Chapter 22: Banquet Fusion
Inside the Cyan Flower private room on the top floor of Banquet Fusion.
A dazzling crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling. A Chinese-style round table sat in the center of the nearly one-hundred-square-meter room, and directly opposite was a ten-meter-long, single-pane, floor-to-ceiling window that offered a clear view of the bustling, neon-lit cityscape outside.
At this moment, every seat at the round table was filled, save for the seat of the guest of honor and the one at the far end.
A glance around the room revealed men in sharp suits and leather shoes, all dressed with exceptional formality, exuding an air of the elite.
The middle-aged man in the host’s seat, in particular, carried the thick, imposing air of someone in a position of power.
This man was none other than Xia Zhenzhong, the director of Jun Cheng Law Firm. The people seated around him were the firm’s senior lawyers.
"Call Xia Siyao. Ask her where she is."
Xia Zhenzhong lifted his hand to glance at the expensive watch on his wrist. His brow furrowed slightly, his expression tinged with displeasure.
"Of course."
Upon hearing this, a middle-aged woman seated near the far end of the table picked up her phone. She rose and stepped to the side to make the call, just as Xia Zhenzhong had instructed.
"Come on, Old Xia, don’t be so serious."
"Si Yao probably just got stuck in traffic somewhere and was held up."
"You know how the traffic can be in Beichun."
Yang Wenjie, who was seated in the secondary host’s position, saw Xia Zhenzhong’s sour expression and offered a couple of placating words with a chuckle.
"That’s exactly why I’m angry."
Xia Zhenzhong shook his head. "This is an important dinner involving tens of millions in business. It could even affect the future of our firm, and she dares to cut it this close? She has no sense of propriety!"
"Don’t be so harsh. Si Yao has always been an excellent performer at the firm."
Yang Wenjie tried to smooth things over again. "Something must have really held her up today."
While they were speaking, the woman who had gone to call Xia Siyao hurried back to the table. She approached Xia Zhenzhong’s side and was about to whisper in his ear when he said, "Just say it. There’s no need to be secretive."
The woman looked hesitant but replied in a low voice, "Director Xia, Si Yao went to pick up a friend. Unexpectedly, their flight was delayed by half an hour. She’s rushing here now, but it’s very likely she won’t make it back before seven o’clock."
After hearing the reason, everyone at the table subconsciously held their breath.
Sure enough, as soon as Xia Zhenzhong heard the reason, his face instantly turned cold.
"Ridiculous!"
"What kind of friend could possibly be more important than tonight’s dinner?"
"Did she absolutely have to be the one to pick them up?"
Xia Zhenzhong slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising sharply.
"Director Xia... I think it’s because Lu Ziang is back from studying abroad."
"Si Yao must have gone to pick him up."
As Xia Zhenzhong’s secretary of many years, Li Wen had practically watched Xia Siyao grow up. She knew exactly what this Lu Ziang meant to Si Yao, and she also knew exactly what Xia Zhenzhong thought of him.
That was why she had hesitated. Instead of announcing it as Xia Zhenzhong had demanded, she whispered these last two sentences into his ear.
The result was just as expected.
Upon learning the real reason, Xia Zhenzhong’s expression, contrary to expectations, became calm.
Seeing this, those who knew Xia Zhenzhong well understood that he was now truly furious. "Call Xia Siyao again. Tell her Jun Cheng is too small a place for a top student from China Politics and Law like her. Starting tomorrow, she doesn’t need to come to work. She can go back to Yanjing and make her own way."
"Also, cancel all her credit cards. And tell the staff outside that once Mr. Gu arrives, no one else is to be allowed near this room."
Li Wen hesitated upon hearing his words.
"Wait..."
"Old Xia, isn’t that going a little too far?"
Yang Wenjie reached out and tugged on Xia Zhenzhong’s arm, trying to mediate.
Xia Zhenzhong ignored him, however, turning to glare at Li Wen. "What are you still looking at me for? Do you want to make that call after Mr. Gu gets here? Or perhaps you’d like Mr. Gu to wait with the rest of us for her when he arrives?"
"Yes, I’ll do it right away."
Li Wen knew Xia Zhenzhong was furious, so she didn’t dare say another word. With her head down, she took out her phone and walked out of the room again.
"Remove the chair and place setting from that last seat."
Xia Zhenzhong added, turning his head.
The others heard and immediately sprang into action, no one daring to utter a single word of protest.
’If he was this ruthless with his own daughter, what chance did his subordinates have?’
...
Outside Banquet Fusion, Gu Heng pulled up in his Maybach GLS 600. He gazed at the freestanding, six-story restaurant, its decor both grand and luxurious, a strange expression on his face.
’I can’t believe Xia Zhenzhong actually booked this place for the dinner...’
Gu Heng mused to himself. After a moment’s thought, it made sense. ’Among all the restaurants in Beichun, if you exclude the private, members-only clubs, Banquet Fusion is definitely the most prestigious.’
For an ordinary family, hosting a banquet here was a major event.
Anyone attending would have to give a thumbs-up and admit the host was a big shot.
Under the guidance of two uniformed security guards, even Gu Heng, whose parking skills were laughably bad, managed to park the car with exceptional smoothness.
"Sir, do you have a reservation?"
The guard proactively opened Gu Heng’s door and asked respectfully.
"The Cyan Flower room."
As Gu Heng stepped down onto the automatic running board, he answered, his gaze sweeping over the guard’s name tag. Below the name, a line of small text read: Banquet Fusion · Zhen Cui Group.
The thought that the entire Zhen Cui Group would be his private property in a few days made his gaze toward the guard inexplicably warmer.
’Soon, these will all be my people!’
With a spring in his step, Gu Heng walked through the main entrance, escorted by the two guards.
"Welcome, honored guest."
The moment Gu Heng stepped into the restaurant, he saw two rows of young women in traditional Chinese qipaos. They bowed in unison to greet him, their voices as crisp and melodious as a lark’s song.
Tsk...
’So restaurants in Beichun like to play these games too.’
Gu Heng’s expression remained impassive, but he couldn’t help but snark internally.
"This gentleman is the honored guest for the Cyan Flower room."
The guard escorted Gu Heng inside, relayed the message to the hostesses at the door, and then withdrew from the restaurant.
"Honored guest, this way, please..."
Two of the hostesses stepped out from the line and began to lead Gu Heng deeper into the restaurant, one on his left and one on his right.
Unlike the "hostesses" at certain other establishments, the women at Banquet Fusion were clearly respectable young ladies. Their eyes were bright and clear, their dispositions pure and unpretentious. All were comely and above average in appearance, making for a very pleasant sight.
Guided by the two hostesses, Gu Heng took an elevator to the top floor.
Lan Court, Bamboo Rhyme, Mo Xuan, Lu Ming, Caiwei...
Each private room bore a name steeped in traditional Chinese charm.
Gu Heng had passed by Banquet Fusion countless times before, but this was his first time ever stepping inside.
The decor wasn’t the gaudy, glittering gold he might have expected. Instead, it was full of elegant taste and clever design, exuding a sense of reserved, understated luxury. It was the kind of impressive that you couldn’t quite put your finger on, but you knew it was high-class.
Gu Heng silently followed the hostesses toward the far end of the hall. But just then, a voice laced with surprise suddenly rang out from beside him...