Chapter 24 - The Banquet

Chen Shaoxian was in a deep sleep when he vaguely heard the doorbell ring. He crawled out of bed and stumbled to the door, asking, “Who is it, knocking so early?”

The person outside replied, “Shaoxian, it’s me, Xiao Zhuang.”

After the ordeal they had been through together, Chen Shaoxian already considered Xiao Zhuang a brother. Hearing it was him, he quickly opened the door and mumbled, “Come in quickly, I’m going to wash up.”

“Ah.” Before he could finish, Chen Shaoxian heard a sharp scream that startled him, causing him to finally notice three people standing at the door-besides Xiao Zhuang, there were Han Yi and Su Jingya.

Han Yi was somewhat manageable as she was an elder, but Su Jingya was still a young girl, and the scream had come from her. Su Jingya covered her mouth, staring blankly at Chen Shaoxian.

Chen Shaoxian didn’t care that there were three people at the door anymore; he hurried back inside and banged heavily into the door of his room. Soon after, he came out dressed, holding his nose, and made a beeline for the bathroom.

Xiao Zhuang and the others couldn’t help but laugh at Chen Shaoxian’s appearance, which eased the initial awkwardness.

After emerging from the bathroom with tissue stuffed in his nostrils-a sign of a severe bump-Chen Shaoxian mumbled a welcome, “Please, come in, come in,” and ushered them into the house.

Everyone sat on the sofa, none starting the conversation. Chen Shaoxian, with a red face and head bowed, Xiao Zhuang, naturally reticent, and Su Jingya, also blushing and staring intently at Chen Shaoxian, seemingly lost in thought.

Han Yi, seeing that this could go on all day, decided to cut to the chase, “Shaoxian, we came mainly to express our gratitude. We were all very worried and felt terrible when you were unconscious. We wanted to take care of you, but Ruirui said she would handle it and told us you needed rest, so we didn’t come over. Ruirui called us yesterday to say you had woken up, and I was truly relieved,” she said, pulling out a check from her bag. “This is a little something from us. It’s not much, so please don’t mind.”

Chen Shaoxian did not hesitate to accept the check, glancing at the amount of one million on it before turning to Xiao Zhuang and asking, “Xiao Zhuang, what’s your bank account number? We’ll split this money evenly.”

Xiao Zhuang was taken aback and quickly responded, “Shaoxian, I can’t take this money.”

Chen Shaoxian had his reasons. Although he had only known Han Yi for a few days, he could tell she was of good character since she was willing to give so much; surely, she wouldn’t shortchange the Liu Family. But Xiao Zhuang’s situation was different; he was the family’s driver and bodyguard. A bodyguard’s duty often involved facing danger, and they usually weren’t compensated generously, which is why Chen wanted to share half of the money with him.

When Xiao Zhuang declined the offer, Chen knew he wasn’t just being polite. He said to Xiao Zhuang, “You must take this money. Not to mention the two times you’ve saved my life. There are rules in our line of work: first, you shouldn’t take a job if the pay is too low because that means your life is undervalued. Second, a debt of gratitude must be repaid; otherwise, even the heavens won’t protect you.” Seeing Xiao Zhuang about to speak, Chen interrupted, “Xiao Zhuang, you deserve this. We’re brothers, so let’s not be formal.”

Initially, Xiao Zhuang wanted to explain himself, but moved by Chen Shaoxian’s last remark, he nodded heavily and said, “Alright, I’ll accept it.”

Su Jingya had been waiting for the two to finish talking. Once they were done, she blushed and said to Chen Shaoxian, “Thank you for saving me.” She had prepared a lot to say but, looking at Chen Shaoxian and recalling the incident, she forgot her words and remained silent until she left, her gaze never leaving Chen.

After seeing off the three, Chen Shaoxian ate a quick meal. In the afternoon, Zheng Lei called to remind him of the time for tomorrow and to not be late, emphasizing the importance of preparing a birthday gift.

This posed a challenge for Chen Shaoxian, who scratched his head wondering, “What should I gift?” He then headed to the storeroom of his house.

The storeroom was meticulously designed by his grandfather, converted from an entire suite of rooms with a secret door located in the Study.

The mechanism on the secret door, also crafted by his grandfather, required a daily changing code based on the heavenly stems and earthly branches.

After calculating the date and verifying the code, Chen opened the door and started searching through the storeroom. His family’s collection was vast, from antique calligraphy and paintings to jade and agate, all accumulated by his ancestors and gifts to his grandpa, each item immensely valuable.

Despite his efforts, Chen found nothing initially suitable for a young woman. Then, looking up, he noticed a jewelry box on an antique shelf. Walking over and opening it, he found a jade bracelet that had been blessed. Nodding to himself, Chen thought, “This will be perfect.”

The next afternoon, Chen Shaoxian took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

Glancing at his watch, he felt it was about time and hailed a taxi to Green New Garden.

The security at the complex didn’t allow the taxi inside. Understanding that the residents were affluent and each household owned luxury cars, Chen Shaoxian paid the fare and got out. He called Zheng Lei, who soon arrived in a Hummer H6 to pick him up. Once Chen Shaoxian was in the car, Zheng Lei grinned and said, “How about that? Impressive, isn’t my new ride?”

Chen Shaoxian nodded and replied, pointing at the car, “It suits you well.”

As they chatted, the car approached the Zheng family’s house, which was bustling today with a line of high-end cars parked at the front, indicating a large gathering.

The two got out of the car, and a waiter promptly welcomed them inside. The Zheng family’s home was large and prominently luxurious, even among the affluent neighborhood.

At that moment, Han Yi arrived with her children and Xiao Zhuang. Chen Shaoxian walked over to greet them. Su Jingya saw Chen Shaoxian and greeted him with a sweet smile, saying, “Hello Shaoxian.” After chatting for a bit, Chen Shaoxian suddenly noticed more familiar faces in the crowd, including some he knew very well.

To his surprise, the entire Liu family was also there, laughing and talking with a middle-aged man. Chen Shaoxian recognized him as Zheng Tianpeng, the father of Zheng Lei and Zheng Ruirui.

Chen Shaoxian and Han Yi quickly went over to say hello. Zheng Tianpeng grabbed Chen Shaoxian’s hand, exclaiming, “Isn’t this the little overlord?”

Chen Shaoxian blushed at the remark, while others looked puzzled. Zheng Tianpeng then briefly recounted a previous incident at the Zheng residence where Chen Shaoxian had impressively pinned both his younger brothers and his son against the wall, adding, “Ever since then, we’ve secretly nicknamed him ‘little overlord’ at home.” Everyone burst into laughter, making Chen Shaoxian feel rather embarrassed. After a while, Zheng Tianpeng excused himself to attend to other guests.

Su Jingya waved to Han Yi and headed upstairs to find Zheng Ruirui.