwell. He was wearing a dark, bespoke suit, without a tie, and the top button of his shirt was undone.

His right hand was holding Katyusha's hand.

An ice-blue cashmere shawl was draped over her shoulders, her long golden hair was pulled back, revealing her slender neck and the pink diamond pendant above her collarbone.

The two of them walked down the curved staircase step by step, at a leisurely pace.

No one spoke in the banquet hall.

He even forgot to chew the piece of Wagyu beef that was in Tie Niu's mouth.

Chen Yang walked to the bottom of the stairs, but instead of going into the crowd, he stood on the last step. He raised his wine glass to chest height.

"The second phase of the shopping mall and hotel in the Ice and Snow Town will officially open in October."

He paused.

"In the same month, I will hold my wedding at the Snow Palace. Everyone here will receive an invitation."

There were no unnecessary pleasantries, no formalities. A single statement, delivered in a flat tone as if reading a pre-signed contract.

The entire room fell silent for three seconds.

Then applause broke out. But this time the applause was different—no one stood up and slammed their fists on the table, no one shouted "Bravo!" Everyone remained seated, clapping respectfully.

County Chief Wang put down his wine glass and exchanged a glance with his secretary.

They both read the same meaning in each other's eyes—the scale of this wedding was far beyond what a single county could afford.

It was almost 10 o'clock when the banquet ended.

County Chief Wang stood outside the porch for a while, waiting for Chen Yue to see off the last group of guests before taking a few steps toward Chen Yang with his secretary.

Before he could speak, two figures silently blocked his way from the side.

Two people, dressed in dark suits and white shirts, standing ramrod straight.

On each of their left breasts was a badge—an oval base with a gold five-pointed star in the center, surrounded by patterns that were the exclusive insignia of the Zhongbeihai Inner Guard of China.

The secretary's feet were planted firmly on the ground.

He had seen that badge once, only once, in the internal training materials. The person wearing this badge had a direct command order that extended to only one location.

He suddenly grabbed County Magistrate Wang's arm, pulling the still confused County Magistrate Wang down, the two of them bending at almost the same ninety-degree angle.

"Sorry to bother you, sorry to bother you, we'll be leaving now."

The secretary pulled County Chief Wang backwards as they left, only standing up when they reached the shuttle bus.

County Chief Wang was shoved into the car, still asking, "Why are you pulling me?"

The secretary closed the car door, her voice barely audible: "County Magistrate, did you see the badges on those two men's chests?"

"What badge?"

The secretary swallowed hard, her voice trembling.

"Zhongbeihai...Inner Guard Organization"

The car was deathly silent.

County Chief Wang slowly turned his head and looked through the car window at the villa's porch. Under the lights, the two people were still standing in the same spot, motionless.

Behind them, Chen Yang was bending down to adjust Katyusha's shawl, which had slipped off her shoulders.