The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

In the afternoon, Shen Nianqing leaned back on the sofa and dialed Gu Xingluo's number.

A lazy yawn came through the receiver.

"Nianqing, what's wrong?"

Gu Xingluo's voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't woken up properly.

"7 p.m., Jiangcheng Peninsula Hotel, top floor banquet hall."

"There's a cocktail party; bring Uncle Gu along."

"A cocktail party?"

Gu Xinglu clicked his tongue on the other end.

"No, no, I'm not going."

"Those kinds of gatherings where you hold a glass of red wine, fake a smile, and have to listen to a bunch of bald old men bragging are so boring."

Gu Xingluo has always disliked these kinds of social engagements.

"bring it on."

Shen Nianqing picked up the black tea.

"There's a surprise."

"surprise?"

Gu Xingluo seemed a little more alert.

"Is Brother Chen going to show up?"

"He's not in now."

Shen Nianqing chuckled softly.

"But you'll definitely have a worthwhile trip. Remember to let Uncle Gu know."

The Gu family villa on the other side of Jiangcheng.

Gu Xingluo, wearing loose pajamas and slippers, walked downstairs.

Gu Jianguo was wearing reading glasses and sitting in the living room watching the stock market index.

"Dad, Nianqing said there's a cocktail party at the Peninsula Hotel tonight, and she wants you to come with me."

Gu Xingluo walked to the refrigerator and took out some juice.

Gu Jianguo's hand trembled, and his reading glasses almost fell to the ground.

"The Peninsula Hotel? The Shen family is hosting?"

Gu Jianguo suddenly stood up.

"Um."

Gu Jianguo paced back and forth in the living room, rubbing his hands together vigorously.

Did you watch yesterday's business battle?

"The Shen family utterly destroyed the Wang, Lin, and Qi families of Beijing! Three powerful clans went bankrupt in just three hours!"

Gu Xingluo bit down on the straw.

"I saw it, it's trending on social media."

"This is a victory celebration!"

Gu Jianguo slapped his thigh.

"The Shen family has won a huge victory. Tonight's game will definitely be the most exclusive gathering in Jiangcheng! The fact that the Shen family invited our Gu family shows they don't consider us outsiders!"

Gu Jianguo's face flushed with excitement.

The Gu family is considered a second-rate family in Jiangcheng, and it is usually extremely difficult for them to squeeze into the core circle of the Shen family.

"Old Li!"

Gu Jianguo shouted towards the door.

"Go to the storeroom! Get out that Ming Dynasty Hetian jade carving I bought last year! We'll give it to Shen Zhengting as a congratulatory gift tonight!"

Gu Xinglu rolled her eyes.

It's 6:30 p.m.

Jiangcheng Peninsula Hotel.

The top-floor banquet hall was booked out by Shen Jiaquan.

Security was at its highest level, with two rows of bodyguards in black standing at the elevator entrance, strictly verifying identities.

Gu Jianguo led Gu Xingluo out of the elevator.

I straightened my tie on my bespoke suit and took a deep breath.

The banquet hall doors opened.

"Nianqing!"

Gu Xingluo spotted Shen Nianqing at a glance, skipped over and ran over, grabbing her arm.

"No manners!"

Gu Jianguo lowered his voice and reprimanded him, then quickly walked up to Shen Zhengting with a big smile on his face.

"Brother Shen, congratulations! The Shen Group's remarkable turnaround today is truly gratifying!"

Shen Zhengting nodded with a smile.

"Jianguo is here, please make yourself at home, there are no outsiders here today."

The Shen and Gu families had a long-standing friendship.

When Gu Jianguo heard the words "no outsiders," he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

I glanced around the hall.

Currently, only three large round tables have been set up.

The Shen family sat at one table.

Gu Jianguo pulled Gu Xingluo to the next table and sat down.

He was thinking to himself that when the other families from Jiangcheng arrived, he would have to put on a good show.

6:50 p.m.

The banquet hall doors opened again.

A group of people walked in.

The leader was an elderly woman wearing a dark gold long gown, accompanied by a man and a woman.

Gu Jianguo had just picked up his teacup when he saw who it was. His hand trembled, and he spilled tea on the back of his hand.

The Song family of Suzhou!

Madam Song, Zhou Xiuqing!

Gu Jianguo immediately stood up straight.

The Song family, a reclusive musical family, has unfathomable depth and influence; normally, families in Jiangcheng don't even have the opportunity to visit them.

Shen Zhengting personally went up to greet the Song family and invited them to sit at the main table.

Gu Jianguo swallowed hard and sat back down in his chair.

Tonight's game is on an ridiculously high level.

6:55.

The banquet hall doors were pushed open for the third time.

An elderly man with a full head of white hair and sharp eyes strode in.

He was followed by four capable assistants carrying briefcases.

Gu Jianguo's eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat.

He Yunting, the God of Wealth in Shanghai!

The grandmaster of stock manipulation, a financial tycoon with hundreds of billions of dollars in his hands!

He Yunting walked into the hall, glanced around, went straight to the main table, nodded slightly to Zhou Xiuqing, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Gu Jianguo's mind began to go blank.

Why did He Yunting come to Jiangcheng?

Before he could react, the door opened again.

A burly man wearing a trench coat walked in.

With half a cigar in his mouth, he exuded an extremely unrestrained aura.

Lei Zhen, the shipping tycoon of Guangdong Province!

Gu Jianguo's legs began to tremble.

He was in the import and export business, and Lei Zhen was like a god choking him.

It's exactly 7 o'clock.

The gate opened and closed repeatedly.

President of the Li family venture capital firm in Hong Kong, head steward of the Ye family in Beijing, patriarch of the Zheng family in Donghai...

Twelve people.

Twelve representatives.

Gu Jianguo stood beside the second table, completely petrified.

Is this some kind of victory celebration?

This is clearly a closed-door meeting of China's top conglomerates!

The Ming Dynasty Hetian jade carving in his hand looked utterly ridiculous at that moment.

To these people, this piece of jade was no different from any other stone by the roadside.

Gu Xingluo sat beside him, peeling pistachios, watching her father sweat profusely.

"Dad, why are you standing? Sit down."

Gu Jianguo slumped into a chair, his mind blank.

Beside the main table.

The twelve heads of the family took their seats one after another.

The atmosphere, however, was not as harmonious as Gu Jianguo had imagined.

Lei Zhen pulled out a chair, sat down, stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, and frowned.

"Old Mrs. Song."

Lei Zhen looked at Zhou Xiuqing, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed irritation.

"As soon as the Taiyin Order was issued, I, Lei Zhen, did not hesitate to shut down all the southern shipping routes. Dozens of Wang family cargo ships are still stuck in the port, resulting in losses of tens of millions every day."

He picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip.

"Once the matter is settled, just give the order to summon us all to Jiangcheng for a feast."

Lei Zhen shook his head.

"Isn't this all unnecessary? I still have a ton of messes to clean up."

He Yunting, sitting opposite, nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Lei is right."

He Yunting's voice was low and deep.

"Lin's Medical's stock just hit the daily limit down, with hundreds of billions of yuan being squeezed out of the market. I can't leave the trading room for even a second. Grandma Song, this celebration drink is not the right time."

The representative of the Li family on Hong Kong Island echoed this sentiment.

"There's really no need. The Shen family's crisis has been resolved. Our time is measured in seconds."

Of the twelve heads of households, eight nodded in agreement.

They are willing to repay the Song family's favor, but that doesn't mean they are willing to be treated like subordinates by the Song family.

They are all powerful tycoons who dominate their respective regions. They put aside their businesses worth hundreds of billions to come to Jiangcheng for a meal, and they all harbor resentment.

Shen Zhengting sat in the main seat without saying a word.

He couldn't get a word in edgewise during this level of conversation.

Zhou Xiuqing sat in the first seat among the guests, facing the complaints of twelve powerful figures.

He simply held his teacup quietly.

Suddenly, Lei Zhen's gaze paused for a moment.

He stared at Zhou Xiuqing, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"Old He."

Lei Zhen nudged He Yunting beside him with his elbow and lowered his voice.

"Look at Old Mrs. Song."

He Yunting followed Lei Zhen's gaze.

He was stunned.

Thirty years ago, He Yunting met Zhou Xiuqing.

He also visited Suzhou a few years ago.

In his memory, Zhou Xiuqing was already an elderly woman with a full head of white hair.

But now.

Zhou Xiuqing sat there with her back straight.

Originally all-white hair, black hair has grown at the roots.

The age spots on her face have faded considerably, and her skin has a rosy glow that doesn't belong to her age.

He Yunting gasped.

Not only him, but the other family heads at the table also noticed something was wrong.

The representative of the Li family from Hong Kong Island rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

Xiuqing looks at least ten years younger this week!

The complaints at the main table gradually subsided.

Everyone was staring at Zhou Xiuqing.

Zhou Xiuqing put down her teacup and slowly stood up.

"Everyone."

"Let me, this old woman, say a few words."

"Do you think it's a bit of a fuss for me to call you all over here?"

Lei Zhen remained silent, while He Yunting's eyes flickered.

Zhou Xiuqing turned her head and looked at Shen Nianqing, who was sitting in the main seat.

"Did you think the Song family was throwing you a victory celebration banquet today?"

"You are wrong."

"Today, the Shen family is here to return the favor with gifts."

P.S.: Bonus chapter for the great certification of Baozi [The Twin Hunters Who Love Half-Kite], thank you so much, mwah!

Thank you all for your support. The author has decided to add one chapter for each "Master Certification" and "20 Update Request Charms," ​​and other gifts will follow the same pattern.

The author keeps his word, but please be gentle!